#deep space mining rig

[trolledu]

[wanderingsoul6261]

Credit for gif goes to dailyflicks

Tyler Owens x Reader

PART ONE OF TWO (too long-hehehehe- to post in one. Do we are doing it in two, so fasten your seat belts for a long ride)

Warning: swearing, I think? I'm too lazy to check. Nothing else really I think.

Y/N walked over to the overly rigged up red truck, two cups of stale gas station coffee in her hands. She was very well aware of the rest of StormPar watching her, most of them probably glaring holes into her back as she approached the man none of them seemed to be able to stand.

She watched as the man peeked up over the bed of the truck, flashing her a cocky grin as he saw her advancing towards him, closing the distance in the matter of only seconds.

Two of his fingers moved up to tip his hat in greeting, his eyes having moved past her only briefly as he took in the group of StormPar employees watching them, Javi and Scott being two of them.

“Mornin’ Sugar.” his southern drawl came out, the sound of scraping on the truck bed filling the air between them as he reorganized a few things.

“Morning cowboy.” Y/N peeked around him, catching sight of Boone on the other side of the truck fiddling with the camera, Lilly next to him. “Boone. Lilly.” The two looked up at the mention of their names, tossing a wave in her direction before going back to their task.

“They really don't like you hanging out with us.” Tyler pointed two fingers behind her, tilting his head slightly as he climbed out of the back of the truck. He graciously accepted the coffee from her, a thank you falling from his lips as Y/N replied.

“I’d like to see them try and stop me. I can do what I want. It's fun seeing them getting all riled up.” Tyler's eyes crinkled at her antics, a chuckle escaping his throat as he leaned against the truck, Y/N standing in front of him. “it's half the reason why I do it.”

“You’re a little hell raiser.”

“I like the term fun. Or spontaneous. Captivating. Those are all good ones.” She said, her voice slightly muffled by the cup pressed to her lips, but a grin present behind it. Tyler's grin turned wider, taking in her appearance, her hair slightly disheveled, as if she only partially brushed it. The flannel she wore fell nicely around her body, the jeans she wore accentuated her curves wonderfully, and her eyes shown with mischief as she looked up at him.

“They don't know what they are missing.” He claimed, his eyes roaming over her face. The grin remained.

“They don't, do they?” Y/N glanced up at him. “If I wasn't good at what I do, I would have been off the team by now. Most of them think me a nuisance. Problem maker. Javi is the one always saving my ass.”

“Well you guys are old friends.”

“Well, with Kate now, if they can get her to stay beyond the week, I'm not so sure my space is safe.” She said honestly, the chaoticness leaving her tone and was now filled with a sense of unsureness.

“You’ll always have a place with us. I'll kick Boone to the back seat. Shotgun will be yours.”

“He’s been waiting.” Boone shot over, causing Tyler and Y/N to turn around and look at him.

“I figured.” She chuckled, a hand coming up to pat his chest. “It's okay cowboy. Your secret's safe with me.” She teased, her eyes filling with mischief once again. Tyler rolled his eyes, appreciating the way her hand felt against his chest before she retracted it.

“So this Kate chick?” He asked, taking another sip of his coffee. Tyler adjusted his stance against the truck, turning more of his body towards Y/N. Her smile faltered, but remained.

“Old friend of mine and Javi’s. All went to college together. Me and her didn’t leave on good terms.”

“I'm sorry.” He sounded genuine.

“Not your fault. Things just didn’t go as planned.” her smile faltered as she spared a glance back in the direction of StormPar. A few of them still watched her while others started to load up the vehicles. Javi and Kate seemed in deep discussion, the two sparing glances at Y/N and the renowned Wrangler every few seconds.

When she turned back to him, he looked at her with a small smile. The two were silent for a minute before her eyes filled with a mischievous fire as she took another step closer to Tyler. He raised an eyebrow in question.

“I know that look on your face. And I think I'm gonna like what's going on in that pretty head of yours.”

“Oh I know you will. You like getting on StormPar’s nerves right?”

“All but yours,” He said honestly, and her heart fluttered in her chest.

“I think it would really irk them if something was going in between us.” Tyler’s grin grew wider, and Boone’s and Lilly’s giggles could be heard. “they like the idea.” She pointed out.

“and how do you suppose we do that?” He asked. Her smirk widened, setting her coffee down on the side of his truck, fished two fingers between his belt, and pulled him forward slightly, catching him by surprise.

“Do I have their attention?” His eyes moved from her to behind her, swallowing as he nodded.

“Sure do, sweet thing.” his eyes moved back to her just as she got the idea to steal the stetson off his head and put it on hers. Tyler’s eyes glazed over, his lungs jumping into his throat.

“You know what that means Darlin’?” He asked,his voice sounded husk, a hand settling on her waist as he pulled her impossibly closer.

“You must forget I'm also from the south.” She grinned wickedly. “I am well aware of cowboy etiquette. I like you, Tyler Owens. But you're gonna have to work for it.” She whispered, tapping his chest. “Not going to make it easy for you.” Grinning, she moved forward as if she was going to kiss him, but instead grabbed her coffee and turned away from him, walking back towards her group.

“What was that I called you? A little hell raiser?” He called out to her. Y/N turned around so that she was walking backwards back towards StormPar. Her eyes found his own from underneath his stetson and she used two fingers to tip it in his direction, the grin still present on her face. Then she turned back around, her back once again to him.

She didn't miss the heavy groan that fell from his lips, the grin on her face growing impossibly wider.

“You're going to just let her take your hat, man? That's like, your emblem.” Boone spoke up, earning a mumble of agreement from Lilly.

“I'll collect it.” He said, the second part added under his breath. “One way or another.”

Tyler watched her as she finally reached the group. He watched the interaction, as Mr. MIT said a few things before turning around, Y/N head snapping immediately to him. Tyler's eyebrow raised as Javi and Kate stepped in, between the two of the him before Y/N stomped over to Lion, climbing into the front seat.

“Someone has a temper to her.” Boone whistled as he stood next to Tyler. Tyler clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth.

“Something like that.” The two of them watched as the StormPar vehicles started to roll past them. Tyler trained his eyes on her, her own eyes meeting his as they drove by. Regardless of her interaction with Scott just minutes prior, she smirks at him, stetson still on her head, pointing two fingers in the air and twirling them around in a circular motion.

Tyler smiles, watching as the StormPar storm chasing caravan left him and the others in the dust.

—---

The rest of StormPar begrudgingly joined Y/N as she entered the bar, a large and cocky grin on her face, her eyes immediately catching sight of Tyler and the rest of his group.

Kate, Javi and Scott, along with some others of the StormPar crew, found a table in the corner, eyes watching Y/N as she walked to the bar to buy the first round of drinks. To say she immediately caught the eyes of a Mr. Tyler Owens is an understatement. It was like he knew she was coming, eyes constantly trained on the door and waiting, waiting for the woman that plagued his mind to walk into the dingy bar for a couple of drinks after a long day of chasing tornadoes.

The two locked eyes as he stood over the pool table, body bending at the waist as he leaned over to take a shot, a crack resounding through the bar as he easily beat Boone at a game of pool. Y/N grinned, her eyes flickering to the StormPar group, who all gave her disgruntled looks, watching as she walked over to Tyler.

He straightened his body, a slight smirk on his face, eyes not once, moving from her as she strolled over, leaving Javi to collect the drinks from the bar.

“Cowboy.” His flickered up to watch her fingers as she tipped his stetson.

“Sugar.” Tyler greeted her back, eyes moving back to her face as he leaned against the pool table, pool stick in one hand, a tall glass of beer in the other.

The two stared at each other for several moments, grins growing wider on their faces as both groups watched them.

“You like putting on a show don't you?” Tyler asked. “ the Wranglers are getting A kick out if us. But darlin’, I'm afraid MIT and Boss man aren't enjoying it.”

“They just don't like me conspiring with the enemy.” Tyler set his glass on the edge of the pool table, using two fingers to find a belt loop on her pants, pulling her towards him.

“Is that how you see me?” He asked.

“That's how they see you.” Tyler looked her in her eyes, moving briefly to her lips and then back up, the grin growing softer. Something about those words coming from her stirred something inside of him. The words were genuine, sounding almost like a promise for something more in their future.

“Are we still making them believe that there is something between us?” He asked suddenly. Y/N grinned. Her eyes were full of a challenge from beneath his stetson.

“I told you that you had to work for it.”

“What if I felt I worked for it long enough?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. “How long have we known each other?” Tyler asked. She looked up at him, amusement in her eyes as she accounted for the time that they knew each other. It's only been a few weeks, having met him just shortly before the start of Tornado season. She couldn't help it when her eyes dipped down to his lips.

“Play a game of pool with me.” She insisted. “Then maybe I'll think about it.” A teasing lilt to her tone. His fingers slipped from her belt loop, his eyes moving to the StormPar crew watching them, his smirk widening as he looked back at her and nodded.

“You got yourself a game then, Sugar.”

Y/N smiled, amused as she brought a hand up to his chest, her fingers slipping underneath his shirt where it was unbuttoned. His breath became stuck in his throat as she gently grazed her fingers across his skin, walking past him to get a pool stick. His eyes followed her as she walked past him, turning his body slightly to unashamedly watch her back side, and she knew it. He then turned his head to look at the StormPar table, winking at them as he turned his body to set the game, his eyes catching the knowing expressions of his own friends.

“Oh, want your hat back yet?” She asked, putting chalk on her pool stick. He shook his head, letting her catch his gaze as he grinned at her.

“Nope. Looks better on you anyways.” She raised an eyebrow, a knowing smile on her face as she tread towards him, her eyes remaining on him as he moved to make the break, his own on the pool balls on the table.

“Is that the only reason?” She asked. Her eyes watched his form, watching as he got into stance and as his muscles seemed to push against the sleeves of his flannel. Y/N kept her eyes on him, even as he made his play and made the break, standing up and turning to her, a cocky smirk on his face as he turned to her, leaning dangerously close.

“I'll come and collect it when I'm well and ready. What was it you said?” He asked, pretending to think about it, her grin increasing. “Oh that's right. Making you work for it, because I'm not going to make it easy for you.”

Y/N was surprised to have her own words used against her, but it increased the fun of the game. Tyler winked in her direction. And then the pool game started.

The game started easily enough. One or the other was sometimes able to land a ball into a pocket, other times they were not. There was a lot of looking though, from both parties, as they either took in each other's techniques, or they were staring just to stare. The Wranglers found it amusing, knowing instantly that this charade was only a charade to both Y/N and Tyler, and that the feelings were definitely real and mutual.

Tyler watched as Y/N, by some luck of the draw, was able to land three balls in pockets one after the other. This now put her above by two, as she was previously down only by one.

As the two looked at the playing field, they seen that Y/N now only had three balls left, whereas Tyler had five. His eyes had moved to her, already catching the amused look from Y/N after she missed what would have been her forth score in a row.

He couldn't be upset though. Tyler was losing, yes, but something about getting his ass handed to him in a game of pool, especially by her, entertained him. Dare he say he almost found it hot.

“Your turn, Cowboy.”

Tyler moved around her to take his next shot, pleased to find he had an easy one.

“We should make this a bit more interesting.” Tyler leaned over to line up his shot, sparing a glance at Y/N. She was leaning against the pool table, a coy smirk on her face as she stared at him. Clearing his throat, he looked back towards the cue ball, paying more attention to that than her. She would in fact be the death of him.

“How so, Owens?” She asked. Her sweet sounding voice, even if she was anything but that, filled his ears and he faltered his movements, getting the ball into a pocket, but the cue ball unfortunately followed behind it, once again, making it her turn.

“A bet.” He didn't revel in the unfortunate moment, but instead turned to her with a smirk, eyes moving quickly to glance between the two groups, before finally landing back on her. She had an eyebrow raised in curiosity, almost begging for him to continue.

“What kind of bet?”

Tyler strolled slowly to where she stood, standing between her and the pool table, so that he blocked StormPar's view of her. His hand settled on her waist, fingers slipping underneath her flannel as he pulled her closer and leaned over her. Her hands came up to rest on his chest, the pool stick falling and hitting the floor, her breath hitching as she stared up at him. Tyler caught the action, grinning mischievously as he looked down at her, his head tilting slightly, making it look as if they were in the throes of a heated kiss. The rest of the Wranglers hoot and hollered, throwing out whistles.

“Whoever wins gets to pick who chases which storm tomorrow.” he said.

“Deal.” She whispered, unable to help it when her eyes drifted to his lips again. It only boosted Tyler's ego, his grin widening as his grip on her waist tightened briefly. He clicked his tongue, before letting her go so that she could take her shot. She let a mental groan, closing her eyes briefly before she continued the game.

Y/N ended up winning, but she was almost certain that he let her. Her eyes narrowed slightly at him, knowing he didn't seem to do his best towards the end. And the sheepish grin he gave her as he strolled over to her almost confirmed it.

“You let me win.”

“Did No such thing. You won fair n’ square darlin.” Her eyes narrowed more as she stared at him. He leaned closer to her, a playful smirk across his face as he watched her. His eyes moved to his stetson, adoring the way it sat upon her head. Tyler could get used to it sitting on her head.

Then his lips were on hers.

It shocked the poor man at first, as he wasn't expecting it. Boone, Lilly, and the others let out whistles and cat calls, and Tyler relished in the way her fingers scratched at his beard scruff and wove into his hair, finally kissing her back with as much as she gave. His hands trailed down to her hips, pinning them against the pool table, before his hands came to rest on her cheeks.

Remembering they needed to breathe, the two pulled away, lips barely brushing as he cracked a smile.

“That will really get your people goin’.”

“Then when you come to my motel room tonight, will kill them.” She said, her breathing heavy as she poked his chest. Tyler swallowed, his lips barely brushing against hers as he spoke.

“It sure will.”

[billy-cockblock]

SWTD Theory

Still Wakes the Deep has been a huge brainworm for me the past few weeks, so I wanted to make a post with one of my takes. Someone’s probably thought of this already, but I can’t find anything about it, so here I go. 

I’m gonna take this time to shout out a little sub theory of mine that plays a bit of a part in my main point. 

For a little background, in populations of organisms, there are limiting factors on their growth and spread. Think of it as a series of funnels of different sizes: the rate of liquid that can flow through is going to be determined by the narrowest funnel. For example. if there’s a population that has ample food, space, and whatever else it needs, but has a restricted access to water, that water is going to limit how large that population could grow.

Before the Shape was dug up by the drill, it was probably dormant in the sea bed, doing its best to survive, the same as any other organism. Down where it was dark, wet, and cold, I think it had one main limiting factor: oxygen.

I don’t think the Shape can efficiently exchange gas underwater. Most of the untouched bodies Caz sees are only underwater, where an organism that thrives in air would struggle to access. Once it gets dug up and brought to air with plenty of organic matter to consume and grow with, its population explodes. When a limiting factor is removed, there’s nothing holding the population back any more until they hit a new limit. The Shape’s old limiting factor was removed, and it would only stop reproducing by running out of space to grow on the rig, running out of organic matter to use, or being killed (like, say, in a giant fiery explosion).

(I could go on and on about how the Shape potentially works, please feel free to ask me about it)

Now, I’ll get to my main theory:

I think Caz was dead the whole time.

Now, I don’t mean that in a “the whole game is in his head, none of it was real” way; I mean it in a “this man got Ethan Winters’ed” way. 

So, I started to do a little research into how tall oil rigs are to know how far Caz would have fallen off the helipad. I quickly learned there are many types of oil rigs and not every oil rig of the same type is the same size. I’m studying marine biology, not petroleum engineering like my brother, so I got tired of trying to guesstimate how tall the Bierra D’s helipad would be and attacked the problem with some simple math. 

Watching a video, I saw he fell for between 4-5 seconds; the acceleration due to gravity is 9.8m/s^2. Plugging that in a calculator while not accounting for air resistance to solve for distance gets me ~80-120m, depending on if I used the 4 or 5 second count, so I’ll guess around 100m. I’ve found many conflicting sources on what the tallest heights you can safely fall into water are, but I can safely tell you that 100m is much higher than any of them. 

Now, maybe the devs weren’t going with the mathematical exact timing it would take for a guy to fall off an oil rig, and didn’t mean for it to be implied that he fell from THAT high. Still, we can agree he fell from very high up, high enough to have likely ended in injury. Maybe he’d just fall on and break a leg? Maybe an arm or some ribs?

After falling off the rig, the last frame before Caz blacks out shows the water at the top of the screen, meaning he hits the water head-first. He may be wearing a hard hat (that somehow stays on his head through the whole ordeal since he clips his flashlight to it), but he still should have cracked his skull open or broken his neck. 

When they pull him out of the water, he’s cold and not breathing, which wouldn’t be unusual for a drowning victim in the North Sea in the dead of winter, but it would usually be a death sentence. They never explain how they dragged Caz out of the water, but it would presumably have taken a long time to get him out, and time is key when dealing with someone who isn’t breathing. The fact that he’s able to cough up water and start breathing on his own is a miracle, since it doesn’t sound like Brodie or Douglas do CPR when they bring him inside.

So, fall damage, head and/or spine injury, drowning, and hypothermia. By several different factors, Caz should be a very, very dead man. So why isn’t he?

My theory is that, somehow, somewhy, the infection from The Shape healed and brought him back to life. We know for a fact it has amazing generative properties, basically able to double, triple, quadruple the amount of tissue and organic matter in the crew’s bodies with no regard for conservation of mass, so what’s just a little regeneration of damaged tissues in a single body? Once Caz’s body gets someplace with better conditions suited to life (inside where it’s warm and there’s air), it just jumpstarts his body functions. The Shape’s presumably been dormant in the seafloor for a long time, so it could be able to go dormant and kinda “come back to life” as conditions change, similar to a tardigrade, and potentially pass this ability onto its hosts.

And Caz mentions how his head hurts a lot, especially when he gets close to the Shape. 

Now, this might seem like baseless conjecture, and y’all might say “That’s a good headcanon, but there’s no evidence that The Shape could bring people back to life!” to which I would say “Oh, but there might be!"

After the helicopter on the starboard side, we get a call from Bruce, who is actively drowning. Through his gasps, he tells us that O’Connor hurt his leg and couldn’t swim, presumably drowning. And guess who we see still kicking as we’re passing through the pontoon? My thought is that O’Connor couldn’t swim, drowned, and drifted to the bottom, landing on a part of the shape. Once Caz and Brodie start working in the legs and they drain, it exposes him to air and allows the shape to start growing again, assimilating him and bringing him back to life. 

Obviously, he’s not doing as well as Caz is. My thought was that, if Caz died as he was infected, the infection would’ve had to put a lot of its energy into bringing him back, not leaving much for itself to begin assimilating him into the Shape. Since O’Connor was in direct contact with the Shape, it could hook him up to its network to help supplement that loss. Caz, meanwhile, stays as far away from the stuff as he can and doesn’t even get anything to eat all day; guy's running on empty. He has small things where the Shape affects him, like the colors at the edge of his vision, but most of his hallucinations only happen after the Shape attacks him through O’Connor. Before, I’m pretty sure the largest incident (other than when he’s blacked out) is when we can barely hear Suze’s voice over the speakers when moving through the pontoon. It’s really only after getting attacked that he starts to hear her when he’s awake, near the Shape, or over phone calls. He only hears her clearly over the speakers in administration after he runs into the shape many times when he gets swept away in the flooding.

With my main evidence out of the way, I’ll also mention that Caz sees the “light at the end of the tunnel” from the end of the game in the oil flashes when he blacks out.

But hey, that’s just a theory. 

A GAME TH- I have received a cease and desist.

Man, this became a long read. Thanks for getting this far, and I hope you enjoyed!

[optimusprimeg1]

I am so curious about the Titan Optimus au! So many questions!

Like how long did he take until he started noticing he was actually becoming a titan, since you mentioned stages?

When exactly is the whole transition from just a really big truck to something where a mech could reside/comfortably live in?

If everyone knows what happens to primes eventually, and Megatron wanted to be a prime, was he like willing to be a titan and have bots live inside or was he only in for the power?

What would the kids do when they witness Optimus growing for the first time or when they notice his size has increased while they were gone? Would Miko want to crawl through Optimus' vents when he gets big enough?

Will OP form a bond with one of the bots, turning them into a cityspeaker during the series?

What would a titan OP turn into? Will he be some sort of mobile fortress or a spaceship? I like spaceships.

Would OP ever get... stuck in a place he used to be able to go into and groan in a bit of annoyance because the damn expansions were making moving through their base difficult?

What about Smokescreen? When he arrives and sees OP all mid-titanization, will he just stare with tears streaming down in awe or will he have a whole fangirl episode?

Hiii~! So glad you asked ^^ these are what I had in mind, let me know if you have suggestions!

Stages take a while, sometimes they just come out of nowhere (like in the small fic). Prime knew it was bound to happen given the Matrix has the knowledge of the Primes. It is just that he doesn’t know WHEN it can happen!

Transition from a big rig to something else happens around stage 3. That’s when he is too big to be considered a truck at around 70 feet tall (imagine seeing a truck taking over 2 lanes <_<)

In TFP, Megatronus wanted to become a Prime so yes, he would definitely want all the power he can get. It would’ve corrupted his processors however regardless. Orion Pax knew better than to give into it entirely, and wield that power for the greater good.

I love this question because humans as a whole are curious creatures. Miko would DEFINITELY be going in places she shouldn’t be just like how she always ended up getting around into Bulkhead a few times! The children would be in shock (who wouldn’t be?), they would be curious about it! Raf being the cute little nerd he is would be interested how it works. Miko? She is going to ask a ton of questions…

Cityspeakers, I can definitely see that happening. I haven’t fully decided who should be bonded with him yet, having Ratchet was a default for me given how close they are. What would be interesting would be Jack (idea wise), however, I think it is better off for a bot.

A spacecraft would be interesting because they can use him like the Ark! Originally, I thought a bigass rig would’ve been a cool idea but perhaps on Cybertron? Get tons of loads delivered across cities.

Gosh YES! He would get stuck sometimes especially during a growth stage! You know how he was in S3 with his new body? He had to transform to get into the cave! Optimus walks in a energon mine and he just suddenly shoots up a few feet in such a narrow space. Infuriating! Even in base the halls end up being so cramped, they would have to remodel to damn place to accommodate him.

Ah Smokescreen…he would try not to be a fanmech. He keeps a straight face but deep down in his spark he is SCREAMING. “Gosh I knew you were big but scrap!”

Imagine how he has to get used to holding bots (or even humans) in his grip. Poor Optimus would underestimate his strength sometimes… you can be gentle but even gentle can do damage!

[sixofravens-reads]

re: 2023 new releases. hope you're ready for a long message because there were a lot.

hot new releases/things that were relatively popular

He Who Drowned The World, Shelley Parker Chan (Chinese mythological historical, very gay, very stabby a la Baru Cormorant. Book 2 of 2. A particular favorite of mine from this year)

Witch King, Martha Wells (New fantasy book by author of murderbot fame. I didn't actually click with this one but I'd be remiss to leave it off)

House With Good Bones, T Kingfisher (Southern gothic rose horror by the very talented Ursula Vernon)

Translation State, Ann Leckie (high sf alien horror regency romance. Wheeeeee. I had a lot of fun reading this. You can read it as a standalone, but you get deeper context if you've read the ancillary justice series, also highly recommended)

Will of the Many, James Islington (futuristic roman empire aesthetic rigged murder school. Not precisely good but appallingly catchy, I read all six hundred pages in pretty much one sitting. If you liked red rising you'll like this, if you hated red rising you will Not)

OH YEAH THE ACTUAL NEW MURDEBOT NOVEL (System Collapse)

A Power Unbound, Freya Marske (book 3 of 3, magic alt edwardian romances with murder. This is more romance proper but it's about equal with the action plot and Marske is very good. I don't think you've read these so you'd have to start at book 1)

Some Desperate Glory, Emily Tesh (The book that absolutely knocked my socks off, my pick for the best sff release of the year. I forget if I've already told you about this one)

Starling House, Alix Harrow (Southern gothic house drama. Similar feel to Ninth House or The Book of Night)

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, Shannon Chakraborty (Divorced lady pirate adventure-drama a la Arabian Nights.)

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries, Heather Fawcett (Charming, heavily fairy tale trope themed, vaguely reminiscent of the Lady Trent books)

more obscure new releases from this year that I thought were cool, but not in the Hot New Reads You Can't Miss Because Everyone's Read Them category

Under Fortunate Stars, Ren Hutchings (sf timey wimey space shenanigans with aliens. Immensely cool premise.)

Small Miracles, Olivia Atwater (fallen angel sent to tempt a too good mortal. Extremely charming)

The King Is Dead, Naomi Libicki (vaguely persian flavored fealty romance, very heavy to the fealty. Original, thorny, and intriguing)

The Deep Sky, Yume Kitasei (What if we terribly traumatized everyone going on a generation ship by making them go to viciously competitive boarding school together and then act surprised when a murder mystery occurs. Heads up that it's more interested in the human drama than the SF worldbuilding)

The Saint of Bright Doors, Vajra Chandrasekera (early modern fantasy world anti-imperialism fever dream narrated by a cult survivor. Brilliantly written, spectacularly original, one of the best books I read this year)

Things for 2024, content warning for being (obviously) things I haven't read and thus without quality control

The Warm Hands of Ghosts, Katherine Arden

The Familiar, Leigh Bardugo

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins, P Djeli Clark

Long Live Evil, Sarah Rees Brennan

Goddess of the River, Vaishnavi Patel

The Woods All Black, Lee Mandelo

Exordia, Seth Dickinson

A Sorceress Comes To Call, T Kingfisher

Running Close To The Wind, Alexandra Rowland

Wow tumblr just lets me keep writing words. I didn't think they let me have this many in asks. Oh, and pro tip-- keep an eye out for tordotcom's most anticipated upcoming books for the first six months of 2024. They should be publishing it within the next week or so and I always add masses of books to my tbr from there.

oh holy crap, thanks!! I'll have to check these out!

thoughts on a few of em:

He Who Drowned The World - still have to read She Who Became the Sun lol but hopefully I'll get to em next year!

Witch King - Martha Wells has been recced by like All my sci-fi mutuals now lmao I REALLY gotta get into her!

House With Good Bones - THIS ONE IS ACTUALLY ON MY SHELF!! I just didn't fucking read it this year whoops. Very excited for new Kingfisher

Starling House - I was on the fence about this one since I really didn't like Once and Future Witches, but those comparisons give me hope! I'll add it to the library list!

Some Desperate Glory and Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries are 2/3 of the books published in 2023 that I actually managed to read (the 3rd is The Woman in Me lmao), I can't remember if you recc'd Some Desperate Glory, but it was SOOOOOOOO GOOD OMFG

Small Miracles - my aunt has been trying to convince me to read Atwater for quite a while, I'll have to give this one a try!

The Saint of Bright Doors - I have this one on hold!! Saw a post for it a week or so ago and it sounds absolutely delightful!

The Familiar - SO SO EXCITED for this one! I hope Bardugo is maybe...slowly....extricating herself from the Grishaverse and going to write more books not related to it... (not that they're all bad, I loved the Six of Crows duology, I'm just not into it anymore and I reeeealllly like her adult books lol)

Running Close To The Wind - oh yay new Rowland! I still haven't read her last book (the one with the guy on the cover who looked EXACTLY like my boss to the point where it became an Office Meme that [Boss] Is A Gay Romance Cover Model, still meaning to get a UK version of it but haven't yet) but I'll have to look this one up!

[silentglassbreak]

Fragmented

Noah Sebastian x OFC

Onward we go. This one is a little shorter, but it ended where it was supposed to. Bear with me folks. I love you!

Warnings: discussions of the sexuals, alcohol consumption, getting pissed at the main character tbh

+It goes without saying. This is a work of fiction. My words are mine. Plagiarism is a crime.

Taglist: @flowery-mess @lma1986 @myownthoughts12 @poisongirl616 @missduffsblog @reidsblessing @malerieee @jilliemiw86

Part 2 - Voices In My Head

The absolute worst thing a man can endure is being away from his child and his girl. Hands down. It’s excruciating, being pulled away from my reasons for breathing. It’s worse than dying, which may sound dramatic, but trust me - it’s true.

Yet here I sat, waiting at the table, meet and greet starting in five minutes. We had been on tour for a month now, and I was already over it. Sure, being on stage helped me forget for an hour and a half, but as soon as that high I rode came down, it was just enduring until I could get back to my room and call Mileena, and see her and Addison’s faces.

“You alright, dude?” Nick’s voice pulled me from my thoughts. I just looked at him, sat next to me, Sharpie already uncapped.

“Yeah, why?”

“You just seemed spaced.”

I huffed out a long breath. “Just homesick dude. Missing the girls.”

He nodded in understanding. “We’ll be there soon enough. Only three days till we play San Diego. Leena’s coming down, right?”

“Yeah, her Dad’s at the house while I’m gone, so he’s going to babysit.”

“Right, yeah, Laura mentioned he was going to watch her so the girls could come.”

I quirked an eyebrow. “You talked to Laura?”

I saw him avert his gaze, the first wave of fans coming to the table.

“Oh, uh,” We both stood to greet them. “yeah we texted a little.”

He was avoidant, but now already talking to a tall girl wearing one of our t-shirts.

Well, we would be unpacking that later.

I was waist deep in autographs, photos, hugs, words of adoration and appreciation. Maybe this also helped distract me too, making it easy to smile and joke with the people who come by.

I was helping a guy unfold his shirt for me to sign while making small talk with him when I felt a tap on the shoulder.

“Noah?”

I peeked over my shoulder to see Rachel, one of our tour assistants, standing and smiling at me.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“T-minus ten minutes, then you’ve got to get stage ready. Your clothes are in the green room, and your ski masks are on the stairs on stage.” She had an earpiece in that she had to take out to speak to me clearly, undoubtedly getting shouted at on the other end.

“Okay, thanks Rach.”

She gave my shoulder a squeeze. “Anytime, hon.”

-

Tonight’s show was just off. First, Jolly broke a string during Artificial Suicide, making him have to switch to his backup rig, and it never played as well. Then, the fucking security guards damn near let a crowd surfer on stage. My voice kept going fucking flat for no good reason, which was an entirely different issue of its own. And finally, the icing atop the God damn cake, was that three fights broke out, forcing us to skip IDWT$, Never Know, and Limits, as it took security so fucking long to break it up.

By the last note of Dethrone, I was fucking done. Typically any irritation I had all came out during those breakdowns, but tonight I just couldn’t fucking shake it. It was maddening.

I stormed into the bathroom afterwards, and splashed water on my face. Maybe I should’ve called Mileena, let her calm me down with her sweet voice and comforting words, but I was too fucking pissed off. I would end up being a jackass, and she wasn’t even here to torture me for it if I was. I elected to call her back at the hotel.

A loud knock came on the bathroom door, which made me flinch. “Give me a sec.”

Only a half of a moment later, there was knocking again. I growled.

I flung the door open, glaring at Nick on the other side. “What the fuck?”

Nick took a step back. “Sorry dude, I’ve got to piss!”

I shrugged, stepping out to let him in. Before he shut the door, he called my name.

“You’re coming tonight, right?”

I stared at him. “To…?”

He rolled his eyes. “Dude, it’s Josh’s birthday? He wanted to go to a club, remember?”

Josh was the lead singer for Catch Your Breath, the band opener on our tour.

I groaned. “Don’t I get a 'Get Out of Jail Free' card for that? Alcoholic and all?”

Nick just shook his head. “Not this time, man. He’s always helping us with everything, letting us use their equipment and shit.” Nick moved to shut the door. “We’ve got to.”

-

“You’re going to be fine, babe. I trust you.” As I predicted, Leena’s voice was a soothing song in my ear, helping the stress of the day melt away.

“I know. I just wish you were here.”

“Me too, love.” I heard something shuffle on the other end. “Although, I kind of wish you were here.”

I stopped still, my shirt still in my hand, facing the bed where I laid my clothes out.

“Yeah?”

My phone vibrated against my face. I pulled it away, and saw she had sent a text. When I opened it, I nearly dropped my phone.

“Holy fuck!”

The photo was taken from a distance, likely having the phone propped up on the dresser. Leena was on the bed, a distinct Bad Omens shirt on her torso (judging by the listed tour dates and logo), and she was facing away from the camera. She was bent at the waist, looking over her shoulder, naked from the waist down.

Tucked so fucking perfectly between the cheeks of her ass was a jeweled plug.

I almost fell over.

“When did you get that?!” My face lost all color, the blood headed somewhere else.

She giggled. “Laura and I picked it up yesterday. I didn’t know how I’d feel about it, but it’s not so bad.”

I hissed, palming myself over my boxers. “I’m coming home. Right fucking now. If I get a flight I can be there by morning.”

She laughed loudly now. “Baby, you’ve got a show in Jersey tomorrow.”

“Fuck that. You’ve got a fucking toy, inside of you.”

“In all fairness, I took that photo earlier. Took a while to get a good one. I took it out after.”

“Well, I’ll just go ahead and put it back in.” I lowered my voice. “Then I swear to God I’m going to bury my cock so deep inside of you, you’ll never fucking walk again.”

She groaned. “Oh, honey, I’m so fucking excited for that.” She sighed. “But for now, you need to go to this thing for Josh.”

I rolled my eyes. “I straight up don’t want to.”

“Well that’s too bad. That guy totally idolizes you.” I slumped down on the bed. “Plus he thinks you hate him.”

I scoffed. “Why would he think that?”

“Uh, maybe because you never hang out with him?”

“I’m not a God damn babysitter.” I grumbled.

She laughed again. “I love you, grumpy boy. Now be good, go have fun, stay straight, and I’ll talk to you in the morning.”

“I miss you.”

“I miss you more, Noah.”

The ride to the club was mundane, especially since I was the designated driver. The streets of upstate New York were busy no matter what time of day. The SUV was filled with laughter from multiple conversations. Jolly drove the other vehicle behind us, opting to stay sober with me tonight.

When we finally valeted the trucks, and entered the club, the volume of the music began rattling my chest. The large room was dark, and the atmosphere was electric. Swarms of bodies danced feverishly with the beat of the music.

Josh got us set up in a lounge area he had reserved, and we all took our seats, a waitress coming over quickly to take drink orders. I just shook my head when she came to me, opting for nothing. It draws less attention than when you order a non-alcoholic beverage, I’ve learned.

Jolly, however, did order a club soda with lime, prompting smirks from the other ten people sat with us.

After a few moments of adjusting, I ended up sat next to Josh, who was chatting away about the band’s album they were working on, asking my opinion on album art.

“I’m having a hard time finding something I like. I want a photograph, I’m really into the realism rather than paintings or abstract stuff.”

I nodded, hollering over the music. “I can get you in touch with the guy who did the photography for our last album. He’s fantastic.”

His eyes lit up, and the AMF he was drinking was slowly seeping through his smile.

“Yeah? That would be awesome, dude!”

He took another long pull of his drink, leaving only ice, and set down the glass. He leaned back on the couch and scanned the room before addressing me again.

“I appreciate you guys coming out, dude.” I nodded. “I know it’s not your scene anymore.”

I chuckled, rubbing a hand over my knee. “Yeah, it’s not. But you’re a friend man, I don’t mind.”

Josh wiped the moisture from his lips, looking straight at me.

“Hey, if you don’t mind me asking?” I leaned in closer to hear him. “How long you been sober now, man?”

I contemplated this, wondering if it was worth telling him. Eventually, I came to the conclusion that it couldn’t hurt.

“Just over two years.”

He raised his eyebrows, seemingly impressed.

“That’s fucking awesome, man. Good for you!”

I smiled, nodding in appreciation. “Thanks.”

The next forty minutes were spent small talking with everyone at the table before most abandoned to go get more drinks and find people on the dance floor. I had told Jolly to join them, trusting he would keep his word.

After about fifteen minutes of scrolling through Reddit threads, I felt the couch next to me dip.

“Hey, Sober Sally!” The nickname made me wince before I could look up to see who had the nerve.

My eyes met stark green irises, slightly red-rimmed from alcohol, and freckles scattered around them. I smirked, my irritation fading when I realized who was now sat next to me.

"Hey Rach." She beamed brightly at me and smiled, her strawberry blonde hair brushing over her shoulder while she set her drink down.

"How ya doing, honey?"

I nodded, scanning the room and the environment. "Bored, mostly." I admitted.

She leaned back on the couch, arm draped over the back. "I get that. Why aren't you dancing?"

I snorted. "I quit dancing in bars right around the time I quit drinking."

She chuckled, and I joined her. She lifted her glass to take a swig.

"Noah, 'm so fucking sorry about all the..." She was waving her hand around in front of her face, clearly searching her brain for the words she was looking for. "...technical difficulties tonight." She snapped when she found it.

I waved a hand at her. "Shit happens dude."

She shook her head violently. "Nope, nope. Not when I'm helping, it shouldn't. I work my ass off to make sure it goes according to plan."

Her words were starting to blend together from the drinks. I raised an eyebrow.

"How many have you had?" I ask, smirking, pointing at the glass in her hand that she was tipping back once again.

She smiled sheepishly behind it. "Two."

I nodded again, eyeing her. "And how many shots?"

She broke out in a full blown cackle at that. "Like, five?"

Shaking my head, I laughed at her. She was gone already, and was going to be just so much fun to be in the bus with tomorrow. Thankfully, it was a short ride from Manhattan to Atlantic City.

"I think maybe it's time to slow down?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Hey! I will stop when I am ready!" She said playfully, her body swaying involuntarily, sloshing the liquid in her drink over the edge of the glass, right between her and I on the couch.

We both jumped, and she squealed as the ice cold liquor hit her bare leg below the end of her dress. This drew my attention to what she was wearing. Short, deep red cocktail dress. Scoop neck, cleavage on full display. It was an interesting color on her. It made her eyes pop.

I tore my gaze away from her as I felt her hand wiping the side of my leg, trying to dry the drink spilled on my pants with...her skin, I guess?

I scooched further away on the couch and laughed, her face nearly as red as her dress.

"Still think it's not worth slowing down?"

She giggled, bashful. It was a merry little sound. "Maybe you're right."

She set the glass down, having to bend her body forward, making her chest push out and her breasts nearly spill over the top of her dress. I cleared my throat, looking purposefully away.

She sat back and surveyed her outfit, realizing the entire bottom right quadrant of the fabric was wet with alcohol. She scrunched up her nose and frowned at me.

"Well, this is ruined."

I gave her a sympathetic look, and she leaned back on the couch, pulling her phone from her bag.

"I think I'm just going to call an Uber and head back to the hotel. I've done enough damage for one night."

I knew what the right and proper thing to do was; allow her to do just that. Let her leave, tell her I'd see her in the morning. But she was frazzled, and sad. She's a young woman, riding home alone, in New York?

"I'll run you up there."

She shook her head, standing off the couch. "Oh no, no way. I am not going to be your excuse to bail on Josh."

I threw my hands up. "Why does everyone think I hate him?"

She just laughed in response. I stood up in front of her, then, catching her attention. Her laughing stopped abruptly, her shorter frame looking up at me.

"I'm going to drive you. I'll just drop you off at the hotel and head right back."

-

The ride back to the hotel was quicker, but not by much. We sat in traffic under the dull, murky lights of the streets, and I was rhythmically tapping my finger on the steering wheel.

I could hear her singing under her breath to the song playing through the vehicle's Bluetooth being fed by my phone. I slowly turned the volume higher, her voice coming louder as the music did.

"Crawling my way from a prison cell, no one can save me but myself." She clutched her chest dramatically.

I smirked at her. She looked right at me, singing directly to me mischievously.

"I know there's something more that I'm missing." She put her hand up over her mouth like a microphone, giving her voice a background effect. "Hoping to find place somewhere."

I rocked my head, belting out the chorus. "Staring right into the sun. Looking for the ending before it's begun." She joined me, flashing all her teeth at me. "I just need a reason to bleed. It feels like my heart's going numb."

We continued singing, finishing out the song in sync, but way off key.

The final notes rang off as we pulled up to the front of the hotel, and she laughed at me. "I didn't know you liked Sleep Theory?"

I turned the radio back down. "I like a lot of things."

Her eyelids lowered then, her energy changing entirely. I watched as she slipped her bottom lip between her teeth, and I thought I felt something begin burning in my abdomen, but I ignored it.

"Well," Her eyes glanced up and down me, which made me feel claustrophobic, but also really, very warm. "we should take some time, one of these days, so I can figure some of those things out."

I swallowed, hard. Luckily, before I was forced to respond, she was out of the car, and sauntering up to the entrance of the hotel. I peeled off before I could let my mind wander any further.

What the actual fuck? I've known Rachel for over a year, and never, not once, has she ever come on to me. She's met Mileena, and Addison. She knows I'm a happily committed man, so what just fucking happened? The alcohol. It had to have been.

Back at the club, I luckily didn't have to stay too long before everyone was ready to leave, Teddy, Josh's guitar player, already having ralphed in the restrooms. I was still so bewildered by the entire evening, so I didn't say much as Nick and I halfway carried Teddy to Jolly's car (he's not puking in mine), and reminding Josh that we have to go, and we can always go out again another time.

Josh spent most of the ride home telling me about a girl he danced with at the club, trying to convince me that he would be marrying her. He was done, that's for sure.

It took about thirty minutes for Nick, Jolly, and I to get everyone in their respective rooms. Folio elected to walk to his room on his own, something having irritated him at the club. I had my hands so full with the rest of the guys, I made a mental note to revisit that tomorrow.

Finally, I walked Nick and Jolly to our suite, heading inside to my room.

"Noah?" I turned to see Nick, a look of concern on his face. "You good?"

I furrowed my brow. "Yeah, dude. Why?"

"You were just real quiet tonight."

I pursed my lips, deciding that not telling Nick about the event with Rachel was likely for the best.

"Nah I'm good. Just, you know, club, alcohol..." I gestured with my hand and he nodded.

"I get it, man. Thank you for doing that."

I gave a small bow, waving him goodnight before heading into my room.

Once comfortably changed into my pajama pants, a tank top, and fresh socks, I flopped back on the bed. My fingers instinctively went to dial Mileena, but I noticed the time. 2AM. It was already 11PM at home, and Addison was surely asleep. Mileena had to take her to an appointment early. I elected to text her instead, so as to not wake her if she was asleep.

Me: I'm back at the hotel, baby. Sober as a saint. You up?

I waited, staring at my message, begging for the indication she had read the message, but it didn't come. Before I realized, I had been waiting fifteen minutes. Leena returned texts faster than anyone else I knew, leading me to the conclusion that she was knocked out already.

Me: Get some good rest, babe. I'll text you when we're leaving in the morning. I love you.

I locked my phone, dropping it on the bed, and sighed hard. I would need to find something to distract myself.

Slowly, I let my hand wander down onto my stomach, lifting my phone back up, and scrolling up through our text threads to the photo she sent me earlier.

Mother of God she looked amazing. I was still reeling over her use of the toy, having never been allowed to venture into that territory before. My hand reached the waistband of my pants, palming my growing erection through the fabric. I could feel myself getting excited enough to slip my hand in when my phone buzzed.

It was not, however, what I was looking for.

Rachel: Hey

Kill me. Actually fucking kill me.

I dropped my hand on the bed and groaned, opening the text thread. She was typing.

Rachel: Did I leave my vape in the SUV?

I raised an eyebrow. Was she serious?

Me: I didn't see one, but I wasn't looking for it.

Rachel: OK, can I grab the keys from you? I want to get it before the rentals are returned.

I sighed hard, sitting up.

Me: I'll just go look.

Opening the passenger door, I scanned around the vehicle, the hot pink vape becoming visible from under the seat. I swiped it, and began walking back in from the parking lot.

Me: Got it. What's your room number?

Rachel: 323

I whistled in the elevator, turning the vape over in my hand numerously. Once on the third floor, I padded to her room, doing my best to be quiet.

I knocked on the door once, the electric locking mechanism loud when the door swung open.

What I saw had my eyes bulging, my body freezing in place. Rachel stood inside the doorway, cropped t-shirt barely covering her small breasts, boy short underwear all that covered her lower half. Her hair was hung in strings from a shower, her eyes now free of makeup and false lashes.

"Hey! Oh thank God!" She reached to me and snagged the vape out of my hand, my body still frozen in the same spot.

She brought the vape to her lips, taking a long, painfully long, pull off of the device, the end brightening blue. As she inhaled, her eyes rolled back, and her lips pinched together before she exhaled a large cloud of smoke.

I was stone, unmoving and awestruck. I felt a very distinct shift in my pajama pants, my cock stirring at the sight.

"You okay?" Her words brought me back down to Earth for a moment.

"Huh?" I shook my head, tearing my eyes away from her. "Yeah, yeah."

I let out a nervous chuckle, scratching the back of my neck.

"Well, see you in the morning." But before I could walk away, her hand was tugging my arm, making me stop yet again.

"Wait." I dared to look at her, which I instantly regretted. She licked her bottom lip. "Do you want to," She tossed her thumb over her shoulder. "come in?"

I squeezed my eyes shut, my brain stuttering and glitching in so many different directions. I put a hand up between us, if anything than to just have a physical barrier between her and I.

"No, no I've got to get some sleep. We load up at 9AM."

She nodded, retreating back into the room slightly, a small pout on her face.

"Yeah, okay." She gave me a smile, now a little deflated. "Goodnight, Noah."

I waved, not looking directly at her. "Night, Rach."

I tried not to make such a dramatic beeline to the elevator, but I was nearly at a full sprint by the time I began jamming the button. I stepped into the metal box, sighing with relief and leaning back when the doors closed.

Only two floors up, I was back in my own room, falling back down onto the bed. I took several moments to let my breathing return to normal before I went back to what I had originally planned - masturbating to a picture of my girlfriend, like a good fucking boy.

I tried, I swear I did, but after a minute of running my hand up and down my shaft, my phone fell out of the other, and my fingers gripped the sheets. I would never admit, for fear that I may be sick, that in my mind's eye, I was picturing green eyes, fair skin with freckles, and devilishly long, strawberry blonde hair.

[honeybeezgobzzzzz]

𓅨 Your Fate is Sealed With Mine: Chapter One

Your Fate is Sealed With Mine: Y/N Burgess is the granddaughter of Alex and Paul, and after having spent so many summers at their manor and always wondering why she was forbidden from entering the basement, she descends the steps into the world of the Order. She broke out the being that had been trapped in that glass cage, but what does he want with her now that he is free?

Warnings: Language, Mind Fuckery (Possessive Boi Morpheus), Mental Health Discussion, Medication Discussion.

To Note: Morpheus/Dream x Female!GranddaughterReader, based on Netflix’s ‘The Sandman’.

Word Count: ~2.4k

Masterlist | Next

You remember the summers you spent at your grandfathers’ manor quite well. The large stone building and sprawling grounds were massive, with plenty of space for you to roam, and roam you had. As a child, your imagination ran rampant and your dreams even more so. You had so much freedom your parents would have been mortified, well, you could go where you pleased save for one location: the basement. Naturally, you were curious about what was down there. But grandpapa Alex told you that a monster was locked away and he didn’t want you to get hurt going down there. 

It made sense with all of the guards coming and going in shifts, so you had left it alone and never spoke of it again. But then the dreams started coming, they were of a place that seemed to be rotting away to black and gray. Splendor to ruin. A kingdom crumbling without its ruler. Those dreams had made you afraid as a child. In fact, it had gotten so bad that your parents had to come and retrieve you because you were so terrified of sleeping for fear of dreaming about that decaying and dismal place. You had stopped visiting the manor at ten, terrified of what was in that basement and what came to your dreams at night. It had taken hundreds of sessions with a therapist and medication to rid your child mind of those dreams.  

Now an adult, you were less inclined to take the medication. You were an adult and you knew that dreams were exactly that, dreams. Why did you need to fear them when upon waking up they would no longer be real? So you stopped taking them and moved on from that chapter of your life. If only things were that simple. 

“Come on, Y/N, it’s Friday, we’re at the club, we look hot, relax a little will you?” Jemima protested from where she sat across from you, drink in hand. The Friday after work you had been dragged out by Jemima, your childhood best friend, and coworker, to the club to let loose from a stressful work week. “You aren’t still thinking about your ex, are you?” 

“Mmh?” You sounded, your eyebrow lifting as you rested your chin in your palm. “Oh, no, totally over that twat. I’m glad he’s gone if I’ll be honest. He was a lazy sod I was glad to kick to the corner. Kind of embarrassed that I dated him in the first place actually.”

“Then what’s on your mind babe? You’ve been spacing out a lot lately.” Jemima returned, setting down her drink. “You aren’t acting like yourself.”

“Nothing, really, I’ve just been thinking a lot about my childhood lately… don’t exactly know why.” You said with a shrug. “I keep feeling like I should visit my grandfathers', I haven’t been since I was ten.”

“So… why don’t you?” You hadn’t thought about that. Deep down inside you was that yearning to visit, a strong urge to go into that basement and find out what had terrified you so much as a child. But your conditioning was so strong you had been unconsciously resisting the idea even as an adult. 

“Honestly I have no idea, my parents told me that I was to never go back, nightmares and all. I’ve kind of just accepted that I should just stay away. Plus, you know I’m busy with work.” 

“But you loved Fawny Rig! You raved about it when we were children. Are you really going to let your parents tell you what to do now that you’re an adult? Babe, you're a grown-ass woman. Live a little, I’m sure Paul and Alex would love to see you.” You tilted your head to the side, honestly thinking about her words. Yes, you were an adult, and no, your parents couldn’t control what you did anymore. Besides, what they didn’t know, wouldn’t hurt them.

“Alright, I’ll pen it in when I get to work on Monday.” You told her, your mindset and that gut feeling, finally appeased. Jemima beamed at you and picked her glass up. 

“Excellent, now that we’ve gotten that business out of the way, can we finally let loose and have a little fun, you look like you need a proper fuck.” You snorted and rolled your eyes. 

“I didn’t come here to have a one-night stand, Jem,” She shrugged at you before pointing to the bar. It was only half filled with men and women, but in half an hour it would be packed with patrons wanting their beer and chips.

“No, but you did come to have fun, at the very least go kiss someone. You need a good snog, Y/N.” You had to resist rolling your eyes a second as you slipped from where you sat and headed for the bar. It was time to get a drink in hand, preferably your favorite, and forget about all your troubles and stress. 

Alcohol ran through your veins like blood as you laughed at what Sam, the man who had managed to charm you enough to hold your attention, had said.

“So I told him if he didn’t want to botch up the job he should have just told me. Pretty sure the lad isn’t just a prick, but a fucking cactus.” Your laugh dissolved into giggles while you gripped your stomach. 

“My God, how in the bloody hell have you put up with him this long? He sounds worse than my ex and he was a piece of work.” Sam’s eyebrow went up and curiosity filled his soft brown eyes. 

“Oh?” You took another sip of your current drink and shook your head at the ridiculous your relationship had been. 

“Believe me, I’m wondering why I stayed with him for so long, he’s the type where if you listen to him long enough, you start to wonder who ties his shoelaces for him. Absolutely useless. Wanker can’t even boil water for tea.“

“That's why you’re here tonight drowning your drinks like they’re water?” 

“I’m not the type to cry over a twat like him, my mother taught me better than that.” You responded before lazily shifting your gaze to where Jem was dancing with her chosen man of the night. “Jem, my best friend who came with me tonight, brought me to unload after a stressful week at work.” 

You both looked at her for a few moments. She was obviously enjoying her time and not worried or stressed at all. Envy nipped at your heart, you wished you could be as carefree as Jemima was. She hardly seemed to have any troubles in life, and if she did she just breezed past them like they never happened. 

“I’m a little envious of how she can just let all of her stress go.” You sighed. “My life would be so much easier if I could do that.” 

“You make it sound like you are a bore, Y/N.” 

“Am I not?” You returned with a raised eyebrow. Sam tilted his head to the side and studied you, his eyes not really revealing what he was thinking. 

“No, I don’t think so. Care for a dance love? You look like you could use more stress relieving.” Releasing your drink, you grabbed the front of his shirt and slipped from the bar stool you had occupied for the last hour. 

“Come on, Brown Eyes, let the de-stressing commence.” Sam laughed as you dragged him to the dance floor and twirled in a circle. He took your hand and pulled your body against his as your body swayed to the beat of the latest song. You weren’t familiar with the song but the beat was nice and easy to dance to, so you let yourself get lost in the music and the light scent of Sam’s cologne. 

The alcohol you had drunk surely helped with the nagging feeling deep in your gut and Sam provided a wonderful distraction you were all happy to indulge in. As the songs progressed your hands migrated upwards to wrap around his neck and you leaned your head against his chest. Song after song, the lights in the club twisted together in a kaleidoscope of colors. Sam was a temptation and you wanted to kiss that temptation until it was all you could think about. Sam finally dipped and you stretched. 

Your lips connected and alcohol mixed with beer. Odd combination but you didn’t care, Sam’s lips were pleasant and delicate against yours. It was a feeling and experience you missed, but it didn’t entirely sate that need for comfort and intimacy. Beggars couldn’t be choosers and you were content to take what you could from what Sam was offering. So you did.

You sunk your fingers into his hair, wrapping them around his strands and tugging on them while his lips worked themselves across your own and drew out little delights. Sam’s hand slipped across your lower back and pulled you closer to him. He tugged at your lower lip and parted your slightly tingling lips, you let him sweep into your mouth with the same delicate precision he had when simply kissing you. 

Your body trembled in delight, glad to have some form of genuine affection that didn’t come from a place of deception and disinterest. Sam then brushed a hand up your side, staying respectable as he reached your cheek and stroked your jaw with his thumb. You couldn’t help but let out a soft sigh against his lips, pulling back slightly to look into his eyes. 

“I don’t normally kiss strangers I meet at the club, Sam.” You told him, your eyes twinkling with mischief and your lips begging to return to his. Deviousness sparkled in his brown ones as his lovely lips curved into a partial smile. 

“Didn’t stop you from kissing back.” He returned with hesitation, still holding you against his chest delicately. You dropped your eyes down to the hand you had resting over his heart and drummed your fingertips against his shirt. 

“Consider me charmed,” You mused with a soft smile. “But I hardly think snogging in the middle of the dance floor is appropriate.” 

Sam’s eyebrow went up and his eyes didn’t stray from yours. 

“That’s not stopping everyone else from doing so, fairly sure they’ve forgotten where they are…” His comment was filled with humor and you couldn’t help but huff out a laugh. 

“I’m not that open with my affections, you can fix that if you want.” Sam was tugging you through the crowd by your hand in seconds as you giggled. You passed Jemima and her man of choice and cackling, her hand darted out and landed straight on your arse. You snorted in laughter, jumping forwards at the sting while glancing over your shoulder at Jemima. She had a massive grin on her face and was cackling her head off. You shot her a dirty look before disappearing into the edge of the crowd, breaking free of the dancing people. 

Now free of the overheated bodies, you and Sam stumbled around each other, heading in the direction of a much quieter corner of the club. Back hitting a wall, Sam’s lips found yours once more. The entire time you kissed he never once was pushy or overbearing, no, he stayed gentle and delicate. You could appreciate that because you never once felt like you were being smothered by his desires. Your fingers scratched at his shirt and dug into his hair, tugging and pulling at what you could grasp. Lost in the feeling of being wanted once more, you barely noticed that Sam’s kisses had turned deeper, more demanding, and less delicate. You weren’t being smothered but you could definitely tell that Sam was now kissing you in slight desperation. Like he too was grasping for what little affection he could get.

The grasp on your jaw tightened, pulling your lips closer to his and you were all too happy to respond. Your fingers pushed through silky hair and your nails scraped against his scalp. Lips ravished yours with desperation, migrating to your jaw, and you found yourself floating away in a reverie of daze and delight. Letting out a small moan, your back arched and your chest pressed again his. Soft hair brushed against your cheek as lips migrated to your neck. His lips were now exploring the skin of your neck, softly and yet with barely restrained want. He was holding back and you could feel it. Your eyelids fluttered open, and staring up at the hazy lights overhead, it took you a few moments to make sense of what you were seeing.

The room was dark, its occasional flashing lights gone. There was a dampness in the air you could now feel, there was even a smell of must��� but your surroundings weren’t what brought a shiver up your spine. It was the silky black hair you had in your grasp. A beautiful raven black longer than the strands you had previously been grasping and tugging. Not the shorter chocolate brown hair Sam had. Your heart leaped in your chest, taking off at an almost painfully fast pace. You weren’t kissing Sam anymore, but something else entirely. With shaky breathing, your eyes slowly moved downwards to the man now gently nipping at the underside of your jaw. Your eyes met intense silver-blue ones, and the moment you realized what was going on, you jerked back against the wall. 

The world around you distorted and returned to the club, pulsating lights and music and all, and with a frown, Sam looked at you in concern. He touched your cheek, his thumb lightly running across your cheekbone. 

“Y/N, you okay love?” You blinked rapidly, reaching up to run your fingers over your neck, still feeling those kisses against your skin like haunting echoes. Like they had been real. “You spaced out for a moment…” 

Letting out a heavy breath and feeling your heart rate slowly ebbing to a normal pace, you slumped back against the wall. 

“Sorry, my mind got distracted.” You replied breathlessly, shaken to the core but trying to hold a calm and collected demeanor. You nervously chucked. “I don’t think the alcohol is helping either.” 

“Better get some water in you then, love,” Sam replied, returning the chuckle as he guided you back to the bar. He was the perfect gentleman, helping you up into a seat and ordering you water. While he talked with the bartender, you watched him, a growing new pit of dread forming in your stomach and one thought on your mind: he was back, and you had a feeling that this time, you weren’t going to be able to get rid of him with medication.

Date Published: 8/15/22

Last Edit: 4/25/23

Masterlist | Next

[contentment-of-cats]

Why would you do that?!

People get their jollies in strange and extreme ways. I've never wanted to climb into a 'death zone' or jump from a massive height above the ground. I've never wanted to be in a space station, though I'd love to be on the moon as a bucket list item. I don't want to go deep into a mine (too many of my ancestors were coal miners and died down there), and I love looking at the beautiful salt caves in photos. I'm good! My eldest cousin once said to me that I'd never be comfortable because I understand engineering at a level that is like genetic memory combined with a vivid imagination, and have a sense of self preservation.

I've marveled at the wreck of the Titanic, shipwrecks on the Great Lakes, but at no time do I want to go to the bottom for a visit. It would be, at least to my way of thinking, a desecration of a gravesite. Five people went down in a submarine on Sunday to tour the wreckage of the Titanic, and are now oh-so-politely termed as missing.

You might not want to read the rest of this.

They have at most 96 hours before the oxygen runs out and that is if the submarine is still intact. The oxygen could run out much sooner "if they panic." They have a less than one percent chance at survival if the sub is intact and everyone is still breathing.

Can you think of a worse way to die? Seriously?

The sub contained the CEO of the submarine company, a pilot, and three passengers in an 'experimental craft' that used a video game controller and was 'jerry-rigged' with items from Camping World and Home Depot! Passengers pay about a quarter-million dollars US for a ticket, and are bolted into the submarine - with no escape hatch. Not that it would do much good that far down. The company lost contact with the sub about two hours in, but did not report it to the Coast Guard until around eight hours later - ten hours of oxygen gone. Further, losing contact with the sub seems to be a fairly common occurrence.

Then there is the waiver.

“experimental submersible vessel that has not been approved or certified by any regulatory body and could result in physical injury, disability, emotional trauma or death.”

It says that. Right on the box, as it were.

Military submarines have gone to the bottom before. They have multiple systems to surface the sub, allow crew to escape, or allow rescue and recovery crews to locate the sub on the bottom. It's never had a good ending. The equipment to 'rescue' a sub is not common, often a long way from the site of the wreck, and there is no fucking transponder of beacon on that garage-built jack job of a toy submarine.

This is what would happen if Elon Musk ran a submarine company.

Everyone is fixated on the sub being hung up on the wreckage, or somehow disabled. I think that maybe they're not on the bottom running out of air and awaiting rescue. I think that it may have imploded, crushed by the the pressure of about 6100 pounds per square inch at a depth of around 12,500 feet (around 1/3 the depth of the Mariana Trench). That's NOT downward pressure - that is 6100 pounds per square inch from all directions. Think of one of those little rinse-and-spit paper cups from the dentist's office. If you put that on a table and put the palm of your hand on it, then lean with all your weight, that's downward pressure. If you close the cup in your hand, though, that is pressure from all around it. All it would take is a microscopic hole or crack and the sub's internal pressure would not hold. It would appear to implode.

I hope it was implosion because that would have happened fast, and they are not on the bottom in the absolute dark at about 36F, dying of slow hypoxia and/or hypothermia. For $250,000 bucks a pop, it might be the most expensive burial at sea in history.

[cutest-silly-nb]

RROOOOOXXXX

HAVE YOU PLAYED DEEP ROCK GALACTIC IF YOU HAVENT YOU NEED TO LIKE RIGHT NOW ITS ACTIALLY SO SO FUCKING GOOD ALSO ITS ON SALE RN TIL THURSDAYSO GET IT!! RJEHFKANDKAKS

right. Deep Rock Galactic is a excellent game in which you go into caves on an alien planet to mine stuff and kill bugs. And once youve mined with your dwarven friends you go back to your space rig and you're rich! And you have beer with your friends :)

It's actually so fucking brilliant like definitely one of the best FPS games I've played ever <- bought it like a few days ago

Anyway literally anyone who has played an FPS game will love this I bet and youd fucking LOVE it I double bet and I triple bet we'd have so much fun if we played it together.

Uh.

Rox and Stone!!

Rocks and stone? Above water flowing underground? Letting the days go by? Let the water hold me down?

anyway i feel like i've heard of it but whatever i'll get it!!! if my dad says yes. also i love you and i love video games yay woohoo

[adventure-showdown]

What is your favourite Doctor Who story?

Spearhead from Space tied with the Ark in Space, and The Mind of Evil tied with Frontier in Space. Everything from day 4 has been given a second chance across two tiebreak groups

ROUND 2 MASTERPOST

synopses and propaganda under the cut

The Abominable Snowmen

Synopsis

Mysterious forces are at work in 1930s Tibet. Savage Yeti are besieging a Buddhist monastery. The Second Doctor, Jamie and Victoria arrive expecting a friendly welcome from the abbot, but soon become ensnared in the plans of the extradimensional being known as the Great Intelligence.

Propaganda no propaganda submitted

Fury from the Deep

Synopsis

The TARDIS lands on the surface of the sea, just off the east coast of England. The time travellers use a rubber dinghy to get ashore, where they are shot with tranquilliser darts and taken prisoner by security guards as they have arrived in the restricted area of the Euro Sea Gas refinery.

At the refinery base, run by a man named Robson, the Second Doctor learns that there have been a number of unexplained problems with the pressure in the feed pipes from the offshore drilling rigs and a strange sound is reverberating through the pipeline. It is later revealed that one of the rigs has sucked up a parasitic form of seaweed, which is capable of releasing poisonous gas or a strange kind of foam that allows it to take control of the minds of those it touches.

Propaganda no propaganda submitted

The Mind of Evil

Synopsis

Professor Emil Keller has created a machine that can pacify even the most dangerous of criminals. But when the Doctor and Jo arrive at Stangmoor Prison for a demonstration, things start to go horribly wrong - especially when they discover that the Doctor's old enemy the Master is responsible for the machine.

What could he possibly want from the criminals? And what connects him with an impending World Peace Conference?

Propaganda no propaganda submitted

The Claws of Axos

Synopsis

A group of gold-skinned aliens land on Earth and offer wondrous technology in exchange for fuel. The Third Doctor, however, isn't fooled, uncovering the Axons' true nature and once again facing his arch enemy, the Master...

Propaganda no propaganda submitted

Colony in Space

Synopsis

The Time Lords discover that the Master has stolen their secret file on the Doomsday Weapon. They grant the Doctor a temporary reprieve from his exile on Earth to deal with the crisis. He and Jo arrive on the planet Uxarieus and become enmeshed in a struggle between an agrarian colony and a powerful mining corporation.

Propaganda no propaganda submitted

Carnival of Monsters

Synopsis

The Doctor and Jo arrive on the SS Bernice, a cargo ship crossing the Indian Ocean. Things are not what they seem. A monster appears in the sea, events repeat themselves and a giant hand steals the TARDIS. Investigation reveals they are inside a miniscope, an alien peepshow sporting numerous miniaturised environments, which showman Vorg and his assistant Shirna have brought to amuse the populace of the planet Inter Minor.

 Propaganda no propaganda submitted

The Time Warrior

Synopsis

When scientists start to go missing in the 20th century, the Doctor is called in by the Brigadier to investigate. His investigations lead him to deduce that they are being kidnapped through time, and he sets off in pursuit, unknowingly kidnapping journalist Sarah Jane Smith in the process.

Arriving in the middle ages, the Doctor and Sarah find themselves caught up in the machinations of the robber baron Irongron and his "star warrior". The alien, a Sontaran named Linx, is arming him with modern weapons in return for helping him repair his damaged ship, and it's up to the Doctor and Sarah to stop him from ruining the Earth's timeline.

Propaganda no propaganda submitted

Planet of the Spiders

Synopsis

The blue crystal that the Doctor took from Metebelis III in a previous adventure is desperately sought by the Eight Legs, a race of mutated spiders, as the final element in their plan for universal domination. With help from an old mentor, the Doctor realises the only way to foil the plot is to make the ultimate sacrifice. The Doctor must risk death to return to the cave of the Great One and save the universe.

Propaganda no propaganda submitted

The Ark in Space

Synopsis

The TARDIS lands on a space station orbiting Earth in the distant future. It's seemingly deserted, but the Doctor, Sarah and Harry soon discover that they are not alone. Thousands of humans are in cryogenic sleep, and while they've slept their Ark has been invaded. A parasitic insect race, the Wirrn, have taken control and threaten the very future of mankind.

Propaganda

you’ve got to do it for the most iconic use of bubblewrap in the show, nay all of television, nay human history. (no but seriously it’s a very good story, even without the bubblewarp) (anonymous)

[drwhomstvede]

October 9th - Underwater (2020)

As a marine biologist I tend to avoid horror movies set in or around the ocean because it’s a lot harder to suspend your disbelief when you know about a topic, but I’m glad I gave this one a go!

This movie felt very sci-fi, which I enjoyed. The technology was a mixture of futuristic stuff that isn’t possible yet and manual buttons and cranks, which reminded me of the Alien movies in the best way. They also (purposefully) made the rig look quite similar to a space station, and from the suits to the escape pods it was very reminiscent of a ‘lost in space’ kind of story. However, I felt like setting it in the deep sea really gave it a new spin on things and made the story feel more fresh.

Personally, I found the first half of this film a little… disjointed? I feel like most of the problem for me was the tone- there was one character who just consistently broke the tone of the film and it really detracted from the horror for me, which wasn’t great considering it’s… a horror movie. The second half was way way better though, much more cohesive and really tense but enjoyable.

My other problem with this film was that although the lighting in the underwater scenes was very accurate to how it looks down there, I also couldn’t see anything. Maybe I just needed to watch it on a bigger screen but I felt like they could’ve messed with the lighting and contrast to make it a liiiiitle clearer what was going on. Like, I think the visual design in this film was amazing, so it would’ve been nice to see it a little better.

And finally, the best thing about this film was how accurately it portrayed the corporate evil that is deep-sea mining. May all deep-sea mining corp CEOs fall into the ocean and be eaten by creatures 🙏

[wealmostaneckbeard]

Deep Rock Galactic x Signalis crossover

DRG corp. buys a ton of Replikas from AEON corp. Specifically the Minenarbeit-,Nukleartechnik-,Hochsicherheits-Replikas, acronym MNHR, or informally called Mynahs.

The MNHRs are given separate living sections of the Space Rig orbiting Hoxxes IV but the dwarves start fraternizing with them. This seems fine until DRG Management notices a slight uptick in casualties during missions. They look into this and discover that the Miners will not let ANYONE be left behind and they are sacrificing themselves to help the Replikas survive.

Attempts to discourage this behavior fail and result in a general strike. Management changes their tact and decides to try a more costlier alternative: They give the miners the tools to repair and assist their MNHR units during operations. This please the Mining Union and they end the strike. It also results in a boost to morale and a decrease in operational costs as DRG doesn't have to buy new replacement units from AEON.

[sunluzhen]

They remember, vaguely, the day they were born. Created. Molded from clay that was embedded with the shattered pieces of Monkey King's stone egg. A woman's face. How small they felt, cupped in her hands. The sound of something sliding against the ground -- scales. Slithering.

They had forgotten her, after the storm. She left them behind. Whether on purpose or not, they don't know. Might never know, now, in this strange place so disconnected from the reality they once knew. But they still feel this sense of urgency, in finding out. Yet, it's been put on the back burner. This place was convenient, at least, when it came to being provided with distractions.

They've been having strange dreams again. Snippets of conversations; visions of unfamiliar scenes that invoked a sense of déjà vu; a torrent of mixed emotions. Horror and dread and awe and anger and desperation. The sky falling apart. Them falling apart with it.

Maybe they should actually search for the answers to at least one of their many existential problems: who is she? They don't know how to find their answer, is the thing. Wukong certainly knew lots of people between all the realms, but... could they go to him? For something so personal?

They still haven't talked about what MK is. They don't think Wukong even knows, either, so maybe he wouldn't have any of the answers to begin with.

Macaque probably wouldn't know. Sun and Nezha were from a different universe-- providing the description of a specific god from MK's world would be pretty useless, probably. What are the odds of them also knowing a giant goddess with the body of a serpent? She wouldn't be MK's creator, even if they did know something.

It's when they're laying on their bed, staring frustratedly up at the ceiling, that they finally have an epiphany. They could go to Spirale's infamous library! It holds knowledge such a repertoire of magical knowledge after all, doesn't it? Maybe, just maybe, it'll have information from across the multiverse too. They've only been once, accompanying little Liu'er one day. It turned out the little monkey was quite the book worm. They still remember the way.

They jolt upright with renewed energy as they prepare themselves for a hike deep into the enchanted forest. It takes a couple of hours on foot, which is fine by them. They don't exactly have any other mode of transportation. They could take the bus most of the way, surely, but...

Today they felt the need to have some space, in order to keep their thoughts somewhat organized, at least on their way to the library. It gives them the time they need to focus on their memory of her. Her face, the style of her make-up; blurry. Her style of headdress, the gem at the center; green. Her flowy hanfu; green. The scales adorning her serpentine body; green.

The other animals carved out of clay. Was there anything else she made?

The library probably won't have all the answers. But maybe they could at least finally attach a name to her face. They're not looking for much more than that. They stand outside the library's grand entrance for a moment, silent, before taking a deep breath. They're not sure what they're bracing themselves for, even. Then they head inside.

They remember how the librarian intimidated Liu'er, when they visited this place together. MK understood why. But she kinda just reminded MK of Mei's relatives, which made her not quite as scary in their mind's eye. So, they walk right up to her desk, standing on their tippy-toes in order to peek above the counter properly.

"Hi, ma'am! Uhm— my name's Xiaotian. I was wondering... These books come from all sorts of different worlds, right? Could you help me find some texts from mine?"

"Hm? Oh, yes, I remember you. That shouldn't be too difficult, your world is rather... Distinct, even from the similar ones. What are you looking for?"

"Uhm— texts about the gods from my world. The celestial realm and stuff."

It was as simple as that. Pretty quickly, he was being pointed in the right direction with a list of titles to look for. He feels a bit silly, now, for taking so long to do this. But there's that small part of him still desperately clinging to the desire for some sense of normalcy again. Like-- if he confirms his creator's identity, somehow, that'll ruin any chance of the status quo.

He sighs. He's not even fooling himself anymore, really. The moment he woke up in this strange city with the glamor of a human form completely stripped away... that itself was the nail in the coffin, honestly.

"Just open the damn book already, MK." He hisses at himself, shaking his head as he grabs one of the titles off the shelf, and promptly sits down with it. There's no use in stalling. He flips it open to the first page.

He didn't even have to dig through the book. There she was, one of the oldest recorded gods-- right there.

Nüwa.

[mariacallous]

“Just like in the First World War, we have reached the level of technology that puts us into a stalemate,” Ukrainian general Valerii Zaluzhnyi admitted late last year. “There will most likely be no deep and beautiful breakthrough.”

That blunt assessment from the Ukrainian commander in chief, made in a November interview with The Economist, prompted waves of enormous pessimism. Headlines around the world seized on the idea that the war had essentially ended. Ukraine had fought valiantly—and lost.

Politicians in the West, particularly Republicans in the United States Congress, declared that it was time to stop supplying Kyiv and push for major concessions to Moscow.

The general’s actual point, however, wasn’t quite so fatalistic. In an accompanying nine-page essay, published in the British magazine, Zaluzhnyi doesn’t use the word “stalemate.” Instead, he called the war “positional,” with both sides trading just tiny slivers of land. Critically, however, he said Ukraine can still win. But it will mean, he wrote, “searching for new and non-trivial approaches to break military parity with the enemy.”

Technological innovation, more modern equipment, and changes in strategy could still turn the tide of this war, Zaluzhnyi argued. He laid out five areas where progress could mean overcoming their Russian opponent: achieving air superiority, improving mine clearing, expanding counterbattery, recruiting more soldiers, and advancing electronic warfare.

To achieve those goals, he wrote, Ukraine needs a once-in-a-century technological breakthrough.

“The simple fact is that we see everything the enemy is doing and they see everything we are doing,” Zaluzhnyi writes. “In order for us to break this deadlock we need something new, like the gunpowder, which the Chinese invented and which we are still using to kill each other.”

In recent months, WIRED has spoken to a host of NATO leaders and military analysts, as well as Ukrainian officials, regarding the future of the war. The consensus is clear: There is no silver bullet Ukraine can develop that will win this war. But there is agreement that Ukraine can and must innovate if it hopes to overcome its better-resourced and dug-in enemy.

“The thing that will break the logjam will be the right combination of new ideas, new organizations, and new technologies,” Mick Ryan, a 35-year veteran of the Australian Army who writes extensively on the future of war, tells WIRED. “It's really about how you combine that trinity of ideas, technology, and organizations into something new.”

Ukraine has already changed the future of warfare. Its use of aerial drones has revolutionized combat. It has developed and deployed the world’s first tactical naval drone. It jury-rigged a remarkably effective air defense system. It is leveraging artificial intelligence to conduct high-precision missile and drone strikes. It has consistently bested Moscow in the cyber and information spaces. If it can scale any of these technologies, or come up with new ones, it has a fighting chance to actually win.

Zaluzhnyi has sketched out the breakthroughs Ukraine will need to win this war. If it can do that, it may also change the future of conflict forever.

Embracing Positional Warfare

In November 2022, just nine months after Russia’s full-scale invasion, Zaluzhnyi triumphantly declared that Ukraine had liberated a huge swath of territory in Ukraine’s southeast. Months prior, Kyiv had liberated Kharkiv, its second-largest city, and was continuing to push the Russian invaders back. Now, in a surprise move, it was on track to liberate Kherson.

The speedy attacks caught Russia by surprise and prompted its extraordinary withdrawal across huge swaths of Ukrainian territory.

That run of victories, made possible by new weapon systems delivered by Ukraine’s NATO allies and its own creative use of technology, drove sky-high expectations ahead of Kyiv’s 2023 summer counteroffensive. Western media anticipated that Ukraine would break through Russian lines with similar ease and speed.

Ukraine’s drive to regain more territory, however, crashed into dense and well-fortified Russian defensive lines, descending into the positional warfare that Zaluzhnyi describes. Ukraine inched forward in some areas and retreated elsewhere. Moscow had, apparently, learned from its mistakes.

“The Russian military is often underestimated in terms of its propensity to learn and apply lessons on the battlefield,” Karolina Hird, an analyst for the Institute for the Study of War and the deputy team lead for their Russia desk, tells WIRED. Russia had swapped in new, rested units; fortified complex layers of trench lines; and laid 15 to 20 kilometers of minefields through Ukrainian territory. They named this formidable defensive network for the since-ousted commander of the war effort: the Surovikin Line.

This new “active defense,” as Hird describes it, is a fairly traditional set of defensive tactics. Even with advanced Western artillery and counterbattery, and advanced tank systems, Ukrainian soldiers simply couldn’t advance without facing constant shelling and dense minefields.

“The Ukrainians didn't necessarily have the equipment or the type of trained brigades to break through that incredibly soundly arrayed defense and overcome Russians—that were defending in a doctrinally consistent and, actually, quite sound way,” Hird says.

The failure to advance has prompted a tactical shift from Kyiv. During one of his nightly addresses in early December, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said it was imperative that Ukraine beef up its own defensive lines. It was a recognition that the front lines had, for the time being, frozen.

While some interpreted this development as a sign that the war is all but over, Ryan, the Australian Army veteran, says it’s a prime opportunity for Ukraine to refresh its strategy.

“Maybe Ukraine should embrace positional warfare for the time being,” he says. “Maybe that is the way it reconstitutes, regains its strength, and thinks through the problems that it has—from the tactical through to the strategic level.”

It’s a strategy that has already shown some dividends, Hird says. “Ukraine is very much preparing defensive positions, letting Russians run themselves against those defensive positions.” Ukraine estimates that Russia has lost more than 400 tanks, 500 artillery systems, and 30,000 soldiers in December alone.

“Whenever Ukraine feels that they have the equipment they need, the support they need … and the initiative shifts to their side, they can use those defensive positions as springboards,” Hird adds.

While a slowdown in fighting may benefit Ukraine, it helps Russia as well. It is now a race against the clock to plan how Ukraine may launch another counteroffensive that can breach the Surovikin Line.

Enough to Win

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in late February 2022, Kyiv has received tens of billions of dollars in military aid, including a raft of advanced equipment. But Ukraine’s position has also been, as Zelensky put it recently, that the aid was “not enough to win.” (But, he added, “we are thankful it was enough to defend.”)

Fearful of Russia’s “red lines,” the United States has consistently slow-rolled or withheld key technology that could help Ukraine’s advance. Meanwhile, Zaluzhnyi wrote in The Economist, Russia “retains and is able to maintain a superiority in weapons and equipment, missiles and ammunition.” What’s more, Moscow’s defense industry is ramping up production of the ammunition and gear necessary for its continued assault on Ukraine.

“We know that with continued US support, continued Western support, that likely would be the final push that Ukraine needs to liberate its own territories,” Hird says. “But political considerations, financial considerations, defense and industrial base blocks, that sort of thing, really inhibit our ability to bring that to bear. And that's very much what Russians are counting on.”

A particular problem has been Russian artillery.

Ahead of Ukraine’s 2022 counteroffensive, the country received shipments of the American-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS). Those systems, particularly when fitted with medium-range missiles and aided by counterbattery radar, were able to quickly move and target advanced Russian systems well behind the front lines, clearing the way for Ukrainian forces to advance freely across the battlefield. But novel technology became routine fairly quickly in battle. “Russians have very much learned how to target HIMARS,” Hird says. “So Ukrainians can’t use them to the same effect.”

“Now, at each step of the way, the Russians are interfering with you, right?” Ryan says. “They're doing camouflage for their locations. They move things more frequently, now, than they used to. They attack counterbattery radars and other detection systems with loitering drones. And they are denying the use of precision munitions, in large parts of the battlefield, through the use of electronic warfare.”

To overcome this problem, Ryan says, Ukraine needs to close the “detection to destruction gap.” Ukrainian forces need to be able to avoid detection and to be mobile enough to evacuate in a matter of minutes if they are picked up by Russian radar or drone surveillance—while, at the same time, detecting Russian positions and attacking before they can escape. The gap, he says, has shortened from about 10 minutes from detection to destruction to just two or three minutes.

“It’s a complex set of problems, but it’s a known set of problems,” Ryan says. He believes it will require some heavy lifting from NATO’s research capabilities to solve them.

There’s also a question of scale. Since Ukraine managed to destroy some of Russia’s advanced and expensive artillery system, Moscow has deployed a huge number of its older systems, opting for brute force instead of nimble targeting. Russia has achieved parity not through technology, but through volume.

According to leaked Pentagon documents, as of early 2023, Russia owned nearly 5,000 artillery systems—of which only about 20 percent had been destroyed. Ukraine, by contrast, has received, at most, a few dozen HIMARS systems. Even if the missile system is less effective than it was in 2022, a greater quantity would undoubtedly give Ukraine an edge. That’s also true for the Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMS, which Ukraine began receiving late last year. A group of pro-Ukrainian Republican lawmakers decried that weapon transfer as a “job half-done,” as they arrived in small quantities and equipped for only some of their intended capabilities.

“All these innovations—at the end of the day, it’s about scale,” Hanno Pevkur, Estonia’s minister of defense, tells WIRED. “If you don’t have the innovations which can be produced in such quantities that will change the course of the war, it means that they still have to rely on the existing methods and existing weapons systems.”

There is some optimism that new weapons deliveries could tilt the balance more in Ukraine’s favor, particularly the Dutch-supplied, American-made F-16 fighter jets and the Abrams M1 tank. Ukrainian soldiers are training on both platforms now.

“Mr. Putin is going to find out that there’s a whole lot of weapons systems coming on board that he is not going to be able to respond to,” US senator Mike Rounds, who sits on the Senate Committee on Armed Services, tells WIRED. “And it’s going to give Ukraine the opportunity to continue to advance and take back the land that is theirs.”

Throughout the war, more and more advanced missiles and launchers have enabled Ukraine to strike deeper and deeper into Russian-held territory. Now, Ukraine has successfully managed to attack supply routes as far as the Kerch Bridge, which connects Crimea to Russia, and Belgorod within Russia proper.

But Kyiv wants to reach even further into Russian territory, stepping up its tactical strike campaign to attack Russian ships, airfields, supply depots, and command centers that are currently out of reach. If Ukraine can destroy Russian warehouses and stockpiles near the front lines, and increase the distance its trucks must travel to resupply its positions, it could negate the effect of Russia’s overwhelming artillery.

But Ukraine still lacks several types of those longer-range missiles and has relatively low quantities of the munitions it has received. “We’re probably not going as fast as a lot of us would like,” Rounds told reporters at the Halifax Security Forum in November.

More HIMARS and long-range munitions are critical in overcoming that parity, but they will be meaningless if Ukraine runs out of more basic ammunition. “It's not just a matter of providing some of the new technologies,” Rounds said. “It's a matter of making sure that they actually have the other resources that they need to make it through the winter time.”

In recent weeks, Ukraine has had to ration its 155-mm caliber artillery shells due to shortages. Various NATO countries have tapped into their stockpiles to provide those shells over the past year, and are now scrambling to boost domestic production. Bill Blair, Canada’s defense minister, admitted in November that there are “shortfalls” in that production capacity. “We need to see the same type of investment and progress in increasing production here in North America and in Europe,” Blair said.

Ramping up that production in NATO countries could take a year or more. Zaluzhnyi wrote that Ukraine needs to produce this equipment, and even more advanced weaponry, itself.

Some of this is already happening. Ukraine’s defense industry is being “overhauled for innovation,” Hird says. A prime example is Kyiv’s Seababy naval drones, which were developed inside Ukraine and have managed to deliver devastating damage to Russia’s Black Sea fleet. But the volume of output will need to increase drastically.

So as Ukraine tries to boost production at home, it is fighting a three-front war: one on the front lines; another deep inside its occupied territory and even in Russia itself, where warehouses and stockpiles sit; and a third in the information space, worldwide, in trying to convince its allies to continue and boost their support.

Fortifying its defenses will buy Ukraine time to come up with new strategies and test out new technologies—but it should also be an invitation to rethink its “strategic influence narratives,” Ryan says. That is, convincing NATO to not just maintain its support, but increase it.

That also means fighting back against Russian propaganda. Last month, the BBC and the Digital Forensic Research Lab at the Atlantic Council, a nonpartisan think tank, uncovered a massive Russian disinformation campaign on TikTok, designed to discredit Ukrainian officials using narratives tailor-made for Western audiences. It is just one skirmish in a broader information war, where Ukraine is losing ground.

While Kyiv has its supporters, like Rounds, Blair, and Pevkur, it also has new opponents. Mike Johnson, the recently elected speaker of the US House of Representatives, has held up billions in military aid. Viktor Orbán, prime minister of Hungary, has similarly frustrated support from within the European Union. Big wins for pro-Russian politicians, from Geert Wilders in the Netherlands to Robert Fico in Slovakia, could threaten future aid packages.

Information Superiority

An “essential” part of breaking out of this position warfare, Zaluzhnyi wrote, is obtaining “information superiority.” Understanding the battlefield better than the enemy.

It may seem counterintuitive. This is a conflict where, as Hird puts it, “everyone knows what everyone’s doing at all times.” The war in Ukraine is probably the most visible conflict in human history: Both sides have employed a suite of drones, radar, aircraft, and satellite to chart every inch of the conflict. But, as Ryan explains, an aerial view is only a piece of the picture.

“We confuse increased transparency with increased wisdom,” he says. “And they’re two very different things.”

Military planners often talk about ISR: intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. (Sometimes the acronym is expanded to include target acquisition.) Certainly, Ukraine has managed to do incredible reconnaissance, particularly thanks to its fleet of drones, which it has integrated tightly into its ground operations. But it can do more, Ryan says. Russia’s ability to quickly move and deploy its reserve units has previously caught Ukraine by surprise, he notes.

Figuring out how to not just improve its intelligence collection, but make it more accessible, will also be key.

Last fall, Luxembourg and Estonia launched a new IT coalition, with an eye to connect the private sector to the Ukrainian military. “The coalition, of course, will not change the course of the war immediately,” Pevkur says. “But it’s just one piece of the puzzle to find the solutions.”

“We’ve sent some software to them to help shape the battlefield,” Pevkur says. He says they’ve already received “good feedback.”

One such piece of software is SensusQ, an Estonian AI-powered platform that mixes real-time footage with a variety of other inputs, from social media updates to human intelligence. The company says its platform is already in use in multiple places across Ukraine.

Kyiv has also used software developed by tech giant Palantir to conduct target acquisition, deploying AI and facial recognition technology to identify Russian positions. While Palantir has not revealed exactly which capabilities it is providing to Ukraine, the company recently unveiled “a ChatGPT-style digital assistant that enables operators to efficiently deploy reconnaissance drones, devise tactical responses, and orchestrate enemy communication jamming,” as the US House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology described it last June.

Shyam Sankar, Palantir’s chief technology officer, told a US Senate committee last year that Ukraine’s ability to integrate new technology into its military, particularly AI, has seen the timeline from procurement to implementation trimmed “from years and months to weeks and days.”

What makes this innovation particularly remarkable is how widespread it has already become.

“I think the Ukrainians are well down this path to what I call the democratization of digital command and control,” Ryan says. “They have pushed down digital command and control, the access to information, on smart devices in a way no other military has really done.”

Decentralizing intelligence collection and distribution means units are armed with much more information on the front lines, and are more equipped to make decisions on the fly instead of being reliant on senior commanders. Ryan says it will be crucial to push that information further down, and more quickly—but it will also be necessary to improve the flow of information upward.

“The Ukrainians are pretty good at bottom-up adaptation,” Ryan says. But they need to be able to apply battlefield lessons quickly, in a systematic way. “It’s been improving, certainly, since my first visit—and I’ve had some pretty long conversations about it on my last one, about six weeks ago. But I think that systemic learning culture is something that they need to continue improving because the Russians aren’t very good with bottom-up innovation.”

Given the speed at which Ukraine is learning and adapting, it will also require that its NATO partners be willing to adapt at the same speed. Pevkur insists they are already well on their way. “So that means that when they have the weapon system and they use it, we will get some feedback, we will change it,” he says.

Prior to last summer’s counteroffensive, American military planners held a series of tabletop exercises with their Ukrainian counterparts to game out how the fighting could play out. Ryan says that kind of collaboration needs to be broader and deeper, geared to win the war, not just individual battles.

“We can be their strap-on brain,” Ryan says. “We can work through the theories that might help with more effective offensive operations in this scenario. I mean, NATO has hundreds of people who are military planners and can help do this.”

What Comes Next

In the coming months, Ukraine and Russia are likely to opt for missile and drone strikes instead of big ground operations, as winter sets in and they work to refresh their ground forces.

If last year was any indication, Moscow will spend early 2024 expanding its defensive lines and deploying a huge amount of hardware to the battlefield, new and old—mines, artillery systems, fighter jets, and missile launchers.

If Ukraine hopes to advance this year, it will likely need to discover its own equivalent of gunpowder. That may come in the form of uncrewed land vehicles, which could crash through Russian lines and clear the dense minefields in its way. Or, perhaps, Ukraine will finally find a way to network its drone fleets and attain air superiority over its skies. Maybe it will achieve a breakthrough in electronic warfare, devising a way to jam Russia’s systems and neutralize its missiles and loitering munitions. Kyiv may receive the long-range missiles it has been requesting or begin producing its own. Perhaps it will be all of the above, or something else entirely.

But as Kyiv and its allies work feverishly to find that breakthrough, it will need to continue perfecting the tactics that have made it such a worthy adversary thus far. That will mean holding its international coalition together, making the most of its existing weapon systems, and figuring out how to adapt on the fly.

[drgmissioncontrol]

Hey mission control, rig 9 gunner here.

Can you help me settle a bet?

You know how the use of morkite is a big ok secret? Well at first I thought it was a new metal for bio but that doesnt explain the secrecy

So here's my new theory: deep rock is mining m orkite for the space dwarf government to make space dwarf nukes

That is… glaringly inaccurate. Morkite’s not even radioactive!

Now, the radiation crystals… ah, I’ll let you imagine.

[ashlynniis-bracketeers]

(has an image ID. Hopefully it works. Never done an image ID before)

(written text described)

Totally Normal Hollow Bough {DRG}

I think I've been playing too much Deep Rock Galactic, it's starting to appear in my nightmares (like everything else I get into) ahsdgajksdgasd. Have something in MS Paint.

So yeah, weird dream/nightmare I had last night, about DRG. I was playing Scout and had two other teammates as a Driller and Engineer. I don't recall any space-rig action or really actually picking any mission type, just being in the mission that seemed to be in the Hollow Bough (wood texture, parasitic red thorn-vines, annoying geometry, etc.) just wandering because I don't really remember actually mining anything. Dreams tend to have whack geometry, and that definitely applies to this: Even outside of Hollow Bough's normal weirdness (big-ass vines, random tunnels, annoying verticality, etc.), there were a lot really "flat"/thin planes and I clearly remember both a weird shattered/broken "bridge" and that the entire bottom of the map + a visible skybox was a bottomless pit of stellar darkness.

"So, just seems like a weird dream. What makes it a nightmare?"

Outside if it being Hollow Bough (because I keep on dealing with stupid shit on that map lmao)? Well, uh.

The Bulk Detonator.

It wasn't invincible/the Ghost Bulk, thank fuck, but its movement speed was faster than my dwarf's running speed, and it was only going after me. The dream basically consisted of me running around for dear life and trying to be clever with my grapples to out-run what was basically a bullet train with an instant-kill radius. Not a good time. Outside of that, I remember getting rezzed by my teammates at least once lmao.

I hope you like it!