#free runner nova

[jukebox-arts]

Well someone managed to push his buttons

A little different from the Moon one, which was mostly shadow, but I still think it turned out pretty neat. If anything, it was good practice as drawing fire (though I compensated with a fire brush I had to make the contrast higher) and honestly, I'm living for the scarf fluttering.

Fic link:

[darkmagenugget]

Hiya! I'm Ashe! One of the main fronters of the DarkMage Nugget System, runner of of this account, and main artist! Fennec kitsune/shapeshifter as well. (She/They) Welcome to the DarkMage Nugget Tumblr!

Creator of Hyper City (With extra lore from friends and Aqua) where a lot of my friends stories are taking place. You can find my commission info here and are open! I do character art, emotes, and more!

System Intros after the break!

Allow me to introduce the rest of the system.

Iris- (She/Her)

Iris is the host of the system. She has her own blog here ( @iristhedarkwitch - 18+ only). She is the witch of our system, and also the current host. Specializing in transformation spells fictionally, and energy manipulation in practice. One of my girlfriends as well. And Aqua's girlfriend too.

Aqua - (She/They)

Aqua is the writer of our system. Also has a blog of their own over here ( @nuggetofthesea ). She is an elf with (currently) 3 forms. A base, a sea, and a shadow form. She is the one responsible for most of the lore in Hyper City, and is usually the calmest of us and just loves hanging out by vibing in the room. Also girlfriend. Also dating Iris.

Chaos- (She/Her)

Chaos is a gremlin. Is always interested in things that are high-energy and fast paced. She plays games on stream on fridays at 4:00 PM Pacific. She is also the most direct of us (Though speaks a little rough) and able to put things bluntly and deal with scenarios we wouldn't be able to otherwise. She can by hyper, but cares greatly for everyone in the system. Usually spending time with Aria.

Mira - (She/They)

Mira is the organizer of the headspace. A crystal fairy who is able to duplicate herself up to up to 30 of her at once, she manages the entire headspace and the thoughts and memories of system members. Keeping the memory archive as a collective reference for us to go back to. They do tend to be able to handle multitasking better than the rest of us, but tends to stay out of the front unless she is needed (or wants to troll us, because when she enters the front we all see what she sees. All 30 of what she sees at once). She keeps everything organized.

Aria - (She/Her)

Aria is a puppy. She's just a big strong puppy. She is the sweetest person in existence. She can't really communicate well verbally or over text. But can communicate through images, emotes, barking, and through me or Chaos. Would protect anyone physically if needed, but we try to not have that be needed. She is too sweet! If she shows up, give her headpats. She absolutely loves them. ^-^

Nova - (They/It/Fae)

A trickster fae that has found its way into our system. Rarely calls anyone by name, and speaking with a scottish Accent, they are playful and tricky. But likes to fly free. Bound to it's "Little Fox" (me) in terms of willing to listen her, but will chime in at any time it wants. So if I ever speak with a scottish accent, that's Nova.

And just some more examples of my character design work. These aren't part of the system (As far as I know) but are still characters I use often.

[heavenangelblog]

as promised, according to the past post, movie list:

my favorite action movies:

Straż nocna and Straż dzienna

Skyscraper

Die hard

two old Hellboys

Ice road

Monster hunter

Priest

Unleashed

The darkest hour

Maze runner

Kick ass (only the first one actually and it's my guilty pleasure, don't judge me)

Valerian

Duel 1971

Watchmen and bunch of Marvel movies

Rollerball

Hunger games

Returner

Independence day (sentiment)

Ghostbusters

Tim Burton's Batman

Demolition man

Red

Wild wild west

Tank girl

old Twister (new one is a disgrace)

Free guy

Charlie's angels

Operation dumbo drop

Arsene Lupin

The silent hour

Jurassic park/world

Uncharted

Indiana Jones

The rocketeer

Robin Hood 2018 (it's a secret why)

Salt

Mad Max

Speed

Blue thunder

old Judge Dredd

Equilibrium

The fugitive

The purge?

biography or document:

Napoleon (even tho it was disturbing, it's worth watching for few scenes)

Extremely wicked, shockingly evil and vile

Iris

Frida

Marina Abramovic

Sayat nova

Grey gardens

Dangerous minds

Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds

Purple rain

Girl interrupted

The Ron Clark story

Advanced style

Queen: days of our lives

Królik po berlińsku

Cleveland abduction

comedies:

Addams Family

Elvira

What we do in the shadows

Buster Keaton movies

3 men and a baby/little lady

My big fat greek wedding (last one wasn't the best tbh)

Les nouvelles aventures d'Aladin

The first wives club

Freaky friday

Mean girls

Maverick

Galaxy quest

Ciacho (sorry not sorry)

Sydney White

Sahara

*wondering what it all means about me, probably nothing good but paints a pretty good picture of my humor

dramas:

The last legion

Marrowbone

Alice, darling

Klass

Shutter island

Judex 1963

Secretary

Cloud Atlas

A patch of blue

Truman show

Times square

The monuments men

The fall 2006

Robinson Crusoe 2003 (the french version)

Renaissance man

Race the sun

Frantic

Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind

Breakfast club

Hello my name is Doris

Little miss sunshine

En Duva satt på en gren och funderade på tillvaron

The beniker gang (if someone has a link where I can watch it - I beg you)

Click

To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar

Under the Tuscan sun

Flight of the phoenix

Christmas movies:

Santa and Pete

It's a wonderful life

Grinch

Elf

fantasy movies:

Hobbit and LOTR (including animated one)

Krull

The watchers

Red riding hood 2011

Dungeons and dragons

Gods of Egypt

Kate & Leopold

Paradise Hills

The princess bride

Warcraft

Fire and ice

The scorpion king and all Mummies

League of extraordinary gentlemen

The shadow 1994

Night at the museum

The 10th kingdom

surreal movies:

Blood tea and red strings

Meshes of the afternoon

Paprika

Destiny to order (also looking for a link)

This is me... now

The cell

Twin peaks: firewalk with me

romantic movies:

Red white and royal blue

Penelope

On - drakon

Stranger than fiction

A lot like love

Ode to joy

My policeman (but it's complicated)

Byoo-tee In-sai-deu

Five feet apart

Me before you

My monster

horrors and thrillers:

A quiet place

Bird box

Priest

Van Helsing

Last night in Soho

The lost boys

The village 2004

sci fi:

Star wars

John Carter

Atlas

Mortal engines

favorite shows:

High potential

From

Grotesquerie

Fallout

Heartstopper

Gen V

The crowded room

Into the night

Czterej pancerni i pies

Don Matteo

Call the midwife

first series of Stranger things and Orphan black

Buffy

My mad fat diary

Poirot

OITNB (but not to the very end)

TBBT

The Simpsons

United states of Tara

AHS Freak show

few episodes of Black mirror

The last of us

LOTR (mixed feelings about it)

[cartoonfanaticmonsterrobotalien]

Solar Opposites in Ultra Opposites Scene: Jesse/Electra Finally Becomes a Mundane (for @avaveevo)

Monica is still trapped in her cell as she got shock by Night Runner and Jesse/Electra is furious while the other Ultra Opposites arrived!

Terry/Solar Flare: No...

Sonya/Soarin’ Girl: Monica! Night Runner, release this poor girl at once!

Nicholas/Night Runner: After Electra broke my heart? No way!

Korvo/Legendary Super Shlorpian: You bastard! You have gone too far messing with my daughter! It’s time to stop!

Cherie/Agent Red: I agree with L.S.S. here! You’re out of control!

Nicholas/Night Runner: Why don't you make me Mr. Flat Ass?!

Nova/Lady Roseus: Hey! Don’t talk to my best friend like that!

Terry/Solar Flare: Yeah! My husband’s ass is beautiful and thicc! slaps Korvo/Legendary Super Shlorpian’s ass

Korvo/Legendary Super Shlorpian: Ooh! giggles Solar Flare, you dirty boy.

Terry/Solar Flare: Why yes. Yes I am. kiss Korvo/Legendary Super Shlorpian

Nicholas/Night Runner: Seriously? Are they always like this?

Sonya/Soarin’ Girl: Hell yeah! Because my alien dads always love each other no matter what!

Janiz/Lady Super Shlorpian: Now, release Monica at once!

Jesse/Electra: Leave him to me.

But then, the tube breaks a piece and an electric bolt hits Jesse/Electra as she starts screaming in pain. Then, she suddenly feels a pain in her head.

Terry/Solar Flare: Jesse!

Sonya/Soarin’ Girl: Sis! Are you okay?!

Yumyulack/Psylock: Speak to us! puts his hand on Jesse/Electra’s shoulders

Jesse/Electra: GET AWAY FROM ME!

Sonya/Soarin’ Girl: Huh?

Jesse/Electra: THE POWER! THE RAGE! I CAN'T HOLD IT!

Miss Frankie/Shadow Lady: Um, are you like okay Electra?

Korvo/The Legendary Super Shlorpian: gasps and realizes what is going on Guys, get back!

Daryl/Dark Matter: to Yumyulack/Psylock Babe! Is your sister okay?!

Yumyulack/Psylock: I don't know.

Jesse/Electra suddenly grows bigger.

Sonya/Soarin’ Girl: Solar Flare! L.S.S.! What’s happening to my sister?!

Korvo/The Legendary Super Shlorpian: Terry, it's time.

Terry/Solar Flare: Wh-what?!

Jesse suddenly grows muscular and her skin goes black as she rips apart her dress and shows into pieces thanks to her still growing and the muscle growth too.

Terry/Solar Flare: Oh my god...

Sherbet/Violet: Holy shit! Like father like daughter!

Montez/The Master: I’ll say!

Jesse grows boobs much to everyone's confusion and shock.

Yumyulack/Psylock: gasp Titties!

Daryl/Dark Matter: Did she just get boobs?

Korvo/Legendary Super Shlorpian, Terry/Solar Flare and Sonya/Soarin’ Girl: Psylock!

Yumyulack/Psylock: What?

Monica: El-Electra?!

Mundane Jesse/Electra roars.

Cherie/Agent Red: I’m afraid this is not gonna end well! Stand back guys!

Terry/Solar Flare: Oh no! My baby!

Nicholas/Night Runner: What the fuck?!

Mundane Jesse/Electra’s eyes then starts glowing pink as she roars breaks the tube that was able to free Monica.

Monica: Thank you!

Terry/Solar Flare: Oh God! My babygirl! cries as Korvo/Legendary Super Shlorpian comforts him

Korvo/The Legendary Super Shlorpian: It's okay, darling.

Mundane Jesse/Electra roars and throws Nicholas/Night Runner towards the building as she roars and jumps out.

Monica: Electra! No! Stop!

Mundane Jesse/Electra then grabs her yellow bow and yanks it off her head as she roars.

Terry/Solar Flare: SHIT!

Korvo/Legendary Super Shlorpian: We got to do something before Electra hurt herself! We must find a way to calm her down

Korvo/Legendary Super Shlorpian turns into his Super Shlorpian form.

Terry/Solar Flare: Wait! I know how! Korvy! Fly me to Jesse! Quick!

Korvo/Legendary Super Shlorpian: What?! Are you insane?!

Terry/Solar Flare: Trust me… she’s my little sproutling… I have to help her…

Korvo/Legendary Super Shlorpian: Okay.

Korvo/Legendary Super Shlorpian, seeing how determined and selfless his husband is being right now, smiles as he kiss his hubby on the forehead and grabs as he flies off while the other Ultra Opposites follow them and see Mundane Electra.

Terry/Solar Flare: JESSE!

Mundane Jesse/Electra as she throws Night Runner to a wall that knocks him out and then she sees Terry/Solar Flare and growls at him.

Terry/Solar Flare: It's okay. It's me. Your daddy.

Mundane Electra roars and throws a giant rock at Legendary Super Shlorpian and Solar Flare as they manage to dodge it. Then, Solar Flare’s eyes starts to glow orange as he smirks and goes Papa Wolf. Seeing this, Legendary Super Shlorpian smiles and gets ready to throw Mundane Solar Flare.

Korvo/Legendary Super Shlorpian: You ready?

Terry/Solar Flare: starts turning black while growing bigger and muscular Oh fuck yeah! Ready!

Korvo/Legendary Super Shlorpian: Damn, honey. You looking faboo.

Terry/Solar Flare: Hell yeah. I do! Throw me in!

Legendary Super Shlorpian throws Solar Flare. Solar Flare then turns finished transforming into his Mundane form as he rips apart his uniform and roars. Mundane Electra then sees Mundane Solar Flare and snarls at him.

Mundane Terry/Solar Flare: Jesse. You're okay. Look at me.

Mundane Electra roars and prepares to throw another rock at Mundane Solar Flare as he gasp.

Principal Cooke/Super Cooke: Poor Terry. He dead.

But, Mundane Solar Flare kept being brave as he sees Mundane Electra snarling.

Mundane Terry/Solar Flare: J-Jesse?

Mundane Electra is about to throw something at her dad. Mundane Electra roars and throws the rock at Mundane Solar Flare who punches it into little ash thanks to his fire powers as he roars. Mundane Solar Flare then grabs Mundane Electra and pin her to the ground while touching her face softly and stroking it. Mundane Jesse realizes what she did and sobs.

Mundane Terry/Solar Flare: Shh. Oh Jesse-Bear. I’m so sorry Night Runner pushed you too far. This would’ve never happened if we had finally realize how truly crazy he is and still be there for you and then Monica would never be captured… you are not a monster… you are Jesse Opposites… a daughter… a sister… and a superhero… you’re our Electra and always will be. Please… come back to me Jesse-Bear…

Mundane Electra then breaks down in tears as tears fall down like waterfalls. Seeing how scared and overwhelmed his daughter is, Mundane Solar embrace his daughter in a hug as he continues to sooth her and comfort his daughter.

Daryl/Dark Matter: Uh, babe? Are you crying?

Yumyulack/Psylock: shedding tears of joy Aaaww…

Principal Cooke/Super Cooke: Well, how about that?

Sonya/Soarin’ Girl: Oh sis… walks to Mundane Jesse/Electra with the rest of the Ultra Opposites and hugs her

Mundane Jesse/Electra turns back into her normal Shlorpian self as she continues crying in Solar Flare’s chest.

Korvo/Legendary Super Shlorpian: We’re so sorry about all of this. You were trying to tell us how crazy Nicholas is, and we didn’t believe in you. We thought you were being mean to him when he tried to win you back. But we were wrong. He is an asshole.

Yumyulack/Psylock: We’re sorry. It’ll be okay. We’re gonna stop Night Runner. Once and for all.

Jesse/Electra: Thank you...

But, Jesse/Electra starts turning back into her Mundane form as she starts breathing in and out.

Terry/Solar Flare: Whoa. Easy honey. Just take deep breaths. This is your first time. Right now, let’s go stop Night Runner before he recaptures Monica!

Everyone: Yeah!

Jesse/Electra keeps taking deep breaths but her eyes are still glowing pink.

[jenn-the-butterfly]

Free Runner masterpost

List specifically for Free Runner

Tags by character:

Jenn: #jenn #jenn&co #butterfly #free runner #jenn butterfly

Jenn's playlist

Sun FR: #azil sun #free runner Sun #kilonova #sunrise #fr Sun #sunn

Nova's playlist

Moon FR: #azil moon #free runner moon #tidal lock #moondrop #tydal locke #fr moon #ulsen

Tydal's playlist

Black Sun: #azil eclipse #free runner solar #black sun #event horizon #fr black sun #kel’sunn #kel

Event's playlist

Blood Moon: #azil eclipse #free runner lunar #bloodmoon #echo chamber #fr bloodmoon #de’ul

Echo's playlist

Total:

Bee:

Lucian:

Sing:

Xeros: #xeros #rulle #cosmos above

Narii: #narii #binary #nebula #cosmos above

Legacy AU: #legacy #legacy au #jenny_jukebox #jenny jukebox #jennifer raster #BAFIA

Legacy playlist (playlists might have some overlap in songs because I like them)

Shipping permissions post.

Read the Beta fic HERE!

My stuff :

Twitter: @/cleverfox94

Bluesky: @//cleverfoxstudios.bsky.social

Ko-fi: CleverFoxStudios

Deviantart: CleverFoxStudios

[masonhawthorne]

What I read in August

Don't Panic!

This looks like a super long list, but actually there are a lot of short stories on here!

The Henchmen of Zenda, KJ Charles ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Morning Star, Peter Atkins ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Subsidence (ss), Steve Rasnic Tem ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Man in the High Tower, Philip K Dick ⭐️⭐️⭐️

What the Dead Know (ss), Nghi Vo ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Maze Runner, James Dashner ⭐️

Unfit to Print, KJ Charles ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Chill, Elizabeth Bear ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bryony and Roses, T Kingfisher ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Confessor (ss), Elizabeth Bear ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Grail, Elizabeth Bear ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Babylon (nf), Paul Kriwaczek ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Unquiet, E Saxey DNF

The Ritual of the Labyrinth (ss), Esmée de Heer ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Terminal World, ALastair Reynolds ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Essays of Flesh and Bone (ss), Victoria Audley ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Book Eaters, Sunyi Dean ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Future of Work: Compulsory (ss), Martha Wells ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Lady or the Tiger (ss), Frank Stockton ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Too Like the Lightning, Ada Palmer ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Falling Free, Lois McMaster Bujold ⭐️⭐️

Dreamsnake, Vonda N McIntyre ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The First Fossil Hunters (nf), Adrienne Mayor ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Shards of Honor, Lois McMaster Bujold ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Red Land, Black Land (nf), Barbara Mertz ⭐️⭐️⭐️

On Planetary Palliative Care (ss), Thomas Ha ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Nova, Samuel R Delany ⭐️⭐️⭐️

ss= short story nf= non fiction

stars awarded at my whim

I think the ones that really stick with me this month are Elizabeth Bear's Jacob's Ladder trilogy (Dust, Chill, and Grail, reissued as Pinion, Sanction, and Cleave).

The series is about a long-lost generation ship, which has been travelling so long that it has forgotten its destination (if it ever had one) and the people on board have developed incredible biotechnology, and some nasty internal politics.

The vibe of the Jacob's Ladder Trilogy is impeccable. It's Arthurian legends grafted onto military sci-fi. It's body mods, and body horror. It's talking plants. It's angels, and knights, and incest, and quests, and cannibalism, and wonder.

I don't quite know how to explain the way that these books fit exactly into the niche of things that appeal directly to me personally. So if you like the stuff I like, definitely read them.

The other standouts were Dreamsnake by Vonda N McIntyre, and Too Like the Lightning by Ada Palmer.

Dreamsnake is one of those incredible sci-fi's of the 1970s that does interesting things with gender, and familial relationships, and social structures, and concepts of childhood and responsibility and environmentalism. It also has a dreamy kind of wandering quality to it that made it really enjoyable.

Too Like the Lightning was not at all like I had expected, but in a great way. I think I had read a negative review about it some time ago, and put it to the bottom of my list, but a friend read it recently and told me I should read it. So I did. This is my jam. There's so much going on in this book I can't even start to break it down. Huge, elaborate political machinations, weird gender stuff, a narrator with an agenda. It's a lot of fun.

Honorary mention to Morning Star for being one of the strangest vampire novels I've come across.

And that's what I've got to say about that.

[anatnem]

[OPEN/FOR SALE] CS Votumoria Nova-list

Owners: #1 none 

Set Price: $35.00 USD

Extras: +$12.50 to get either an inked/painted bust or chibi or +$20.00 of both a bust and chibi +$5.00 USD per added animations on chibi or painted bust(ear twitch, blinking eyes, wavy hair) To buy, please send a dm/message on any of my main socials:  Discord: anatnem Deviant Art: www.deviantart.com/a-nat-nem Toyhouse: toyhou.se/~forums/5866.design-…

Votumoria Adopt Rules:

• What you get: PNG with Transparent Background of your kiddo  • Join either the tH or Discord to stay up to date with all news and raffles - https://toyhou.se/~world/53674.votumoria  | discord.gg/d2kC7jA26H • You are allowed minor changes and gender that do not interfere with traits - Any other changes has to go through the group/species creator What you get: • PNG with Transparent Background of your kiddo - as per the image above • Please do not hide your bid - it will result in being blacklisted and blocked from my account if i see it happen • Serious buyers only - 24 hours to pay - failure to make payment within time limit (or if other problems occur) will result in the runner up getting the adopt • You are not allowed buy if your account is less than 6 months old (unless using points, then feel free to let me know) • You are not allowed to use/trace/reference without purchase - remember, inspiration does not mean copy • After purchase - you own the design - you can change, alter, edit, resell, ect. - i dont really care • Please credit me if re-uploaded somewhere else if its my art thats been used - tH is Anatnem and other socials are below. • My general TOS

:icondonotuseplz::iconmyartplz::icondonotuseplz::iconmyartplz::icondonotuseplz::iconmyartplz:

✿ Thank you so much for considering, bidding and enjoying Feel free to check out my other socials below ✿

Toyhou.se | ​Deviantart | Patreon | ​Facebook | ​Twitter | ​Instagram | ​Merch| ​Website

Posted using PostyBirb

[dovesdreaming]

Character guide

These are the characters i write for at the moment but if you see a fandom without a certain character you would like you are welcome to ask me! (Not guaranteed to write for them aswell tho) i will also take recommendations on movies/series if you think i would like it based off of these, i'm always looking for new things to obsess over! last updated: 20/09/24 |29/06/24|

Masterlist

Stranger things-> Steve harrington ✰ Eddie munson ✰ Robin buckley ✰ Jonathon byers ✰ Mike wheeler ✰ Billy Hargrove

Marvel-> Bucky barnes ✰ Tony stark ✰ Natasha romanoff ✰ Spider-man(Andrew's & Tom's) ✰ Spider gwen ✰ Loki laufeyson ✰ Peter quill ✰ wolverine ✰ Deadpool ✰ domino ✰ cassandra nova ✰ Wanda maximoff ✰ Thor odinson ✰ Bruce banner

Dead poets society-> Todd anderson ✰ Neil perry ✰ Charlie dalton

Harry potter-> Draco malfoy ✰ Harry potter ✰ Luna lovegood ✰ George weasley ✰ Blaise Zabini ✰ Mattheo riddle ✰ Theodore nott

Maurauders-> Remus lupin ✰ Sirius black ✰ Newt scammander ✰ Barty crouch jr ✰ Regulus black ✰ Bellatrix Lestrange

My babysitters a vampire-> Rory keaner ✰ Benny weir ✰ Ethan morgan

The bear-> Carmen berzatto ✰ Richie jerimovich

Pirates of the caribbean-> Jack sparrow ✰ Hector barbosa ✰ Elizabeth swann

Descendants-> Mal ✰ Evie ✰ Carlos de vil ✰ Jay ✰ Uma ✰ Harry hook ✰ Ben Florian ✰ Chad charming

Top gun->

Once upon a time-> Peter Pan ✰ Regina mills ✰ Rumplestiltskin ✰ killian jones

Misc-> Hazel callahan ✰ Rodrick heffley ✰ chase Davenport ✰ Alex karev ✰ Donnie darko ✰ Jonny goodman

Possibilities in the future: maze runner, mean girls, Max thunderman, hunger games

Anyone is free to request!! please be kind and respectful! And don't be scared to send anything in even if its just a rant about a character.

[bongaboi]

Nova Southeastern: 2022-23 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Champions

Finally. After years of coming close, coach Jim Crutchfield is a DII men’s basketball national champion as the Sharks are champions for the first time in program history. Nova Southeastern defeated West Liberty, 111-101, in the highest scoring championship game in history and one of the more memorable title games in the history of the division.

Nova Southeastern becomes the sixth undefeated champion in DII men’s basketball history. The Sharks also became just the second team to score 100 points in the championship game, joining Virginia Union’s 1992 championship team. The 111 points are not only the new DII championship game record, but the most points scored in any college basketball championship game, men's or women's.

The storylines heading into this game were bountiful. Nova Southeastern head coach Jim Crutchfield became just the third DII men’s basketball coach to take two different programs to the championship game. The other team? The squad staring him down on the other side of the court. He led West Liberty to a national runners-up finish in 2014 when current head coach Ben Howlett was his assistant.

This was the first time the two top scoring teams faced each other in the DII men’ s basketball championship game. And the two teams certainly filled the bill. The first half went to Nova Southeastern, which came out of the high-scoring half with a 55-48 lead, the most combined points in the first half of a DII men’s basketball championship game. Bevo Francis finalist RJ Sunahara came out on fire, scoring nine of the first 15 points of the game and finishing the half with 20 as the Sharks set the DII championship game record for most first half points.

West Liberty was a bit apprehensive at first and it took about 10 minutes to get comfortable and knock the jitters out. Bryce Butler, another Bevo Francis finalist, was held to just one shot in the first 10 minutes of the game, and the Hilltoppers need him going to get that high-octane motor rolling.

Dallas Graziani provided a spark for the Sharks when West Liberty pulled it close, hitting a pair of big 3s and getting fouled on a third attempt. A pretty lob that Sunahara finished off with a dunk certainly helped keep the momentum going. But the half ended in a scoring flurry from the suddenly hot Hilltoppers and Sharks. Step back 3s that hit nothing but net from Zach Rasile and Will Yoakum — who had a monster first half himself — were exchanged like blows in a heavyweight match to close the half in one of the most exciting minutes of play all season. The two teams combined to go 13 for 26 from behind the arc in the first half.

And that was just the first half. Act II was equally intense.

The second half was much more physical, with a pair of flagrant fouls from West Liberty in about four minutes to start the half. Every point was earned, as bodies hit the floor on every drive, with neither team wanting to relent and more than 50 combined fouls between the two teams.

But even that couldn’t stop these high-flying offenses.

Butler was sensational in the loss and played hard to the final whistle, almost single handedly keeping the Hilltoppers in the game. He sparked a late 11-2 run that brought the Hilltoppers in striking distance. He finished with 32 points on 11-for-19 shooting and nine rebounds. Chris Montague had a big day from 3, going 5 for 7 from behind the arc and finishing with 19.

Inevitably, there was too much foul trouble for West Liberty to overcome. Yoakum, who found himself in foul trouble early in the second half, was used as a free throw specialist, and finished with 31 points, capping a brilliant postseason with his third 30-point game in his final four tries. Sunahara fouled out, but still finished with 28 points and nine rebounds. Graziani’s engine never stopped, finishing with 24 points and nine assists.

It was a thrilling game from start to finish, one that there were no ties or lead changes. The top two offenses in the land delivered one of the most memorable performances in DII Men's Elite Eight history, and the Sharks walk away the winners of the 2023 national championship.

[jukebox-arts]

I was an OG FNAF fan and watched content of SB when it first dropped; I cycled out of the fandom briefly due to IRL things and then looped back to watch mods and glitch runs. It made me appreciate how absolutely broken the game is. I ended up watching Ask Sun and Moon by Shandzii a few times, and got exposed to DCA content on Tiktok through SatogaCrank and a few others. I've been stuck in the glue trap since.

TBH I didn't care for the DCAs at first because their designs freaked me out, but as good fandom does, I warmed up to them via the above creators and started my own AU interpretations thereafter. I've always loved sun-moon(-stars) motifs and in my current situation having never had comfort characters before, the slew of wholesome DCA content really stapled me to the glue trap.

Technically from the beginning if it's SB, but DCA was Nov or Dec 2022? Ish?

I haven't but my bestie did, partially. We bought the game to take screenshots for references and currently have a very persistent Moon running rampant in the daycare trying to get us so we didn't get far.

To date? ASL Sun for the holidays, the "New Mother" comic, and my AU images, "Tidal Lock" and "Kilonova"

I really love the new-genre-style art that they keep coming up with, making D&D characters, wizards, mermaids, etc. The wholesome stuff makes me happy, especially when its a little new or well done.

I really like 8um8le's "Stellar City", I'm in the fringes of Fairy, Overshadowed and GITM, plus my own Free Runner and Legacy AUs.

The Jens (Jennifer, Jenny and Jenn). I've put so much work into them compared to my usual amount, they're my darlings and I adore them all.

Used to dislike it but Biblically Accurate has become amusing and very interesting to see interpreted because it's so rare now, it feels like.

The pure creativity and amazing DCA variants. I really like robots.

Canon? Sun. From an AU that isn't mine? Probably 8um8le's Sun. From mine? Moon, hands down (sorry Sun). Overall if it's not just Sun or Moon? 8um8le's Cat or Eclipse, or Satoga's Nova.

Canon Eclipse is baby, but pre-canon fandom Eclipse was wild to see evolve.

That guy needed a vacation long before the glitch set in, but I think he enjoyed himself.

He definitely had the theater kid vibe, switching on a dime from nap time to goblin mode faster than the light could flip.

Personally, they're two AI, but I enjoy the rare takes where they're a split persona or Jekyll-Hyde situation if done well. Generally it doesn't matter to me as long as it's... tasteful, we'll say.

More AUs that aren't focused on the pizzaplex. I'm biased.

DCA-cest I guess? But I filter my tags so it's not a big deal, I mostly just don't like it when they're written as brothers AND lovers at the same time. Also, fucking shipping drama. Oh my god. Leave each other alone.

Turning my Free Runner AU into a legit comic/story that's only mildly DCA-adjacent.

I'd like to hope so, I consider myself a safe person so I shouldn't set off any danger signs.

Seriously, keep cranking out other DCA variants, they're tasty and I'm looking with as much respect as I can muster.

Additional nitpick/vent thing: I love me some saucy bots but I can't reconcile canon-adjacent, active daycare attendants having genitals. Do whatever, genuinely, but I just do not comprehend them having any simply because of what they are and are made to do. It's the one thing I can't suspend my disbelief on for some reason.

Non-canon-compliant scenarios or later modified outside of fazbear? Abso-fucking-lutely. Love to see it.

But currently-working-in-the-daycare-they-were-built-to-be-in? Too confusing. Brain error.

That's all.

alright dca fandom, here's some questions bc i'm curious. the funky jesters make our brains go brr, but why? treat it as an ask game or answer in the tags if you feel like it! :)

how did you get here?

why these characters in particular? what was the hook for you?

how long have you been here?

have you actually played fnaf sb?

if you make content, what's your favorite piece you've contributed?

what's your favorite sort of art or fic? what genre/flavor/style?

what's your favorite au?

do you have any ocs, or have any ocs you're fond of?

what do you think of the dca's canon appearance? Scary? Cute? Something else?

what keeps you in this fandom despite the very small amount of canon content the dca had?

be honest: if you had to pick only one, sun or moon?

thoughts on eclipse?

thoughts on pre-glitch sun?

thoughts on pre-glitch moon?

do you interpret sun and moon as two sides of the same person, or truly two separate beings in one body? does it matter?

what's something in the fandom you'd like to see more of?

what's something in the fandom you'd like to see less of?

anything you're looking forward to?

do you think you'd actually get along with the dca if you met them irl?

free space! talk about whatever's on your mind!

[jukebox-arts]

Solar Snuggies

Been feeling like trash, drew comfort art featuring the diurnal pair of the Jenn Squad

It's always a little odd not drawing Sun's rays but that's what I get for making them light projections. They turn off when eepy

Black's rays folding down though? That's cute as shit

Don't tell him I said that--

"Too late."

aH--

[incorrectsmashbrosquotes]

My “Superman” OCs: Or How to Make a Superman Character who isn’t just “Hey, What if Superman was a dick?”

Keith Connors; a.k.a. Subject 010; a.k.a. Shepard:

Subject 010 was created by an alien civilization to be the ultimate weapon. Nearly invincible and all-powerful, with his Superman powerset, he forged the K’tar into an empire that spanned the stars. But Subject 001 eventually began to question his masters, and soon abandoned his mission, hiding on a backwater planet: Earth.

On Earth, which already has a pick of heroes, Subject 010 assumed the identity of Keith Connors, doing his best to blend in to Earth culture and understand his existence. There’s sort of a Blade Runner, “looking for his humanity” type thing going on. Eventually, he settles in rural Ireland and meets people he cares about, even loves, and begins to realize his own humanity.

Eventually, he decides that he wants to help people, and becomes the Superhero, Shepard. But, after being a warrior and a soldier for so long, he doesn’t understand a lot of the play-by-play of how the heroing business works, and ends up accidentally killing some bad guys, just because he’s never been instructed to hold back before. But, he eventually finds his niche in the Superhero community.

But everything changes when the K’tar comes for their lost property, bringing Keith’s “siblings” the nine failed prototypes that came before him. Now Keith must reconcile the monster he once was and the hero he wants to be and lead humanity against the Empire he forged.

-

Ishkur; a.k.a. Jim Marshal; a.k.a. Champion:

Centuries ago, when most men painted on cave walls, there was an age undreamed of.. A race of God-Like beings ruled the Earth, with power and strength unmatched. Unto this: Ishkur, the he who ruled the wind and sun. Ishkur was so powerful and mighty that all the other Gods feared and revered him in equal measure, and with good reason.

Ishkur realized the potential and future of humanity, and wished to nurture them. Others disagreed. A war between these beings broke out, a war that would inspire a thousand myths and legends across the globe. Eventually, Ishkur stood alone, his allies slaughtered, though his enemies were greatly reduced as well. Desperate, Ishkur sacrificed himself to seal the wicked Gods away.

Jump forward to the modern day, Ishkur reincarnates into a modern man, a black kid from Alabama named Jim Marshal, graced with terrible power. But with Ishkur’s reincarnation comes fell warnings. The wicked Gods that Ishkur sealed are breaking free, and will drive humanity back to the stone age, and enslave them.

But all is not lost. The Gods who were once Ishkur’s allies have also reincarnated, and now Jim must take up the mantle of Champion; the Hope of Humanity and unite the other reincarnated Gods against this ancient and terrible threat.

-

Alice Aberon; Project Nova; a.k.a. Lodestar:

Project Nova was originally conceived with the idea of making the ultimate soldier, using ancient alien D.N.A. found frozen in the Antarctic. However, for head scientist Madeline Aberon, it was a ticket to cure her daughter Alice of her terminal genetic disorder. When things became dire, Madeline used the experimental serum on her daughter. Not only did it cure her, but it gave her powers beyond anyone’s imagination.

But as all attempts to recreate that success failed, and Alice’s powers grew daily, the shadowy government organization that was funding the project terminated it, ordering everyone on board killed. Seeing her mother murdered before her eyes made Alice snap, and she murdered the soldiers sent to massacre the orbital base they were staying in, and fled to Earth.

Alice wandered alone for years, powerful beyond measure but divorced from her humanity almost completely. Eventually, she was taken in by an order of Himalayan Monks and Nuns, practitioners of an ancient and nameless martial art, who taught Alice to control her power, and opened her back up to her heart and soul.

Eventually, Alice decided that the world needs a hero like her. She left the monastery and took up the mantle of Lodestar, humanity’s guiding light, and take down the shadowy organization that killed her family, and guide humanity into a brighter and better future.

[queenangst]

Hello, everyone! I’m queenangst, AKA achievingelysium on AO3!

I’m hosting a BNHA gen contest. This contest is a celebration of platonic relationships, and is meant to encourage the creation of gen content in the BNHA fandom.

"Trust” is the (optional) theme of this contest! Creators are free to interpret this theme as they will and to use it to guide creation, but it will not affect judging.

RULES: 

Works must be of your own creation

The work must be gen, SFW, and center around platonic relationship(s) of your choice

Only one entry per person

Either art (full color artwork) or fanfic (minimum 1k, maximum 10k word count)

Works must be posted on Tumblr (fic may be hosted on AO3, and linked on Tumblr) with the hashtag ‘queenangst gen contest` + please mention me (@queenangst) so I don’t miss an entry

Following me is encouraged

SCHEDULE: 

Creation Period: Feb 15 - Mar 15 Posting Period - Mar 15 - 21 Updated Dates Posting Period - Mar 15 - 28 Judging Period - Mar 28 - Apr 14 Winners Announced and Contacted - mid-to-late-April

PRIZES + WINNERS: 

With the generosity by some of my good friends and talented creators, I’m able to offer prizes to four (4) winners in the following: 

Overall winner: One (1) full color illustration, or a 2,000 word one-shot provided by me

Artist winner: One (1) full color illustration, provided by @autisticmidoriyas

Writing winner: One (1) 2,000 word one-shot provided by @cornflowerbluewrites

Overall runner-up: One (1) BNHA manga panel coloring provided by @gemsemporium

JUDGING + FAQ under the cut:

How does judging work, and who are the judge(s)?

I have decided in order to be as unbiased as possible to work with a judging team that will ‘anonymize’ the works. Therefore, no matter if you are popular or well-known, or any other factors such as personal connection, the judging will be focused on your work only! 

Judging team:  @queenangst (host!) @autisticmidoriyas @cornflowerbluewrites @starcloud-nova azureskyy Authoress_Lilly

Other team members: @gemsemporium​ & @faelwenholdsthelight

What does “gen” mean?

Fanlore: Gen is a label for a fanwork that contains no romantic or sexual content. 

[awesomerextyphoon]

Madripoor Musings

Summary: You’re undercover as Zemo’s Sugar Baby while you’re with the team in Madripoor. You seem to like the position a little too much and Sam gets jealous.

Parings: Sam Wilson x Black Female Reader, slight Zemo x Black Female Reader

Word Count: 1,685

Rating: 18+ / Explicit

Warnings: FATWS Spoilers, Smut, Oral (f receiving), Light Choking, Angst, Semi-Public Smut,  Daddy Kink, and Slight Emotional Manipulation

A/N: Ran into another writer’s block so I’m using prompts from this list to get myself out of it. Enjoy!

Back to Masterlist

“So, are we good to go, everyone?”

The four of you were jet-setting in Zemo’s private plane to Madripoor to get info on this new version of super solider serums. Zemo came up with the idea of having Sam go undercover as the West African weapons dealer/smuggler, Smiling Tiger. Bucky returned to his ‘Winter Soldier’ mode and you were to become ‘Miss Erina’, Zemo’s new arm candy/Sugar Baby.

Your backstory was simple: you’ve been with Zemo since before he went to prison living in his many estates and luxurious apartments.

It took some time for everyone to get into character. Sam tried and failed to pull off a Nigerian accent while Bucky kept up his hard glare and glower routine. You and Zemo put on the perfect couple facade with the both of you placing semi-sensual touches on each other’s bodies and showering each other with (sometimes lewd) compliments.

“Oh, thank you for the necklace, Daddy!” you gushed loving the way Sam was fuming. Bucky almost broke his character trying not to snicker.

“Nothing’s too much for you, котёнок/kotyonok (kitten).” Zemo mused as he offered you a coy smirk and leaned in for a kiss.

You giggled as he placed kisses along your jawline, neck, and collarbone.

“We’ll continue this later, киса,” Zemo whispered while winking at Sam.

 ––––

 Madripoor was amazing, to say the least. It was a cyberpunk wet dream with bright lights at various angles and two distinct levels giving off a Black Lagoon/Blade Runner/Ghost in Shell vibe.

It felt like your kind of town.

It’s been like this since the Snap. Your older sister died in a car crash right after Thanos’ victory. Your father and uncle were blipped into the ocean dying instantly. Nowadays, your mother could barely talk to you without crying.

Natasha was dead and Steve fucked off to the 1940s to crush English pussy. Sharon got branded an enemy of the US Government and was forced to run. Some dumbass cracker (you will NEVER acknowledge his name) was given Sam’s rightful shield and mantle of Captain America by the craven, racist US government and had the NERVE to tell you to stay out of his way.

To top it all off, you found out that the US military tortured a man for 30 YEARS in order to ‘make the perfect soldier’.

You were finally in a place that matched how you felt.

“We’re heading into Low Town. Be on your guard, everyone.” Zemo warned as he lifted your chin and kissed you again. He insisted on walking towards your escort.

“Why do I have to wear this again? I look like a pimp!” Sam whined while looking sexy AF in his Ankara (I’m saying it’s Ankara) suit.

“Don’t mind him, Daddy. Sam has no sense of style.” You joked snuggling closer to Zemo.

“We’re not at the club yet.” Sam pointed out, vexed at the way you were clinging onto Zemo.

“We cannot let our guard down, Wilson. Selby has eyes everywhere.”

Sam relented and tried not to look your way. It was tempting due to you wearing an amazing Burgundy Fashion Nova Sugar Free Mini Dress with Black Bow Whoa Pumps. Your curves were out, but not in a shameless manner.

You had class, yet you were a tease.

 ––––

 The ride to Selby’s was nothing short of thrilling.

You were right about the overall aesthetic. Madripoor definitely has the ‘dystopian punk’ feel on lock.

“You look radiant, котёнок.” Zemo cooed as you kissed his neck liking how smiled at Sam and inwardly cackled at Sam’s glower.

 –––––

 Several men and some women moved to make a pass at you on the way to the club. A few audacious men learned that you were Zemo’s the hard way, Bucky made sure of it.

You had to mask your displeasure at how many people were shooting appreciative glances at Sam.

You just hoped this escapade would end soon.

 ––––––

 Zemo advised everyone to aim straight for the bar wrapping his arm around your waist as he strode into the club. Sam and Bucky followed suit slipping into their Apex and Winter modes respectively.

The bartender licked his lips as he looked you over, “Thought Selby told ya you ain’t welcomed here, Zemo.”

Zemo raised an eyebrow, “I know, but this is important,” he eyed several bouncers making their way towards your group. Their moves did not faze the baron. He simply turned to Bucky and whispered in his ear.

It didn’t take long for Bucky to let loose. You could’ve sworn a couple of people were ready to shit themselves.

 –––––

 Selby was...interesting. She/They gave off a pretentious ‘I’m always ten steps ahead’ aura with a bit of fake whimsy. She/They wanted to give you to one of her best clients and keep Bucky for herself/themselves (probably for sexual reasons, didn’t want to pry).

The conversation was going well...until Sam’s phone went off.

Insert facepalm.

You’ve told him time and time again to put his phone on silent and get rid of vibrate. Now he was gonna get y’all killed, but you said,” Fuck it!” and shot her/them and the #2.

The group had to book it and you cursed yourself for wearing non-running heels.

 _____

 Your asses were saved by a guardian sniper, Sharon. You were glad to see her again missing your bi-weekly movie nights and sporadic weekend brunches.

“It’s good to see you, Sharon.” You greeted as you hugged Sharon at the entrance of her High Town pad.

“It’s great to see you, too, even after you’ve destroyed my work.” Sharon lowered her voice while pressing her lips together in frustration and then lust at the sight of Sam’s deliciously thicc upper body.

You couldn’t blame her as you wanted to run your hands and tongue along his planes of muscle.

You listened in on the group’s conversation as you changed clothes seeing Sam’s distress at Sharon and Zemo’s words. They did have a point about how being a hero does ring hollow, but it still hurt to see Sam’s sadness and hurt.

 ––––––

 You found Zemo, bless his heart, dancing like a lost dad on the dance floor and started grinding against him while shooting Sam a sexy pout accentuating your sensually full lips.

Sam, for his part, was trying to look interested talking to a waitress with killer legs. He almost lost it when he put his arms around your waist.

“Let’s see if we can get a reaction out of him,” you whispered wrapping your arms around his neck. He knew that Sam hasn’t been giving it lately.

 ––––––

 Your little stunt lasted for about ten minutes before Sam stomped over grabbing your arm and dragging you into one of Sharon’s ‘private rooms’ after another man got too close to what was his.

“Why did you drag me away like that?!” you shouted secretly turned on by the raging fire in his eyes.

“So you like calling your men ‘Daddy’?” Sam demanded as he backed you into the wall.

“I’m your ‘daddy’ now, vixen.” Sam breathed while lightly dragging his finger up your thighs only to find no panties.

“No panties, huh?” he smirked as he twirled his forefinger around your clit causing you to moan.

“Fuck, I love hearing you moan. Say my name, vixen. Don’t care if Sharon finds out.” Sam murmured against your lips. He effortlessly lifted you in such a way to make you wonder if he got some SS serum. It didn’t hurt that you got to see his muscles bulge underneath his turtleneck as he landed your blessed backside onto one of the tables.

“Eyes on me, kitten,” Sam ordered as he forced open your legs and made his way your slit leaving open-mouthed kisses and love bites in his wake. “You're already soaking for me, baby.” he mused as he gave your slit a long lick.

You could barely keep yourself from moaning.

“Who's your daddy, baby?”

“You are!”

“I’m your ONLY daddy!” Sam shouted and dove in.

You were drowning in ecstasy.

Sam was hitting all the right notes with your pussy. He was always a G at eating you out. Sam swatted your hand away from your mouth, “I want everyone to know who your real daddy is,!”

He kept you on edge for nine excruciating minutes before he finally let you orgasm.

“No time for rest, vixen.” Sam chided as he flipped you on the table ass up with your dress bunched up around your chest,” Are you a good little vixen?” Sam breathed in your ear as he placed kisses along your ear, neck, and collarbone.

“Yes, daddy.”

“You’re damn right I am!” He sheaved himself into you in one swift motion. You moaned in delight at the sensation. He didn’t move no matter how much you begged him, “Tell the world who your daddy is,” he instructed as he slapped your plump ass.

You screamed out his name and Sam started thrusting. He gently wrapped his hand around your neck while demanding you to shout his name. Sam pounded into you at a relentless pace constantly hitting your ‘Cum Dizzy Sector’ turning you into a delightfully orgasmic mess.

Sam was reaching his limit so he played with your clit to make you finish first. You came with what felt like an earth-shattering orgasm with Sam coming with a primal roar not too long afterward.

Both of you were so wrapped up in orgasmic bliss that you didn’t notice Sharon, Zemo, Bucky, and a few other partygoers at the door.

“So, how did go?” Sharon teased as you tried to cover yourself up.

“How much did you see?”

“Hmm,” Sharon hummed while tapping her chin, “Enough for me to close a $19.8M art deal.”

“We’re getting a 10% cut.” Sam barked annoyed with the rest of the group reigning in on his smash time.

“Fine. Get dressed, I got a lead.” Sharon announced while smirking all the way to her quarters.

You smirked at Zemo as you made your way to the exit.

Worth it.

[libermachinae]

Cradle

Available on AO3 Summary: Post-battle roll call. Notes: For @soundwaveweek, prompt was ‘poetry.’

---

The MTOs were stressed. He could understand that, and in fact had little choice but to. Coming online in a crashing shuttle was a less than ideal way to begin life, and the hours of listening to gunfire and artillery going off just outside their prison-slash-shelter almost guaranteed the sorts of injuries no tool could fix. Soundwave had no idea whether the silence that followed the Decepticon victory would have been a welcome reprieve or the most hellish stretch of the experience, but his torch cutting through the crumpled hatch had broken its hold on them, and now they were frantic.

Their thoughts cut him like millions of grains of sand caught up in the exhaust of a shuttle launch. There were questions, the standard Who is that?, Am I going to die?, and Is that supposed to happen? Then the observations, It’s dark, It’s light, He’s blue, He has a gun, and I have a gun.

Mostly, though, they were giving off impressions that could not be condensed so neatly into words, not without at least a few days’ practice to understand the ebb and flow of language. Without it, Soundwave could feel the crush of the darkness, the burning slice of the light. When he announced himself on arrival, his voice came back to him thirteen different ways, shivering or sliding or in boxes, an impressive feat for a group whose sum total life experiences were the inside of a dead shuttle and each other.

The volume increased as he approached them, both due to proximity and their own increasing anxieties. Their thoughts were loud enough to be knocking against his helm, adding to the cacophony the echo of his own internals, but he soldiered on, approaching the first cradle, its occupant staring at him with a mouthless expression that nevertheless seemed to snarl.

“Designation,” Soundwave demanded.

“Megatron.”

Hisses and whispers and flares. Soundwave wished he could turn down his sensitivity, but with all the cassettes investigating other casualty reports, he couldn’t risk making himself that vulnerable, even if it meant he would be taking a splitting processor ache to berth with him that night instead of recharge.

“Your designation,” he said, with no patience to start with.

The MTO stared at Soundwave, optics glancing first over his face and then the length of his frame. He started to speak, aborted the effort, attention straying to his comrades before snapping back to the officer. His thoughts were bright, sour, and runny, becoming more disorganized the longer Soundwave stood waiting for an answer. Now he was tearing through his data packs, the disorganized folders spilling open with instructions on how to shoot, who to shoot, which way to run—

“No designation,” Soundwave concluded, feeling a part of his psyche slump with resignation. “Serial code.”

The uncomprehending stare slid again to the other MTOs, whose own thoughts echoed the globular confusion. A few of them were in the same process of upending their entire storage libraries, and although any one of them could have accurately pinpointed the coordinates where their plummeting ship had disappeared off the edge of the battle map, not one of them could provide him the very basic information he needed to complete this task and leave these soldiers for the recovery teams to salvage.

Soundwave made a quick visual inspection of the MTO, who tried to lean away—not far, given that he was still suspended in the cradle—now that his defensive bluster had dried up. No printed serial code, nor was there on the MTO beside him, a quiet mech who barely glanced at Soundwave as he came close. No serial codes, either printed or coded.

“Any identification markers?” Soundwave asked the room at large. A flicker of movement: Soundwave looked down to the mech at the end of the starboard row, the one installed opposite the sole casualty, aside from the ship itself. His thoughts had been quieter than the rest, colorless and inflexible in a way that had suggested a concussion, but Soundwave’s question had provoked a brief flare. He was looking up: on the ceiling above his squadmate was painted the number 2.

That, unfortunately, was something that could be plugged into a database, checked against the shuttle manifest and production logs, and be used to reverse engineer a serial number. Success, though, depended on this being a legitimate deployment, and certain signs were suggesting the opposite, though none so definitively as to trigger a full investigation. Soundwave put out a recall signal to Frenzy and Ravage, wary of how isolated the shuttle’s final resting place was, and tuned his sensors up higher…

Only to immediately turn them down again as the minutiae of the newbuilds’ thoughts flowed like acid rain through fresh gaps in a roof. He could read the rudimentary threat assessments they were running on him and taste the swell of emotions too new to differentiate yet; the bravest among them had started to free curiosity from the mass, and they plugged it into every observation they made, building questions on top of each other until the thoughts were heavy enough to bend under their own weight. Within the shuttle, everything felt compressed and heavy on top of him.

“Calm down,” he commanded, and winced at spikes of anxiety impaling him from multiple directions.

What a waste, he thought as he recovered from the burst, of his time and their lives. Nova Point was captured, the Autobot base overrun, and Starscream’s choice to put him on recovery meant vital logistics standards were being delayed. The already lengthy identification process would easily be doubled if this much of his processor remained dedicated to his hypersensitivity sensors, and he was vulnerable as long as the soldiers’ thoughts were filling his audio feed. Soldier was even a generous word for the mechs he’d been tasked with risking his life for. Their minimal data packs and emotional instability would make them ill-suited to the promotions occasionally offered to MTOs. They would be getting hauled out of one wreck only to be pressed into another, one that would more likely than not reach its intended destination.

Soundwave did not fault Megatron for leading a chunk of their forces off to the distant front lines on other worlds, but he did long for his leader at times. Megatron would know what was best, whether to forge ahead with the recovery efforts or leave them here to—

“A new row of unlit lanterns is marched in, And I can’t remember what my world looks like In the dark.”

The recording was poor quality, torn from a processor moments before it went offline. Soundwave kept hoping to find the rest of the poem, but bots who survived that time were few and far between, and they guarded their secrets fiercely. Because it was short, he let it play out, and when it finished the attention of the MTOs had narrowed.

“What was that?” the first one asked.

“Untitled,” Soundwave said, which wasn’t entirely accurate. He had a recording of a secondhand account that referred to the poem as ‘The Chain Runners,’ but had never been able to confirm it. He could have asked, but then he would have to tell Megatron he kept the old poem, and that wasn’t a conversation he was ready to have yet.

“But what was it?” The MTO jerked in his cradle; despite the clatter of plating, it did nothing to free him.

“Identification: a poem.”

The complete absence of understanding was a hole Soundwave could have fallen into. A couple accepted that as an answer—a poem must have been another form of marching order, the only communication style they had been brought online to understand—but the others prodded him with their curiosity, audials straining to catch another blip of that strange voice.

“That wasn’t you,” one of the others said.

“Negative,” Soundwave said. “Speaker…” He stopped, remembering how the first MTO, now gazing at him with useful curiosity, had snarled the poet’s name. Had that been out of a sense of pride? A desperation to answer the question, using the only scrap of information they had? Or had it been in worship, choosing his lord’s name to be his first word to the real world? The clashing, violent thoughts did not readily bear an answer to Soundwave, but they did give him pause as he considered his response, long enough that the MTOs’ anxiety rose up once more in a wave.

“What’s it mean?” one of them asked.

“Definition subjective,” Soundwave said. He still had so much work to do. “Silence requested.”

“It’s a code.”

“Negative.”

“Then it’s gotta mean something.”

Soundwave grasped uselessly for words, wishing Ravage were there already. He was better at this. Soundwave wasn’t good at conversation, but most of the time he could get out of it by virtue of the fact that the people he ran into were either his subordinates and afraid of him, or at about equal level and jealous of his proximity to Megatron. It was so rare for him to enter a room without his reputation having already made the rounds for him, he had no basis for navigating this.

He couldn’t come up with anything, and the longer he let the silence drag out the louder the background of thoughts grew to compensate. At a loss and desperate for relief, Soundwave dove into his archives and pulled a file at random, plugging it into his speakers without even scanning the contents.

“The revolution failed because the lords were unamused. The smoke that rose from the burning corpses of their clerks Soured their palmful drinks, And the chants which rose to their balconies, Calling for their heads, Were out of tune with the afternoon symphony.

(The first chair would be tossed out at intermission, And the crowd would suck closed empty fuel lines While inside, the lords sipped in peace.)”

Even with his speakers playing at a high volume, the relative noise inside the shuttle dropped instantly. Their minds were still working, turning over each word like they could find the meaning hidden underneath, but without the fear of the unknown it was quieter and reflective.

“If you still say your knuckles ache, Lay them here, on my knee. I cannot take from you That pain, But I will map the seams of your palm. I will memorize you, Memorialize. I will chart your construction And between your seams find…”

Crunching data while listening to Megatron’s voice was second nature by now. Soundwave stood in the center of the wrecked shuttle, seeking out the identity of the MTOs, while around him they leaned and twisted in their cradles, hunting down the poems like the twinkle of an enemy across a battlefield.