#dexter fowler

[chicagocubsreactions]

Old friend Dexter Fowler is retiring. [x]

[guentzel]

[gummyartstradingcards]

[letterboxd-loggd]

I Married a Monster from Outer Space (1958) Gene Fowler Jr.)

June 29th 2024

[in1-nutshell]

I love your work and I was wondering if you could do the TFP autobots and deceptions reactions to a Spider- man/woman/person buddy. Either Romantic or platonic if possible :) have a nice day/night and remover to look after yourself ☺️

Thank you for the compliments! Compliments are very much apprenticed! the Cons section is a bit shorter, only because I feel like the Con's would try and kill Buddy on sight because of Arachnid. Lets see how the Bots and Cons fair with Spider Buddy with their powers and shenanigans.

Hope you enjoy!

Autobots and Decepticons reaction to Spider Buddy

SFW, platonic, some mentions of violence of Con's part but nothing graphic or detailed, Spider reader

TFP

Optimus Prime

Oh.

This is new. Buddy has to sit down with him so he can properly understand what is happening.

He is a bit unsettled by the webbing at first but comes to terms that it is a thing Buddy does and it becomes the new normal for him.

“Buddy, I know you enjoy swinging around the base. But if you can please refrain from webbing our frames?”--Optimus

“Got it Optimus!”—Buddy

Buddy demonstrated their ability to climb and stick to the walls by climbing and standing on the ceiling. He was just on edge and ready to catch them if they ever fell. But he is also amazed at Buddy’s powers.

He discovered their strength when Raf accidentally slipped a controller under the couch and Buddy casually lifted the couch with Miko and Jack on it with one hand and grabbed the remote and tossed it to Raf.

“Agent Fowler?”--Optimus

“Prime?”--Fowler

“Is it normal for a human to lift up a couch with other humans on it single handedly?”--Optimus

“Not if they have steroids. Why?”--Fowler

“…”--Optimus

Ratchet

Buddy nearly gave him a spark attack when they showed their power. To be fair Buddy was trying to explain them, but he wasn’t paying attention. So, they web one of his tools and hold it proudly above their head single handedly.

“You need this Ratchet?”--Buddy

“Thank—What! How are you doing that!?”--Ratchet

Ratchet nearly has the attack right there.

He gets very interested in the levels of dexterity and strength the webbings have. He won’t conduct any test on Buddy, not even if he had their permission. He does want to know everything he can about the webbing’s utilities.

“What else can you do with it?”--Ratchet

“Hmmm… Oh! I can shoot long distance web balls! Watch!”--Buddy

Buddy throws a random web ball behind their back.

THWAP!

“BBBBBBEEEEEPPPPPP! (PRIMUS! WHAT IS THIS STUFF! GET IT OFF ME!)--Bumblebee

 He also wants to know if there is any medical thing he should know about. He wants to know so he can be ready to help when they get hurt.

“You don’t need to be worried about that Ratchet. I have a fast-healing factor.”--Buddy

“Did I ask?”--Ratchet

“Well—”--Buddy

“No, I didn’t. I don’t care if your healing factor is faster than a speedster-on-speedster circuits. Now where are the bandages?”--Ratchet

Bumblebee

He remembers the comic hero that Buddy’s powers are slightly based off. He watches a lot of superhero media on TV with Raf and the kids. He is a fan of the powers.

Of course, he found about their webbing the hard way…

“BBBBBBEEEEEPPPPPP! (PRIMUS! WHAT IS THIS STUFF! GET IT OFF ME!)--Bumblebee

“Bee! Stop moving! I’m trying to help!”--Buddy

“BEEEP BEEEEEPP! (WHAT IS THIS!? DID THIS COME OUT OF YOU!?)--Bumblebee

Buddy has scared him multiple times. Buddy has the bad habit of swinging and landing on his shoulder. He does get used to it as time goes on.

He finds it cool that Buddy can pick up stuff that shouldn’t be possible for an average person to pick up.

He does worry about them overexerting themselves though, he always reminds Buddy to take some things easier.

“Pass me the couch.”--Buddy

“Bep. (No.)”--Bumblebee

Arcee

Flashbacks…

One of the longest to warm up to Buddy’s powers. She is fine with Buddy as a person. But their powers…they remind her too much of Arachnid.

Freaked out seeing the webs the first time.

“Jack! Why are you webbed up? Oh, Primus it was Arachnid! She’s here! Hold—”--Arcee

“Nah ‘Cee that was me.”--Buddy

“…What?”--Arcee

“You see Jack over here wanted to see how useful his dull knife in his Swiss army tool kit was. So, I gave him a challenge.”--Buddy

“Yeah. That’s my bad Arcee.”--Jack

“…”--Arcee

“…Arcee?”--Jack

“…I think I involuntarily gave her Vietnam flashbacks…”--Buddy

She does get used to it after some time.

She finds Buddy’s strength cool but doesn’t like to test it. Who knows where buddy’s limit is? What if they accidentally hit it, what would happen then? She doesn’t want to know.

“Hey Arcee, can you pass—”--Buddy

“I’m not passing you the couch.”--Arcee

Smokescreen

He thinks that Buddy’s powers are so cool!

Absolutely eggs them on to do more tricks.

“I’m going to jump!”--Buddy

“BEEP! (Don’t!)--Bumblebee

“Do a flip!”--Smokescreen

Definite instigator. He asks so many questions about Buddy’s powers that Buddy can’t keep up with all of them. So as a compromise Buddy set a limit for questions per day.

“Hey Buddy, how can—”--Smokescreen

“You used your last question 2 hours ago Smokey.”--Buddy

“But—”--Smokescreen

“Wait until tomorrow.”--Buddy

Definitely wants to know how much can Buddy carry. He can never get Buddy to do just enough because someone always comes in when things get interesting.

“Smokescreen have you seen Jackie? I’ve been—BUDDY!”--Bulkhead

“Hi Bulk! I haven’t seen Wheeljack—”--Smokescreen

“Forget that! Help Buddy!”--Bulkhead

“They’re fine. Right Buddy?”--Smokescreen

Buddy holding the couch, TV, and the kids with one hand giving a thumbs up.

Bulkhead

Oh, more flashback!

He doesn’t have good memories with Arachnid just like Arcee, but they aren’t as bad as hers.

He does find the webbing to be weird. Cool, but weird.

Buddy webbing a can of soda and drinking it.

“How did you get so good at catching it?”--Bulkhead

“Oh, I wasn’t always good. But I got better with time. It only took The Curling Iron incident for me to really get the hang of it.”--Buddy

“What incident?”--Bulkhead

“Not important.”—Buddy

He holds out about Buddy’s strength when he nearly fell on one of ratchet’s equipment again bit was stopped mid fall when Buddy webbed his back and was holding him steady.

“Hey Bulkhead, if you don’t mind, can you please get your footing right? This isn’t exactly the most comfortable position ever.”--Buddy

“HOW ARE YOU EVEN DOING THIS!”--Bulkhead

Wheeljack

This goes in the list of weird things Wheeljack has seen, but he likes this.

Like Ratchet, he becomes fascinated by the dexterity of the webbing. But also, on Buddy’s physical strength.

“So, you stopped Bulkhead from falling using these webs?”--Wheeljack

“Yep!”--Buddy

“Do you think it can hold Ultra Magnus down for 5 minutes?”--Wheeljack

“Hypothetically, yes? It should… why?”--Buddy

“… I think we both know…”—Wheeljack

He helps Buddy with their acrobatics. He is always hyper vigilant in case Buddy looks like they are going to get hurt.

“C’mon Jackie toss me higher!”--Buddy

“Any higher you’ll be eating the ceiling.”--Wheeljack

“Like I haven’t done that 27 times.”--Buddy

“…That’s oddly specific.”--Wheeljack

“Don’t question it.”--Buddy

Ultra Magnus

He is not prepared.

Like Optimus Buddy has to sit down with him to talk about their powers so he can fully understand. He understands for the most part. So now all that needs to happen is the demonstrations.

“These are my webbings.”--Buddy

“Interesting.”—Ultra Magnus

“I can do all sorts of things with them. For example, throw them.”--Buddy

Throws a web ball randomly behind them.

THWAP!

“BEEEEEEEPPP BEEEP BEEEEEPPP! (NOT AGAIN! BUDDY! HOW MANNY TIMES ARE YOU GOING TO DO THIS!)--Bumblebee

He finds out about Buddy’s strength the hard way. He had gotten in the crossfire of a game of lobbing and was falling backwards from the force of the ball. He is fully expected to land hard on the ground, but he doesn’t he is inches away from the floor.

“Hey Mags? As much as I would love to keep holding you, can you please get up?”--Buddy

“BY THE ALLSPARK HOW ARE YOU NOT DEAD!?”—Ultra Magnus

“I have no idea. Made it this far on pure accidents.”--Buddy

Megatron

He doesn’t like Buddy.

“Pest.”--Megatron

“Bucket head.”--Buddy

They remind him too much of the traitor Arachnid. He might send other bots to dispose of them. He lets go of that seeing as Buddy always comes back to the Nemesis.

They become the equivalent of an annoying stray that comes by your house at 3 am asking for food.

“Hmmm… its quiet... too quiet…”--Megatron

“Hey Bucket head! You had your daily dose of space meth!?”--Buddy

“For the last time! It’s called Dark Energon!”--Megatron

“All I hear is space meth!”—Buddy

Starscream

He really doesn’t like them.

“Insolent Fleshling.”--Starscream

“Whiney-wannabe-toddler.”--Buddy

Like many others, he is reminded of Arachnid, too much. He has tried to kill Buddy before, but Buddy is too fast and nimble for him. Buddy now has a grudge against him and purposely webs his pedes together at the most inconvenient times.

“Now! Rise my fellow Decepticons! Rise with the new age of Starscream the—”--Starscream

Wham!

“I hate that human so much…”--Starscream

Knockout and Breakdown

It was near death on sight.

“Hey! Hey! Calm down!”--Buddy

“Kill it!”--Breakdown

“Rude!”--Buddy

But after some explanation, the pair realize that Buddy is nothing like Arachnid. They have to sit down for another explanation on Buddy’s powers though. Buddy has made it their mission to protect their new friends from Arachnid.

The pair thinks it is a joke.

It’s not.

“I pushed the spider off of the ship.”--Buddy

“Oh, that’s nice.”--Knockout

Later.

“Knockout! I heard from some Vehicons that Arachnid fell off of the ship!”--Breakdown

Sudden realization

“Oh, boy…”—Knockout

Soundwave

Child. Must have child.

Buddy is now an honorary cassette after they webbed Arachnid and Starscream into a closet.

Soundwave looking at the loud closet. Walks away like nothing happened.

He doesn’t mind Buddy swinging around and their webbing, it’s just an organic thing they do. Yes, he sat down for Buddy to explain everything. He now has a file exclusively just for Buddy’s things. He is willing to protect his new friend against all Con threats on the Nemesis.

Buddy is his now.

“Operation: Buddy safety”

“Arachnid: Threat must be neutralized.”

Dreadwing

He doesn’t mind Buddy being there.

Sees Buddy swinging off a ledge.

“I question where my allegiances are sometimes…”--Dreadwing

He kind of ignores them while they are on the ship. He isn’t that rude though; he’ll acknowledge that they are there maybe a quick chat on what’s happening on the ship but that’s about it.

“I heard that Arachnid fell off of the ship a few days ago…”--Dreadwing

“Oh no, anyways…”—Buddy

He doesn’t bother Buddy; Buddy doesn’t bother him.

Win-win.

Shockwave

He doesn’t know that Buddy exists.

Why?

Because he doesn’t come out of his lab.

And, because Soundwave, Knockout and Breakdown don’t want him to meet Buddy.

“Why can’t I meet him again?”--Buddy

“I prefer our conversations to happen when you’re not getting dissected on a filthy table.”--Knockout

They firmly believe that Shockwave would dissect their friend in the name of science.

And that he would.

Predaking

He hasn’t had enough time to officially meet Buddy.

Mainly because Buddy is so small and Predaking doesn’t really acknowledge them. They are weak and frail like any other human.

Sees Buddy walking down the hall, turns around and walks away from the ‘filth’.

He does know that Buddy is an enemy to Starscream after witnessing Buddy web his pedes to the ground. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, right?

Maybe he would try and strike a conversation in the future.

Arachnid

As much as she loves another fellow spider.

She is going to hunt down Buddy.

Which is tough luck for her because Buddy always seems to know where she is at and at time used her own webs against her.

“When I get my servos on you—”--Arachnid

“You mean IF you get them on me, you evil robotic knockoff.” --Buddy

She is making it her goal to have Buddy’s head on a pike in her trophy room.

[spidermaninlove]

Tom and Z with Harry, Darnell, and Dexter Fowler at a golf resort near London yesterday.

[brucebocchi]

If Garreg Mach had sports, who would be on the baseball team?

no joke i actually laid this out in a few reddit comments like a year ago lemme find it

okay it's not a complete team but these are my thoughts on who would play what positions

Petra’s got shortstop written all over her, but she’s rangy and can rocket a ball anywhere on the field. Definitely a center fielder. She has excellent view of the whole field and can throw the ball anywhere in record time. She’d be a hell of a leadoff hitter too. Basically, she’s Dexter Fowler.

Dedue would be a brick shithouse in the infield but I always saw him as a catcher, the type who would guard home like his life depended on it. Anyone trying to score on him is forever changed.

Felix is the most stolen-on pitcher in the league because he keeps hucking the ball at Dimitri in left field for no reason

Ashe gives off middle-infield vibes

I feel like you could slot Ingrid in anywhere. I bet she’d be a hell of a pitcher.

Hubert definitely has the height and reach of a halfway decent outfielder. Doubt he can throw to any of the bases though.

Lysithea doesn't have much in the way of physical constitution, but infield feels right for her. That or right field so she doesn't have to do as much. She has never once robbed a home run.

Lorenz has his own cheering section in the left field bleachers

Edelgard at 2B and Yuri at short. Impossible to break through the middle infield.

Linhardt took 1B because he heard it was the easiest job on the field, and you can imagine how that went.

Flayn can fucking rake. She’s basically Jose Altuve.

[dear-indies]

Disabled actors with ungiffed roles (of course any roles are welcomed) for disability pride month:

Michael J. Fox (1961) - has Parkinson's Disease - Designated Survivor (2018), See You Yesterday (2019).

Mat Fraser (1962) - has thalidomide-induced phocomelia - Loudermilk (2017-2020).

Daryl Mitchell (1965) African-American - is paraplegic - Fear the Walking Dead (2018-2023).

Warwick Davis (1970) - has spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita - Willow (2022-2023).

Selene Luna (1971) Mexican - has dwarfism - Mayans M.C (2022-2023).

Cherylee Houston (1974) - has Hypermobility Ehlers-Danlos syndrome - Coronation Street (2010-2023).

Callan Mulvey (1975) ¼ Maori, ¾ Scottish - is blind in one eye - has been in a lot of things including Last King of the Cross (2023), Firebite (2021-2022), Till Death (2021), and Mystery Road (2020).

Shannon Murray (1976) - is paraplegic - Viewpoint (2021), Get Even (2020).

Kurt Yaeger (1977) - is a leg amputee - Another Life (2021).

Katy Sullivan (1979) - is a double leg amputee - Dexter: New Blood (2021-2022).

Jamie-Lynn Sigler (1981) Cuban / Ashkenazi Jewish, Romaniote Jewish, Sephardi - has multiple sclerosis - Big Sky (2021-2023).

Prince Amponsah (1985 or 1986) Ghanaian - is a double arm amputee, with his right arm amputated above the elbow and his left arm amputated below the elbow - Avacado Toast the series (2022) and Station Eleven (2021-2022).

Rana Daggubati (1984) Telugu Indian - is blind in one eye - Rana Naidu (2023).

Rick Glassman (1984) Jewish / Italian - is autistic - As We See It (2022), Not Dead Yet (2023).

Ali Stroker (1987) - is paraplegic and bisexual - Echos (2022), Only Murders in the Building (2021-2022), Ozark (2022).

Josh Thomas (1987) - is autistic, has ADHD, and is gay - Everything’s Gonna Be Okay (2020-2021).

Jillian Mercado (1987) Domincian - has spastic muscular dystrophy - The L Word: Generation Q. (2019-2023).

Ruth Madeley (1987) - has spina bifida - The Almond and the Seahorse (2022).

Tim Renkow (1989) Mexican Jewish - has cerebral palsy - Jerk (2019-2021).

Melissa Johns (1990) - is an arm amputee - Grantchester (2021-2022).

Steve Way (1990) - has muscular dystrophy - Ramy (2019-2022).

James Moore (1992) - has cerebral palsy - Emmerdale (2018-2023).

Arthur Hughes (1992) - has an upper limb indifference - The Innocents (2018).

Madison Ferris (1992) - has muscular dystrophy - Panic (2021).

RJ Mitte (1992) - has cerebral palsy - The Unseen (2023).

Mei Kayama (1994) Japanese - has cerebral palsy - 37 Seconds (2019).

Ryan J. Haddad (1995) Lebanese - has cerebral palsy - The Politian (2019-2020).

Lauren Spencer / Sitting Pretty Lolo (1996) African-American - has Lou-Gehrig’s disease - The Sex Lives of College Girls (Season 2).

Annabelle Davis (1997) - has dwarfism - Hollyoaks (2023).

Kayla Cromer (1998) - is autistic - Everything’s Gonna Be Okay (2020-2021).

Micah Fowler (1998) - has cerebral palsy - Speechless (the latter seasons!)

Daniel Monks (?) - is quadriplegic - Sissy (2022).

Matthew Jeffers (?) - has dwarfism - New Amsterdam (2018-2023).

Ben Mehl (?) - has macular degeneration called Stargardt's disease, which causes one to lose central vision- You (2021).

Gloria May Eshkibok (?) Mohawk, Ottawa, Irish, French - is Two-Spirit (she/her) and has one eye - OChiSkwaCho (2018).

Zack Weinstein (?) - is quadriplegic - Sing It! (2016).

Angel Giuffria (?) - is a congenital arm amputee - To the Dust (2022), Good Trouble (2022), Impulse (2019).

Joci Scott (?) - is paraplegic - Smash or Pass (2023).

Jacob Mundell (?) - congenital hand amputee - The Expanse (2021-2022).

+ HERE'S MY DISABLED FC MASTERLIST FOR MORE!

+ let me know if you have suggestions!

+ let me know if anybody wants suggestions with youtube content!

[inyourwildestdreams22]

Maybe golfing in Vegas? The former MLB player he and Harry were golfing w in London this summer, Dexter Fowler, lives in Vegas (I know bc he was on my fav baseball team). They have golfed in Vegas together.

Yeah would not be far fetched, if only we could see Z golfing and her outfit for once 🕯️

[cleoselene]

my favorite Cardinal player of all time is Dexter Fowler, he took their money and convinced them all he was a Cubs psyop, and now that he's retired he hangs out on Marquee Network all of the time

[dailychaceccrawford]

acchampionship: Happy Friday! Cheers to more newcomers including Dexter Fowler, former MLB All-Star and Hally Leadbetter, Golf Host. Welcome back Chace Crawford who was here in 2020 but with no fans in attendance, and Don Cheadle who last played in 2010 (pic from 2007) for a little #FlashbackFriday #FBF #ACCGolf

[rosethornewrites]

Grief is weird.

My dad died in 2016. The 7th year since his death is approaching in November. He passed in my mom’s arms, on the way to work, in a commuter station, from essentially a heart attack.

He died two weeks after the Cubs won the World Series, and just that weekend we had gone to dinner and had great discussions about baseball. Two days later he was gone.

I did not, to say the least, react well to his death. From the moment my mom texted me to tell me he had been getting CPR for 40 minutes, I felt like the world was fake. This was a dream, I was living in a fake world because Daddy couldn’t die.

It didn’t help that my immune system crashed as a result, and I was sick through the memorial. I had never been quite so painfully ill before, and I wasn’t again until Covid.

For a period of months, I dreamt he didn’t really die and sometimes woke up thinking he was still alive. The world felt like a bad dream. I felt like I was going through the motions until I could wake up.

I had to get intense therapy. Specifically, EMDR. I was completely stuck in denial.

During this time, Dad visited me in dreams, and I think he was trying to help me accept he was gone.

My favorite was when Dexter Fowler, a free agent, left the Cubs to become a Cardinal, which was the team Dad grew up listening to on the radio (he was born in 1943). I only found out about the move later, but I dreamed Daddy pulled up to the building I worked in, came running out and up to me like a spry young man with no pain or arthritis, his expression impish excitement. My alarm went off before he could speak, and when I found out about Fowler later that day, I knew he’d come to gloat, because that was Dad. We jokingly razzed each other about our preferred teams, especially when we went to Cubs/Cardinals games.

Eventually I moved forward and experienced other “stages” of grief, but it’s something I always carry with me.

Even now, I sometimes have dreams where he didn’t die. But I wake up knowing they’re not true, even as the dreams help me feel close to him again.

He would have turned 80 this year.

[elendiliel]

Gone

(I split this chunk of series up a bit differently compared to the original; it just made more sense this way. This fic is mostly "Minus One" from Glitch's perspective, but strays into "Persuasion" at the end.)

---

Two pairs of servos, one bronze, small and delicate, almost organic in their construction, the other steel grey, larger but just as dexterous, far more clearly mechanical, worked together as though guided by a single mind to reconstruct a fifth servo as best they could. The prosthetic, a replacement for Ultra Magnus’ right hand, lost in a battle with a Predacon, combined Autobot alloy from two different universes – as much of the original as could be retrieved, supplemented by some of the stock sheets Glitch always had in her repair kit – with both Cybertronian and human technology. The mixture might have been called symbolic, but to the medics and engineer who had built the device the choice of materials was entirely practical. It was simply what had been – pun unintended but still regretted – to hand.

As the rest of Team Prime, even the human children, looked on, Ratchet finished connecting the new servo to Magnus’ arm. “We’ve done everything we can,” he reported at last, “considering the limitations of our equipment and less than ideal spare parts.” Glitch thought he was selling himself short. The prosthetic wasn’t pretty, but it did have five digits, though not quite as much articulation as the original. They’d even managed to integrate some of the sensors salvaged from the old servo, which might help Magnus adjust to his new circumstances. Hopefully.

Monitoring her patient as he came out of stasis, she only half-listened as Ratchet continued briefing Prime (and was reassured by him), and as Arcee checked on Wheeljack, who had survived the same battle with all his parts still attached, and clearly hadn’t forgiven himself yet. Which meant she wasn’t fast enough to head Smokescreen off before he compared Magnus’ new servo to what passed for Bumblebee’s voicebox, infuriating the scout. Glitch had picked up the audial code he used only piecemeal, and didn’t understand everything he told the semi-rookie, but that was probably a good thing. She got the gist, though.

“Not tactful,” she informed Smokescreen with an authority born of much trial and too many errors as Bumblebee stormed off. “And this is just a first draft. I have every intention of refining it, if that’s what Magnus wants, once we have better materials. Could even be an opportunity for an upgrade.” Her smile was faintly tinged with homesickness, as it often was when her thoughts wandered to her own reality. “One of the best field-techs back home, Red Alert, lost her left arm to a Decepticon trap in the war. Had it replaced with a Transfer Interlink, which is both a scanner and any surgical tool she needs, made of hard light. Very useful.” Her sense of humour hadn’t been that easy to restore, according to one of her teammates, Ironhide, an old friend of Glitch’s.

“No doubt,” Ultra Magnus put in, having woken up moments before. “But I would prefer something closer to the original.” He examined his new servo, flexing the digits, starting to explore the limits of its sensor network. “This will do, for now. You did well.”

Glitch blushed furiously, knowing that Magnus was always sparing with praise. “Ratchet did more than half the work, and Wheeljack helped with the design. How does it feel?”

“Odd.” He turned it over a couple of times, studying it intently. “But… I could get used to it. I must, if I am to continue to fight alongside you.” Of course that was his priority.

“I don’t think Ratchet will let you do that for a while,” she warned him. She was proved right when, some time later, Agent Fowler alerted the rest of the team to an ongoing Decepticon raid, the second that solar-cycle, and Ultra Magnus’ immediate reaction was, “Let’s roll.”

“Ep, ep!” Ratchet objected. “Your ability to roll remains predicated upon further exploration of your manual dexterity.”

Ultra Magnus looked to Glitch for support, but found none. “I’m sorry, but I’m with Ratchet on this. Going into battle with an untested weapon is a good way to get someone killed, and that someone could well be you.”

Magnus still didn’t want to back down – good commanders made terrible patients, Glitch thought, almost as bad as medics – until Prime intervened. “I’m afraid Ratchet’s authority supersedes my own in medical matters.”

Even Ultra Magnus couldn’t argue with that. Nor could Wheeljack, though he clearly wanted to do so. Glitch’s spark went out to the grounded Wrecker commander as the rest of the Autobots headed for the groundbridge, and one digit traced the scar on her upper chestplate, a reminder of a near-death experience at the servos of a rogue ‘Con. For decacycles afterwards, she had been confined to base, and literally climbing the walls by the end. (Well, those bulbs had needed replacing, and Optimus had put her on light duties.) Every time her team went out on patrol, part of her had been convinced one of them would come back wounded or not at all. Only throwing herself into research or her favourite hobby, music, had kept those thoughts at bay. But she didn’t have time to tell Magnus any of that; there were Decepticons to fight. Without him.

One Decepticon, as it turned out. As the Autobots drove through the bridge, another opened for the Vehicon raiding party, probably courtesy of Soundwave, their air support. Not even Bumblebee could have caught them in time. From her position at the back of the Autobot formation, beside ‘Cee, Glitch heard Soundwave and his drone Laserbeak approach from behind, but Prime barely needed her warning. Before anybot else could react, he had transformed and engaged first the Mini-‘Con, then its master, sending the latter crashing into a power line and into stasis. He’d be fine, though, Glitch reassured herself as Prime called for a groundbridge and the appropriate precautions. Tough beggar, that ‘Con. Well, he was a former gladiator. That didn’t bode well for any attempts to wrangle information out of him, but they had to try.

And try they did. Prime and Soundwave between them taxed everyone’s patience as the master of words sought to persuade the voiceless, faceless spymaster to cooperate, and the Decepticon only replied with a remix of his interrogator’s questions and a flipping emoji. Even an emotional plea combined with the threat of torture didn’t break Soundwave; instead, he unleashed a sonic attack that nearly incapacitated almost all his captors.

Almost all. Glitch knew that Soundwave lived up to his name in both that universe and hers; the one in her reality had used sonic trickery to hypnotise an entire city and control a team of Autobots. So, as she kept an optic on the prisoner’s wellbeing, she had turned her audials’ sensitivity to minimum, a precaution that had paid off. While her teammates tried to shut out the audio assault, she responded with a low-level, painless electromagnetic pulse from Ratchet’s equipment – enough to stun Soundwave for a few nanokliks, but keep him conscious. They still needed information from him.

“Thank you.” Prime sounded as shaken as Glitch had ever heard him. No wonder; he’d been closest to Soundwave, and hit hardest by the attack. That might have been part of the reason Ratchet demanded that they open Soundwave up and take what they needed from his hard drive directly.

Before either Prime or Glitch could object on ethical grounds, Soundwave took the decision out of their servos. Cybertronian text began to scroll across his visor, but instead of downloading data, as Bulkhead thought, he was erasing it. Very efficiently. Moments later, his visor went black, apart from an oscilloscope trace, and a chillingly familiar voice declared, “Soundwave superior; Autobots inferior.”

Some things don’t change, Glitch thought even as Soundwave powered down. As Ratchet said, he’d crashed his own drives to prevent the Autobots learning anything from them. Talk about commitment.

“Nuts and bolts,” she half-cursed, examining the damage. “I was hoping I could restore his memory core from his internal backups, but important parts of them are missing. Inside Laserbeak, I bet. Sound strategy – pun neither intended nor regretted.”

“Do you remember any of the data he displayed?” Prime asked, almost drowning out Smokescreen remarking that her attitude was “cold”. (Maybe it was, but that was how she was built.)

“Enough to tell us that Soundwave has a sense of humour after all, and knows more about human popular culture than I thought. That was the first page of a famous children's novel.” The first Harry Potter book, to be exact.

“Hm.” Rather than dive into the fathomless depths of Earth culture, Prime strode off to consult with Ultra Magnus, leaving her to try to bring Soundwave back online.

She was still trying a megacycle later when Agent Fowler reported another break-in – at a research institute at the South Pole. Once again, Ultra Magnus considered himself ready to roll out; once again, Ratchet objected, but that time Wheeljack stuck up for his commander. The fight with the Predacon had solidified the Wreckers’ previously shaky relationship into one as strong as Decepticon alloy, and Glitch for one was glad of that.

“They’re right,” she said when Ratchet appealed to her. “Magnus has been practising with that hand practically non-stop all day. And if we don’t let him go, we’ll have a stir-crazy Wrecker on our servos.”

Ratchet caved in and stalked away. As Prime assigned Bulkhead and Smokescreen to guard duty, Glitch commented to Arcee that, “at least we’re going somewhere nice and cool.”

“Speak for yourself,” ‘Cee replied. “I’ve ended up in the Arctic too many times for comfort. Nearly died the first time.” Glitch remembered then that Cybertronians of that reality didn’t handle extreme cold well. She was rather more tolerant to it; heat was her enemy. Nevada was almost too warm for her.

“When you visit my universe, steer clear of Blitzwing. Decepticon Triple Changer with three personalities, three faces and more loose screws than a hardware store. One of his personae, Icy, favours his jet mode and a hyperfrost emitter, and another, Random, can use either that or a tank and superheater cannon. The third, Hothead, just prefers the tank and cannon.” She grinned as she remembered something her Bee had told her. “It’s possible to insult him into switching from Icy to Hothead, and therefore from jet to tank. Particularly effective when he’s in midair. Tanks don’t usually fly very well.” Arcee was still laughing when they arrived at their destination and saw the damage the ‘Cons had already done.

Glitch paid little attention to Prime’s conversation with Ratchet, who had realised that Megatron might be trying to rebuild the Omega Lock and cyberform both Earth and Cybertron (though she agreed with Prime; the Decepticons could not be allowed to threaten a living planet). She was too busy watching the party’s rear. ‘Con raiding parties often had air support; that one, it turned out, had a Predacon.

Magnificent, she thought as the winged giant swept towards them, silhouetted against the full moon. Unfortunately, he was also justifiably furious – Magnus and Wheeljack had recently destroyed a squadron of young Predacon clones – and very dangerous. Her magnetic shield barely held back his flames, and he easily dodged Prime’s attempts to shoot him down. As he swept back towards them, ready for another attack, Prime ordered the rest of the party to keep going while he, their only flier, dealt with the Predacon. Glitch saw the logic in his decision, and wished she didn’t.

Up until she heard movement in the next corridor, and signalled the others to wait while she sent a hologram of herself on ahead. When a trigger-happy Vehicon tried to shoot it in the head, they knew they were in for a fight. As Wheeljack remarked, they had been expected.

One of the Wrecker’s grenades shortened the battle dramatically; Glitch was pleased to see that he and Ultra Magnus had become as close in the field as they had been back at base, Wheeljack having asked permission to deploy the explosive automatically and not ironically, though the loss of life still pained her. The sooner the final bugs were removed from her and Wheeljack’s latest joint invention, the better.

More Vehicons were waiting for them further on, along with Shockwave, the Decepticons’ chief scientist. While the rest of the raiding party dealt with the foot soldiers and secured their objective – the particle collider needed to power the Omega Lock – Magnus engaged the tank mech in servo-to-servo combat, trading barbs about Magnus’ prosthetic and Shockwave’s single optic that made even the outspoken field-tech wince. (Although she would love to know how Shockwave had any depth perception with only one optic sensor.)

Magnus fought well, especially considering his servo situation and lack of his signature weapon (the Forge of Solus Prime, also broken by the Predacon and not yet repaired), but Shockwave still managed to buy himself enough time and space to aim his blaster mod at the Wrecker commander. (He was in no position to comment about missing servos; one of his had been replaced by a cannon.) Before he could fire, however, a laser scalpel severed the blaster’s power cable with surgical precision.

“Mind if I cut in?” Glitch asked from behind Shockwave. While Magnus could probably handle Shockwave by himself, the rest of the team could definitely cope with the Vehicons without her; helping the commander was, as their foe would say, logical.

“Not at all.” Magnus might be six metres taller than her, but the pun still went right over his head. He and she still made a good team, though; Shockwave was well and truly beaten by the time Arcee dispatched the last Vehicon and reported that the objective was secure.

“Now might be a fine time for surrender,” Ultra Magnus told the bleeding, sparking Decepticon.

“A logical assumption,” Shockwave somehow managed to get to his peds, “were it not for…”

The Predacon. It – he – crashed through the roof, setting Glitch’s spark humming with fear for Prime as much as for her other friends in the nanokliks before he threw her into a wall, hard enough to dent both it and her, made equally short work of the others and took off with the particle collider and Shockwave. The Autobots were in no fit state to pursue him, or otherwise do more than make their way outside to meet up with Prime – battered, but still functioning – and call for a groundbridge.

Only to find that that solar-cycle could, in fact, get worse. Ratchet didn’t answer Arcee’s comm; Bulkhead did, sounding a little out of it. When asked where the medic had got to, all the green Wrecker could say was, “He’s… he’s gone.”

[davidshawnsown]

USA BASEBALL ONE SHOT RPF 3: Before Leaving Bucha

(AN: Dedicated to the memory of all the Ukrainian civilians and military personnel who perished in this war, including in the Battle of Bucha, as well as to now retired 2008 bronze medal Olympian Dexter Fowler and new MLB Hall of Famer Scott Rolen.)

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2022

BUCHA CITY HALL, BUCHA

1740 EEST

As elements of the 1st and 2nd Battalions 78th Brigade Combat Team began to pack up alongside the armored units and the rest of the brigade's formations already in Ukrainian soil, the first battalion commander, LTC Darren Fenster, had started to realize how much the cost in liberating Bucha and the nearby city of Irpin had on the brigade at large, considering they were all involved in the latter and had been here following liberation to begin the hard task of clearing the roads littered with destroyed Russian heavy equipment and vehicles, a task the combat engineer and maintenance battalions had done briefly so that the brigade would begin the long drive to help assist in lifting besiged Chernihiv, as well as any mine detection and clearing work if needed.

But there's another thing that set to begin. The support formations as well as the chaplaincy unit and PAO were starting to see bodies of the Russian dead as well as their Ukrainian counterparts and those civilians either killed by Russia or were caught in the battle. These would be future proof of the war atrocities the Russian people committed to the defiant people of the city. These would be buried in just weeks after the bodies have been identified by representatives of the Ukrainian government, the Kyiv Oblast authorities, and the Bucha City Council, alongside the Criminal Police of the National Police's Bucha units now reconstituted, alongside personnel from national HQ and the Kyiv Oblast branch.

Earlier that day the lieutenant colonel, together with their brigade commander BG Hopkins had led a flag lowering ceremony marking the end of the American commitment to the liberation of the two cities west of Kyiv. Given that the Americans came very late into the battles for these cities with American heavy weaponry assisting the Ukrainian war effort, he thought of how must the 2nd Battalion had lost some of its personnel while the 1st Battalion had injuries, but not any KIA, in the battles. 4th Battalion too suffered light casualty numbers, and the armored battalion and armored cavalry squadron, thankfully, only lost a few tanks due to their late arrival (majority being Abrams and M60s and not those of the light tank company). The anti tank artillery battalion and the brigade's field artillery regiment, thankfuly, suffered no casualties from their ranks, the same for the support formations. Irpin was the baptism of fire once more of the 78th Brigade, which contributed personnel to the theaters of the Second World War, had fought as a whole unit in Korea and Vietnam and Panama and as a battalion in Grenada, yet again as a whole formation in both Gulf Wars and sent a battalion to Somalia and later Bosnia, and fought with other formations of the Army in Afghanistan and Iraq against terrorist groups. Now it was finally fighting with Ukrainian formations and militias against Russian forces in support as well of the International Legion of Territorial Defense's American personnel. Their efforts and the American equipment the brigade had been using have impressed the Ukrainian servicemen they fought with on the final days of the battles for these two cities and the effectiveness of the Western materiel against Russia's war machine have even convinced the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense that Ukraine's future equipment will be mostly Western made.

Among those officers and NCOs present were the commander of the operational forces in Ukraine of the 46th Command, Brigadier General Mark DeRosa and the commanders of the 3rd NY Infantry and the 1st Minnesota Infantry, COL Aaron Boone and COL Rocco Baldelli, as well as now BG Joe Girardi, commandant of the 83rd Philadelphia. The battalions of their regiments, as well as of the 4th Rapid Reaction Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine and the 112th Territorial Defense Brigade, both of these involved in the Bucha and Irpin battles, were all present, as well as those of the 58th Mechanized Infantry Brigade and the 2nd Battalion of the Toronto Rifles, all of them Canadian residents within the Toronto area that joined the war effort once their regiment was given the OK from Ottawa to join their American comrades with an added provision of helping to transport willing Canadian veterans who plan to join the International Legion, awaiting the arrival of the multi-national personnel from the 1st Battalion. And joining them were their Ukrainian hosts, the men and women of the Ukrainian Ground Forces' Operational Command North, MINDEF and the Armed Forces General Staff who were all proud of the multi-national effort made to liberate those areas near the capital.

Following the address by the commander of the 4th Brigade, the US officers offically handed over the Bucha city flag to the representatives of the city council, officially declaring as concluded the operations to liberate these two cities given the accomplishment of the objectives of these. The last US officer to be given the city flag before the handover to a Ukrainian Ground Forces serviceman of the 58th Brigade, who will first be handing over the flag to representatives of the Ukrainian forces stationed there before being presented to the city council representative was Captain Todd Frazier of A Company of the 78th's 1st Battalion, their commanding officer. It was his efforts and that of his fellow servicemen, together with their Ukrainian counterparts, that ensured the victory of the join US-Canadian-Ukrainian force that dealt a heavy loss to 3 regiments of the Russian Airborne Forces and the Russian Ground Forces' 35th and 36th Armies, thru two brigade combat teams. It was a tough time for the 78th and the American and Canadian formations that joined them in assisting Ukraine with the recapture of two cities west of Kyiv.

At that ceremony, the American officers of the units that helped Ukraine liberate Bucha expressed not just condolences to the fallen servicemen and the civilians who died, but also cited the courage and amazing determination and teammwork they and the Canadians as well as their Ukrainian brothers shown in the past days. No less than BG DeRosa addressed that formation with remarks of what he put in his words as the "bravery and fierceness" of the boys of the 78th that helped win the victory for Ukraine in Bucha and earlier in Irpin. Similar messages were stated by the other unit commanders. LTC Fenster of the 1st Battalion addressed the personnel of the unit of their amazing work that have helped Ukraine win the twin battles and the fact that there were no fatalities among its personnel was also applauded given their late arrival in the operation.

The few Ukrainians who spoke that day were not just proud of the Ukrainians who liberated Bucha but also of the American and Canadian formations who helped them get the win and push Russia out of the capital's western suburbs. They were indeed eternally full of gratitude not just to the people of the world who helped to continue showing support to the nation in their time of need but also to the personnel of the International Legion and the 169th Corps who were the first reservists to be deployed to Ukraine and were the first to help fight for a common cause.

As the 78th Brigade's band played the State Anthem of Ukraine preceded by O Canada and The Star Splangled Banner, the forces gathered on Energetskiy Street saluted as the flags were lowered and in their place the blue and yellow Ukrainian flag was hoisted, signifying Bucha now having returned to Ukraine. Fighting may be going on north in Hostomel, but it is a sign of the capital's surroundings being slowly cleared of the Russian aggressor. Soon the 3rd and 87th regiments are to move north, while the 78th Brigade will be moving directly to reinforce the forces fighting Russians in the Chernihiv Oblast area.

As the sun began to set in the Bucha hills, LTC Fenster knew it would be long before the boys of his battalion would be on the move north but having to skip Brovary as the Russians are fighting Ukrainians there on the road to Chernihiv, but now as they begin to leave for the journey, the 1st Battalion's CO talked to the boys of A Company that set the tone for the liberation to happen, in particular the 1st platoon made up of those who were in Tokyo more than half a year prior.

"Captain Todd, officers and men of Able Company," spoke the battalion commander, " Ukraine is very much grateful to all you have contributed since we arrived. We cannot help but remember not the the fallen from the rest of the brigade, but the fact that the ENTIRE 1st Battalion made it all the way without any single fatality despite injuries - well done to all of you, especially to you guys at A Company who led the way in Irpin first and then Bucha and aiding the Ukrainians in the liberation of these cities and the country at large. I am damn proud of all of you, and I will never forget helping you achieve the impossible. Ukraine is thankful for the work you all did fighting Russians west of the capital, and one day it will reward us all greatly. As we and the whole of our battalion leave Bucha, while recalling the fallen and the dead and the sacrifices made to liberate it and Irpin, we are proud to have helped Ukraine fight the invader determined to wipe this nation off the map. Understood?"

"Sir yes sir!"

Todd replied, "Lieutenant colonel sir, it was my company's hard work and cooperation with the Ukrainians that led to this point. I am damn proud of my men and all my fellow infantrymen of the battalion, and of all of you in battalion command that helped make it possible."

"Same for me and Baker Company," Captain Jake Arrietta replied.

"Ditto, colonel," added CPT Kylee Lahners, the C Company commander. The other company commanders said the same. It was indeed a great effort by everyone that made those twin victories possible.

Bucha will soon rebuild, but the mark left by the forces of liberation will remain for generations, LTC Fenster thought, knowing that soon they will be back to prepare for the victory parade in iconic Maidan Nezalezhnosti alongside their Ukrainian partners and the many who will be fighting with them together under a singular cause of assisting Ukraine in its struggle against the Russian occupier, no matter what.

@joeybosa-aaronjudge @lightninging @homerofthebraves @dilangleywritesfanfic @auroralightsthesky @alekmanoah @ilovetheyankees @darkorderaf @highwaytothedangerzone502 @zackcollins

[an-ivy-covered-summer]

why am i tearing up at dexter fowler retiring 🥺🥺🥺

[collectingall]

∀ Dexter Fowler signed Louisville Slugger Black Pro Model 34 Bat MLB Authentic http://blog.collectingall.com/TDVmwN 👉 shrsl.com/4fuj5 👈