#gonna take a break from comms to work on a concept for something :] //

[bubblebaath]

dragons dragons dragons for SarcasticHawke, kyruiz, Solcie,and XXVeil on flight rising

[terraliensvent]

guys i think civ isnt satan (edit: they lied)

EDIT: please see this post, civ played everyone like a fiddle and blatantly lied about having nothing to do with the pet species deletion. keeping this og post up to show how dedicated they were to painting their narrative

so, a few screenshots relating to their bulletin were given to me (you can see my initial thoughts here)

now as with all breaking news there are revisions to be made with new info

(all screens can be found in this imgur gallery, may be out of order because imgur is dummy stupid)

so it turns out, civ and coy actually werent contacted prior to the decision. i do agree this could have been handled differently and there should have been more of a discussion around it, HOWEVER im more inclined to the side of current terra staff. for one, they came to the decision of one adopt every two months for each staff member as compensation for their work on the team. their reasoning for cutting down coy and civ's amounts is to be fair to everyone especially considering coy and civ arent actively working on the species anymore. i dont necessarily agree with the decision to cut customs though, since people have to actively seek them out for that and its more akin to a comm service. i also want to note that i can understand why terra staff wouldnt want to negotiate about the number of adopts with civ and coy, considering that this is how it went last time

you can see in the imgur screens the original terms, notably that civ and coy collectively were allowed to make 12 adopts a month. i can see how it would be seen as unfair to not be able to be compensated as much as the people who left the place to die.

throughout the screens it seems civ is being a lot more reasonable, i think more discussion should have been had with them and after introspecting, it probably wasnt right for them to be banned, however, i dont see why they couldnt just be unbanned. i think that theyre getting lumped in with coy severely here and truthfully that isnt fair to them. i dont know how i would go about the downgrade from 6 to 2, but what i do know is they were being pretty polite about it

coy on the other hand...

throughout the screens they just seem to keep throwing salt into the wound, working through loopholes and being petty just for the sake of it. their behavior i would argue is still deplorable, and their unwillingness to work constructively is probably the reason why they and civ werent included in the discussion. ive gone over coy a million times before, these screens just keep hammering the point home

besides that, there are a couple other things to note:

Tycho's lack of presence

Tycho (furthermore referred to as cal) diverting the discussion to others is something that has happened before, and can be a point of criticism against him, but honestly my personal opinion is that shit happens sometimes. cal has very valid reasons to want to pull away from the discussion, especially with the myo compensation event he seems to be giving his best despite the situation. i am willing to give cal a lot of leeway when it comes to being stressed because we have seen the work that he and his team are putting in. i mean ffs we already have new pet species concepts not even a day after the old ones were removed. hes got a lot on his plate, and coys un-reasonability and demanding things be done NOW would drive anyone crazy even if they werent already dealing with species AND irl responsibilities. you could argue that cal shouldnt be in a place of ownership if he cant take the heat which is a valid criticism, however i think that hes a fine owner, good even, its just that these situations keep popping up one after another and he just cant keep up. these arent things that normal species owners deal with

"disgusting"

so regarding these screens (because i know some civ/coy whiteknights are gonna try and use it to excuse all their actions)

listen, was it the most professional way to respond? no. but also: (assuming it was cal who said these) i would argue this is a totally valid argument. granted, probably not to be directed at civ, but still valid. if i was dealing with the same continued problems from people who arent supposed to even be a part of the project anymore, i would have blown my lid way worse. this comment isnt even that egregious to me, its just that civ and coy have created such an echo chamber that any criticism is seen as sacrilege, and given cal's previously mentioned stressors its completely understandable for him to react harshly when they have to deal with coy drilling up his ass and being petty for no reason

civ's final words

the screens speak for themselves here. i do think there are some things to be criticized relating to civs bulletin (particularly comments painting them as this poor sad puppy dog tossed in the rain) but ultimately they are not as much of a villain in this as coy is. best course of action honestly is to just leave them alone, they were pretty professional in the screens and just seem to want to be done with it

final verdict? coy is an ass. civ kind of isnt. it could have been done differently but i really understand why it wasnt. cal needs a break. new mods are still doing good in my eyes.

and terravent fans eat good tonight

[run-aled]

RED VALLEY: WHILE YOU WERE HYPERSLEEPING 2

(transcript)

GORDON PORLOCK, AT HIS DESK IN THE RECORDS ROOM. IT IS LATE, HE IS ANXIOUS. BUT QUIET, BUT TONED DOWN. HE IS TRYING TO REMAIN CALM.

GORDON: Gordon Porlock, personal log. So, it turns out I'm not alone. Aubrey Wood is outside. Hiding in a camper van. We spoke a couple of hours ago over the comm Warren left her.

GORDON: I have no idea if I can trust this person. I've listened to the recording Warren gave me over and over but...I don't know. I can't think of any reason you'd go through what she's now going through unless you were sincere about trying to put something right. But then, my only friend is an amnesiac criminal whose fake wife threatened to cut my skull open with a bone saw the other week. There's a chance I'm not a great judge of character.

GORDON: We didn't talk very long. We weren't sure what to say to each other. Weird thing is that we haveactually spoken before. A lot. Online, a few years ago when I first heard the rumours about Red Valley. It was Aubrey. She was the source who first started getting me information. I think she thought telling me that would break the ice...If anything it made it more awkward to talk over the comm. I sound much cooler when you can't hear my voice.

GORDON: Aubrey told me a lot of wild stuff about Overhead back then. It's what got me hooked on Red Valley, on cryonics, in the first place. The utter madness of it all. The man who started it all was one of the founders of the company in the 70s, Malcolm Landry. He was the first head of R&D. To begin with it was all above board, boring cryogenics work on plants and amphibians. Aubrey's convinced he's behind everything that happens after that, but his name is nowhere near any of it. He's still at the company now though, on the board of directors.

PAUSE.

GORDON: It didn't take many years for Overhead's work to get grisly. Testing extreme temperature endurance on the homeless in the 80s. Igniting a vat of hydrogen sulphide that blew up an entire cohort of test subjects in North Wales in the 90s. And then…this place. So, I thought, I've finally got the whole archive here. Going through all this is what Bryony asked me to do anyway. And if I can corroborate what Aubrey told me with what's in here, then maybe that's a step closer to trusting her. I mean...I assume half of it isn't true.

CUT. TIME HAS PASSED. GORDON DUMPS A BUNCH OF DOCUMENTS DOWN ON THE TABLE HARD.

GORDON: Nope. It's all true. All of it. Here's a cutting of Malcolm Landry in 1972 barking on about suspended animation and how we're doomed to repeat our mistakes unless we 'harness the wisdom from past generations'. Here's a note from the lead scientist of those experiments on the homeless. Oh, good God. 'The vagabonds are a surprisingly cheerful bunch, which has made the liquid nitrogen immersion far less tedious than one might have anticipated.' Fuck.

A QUICK GULP OF TEA AS HE RIFLES THROUGH MORE DOCUMENTS,

GORDON: Photos of the burned down research station in Wales. The guy in charge of that one was so desperate to protect his work, he shot five members of the local volunteer fire service with a hunting rifle as they tried to put out the blaze and then injected himself with his own infusion.

HE TOSSES THE PHOTOS BACK DOWN.

GORDON: Here's my take on why cryonic preservation has been such a total bust (until Warren, obviously). It's not because the concept is ridiculous. Fringe science begets fringe scientists. Narcissists, control freaks, God complexes. Those are your entry level traits. It's not a long walk to get to sociopathy, psychopathy, and well, straight up Dark Lord of the Sith. In the end, it doesn't matter how gifted they are or what results they get. Maniacs gonna maniac.

PAUSE AS GORDON SEES SOMETHING IN THE PHOTOS. HE SCATTERS OTHER PAPERS OUT OF THE WAY AS HE SCRUTINIZES SOMETHING.

GORDON: Wait. Is that - no fucking way-

CUT TO: GORDON PACING THE SPACE, SERIOUS, TRYING TO REMAIN CALM.

GORDON: Here's a fun wrinkle. So, the brazen shithead running the homeless experiments disappears from the story once the project yields no decent data. Until you look at the photos of the victims in the Wales station fire 10 years later. He is one of the bloody test subjects. They turned the lead scientist on one project into a Guinea pig in the next.

HE STOPS. GOES BACK TO THE DESK, LEAFS THROUGH MORE PAPERS ANXIOUSLY.

GORDON: Which begs the question, what happened to the guy with the hunting rifle? Wait, what was his name? Umm... Hansmann. Alexander Hansmann. Where did I see that -

CUT AS GORDON MARCHES BACK TO THE ARCHIVE. CUT TO GORDON BACK AT HIS DESK, NOW STILL AND REFLECTIVE AFTER HIS EVENING OF NERVOUS ENERGY.

GORDON: So… here is where the past arrives unpleasantly at the present. At my present. To Red Valley being active as the new home of cryonic research. Before any Teddy Bears, before Warren Godby. Some dissection and analysis carried out on a selection of frozen internal organs. All clearly labelled. See… I thought Hansmann was the name of the physician who harvested them. No, he's the bloody subject. Their analysis was the first duty of the newly appointed cryonics lead. Doctor Bryony Halbech.

HE TAKES A BEAT.

GORDON: It's hard not to look back at Malcolm Landry's words about being doomed to repeat yourself and think, yeah, no shit. You hire lunatics, expect lunacy. I guess recycling your lead scientists is economical. Creates a tidy little closed loop. Once you've started cannibalising your own staff though, where does that leave you? Where next can you turn?

PAUSE. GORDON THINKS.

GORDON: Bryony knows everything I learned here tonight. She knows how Overhead treat their own people. Does she even need it archived, or did she just want to show me? To show me who she is. Show me what she can do.

ANOTHER PAUSE. GORDON SNAPS OUT OF HIS REVERIE AND STARTS SCOOPING UP DOCUMENTS AND PUTTING THEM BACK IN A BOX.

GORDON: Aubrey's stories match up at least. And if all of this is anything to go by, she might be the only person involved in this research that's ever managed to escape it. And she's come back. She's come back to stop it. I guess...I guess that's not nothing.

HE SEALS A LID ON THE BOX.

GORDON: Warren, I hope they wake you up soon. We need to talk.

END.

[whatanoof]

hello there mesh'la, i'm a major cal kestis simp and i absolutely adore your work! i don't know if you normally do requests but if you do, i had an idea! can you do one where cal and his girlfriend spend the night making love very loudly, and then the morning after the crew of the mantis teases them about it - and they point out that the both of them are covered in hickeys? xd

Pairing: Cal Kestis x Reader

Word Count: ~1.1k

Warnings: references to sex, swearing, rather cruel banter until you consider that they're family and it's all good natured teasing?

A/N: Anon this would totally happen, I'm not going to lie to you. Cal would get so lost in the sauce that he wouldn't think too hard about holding back in any way. The found family dynamics are high in this one guys, not gonna lie, but the prompt is so freaking funny in concept that I couldn't resist? Also, I've totally moved into just finding Cameron Monaghan gifs that really fit the vibes, because Cal Kestis gifs tend to be super serious

Greez snaps awake, scared and disoriented. What had woken him? There’s a rhythmic squeaking coming from the wall, and heavy breathing echoing around the tinny walls of the Mantis.

“Fuck, please!” Someone groans, long and drawn out and breathless and loud.

Oh. He rolls his eyes, grabs his pillow, and smushes it as tightly as he can around his head. It does the job decently well, he supposes as he drifts back to a fitful sleep.

---

Merrin was already awake when the noises began to filter through the walls of her quarters. Dathomirian Nightsister texts are scattered haphazardly through her quarters, half of them skimmed through tonight and another two floating before her.

“You feel so good, baby.” A strangled moan follows the words, someone keening rather high, enough to rival that of a shrieking bird that she had heard back home. “Fuck, can I move?”

It takes a few seconds for the words to pull her attention from the texts, but when she notices, all she does is huff a heavy sigh. Green magic spins around her before expanding to press to the inside of her room.

She listens carefully for a few moments, but no sound gets past the magic barrier. She curls up under the covers and continues to read. At least someone is having fun tonight.

---

Cere is on night shift in the cockpit. No physical sound reaches her, but her connection to the Force twinges. She lowers the noise of the comm chatter and magnifies the Force sensation, identifying increased pleasure and thought projection coming from the aft quarters of the Mantis. Not again.

She sighs and pushes the Force as far as possible from her mind. Turning up the comm chatter again, she continues to monitor the surroundings.

A high pitched groan pierces through the stillness, echoing from inside the air system and managing to be heard by Cere even through her headphones. Her temper flares, but she inhales sharply and calms herself. There’s nothing to be done about it tonight. There will absolutely be words in the morning.

---

“Good morning!” Cal all but skips into the kitchen towards the caf machine. “How close are we to Bogano?”

He is greeted with less than an equal amount of cheer. Greez sends a highly unimpressed look his way over a cup of caf. “Someone’s in a good mood.”

Merrin snorts, “I bet I could tell you why.”

Cal blinks at them, looking like a swampling caught in headlights. “What?”

Cere appears behind him and claps a hand on his shoulder, “I believe that they’re referring to last night’s activities. Very loud activities.”

Cal says nothing, but the expression on his face can only be interpreted as, ‘oh shit.’

You really couldn’t have timed it better if you tried, because you chose that exact moment to appear from the back hallway, blinking sleepily with mussed hair and a truly impressive array of blue and purple dotting along the skin exposed by the neckline of your pajama shirt. All eyes land on you the second your foot hits the threshold, and you freeze at the sudden attention.

“What’s wrong?”

Merrin breaks the tension, “You got a little something there.” She gestures to her own neck, and your hand flies to yours to mimic hers, trying to peer down and see what she is pointing at.

“And there. And there.” Greez pipes up, and you rub your skin a little more frantically. “And there. Oh, you missed the one there.”

Cere shoots them a look. “Behave, you two.”

Cal moves to your side, leaning to whisper in your ear, “Sorry, I should’ve warned you this morning when I got up, but you were still asleep and I didn’t want to wake you.”

“Warned me about what?” You’re going to blame your sleep-addled brain because you are not getting anyone’s meaning at all.

“I--uh--I marked you up a lot last night.”

Your jaw drops when you finally understand. “Cal Kestis!” You hiss furiously, glaring at him while you try in vain to pull the collar of your shirt up to hide your skin better.

“Leave it. Everyone’s already seen it anyway.” Merrin calls from her corner of the table, an amused grin spreading across her features.

“Everyone heard it too last night.” Greez chortles, hands slapping his side in mirth. “You are a loud one,” he said, referring to you.

Now it’s the second time you’re confused this morning. “What are you talking about?”

“You were moaning very loudly last night. Impressively high-pitched too, maybe you should consider joining a choir.” The Latero laughs at his own joke rather explosively, but your brow only creases further.

“I wasn’t making noises last night. Cal gagged me.”

A shocked silence spreads over the group as everyone turns their attention from you to the redheaded Jedi trying to edge back to the hallway leading to the quarters. He stops when he notices that he’s been caught, raising his hands in the air with a guilty smile on his face, “Sorry about that?”

Greez cackles, hands slamming onto the table and nearly upsetting his cup of caf. “That was you?!”

Merrin’s laughing too, “I thought those sounds weren’t within the range of a normal human male. Congratulations on your excelling vocal chords.”

Cere’s chuckling too, “Maybe she shouldn’t be the one wearing the gag.”

Cal’s flushed bright red, and he turns and sits at the table with a defeated air. “Okay, eveyrone just get it out right now and we can move on.”

“Oh no, we are never going to move on. You sounded like that Shyyyo bird on Kashyyyk, pretty boy!”

You sit beside Cal with a modest smile, squeezing his hand. “I suppose we deserve it for ruining their sleep.”

“You’re damn right you do!”

“And now that you know, it better not happen again,” Cere interjects with a stern gaze on the both of you, causing you to shrink under the severity. “We have to get sleep if we’re to keep running missions of such a dangerous nature.” You both nod sheepishly. “But--” You look up at her slightly amused tone, “Cal you really should consider joining a nature group. I’m sure you could imitate most of the bird calls in the higher range. It’s truly a lost talent.”

Cal groans as he thunks his forehead down on the table, and you pat his hand reassuringly. If Cere has jumped on the train of ridiculing, then the subject truly will not get dropped for sometime. It may be time to consider getting Cal a gag as well if you’re going to continue.

Cal Kestis Taglist:@marvelassassin221b, @my-awakened-ghost, @katethecrazy, @gabile18

[lifblogs]

Whumpay 2021: Day 27 - Accident

Missing All the Fun

read on ao3 1636 words graphic depictions of violence, star wars, the clone wars, prequels, obi-wan kenobi, anakin skywalker, hurt!obi-wan kenobi, fighter accident

Blast, this is why I hate flying.

Obi-Wan considered himself an excellent pilot (though he would never say so), but he still hated anything to do with flying. He wasn’t sure which he hated more, Anakin flying, or himself having to go into battle in his fighter.

Right now it was definitely the latter because if Anakin had been flying, perhaps his ridiculously fancy moves could have prevented all this. And by all this, well… First Obi-Wan had been fighting against the Separatist fleet, no problem, and then his ship had been shot at by vulture droids. Maneuvering away from those had caused him to crash into another fighter. His engines had died, but with nothing stopping his ship it just kept on moving. Now it’d been pulled into the planet’s orbit.

He didn’t fancy landing down there. All he saw as the ship was dragged in were mountains of ice and snow dotted with vast forests of deep green conifers.

Then, as if things weren’t bad enough, before he was within the atmosphere, the controls short-circuited, then overheated, and there was a fire in his cockpit. Problem with that was that the pressure was increasing. Increase enough, and… boom!

Not very pleasant, Obi-Wan decided.

The oxygen was decreasing too, the fire feeding off of it.

“Arfour, can’t you do anything about this?” Obi-Wan asked, voice pitched high with panic.

The droid beeped a non-committal answer at him even as she got to work.

In a few moments the computer was back online, except there was still the issue of the fire.

Arfour screeched and whirred at Obi-Wan as the ship plummeted into the atmosphere.

“No, no use,” he said, trying desperately to pull up. All that did was have the ship tilt wildly and then start barrel-rolling. Oh great. “Left engine’s still dead!” Arfour snapped at him. “Well, can you at least lower the pressure?” Obi-Wan asked, trying hard to not panic as the air became too hot, and his ears popped, and sweat was immediately soaked up from his body into the hot, dry air.

He tried to get control of the ship, feeling about it with the Force for some way to fix this predicament.

“Master, what kind of mess have you gotten yourself into this time?” Anakin asked.

Finally, someone who would know what to do.

“It’s not like I did it on purpose,” Obi-Wan argued.

Arfour sent him a message over the screen, and despite all the spinning and careening, he was able to take it in.

He tried to kill the engines, and thankfully air resistance and turbulence began to slow him down.

But still, there was Arfour’s plan.

“Are you serious?” he cried at her. “An explosion? Anakin, Arfour’s going to set off a controlled explosion on the ship.”

“With your pressure out of control that’s actually a great idea.”

Obi-Wan would’ve rolled his eyes if he wasn’t being thrashed about the cockpit.

“Of course he agrees with the droid,” he muttered.

“Arfour,” Anakin commanded, “hurry.”

“What?”

“Only way to depressurize the cockpit. Either that or I break the glass and you get sucked out and mercilessly crushed.”

“No, no thanks. I think I’ll stick with… with blowing up.”

Everything was beginning to grow blurry, the heat pressing in on him, smoke filling his lungs. He couldn’t even cough, had to just sit there and suffer from the forces around him that were out of his control.

The heat in the cockpit was rerouted to the back of the fighter, and a burst of explosion had the pressure returning to normal. Cold air filtered in, beginning to clear the smoke. Obi-Wan was relieved at being able to breathe properly again.

The explosion rocketed the ship forward and down, and Anakin began to join him in the insane dive.

“If I can attach my cables—”

“No use,” Obi-Wan said after a cough, gasping. “Your ship will just get caught up in this whole mess.”

Still, Anakin tried to attach the cable.

The cable attached just fine, but now his engines had to work doubly hard to try and slow the momentum of Obi-Wan’s fighter.

It pulled Anakin’s own fighter along, and to Obi-Wan’s surprise, he heard his former Padawan laughing. Laughing!

“Don’t tell me you’re enjoying this.”

“And you’re not?”

“I hate flying.”

“Don’t worry, Master. I got you.”

More cables were attached, and at the right angles to minimize the amount Anakin’s engines would have to work.

Obi-Wan’s ship slowed, but they couldn’t get it to stop.

It hit the trees, Anakin’s fighter detaching just beforehand, and then it collided with the icy, rocky ground.

~~~

The cockpit was being forced open when Obi-Wan came to. It was something he could feel more than he could see. Blood was dripping into his eyes, and his head absolutely ached. His whole body ached, his spine feeling as if it had been ripped from his body and then put back piece by piece in the wrong order. His tailbone and hips and even his pelvis were alight with pain, like it was some substance he’d been injected with.

Bitingly cold air met him, and then strong hands grabbed him. Groaning, he was dragged from the cockpit.

An arm wiped over his face, and he blinked open his eyes. Oh, fantastic. The world was spinning.

He tried to fight it, but it was too much. Anakin’s worried face amongst a cold, clear day swam in his vision. He closed his eyes, moaning in distress.

“Don’t worry, I called down a gunship. Kix and some of the other guys are on their way. Are you alright?”

“It’s bloody cold!” Obi-Wan complained.

Anakin must’ve shed his robe because then Obi-Wan was being lifted up, and it was being placed between him and the snow. The upper part of his body was dragged into Anakin’s lap.

A droid nudged at his arm, an arm he wished he could pull back from the stingingly frigid metal.

“Arfour…” he got out.

“Yes, she’s fine. Hey, Artoo, leave it! We’ll have to take his fighter back to a cruiser and get it fixed up there. There’s nothing you can do.”

“How… How bad is it?” Obi-Wan asked.

“You or the ship?”

Obi-Wan tried to laugh, but that jarred him too much, and he curled into Anakin, groaning in pain.

“Both.”

“Ship’s worse than you, so that’s good.”

“Well I can’t imagine what condition it’s in if I feel like this.”

“I did a scan before I got you out. Nothing’s broken.”

“Joy.”

Obi-Wan began to shiver in the cold. Anakin was as well, but he didn’t complain. Years ago he would’ve. Years ago he was a boy whose only concept was dastardly dry heat that felt like it could suck out one’s very will to live. Now here he was in the cold, probably turning blue like Obi-Wan, yet all he did was hold him, remain sturdy for him.

Guilt struck him at that, when his bleary and addled brain could make sense of it. He was the master wasn’t he? He was supposed to take care of Anakin. Not the other way around.

Yet there he was, holding him, doing what he could to shield him from the wind.

“We’re in the atmosphere, approaching your location now,” Obi-Wan heard through the comms, but didn’t really make sense of it.

His legs were beginning to have sharp pains shooting down them. There wasn’t much that could be done for now. He just hoped beyond hope that sometime soon someone would put a large, cushy pillow under his hips.

Anakin temporarily removed his arm from Obi-Wan and said into the comms, “Good, you’re missing all the fun.”

The wind picked up as the gunship came in. Obi-Wan opened his eyes, not able to take not fully knowing what was going on. Anakin swam in his vision. Besides that, his vision was beginning to work fine. But the information his brain was getting began to make less and less sense.

Anakin spoke, his voice seeming to be traveling through a vast tunnel, “Don’t worry, Obi-Wan. You’re gonna be alright.”

Obi-Wan reached up for him with a trembling arm, tried to nod, and then he lost all sense.

~~~

“Here!” Anakin called through the flurry of snow, waving his arm to get the attention of Kix and the men. They rushed over, and Anakin reluctantly relinquished his master to their care.

“Can your fighter get off-world?” Boil asked.

“I’ll be fine. Just get him stable and make sure he gets back to his cruiser in one piece. I’ll be along shortly. And get Arfour on board!”

“Right away, sir.”

Fives was shouting orders, and getting to work, even as the stretcher took Obi-Wan away.

Boil stayed behind to place a hand on Anakin’s shoulder, and just from that simple touch, he felt some of the tension coiled tight in him bleed out of him. “Don’t worry, sir. He’ll be okay. You did good.”

Anakin nodded, and grasped his arm. “You did too. Okay, get him home.”

With a nod, Boil was off, jogging to join the rest of the men.

“Force, it’s karking cold,” Anakin complained, body shuddering painfully as he climbed to his feet. “Artoo, come on. We still have a fight to win.”

Artoo beeped in excitement, and Anakin laughed.

Before he got into his fighter, he spared one last glance for Obi-Wan. The gunship doors slid closed.

Right. Now time to focus.

Anakin fired up the thrusters and the engines and took off. Through the comms he said, “Blue squadron, I’m coming back to you.”

“Good, we saved some blaster fire for you,” Broadside answered.

With a fierce grin, Anakin responded, “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

His fighter left the atmosphere, and then orbit. Back into the fray.

[amphtaminedreams]

Spring/Summer & Haute Couture Week 2021: Whoops, I’ve Missed a Loooot (Part 2)

Hey to anyone reading,

I’m so sorry for the gap between the last fashion week review post and this one! Argh. I had no idea I posted it as long ago as the beginning of March but I think we can all agree that lockdown has fucked with our perceptions of time completely. I wish I could say the delay in posting was as simple as me being busy but I’ve also started to reflect on whether or not I want to carry on this format of posts for the time being; on the scale of problems, this one is wayyy down there in the very lower quartile of the first world region, but my motivation to carry on this kind of content in the form of long-winded text posts is...meh...not so much there anymore. At first I was thinking the issue was that working on these was my last priority on my daily to-do lists but as I’ve got back into writing fiction, it’s kind of occurred to me that the fact I was putting these posts on my to-do lists in the first place along with things like doing the ironing and contacting student finance speaks volumes. When I’m back from work or winding down, opening up Tumblr and coming back to this draft isn’t something that I think of as a fun stress reliever in the way drafting stories is. It doesn’t feel like I’m using my imagination or my creativity or expressing myself in any way and it’s not much of an escape from day to day life in the way that writing dialogue or exploring characters is. Maybe it’s because I’ve done quite a few of these posts now but I just tend to feel like I’m repeating myself, you know kinda like when you’re writing an essay and trying to fill up a word count; of course there are collections that I do have a lot of opinions on but by and large, sometimes it boils down to THESE CLOTHES ARE JUST FUCKING PRETTY, OKAY?! There’s only so many things you can say about a tulle skirt or an exaggerated collar before you want to strangle yourself with said tulle. I used to think iF VoGUe RuNwaY wRitErs CaN dO iT WhAT's MY exCusE until I realised that 1). Vogue Runway writers actually get paid and 2). for the most part all they do is explain the designer's intentions behind the collections verbatim without giving a critical opinion anyway.

I think a lot of the pressure I feel to justify what are in reality quite simple observations and opinions goes back to some of the feelings I explained in my first ever fashion week review where people who know more about fashion and have a formal education in the subject tend to be kind of gatekeep-y and elitist. It can never be that you appreciate different things about a collection but rather than one of you has taste and the other doesn’t and if it wasn’t obvious, the taste level assigned to you by the powers that be tend to positively correlate with the amount of money you have available to spend on a degree that has a reputation for failing to provide a steady income, which for most makes it an unrealistic avenue to pursue. I know, I know, the pressure is totally self-inflicted and wholly imagined seeing as I have under 500 followers on here and those who do interact with these posts most likely do so for the pictures but I still feel it, and given that I’m going to have enough external pressure to write essays when I return to uni in September, why on earth am I wasting time putting it on myself? When just posting photosets of my favourite looks is not only actually enjoyable for me but is also what other people WANT to see too? Nobody wants to read a self-indulgent paragraph like this when they’re here for the clothes and to be honest, for the most part I don’t want to write them anyway unless it’s something I have strong feelings about or if a collection can only be properly appreciated with analysis. I think I’ve made pretty clear which designers I’m a fan of, do you really need to hear me raving about Gucci or Zimmerman or Miu Miu or Balenciaga again? Is there gonna be anything revolutionary in yet another rant about Maria Grazia? Course not. I mean, if you are reading, you might have to witness those things one last time because I do intend to finish off this season’s review in this format for consistency purposes and because I’ve already got all the notes now but on the whole, I doubt anyone will miss my rambles.

So, with all that in mind, I think after I finish my S/S21 posts I am gonna start just uploading these posts without the written part. I mean, for one, the simplicity of doing this means I’m much less likely to procrastinate making them which in turn means I’ll be able to get them out right after the shows as a kind of summary as opposed to months later when they’re no longer as relevant. This will also give me more time to work on the writing I actually enjoy. Right now I’m going through and editing my 17 year old self’s “grown-up” take on the Pretty Little Liars blackmail murder mystery style plot line which I wrote back when I was completely and utterly obsessed with the show and bitterly disappointed by the last couple of seasons. The writing is pretty mediocre and often hugely cringey to read back now but I am still a fan of the basic plot and I’m genuinely motivated to see if I can make it something actually worth reading, and to get onto that ASAP; this feels especially important right now given that the HBO version of the series’ apparent upcoming release has sent that ever-present writer’s fear of seeing-your-same-storyline-done-better-by-somebody-else-thus-forever-relegating-your-version-to-being-the-poor-imitation-so-you-gotta-get-there-first into overdrive (or maybe that’s just me and my neuroses). Again, it’s a totally unfounded fear based on the fact that the HBO show will probs get millions of viewers whilst I will be doing little more than shouting into the void but anybody who’s used Turnitin to submit an essay that ultimately counts for little more than like 1% of your grade or degree will know that no matter how irrelevant your work is, the concept of failing a plagiarism check, be it via a computer algorithm or one random stranger on the internet’s assessment, is enough to conjure visions of the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse galloping towards you screaming “START THE WHOLE THING AGAIN�� before releasing a hoarde of 2015 Chanel vs. Walmart style comparison memes.

Now, speaking of Chanel, I should probably get back into the reviewing. 

So for the last time for a little while, here’s Christian Siriano:

Siriano’s designs are a great example of work I feel guilty enjoying. I know that when it comes to quality, the high fashion community have a lot of (negative) things to say and I really can’t speak to that because quite honestly, I know very little about textile manufacturing. Solely from my own point of view though, I do like his work a lot. I wouldn’t claim for a minute that he’s a pioneer in terms of his creations but I would 100% love to wear them and I DO hugely admire his commitment to putting women of all sizes on the runway and designing pieces that don’t simply cater to straight up and down types which is more than can be said for most brands. I get that his collections are pretty formulaic, taking what has worked for the likes of Chanel and Alessandra Rich, De La Renta and Carolina Herrera, Michael Kors too (who is kind of guilty of the same thing himself), but that’s not to say his work is bad. Let’s be real, we’ve been on this planet thousands of years, we’re all taking inspiration from someone, and maybe figures like Kors and Siriano could wait a *little* longer before taking said inspiration but their aim at the end of the day is to sell clothes, not break barriers, a task which although often left to the big name brands, they too often fail at. I’m not going to lie, I’m feeling this whimsical mid-century tea party vibe, it’s elegant and it’s cutesy and My Fair Lady-esque, and you bet your arse I would be absolutely thrilled to wear one of these looks on a summer red carpet. I just can’t say no to anything tulle-maybe it’s that I was on Toddlers & Tiaras in a past life or maybe it’s that I watched too many Barbie Princess films growing up, but I like pretty much everything going on here, especially Siriano is giving us matching fedoras too. Plus, can we take a moment to praise Siriano for his COVID relief efforts? Near the beginning of the pandemic, he turned his studio into a mask manufacturing factory in order to send them out as donations, and I think that is very cool.

Then there’s Christopher Kane who once again came through with the most insanely gorgeous prints:

I mean, paint splattering is hardly a new technique but I haven’t seen it done as a print so tastefully before-it eats the Moschino biro scribble print (which apparently was copied too speaking of the tendencies of designers to “borrow” inspiration) for breakfast. It’s shit because there weren’t many looks in this collection and they weren’t really shot in a way that does them any justice but I thought I’d include the few I saved.

Comme Des Garcons is a fave of the high fashion community and one I look forward to seeing at fashion week but can never quite get behind. I appreciate the what-the-fuckery of it all with this show totally being able to pass as a run-through of some kind of nuclear waste themed scare house at one of Thorpe Park’s fright nights. I assume given that and the plastic Mickey Mouse print it’s supposed to be some kind of reference to the part late-stage capitalism has played in the hellish landscape we find ourselves in today? Or something all intellectual? In which case I made my interpretation with farrrr too much confidence. But Anyway! Who knows! I’ll leave the analysis to the fashion students, and give it one word: trippy.

Onto Dion Lee, a brand I truly do get excited to talk about because it’s rare that I don’t LOVE his work.

Without fail, Lee manages to be confidently ahead of the curve without going out of his way to announce it and his genius to everyone with flamboyant shows and exaggerated designs and extortionate prices. He is very much an underdog in the fashion world in terms of big names but you’ll be hard pressed to find anyone who doesn’t love his collections. His S/S21 collection is one of my favourites of the bunch. I love seeing something I’ve never seen before and the palm leaf breast plate is so odd but so cool and so perfectly Dion Lee at the same time; we’ve seen jungle/tropical inspired collections sooo many times *cough cough D&G cough cough* and THIS is how you make them fresh and unique. I mean, never in a million years did I think I’d get behind the resurgence of the gladiator sandal trend but Lee has me changing my mind. This is one of the very rare times you will ever see me using this meme to praise a man but:

I mean, he has Fernanda Ly modelling for him, that the man has taste goes without saying.

Now for a bit of a full circle moment, given that I did actually praise Dior’s haute couture collection in my first ever post; Maria Grazia did GOOD. Well, with haute couture at least.

She’s always pretty hamfisted with her references, there’s no denying, with that Grecian Goddess style RTW collection typifying that statement completely, but luckily she struck gold this time round; as someone who studied the Tudors for A-level history, seeing a modern take on the exaggeratedly feminine renaissance silhouettes with the baroque prints and the deep jewell tones got me super excited especially when you throw in the dreamy tarot theming and the nods to the mystical and arcane. Seeing as the Heavenly Bodies Met Gala (I know, I know, I need to move on) was some time ago now and Cersei Lannister’s *SPOILER* been crushed by a rock (could also be seen as a metaphor for the irrelevancy David Benioff and D.B Wise condemned GoT to when they aired that shitty ending tehe) and so probably won’t be getting a collection based on her costumes any time soon, this is the only fashion take on this kind of period dress I’m going to get…and you know what? I’m okay with that. Thanks Maria, I guess?

Her RTW collection wasn’t absolutely awful either, and slightly better than the past few collections at least. Put a monkey in a room with a typewriter (or show it enough similar well-received collections) and it will eventually write something that makes sense, don’t they say? I like the nomadic feel of a lot of the looks and there’s beautiful layering going on but the aura of exotic opulence unsurprisingly didn’t stick around for long and I found that there was a decline in quality in the midsection of the show that landed a lot of the outfits in either awkward mother of the bride at a beach wedding or The Only Way is Essex Ocean Beach PLT sponsored poolside party territory. The looks picked back up a bit towards the end stretch of the show but I wasn’t a fan of the Gucci style oversized glasses which were so out of place with the rest of the theming that if anything they seemed like a cheap grab at relevancy. So yeah, a middling, subpar Etro-esque collection which is better than usual for Dior I suppose.

Next, Elie Saab, whose S/S21 collection was kinda disappointing, tbh. Oh how the turns have tabled given that positive Dior review and my usual love of Saab’s collections.

I know his dresses lose some of their appeal when we can’t see them in motion but even ON the runway I can’t see myself being dazzled by any of these pieces the way I usually am. They’re lacking the level of detail and craftsmanship I associate with the brand seemingly in favour of block colours and suits and the issue is that the whole Disney Princess fantasy has always been the appeal for me because the silhouettes aren’t interesting enough on their own. They’re not ugly pieces, they’re nice, but does nice really have a place in high fashion when the pieces are so basic in both their design and presentation that the shots could pass as ripped from a catalogue? The strongest parts of the collection were when it did go down the more delicate route with the muted blue suits and the white feather trimmed dresses, the small, ornamental gold details reminding me of a very toned down nod to Schiaparelli’s hardware, but with regards to the bright coloured pieces, I can’t lie-they did look like something you could find in the M&S Per Una holiday section. Then you’ve got the weakest parts, which were just flat out ugly: sheer giraffe print, sweat band style elasticated waits, and long chiffon shirts that I hate to admit read as frumpy. There are times where I’ve not been particularly excited by an Elie Saab collection in the past, but I do think this is the first time I’ve actively disliked parts of it.

Conversely, Erdem’s S/S21 collection was super strong, and solidified the brand’s place in my mind as a dependable source of kooky maximalism, this time round giving us  Anya Taylor Joy’s Emma wardrobe on speed. You could tell me Erdem Moralıoğlu had just raided the Bridgerton set’s fitting rooms and put it on a runway and I would 100% believe you and I mean that in a positive way because to give my unpopular opinion, the clothes were the only good thing about that show. The endearingly florid details of exaggerated bows and clashing florals were still there but this time in a way that felt more subtle and self-assured, as if the calming influence of the wooded set’d had a direct hand in the designs, giving the rugged, ethereal feel to the collection I associate with brands like Brock and Simone Rocha, all whilst keeping the parts of Erdem I’m so fond of.

Is it really much of a shock that I included pretty much every look from the Etro S/S21 show?  Like, you know that Christian idea of God, like, (the voice in my head is very much taking on the dumb valley girl voice that anybody who reads this is most probably getting too) knowing our souls? I think Veronica Etro knows mine. So no, no surprise. Though there were a few unconventional touches thrown into these looks (the campier prints and nautical theming we see with the 80s beach towel print, for example, reminded me a bit of Versace) the mystical bohemian it girl that Etro designs for would still be highly satisfied. Sure, it might be a wardrobe fit for a holiday less adventurous than backpacking but if she wanted a tropical poolside holiday, this collection is the one, the paisley print chiffon mini and maxi dresses especially. I’m just gonna pretend I don’t see the monstrosity that is leggings worn as trousers-it’s a fashion rule I refuse to abandon-because they are the only stain on an otherwise expectedly gorgeous collection.

Next, an unusually reserved RTW collection from Fendi:

More in line with the wardrobe of a European fashion editor than the glamorous trophy wife (who let’s say uses that facade as a guise to ruthlessly run her husband’s whole business empire from behind the scenes because in this house we do complex female characters only), these pieces are lot “smarter” and more professional looking than Fendi’s typical offerings; where I feel Fendi usually designs for the society girl who wouldn’t mind a front page scandal, these are the kind of outfits a young member of Monaco’s royal family would wear for a positively received but business-as-usual press tour. I know, Fendi is an Italian brand, but this is more Southern France to me. We’re talking some 2nd page shots of a Kate Middleton type on a yacht on the Riviera smiling and waving as her PR team’s ideal scenario. Still, whilst fewer exaggerated silhouettes, animal prints and overtly luxurious fabrics (real leathers, silks and furs for example) mean that the drama’s a little toned down, it’s all still very expensive looking and combines the classically feminine glamour of the past and the minimalism of modernity in the artful manner that we’re used to. Maybe it’s me being a basic bitch but I always love seeing Ashley Graham on the runway too, even if brands to tend to use her as their single token plus size model.

Kim Jones’ debut haute couture collection for Fendi, however, wasn’t a very well received one. I don’t hate it personally but I can see where the criticisms are coming from. Whilst it’s closer to the version of Fendi I’ve come to expect and there were some stunning pieces which completely encapsulated that distinctive aura of luxe and glamour, there were quite a few lazy pieces which could’ve been from any designer. I also felt the collection was a bit upstaged by what seemed to be a who’s who of the modelling world; having Bella, Cara, Kate and Naomi ALL walk in one show was a bit distracting and took the focus off the clothes completely.

Giambattista Valli’s RTW collection was gorgeous as ever; the man has undeniably mastered the art of delivering classic, objective elegance, the kind of designs I feel would make you light on your feet and smell like strawberries and cream the minute you put one on. Whilst as a brand his RTW shows are rarely trendsetting, they reliably produce a plethora of unfailingly graceful and demure pieces, as appealing to your mum and your grandma as they are to young women and little girls, and this collection is another victory lap for Valli when it comes to upholding his signature tea party and artisan cupcake making and rose garden strolling and bottomless rosé brunch appropriate aesthetic. There were a lot of outfits that were bordering on overly juvenile, with structures a little too basic to justify the amount of sequins thrown on, but when it’s good, it’s so sweet that regardless of how to formula it is, I can’t help but fall in love.

Valli’s haute couture collection was stunning too and for sure a more exciting offering than the RTW. There was of course a lot of the signature tulle but it was head-turning, over the top in a way that leant far more towards the experimental than I expected. The photos themselves are 100% believable as a some kind of Vogue behind the scenes editorial shoot on the set of live action Disney princess movie (in between takes of the climactic ball scene if you wanna get specific with the vision); if you are looking for a prettier alternative to the primary colours and disruptive shapes of a Molly Goddard collection, this is the one. It’s giving the themes of excess and abundance I associate with that of the Hunger Games Capitol but through the softer lens of a Sofia Coppola movie, and being the typical cinema loving white girl I am, I’m obviously on board with that vibe.

I did SUCH a 180 on Givency’s S/S21 collection from when I first saw it to writing a review. My initial reaction was one of disappointment, I guess simply because Givenchy has given us so many bold pieces and presentations over the last few years whereas this is more low-key. After properly considering it though as I would any other brand, I came to the conclusion that I do actually really like it. It’s still got the strange, androgynous silhouettes popping up throughout and the futuristic space-age details but with a more down-to-earth, streetwear feel, albeit a very slick, glossy spin on the trends of the rabble (that’s us guys) of course before we go believing it’s achievable. On the one hand, the devil horn accents are a touch Claire’s accessories halloween range but at the same time, done with confidence they’re kind of cool and bring something new and fun to the table in line with the dark theatre of Givenchy’s last few shows.

Now for Gucci, which for the first time I have to say, if I'm attempting objectivity, is not a standout. 

Like, can I just start by saying though the format it’s presented in is cute, it’s not ideal as a way of actually showing the collection. I get that the vintage shop bin vibe is a huge part of Gucci’s brand but polaroids make it SO hard to actually see the clothes, and that’s what we’re here for right? I don’t want to give the impression that I don’t like what I see here-the clothes are gorgeous, an idyllic ode to the off-duty wardrobes of Studio 54-ers, bohemian style icons like Charlotte Rampling and young Olivia Newton-John, psychedelic rock guitarists and the inhabitants of San Fransisco’s Haight during the late 60s and early 70s, Alessandro Michele’s favourite period of reference. I can’t pretend otherwise, or act like I wouldn’t want to wear the shit out of this collection. Buut, for Gucci? It’s a little underwhelming. These are the kind of filler looks we get in a typical Gucci show to go alongside the more statement pieces, which this collection is lacking. It’s just that these are designs which usually gets people talking and these pieces don’t do that. It sucks because for most other brands this would be a stand out collection, an immersive, luscious vignette of what people tend to think of as a cultural golden era, but when you’ve had a show that involved models carrying replicas of their own decapitated heads down the runway in the last 5 years, of course something more toned down like this is gonna generate a lot of “is that it?”s.

I owe Hermes an apology. Looking back, I have disliked all their previous collections for the same reason that I now really like this one; maybe it’s in part down to the frustration of still having to whack out the winter coat on occasion in May (fuck British weather and climate change), but suddenly I really appreciate the value of some good quality, versatile outerwear. Hermes is giving us that in spades here and for that, I bow down to them. The pieces on offer are clearly well-made and genuinely practical, and through the minimalist approach manage to retain both an air of timeless sophistication whilst also being youthful and on trend. The leather tactical vest co-ord I can easily see edged up and taking centre stage on one of those insane Seoul street style slow-mo TikToks that were big a couple of months ago and there are several pieces that could tie together a grunge influenced k-style look just as well as they could exist for years on end as the wardrobe staple of a high-powered businesswoman. Designer Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski’s strengths really come through with the simpler looks and it’s the patterned pieces that drag down an otherwise flawless collection; I guess because the aesthetic is very minimalist, the patterns can’t be anything overly decorative but unfortunately this has a bit of a dowdy effect when you pair it with such modest silhouettes. Disregarding those elements of the collection though, it was super good.

It goes without saying that Iris Van Herpen’s haute couture collection was breathtaking; if the fashion community can agree on anything, it’s that this woman’s work is consistently awe-inspiring. She captures the wonder of the universe, the biological structures and kaleidoscopic colours we don’t even register, through fashion in a way that others can only imitate, to mesmerising, truly transcendent effect; I can only assume Van Herpen has mother nature whispering into her ear because how the hell else do you explain her ability to take the kind of microscopic organisms they show you images of in an outdated GCSE science powerpoint and make a dress that resembles one so stunning? Care to explain, Iris? Because if there is some kind of line of communication between the two of you can you please tell the bitch I’m over this weather and that I have cute summer outfits I’m waiting to wear so can she pack this torrential rain shit in? K, thanks xoxo

See it seems shady as fuck to go from IVH to Isabel Marant like this because we are talking 2 designers with totallyyyy different approaches to fashion; Iris Van Herpen is haute couture for starters whereas Marant is commercial, and that’s her thing, but unfair comparisons aside this collection is still a bit of a let down. This is considering I do usually really like Isabel Marant collections based on whether or not I’d wear the pieces, which seems a more appropriate barometer to use to come to a quality verdict. Whilst there were a few of the elegant bohemian pieces my mind goes to when it comes to her brand, the steps outside of that comfort zone didn’t pay off; graffiti print (can be cool if done with some subtlety which apart from a few exceptions was not the case here), cheap looking reflective fabric, and MC Hammer style dungarees, it seems to be an attempt to merge 80s trends with modern urban culture, and an attempt that at times verged on the disastrous. It’s good for a brand to experiment, of course, and appeal to a wider client base than usual, but when it’s bad the unfortunate take away is that the design team don’t have the chops to pull off straying from familiar territory; designers wouldn’t be showing at fashion week if this was truly the case because disregarding the influence of nepotism, fashion is an area you need real talent, perseverance and business smarts to excel in, and so it doesn’t do a team justice when they do fail.

J.W Anderson, on the other hand, really put his best foot forward this season and presented this work in a really cool way too which only added to the positives; whilst the way the shots were edited was funky af, it didn’t detract from the actual outfits, and if we are to see the same limitations when it comes to the F/W collections being released, this is something a lot of designers and editing teams should take note of. The idiosyncratic exaggerated shapes that we see as a recurring feature of Anderon’s collections were still on show but this time round with added femininity, billowing skirts and trailing jewellery that channel the stage looks of Stevie Nicks in a way that’s modern and functional and maybe even fit for the office if you were to work in a more creative industry with a chill boss. Could also work for a coven of witches who practice meditation by bonfires in the moonlight and burn the letters of men who wronged them in some Arizonian desert, so like I said, functional! Who doesn’t like versatility? The only thing I’m not too keen on is the shoes but they’re not so bad that it affects my opinion of the collection and they look comfy I guess.

Lastly, we’ve got to talk about Jacquemus, one of the most influential names in fashion at the moment. And yes, this time round, I’m doing it: I’m buying into the hype.

This collection is gorgeousss! I can see already that a lot of the recurring elements of the show are going to be big summer trends for this year (the cut outs and strappy details on the blouses are everywhere already) even though it isn’t hot enough to have collectively decided the time to start dressing for heat is upon us yet, and that’s always a good indicator of how successful the designer was in their vision and attempts to assess the needs and wants of fashion enthusiasts; whether I’m as big a fan of his work as everyone else seems to be, there’s no denying Simon Porte Jacquemus has always excelled at this practice if the buzz around him is anything to go by. It makes sense given the last year of us all being stuck in and suppressed that a lot of us are already romanticising the summer ahead, anticipating picnics and beach days and general Theresa May running through wheat fields type shenanigans galore, in spite of how dubious an assumption it is to make that British weather will allow for this; Porte Jacquemus has very much catered to this wishful thinking and the popularity of the whole escapist “cottage core” aesthetic, sexing it up a little bit with pieces that hug the body in ways only Mugler knows how whilst being lightweight and relaxed enough to look good with windswept, sandy hair and a little dose of sunburn. I’m talking enough to give you some cutesy freckles and rosy cheeks not PSA on the importance of suncream territory, guys, what is it with those of us on the gen Z/millennial cusp not taking sun damage seriously!? Why do I have to beg so many of my friends to wear it!? Does nobody else remember those photos they’d show you in PSHE in English primary schools of burnt people’s skin under UV lights? Or is that just me being weird and only having such a vivid memory of the images because teachers told us we had to wait until year 6 to see them due they to their “graphic” nature only for my gore-loving self to be extremely underwhelmed when we finally did get that lesson? They showed us a woman giving birth in year 4 for fuck’s sake. THAT was traumatising.

Back to the actual point anyway, with just a couple of negatives, the first of which being that the pieces are very similar to those feminine looks we saw dotted about the Jacquemus menswear collection from last year that were all over fashion Twitter. In Simon Porte Jacquemus’ defence though, it makes sense that those tones and silhouettes would be revisited in a full womenswear collection for that very reason; considering they went down so well and that lockdown gave us a bit of a half-baked summer in 2020, expanding on those elements enough for a whole new collection makes good business sense. We did get some cool additions too, mainly in the form of accessories, with the hardware details on the belts similar to those included in the Givenchy collection and the abstract hair slides being standouts for me. It was all exquisite-the shoes, the jewellery, the styling, everything 10/10. My other nitpick, and I say nitpick not because it’s not important but because it’s an issue that’s hardly restricted to Jacquemus (this casting team are far from the worst offenders, Saint Laurent I’m looking at you), is that I WISH we’d see more diversity with the models. Despite what my body dysmorphia yells at me, I am small, and yet seeing all those fucking minuscule waists made me die a little inside; it’s crazy to me that in 2020 the lack of variety in body types on the runway is still such a problem.

I must have said this a million times but I don’t want to end on a negative note so let me reiterate: this collection was STUN. NING. Plus there were some others I’ve talked about in this post that I’m sure will make it into my top 20 in the final part, Jacquemus, Dion Lee and Etro for sure; we even got some gorgeous pieces from Maria Grazia which I thought was a sentence I’d never type out. Have I said enough to not leave a bad taste in the mouth of anyone who read to the end of this post? I hope so, lol! TBH, it’s impressive given everything that’s going on that the majority of designers did roll out collections in September as usual so serious respect to them and their design teams for that.

In the next post, I’ll fingers crossed be able to include everything from Kim Shui (exciting!) through to at least Off-White (actually pretty good this time?!) and make this whole thing a 4 parter before getting straight on top of the photo posts I’m thinking about doing for the time being for the F/W21 shows. So as usual, if you did read to the end thank you so much and I respect the perseverance you must have to get through all my rambling, lmao. Hope everyone is well and coping okay and again, my inbox is always open for any post suggestions, constructive criticism, or just a chat for anyone who needs a listening ear.

Big love and thank you again!

Lauren x

[tuffin-tuffmuffin]

Having a blast with XCOM Chimera Squad. flash fic to get me back into the XCOM writing groove, especially with this new world to play with.

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Chimera Squad: Hell on Earth

words: 1082

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  The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

  But how could Whisper have known the first step would be a well-intentioned joke?

  The day Whisper would later realize he had doomed himself, the Mission Control Officer went to bed with a smile on his face. The moment occurred just a few hours before, as Chimera Squad relocated yet again to what would hopefully be their permanent HQ. 

  Whisper was loading in a smaller, fragile case, when Cherub stepped up to the ramp, holding a box so wide it could barely squeeze through the semi truck’s doors. For a moment or two, he was trapped before Cherub realized standing sideways was an option, yet the hybrid apologized like has confessing to murder.

  Whisper simply laughed it off, joking, “It’s alright, Cherub. Just feeling a bit boxed in. Heh.”

  “But you are free to go? And why are you laughing?”

  “It’s... it’s a pun, Cherub. A play on words.”

  “What is a ‘pun?’”

  So, Whisper took five, sat Cherub down, and went over the concept of homonyms, expectations and subversions, and everything that would thoroughly explain the inherent humor of a good pun. To his then-joy, Cherub proved an eager convert, smiling and laughing and attempting his own in just a few minutes. 

  “I see what you mean, with my Hybrid-eyes? Ah? Get it? Huh?” 

  He looked so damn ecstatic, Whisper laughed along, vowing to teach the young soldier the nuances of timing and context later.

  And so, Whisper’s embarked on his unintentional descent into hell. It started slowly, a pun here, another pun there. Cherub would pretend not to hear him approaching, so he could pretend to be surprised and say “he moves like a Whisper!” He would make an ‘X’ from masking tape and leave his radio on top of it, telling the beleaguered support staff that “It’s X-Comm!” When Cherub chided an unimpressed Director Kelly for shamelessly “mugging” him when she offered a coffee, Whisper started to realize something might be wrong, yet failed to act.

  When she arrived though, Whisper’s descent became a free-fall.

  He never quite knew why Torque hated him so much. He knew Viper actually held most people in contempt, but it wasn’t personal and she usually pretended to tolerate them. Not him, though, and he could only guess why. Sure, he was the Training Center’s comms operator where Torque helped train XCOM rookies, but even then, Director Kelly was her direct superior and they got along fine. Whisper thought he explained gently and sufficiently why Torque needed her cranial control chip removed, how it was deadweight and the process had been refined months ago and wouldn’t change her personality, yet she always insisted this messenger was personally ‘lobotomizing her’ and demanded payback. In his mind, Whisper decided that Torque needed someone to pin her frustrations on for picking the losing side, and unfortunately she chose him.

  And Director Kelly personally chose both of them, stuck them in a cramped warehouse, and demanded they either like it or shut up.

  Between Whisper and Torque, it was Cherub who suffered the Viper’s attitude the most. He never, ever stopped trying to be everyone’s friend, but Torque was the only agent who actively resisted him. No matter the respect he showed, the gifts he offered on his limited salary, the legitimately funny puns he tried on her, she always put a hand on her hip and rolled her eyes.

  Yet, the dismissiveness only made the plucky hybrid try even harder. More free meals. More jokes. 

  God, so many puns.

  But he couldn’t break the little Cherub’s heart. 

  So Whisper grit his teeth, grinned and bore it. Unfortunately, Torque noticed.

  He realized the nightmare only months after they settled in, on Earth Day. What was once a minor holiday about ecological preservation, post-Liberation society retooled it into a celebration of everything Earth, second only in observance to Liberation Day. A bit of every holiday into one, and aliens were explicitly invited to better integrate themselves, and Torque explicitly uninvited herself from previous years’ parties.

  Yet, here the Viper was, at the Headquarters’ modest celebration, approaching Whisper with a wrapped gift in her four-fingered hands. 

  Whisper didn’t like the way she smiled. He was lucky enough to see a genuine Viper smile from the first Viper to join XCOM, back before the war even ended. He never forgot that sight, and Torque’s smile looked nothing like it, barely concealing the sassy venom just behind her lips.

  “Torque...” He greeted, putting aside his reservations for a moment. “Didn’t expect to see you here. And with a gift, too. If I recall correctly, you didn’t get me anything last year. Or... the last two years before that.”

  “I know, right?” Torque responded cheerfully. “Hope you’re ready for round four!”

  Whisper sighed. Bearing a gift to a party and simply refusing to give it to anyone would be a perfectly Torque maneuver, in his mind. Unfortunately, he underestimated her.

  “This isn’t for you, ya dingus!” She giggled. “Hey, Cherub!”

“Yes, Torque?”

  The Viper waved him over, much to Whisper’s confusion, and she bobbed with such excitement that Cherub failed to notice was as fake as the Elders’ divinity. Torque bluntly asked, “Cherub, remember when I said I hated your puns and that you should shut up forever?”

  He tapped his chin in thought. “Yeah, you did tell me that. Many, many times, too.”

  “Changed my mind. I love them now. So much...”

  Torque turned, locking her eyes with Whispers with an intense, seething disdain. A sense of dread fell over him, as she continued to address Cherub, “... so much that I found this, especially for you!”

  “Really? That’s so nice! What is it?”

  She never took her eyes off Whisper as Cherub took the package, tore through the wrapping paper, and gasped in excitement. “The Ultimate Dad’s Pun Book: Over 10,000 Laugh Out Loud Jokes, 2014 Edition! Torque, this is amazing! Thank you!”

  Whisper whispered, “Oh no.”  

  Cherub shot forward to hug her, and unlike every other attempt before, the Viper simply accepted it with a grin. She ignored the cheerful Cherub, A perverse joy lurked behind her eyes as she watched the happiness drain from Whisper’s face, misery quick to fill the void. That grin of hers, that devilish grin, covered the entirety of her face. 

  The Viper didn’t utter a sound, but her eyes said See you in Hell, you bastard. 

  And she did, because Hell just came to Earth.

------

Gosh, having so much fun. Cherub is so precious, and Torque is just so damn sassy, I love them.

I also wanted to reassure everyone I’ve still got XCOM, gonna give it to ya when it’s ready. There’s a lot of new lore and canon to take in, so I need to digest it a bit more as I plan my previous work’s continuation. by the power of snek, I will continue.

[gumnut-logic]

We’ll Be Home For Christmas 3.1

Title: We’ll be home for Christmas

Day Three - If not for the courage of the fearless crew – Part 1 Prologue | 1.1 | 1.2 | 2.1 | 2.2 | 2.3

Author: Gumnut

23 - 27 Dec 2019

Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go 2015/ Thunderbirds TOS

Rating: Teen

Summary: The boys can’t fly home for Christmas, so they have to find another way.

Word count: 3823

Spoilers & warnings: language and so, so much fluff. Science!Gordon. Artist!Virgil, Minor various ships, mostly background.

Timeline: Christmas Season 3, I have also kinda ignored the main storyline of Season 3. The boys needed a break, so I gave them one. Post season 3B, before Season 3C cos we haven’t seen it yet.

Author’s note: For @scattergraph. This is my 2019 TAG Secret Santa fic :D I hope you enjoy it.

Please note that I am not a scientist, only an artist with mad librarian skillz. I may have stretched a few facts in places here, for which I apologise, though I did research a hell of a lot to get this written (at one point I was only writing one or two lines before I had to research another fact…it was a very long process). I hope you enjoy it anyway. :D

Many thanks to @vegetacide and @scribbles97 for cheering me on and their wonderful support through this craziness. And to @onereyofstarlight for geeking out with me over the setting.

Disclaimer: Mine? You’ve got to be kidding. Money? Don’t have any, don’t bother.

-o-o-o-

 Day Three - If not for the courage of the fearless crew

 When Virgil woke late the next morning, the yacht was already in motion. He sighed as he crawled out of bed, body groaning the entire way.

Stumbling into the living area, he didn’t even have to look for the coffee. John simply met him halfway and handed him a mug.

He inhaled it. The hot beverage ran down his throat and within minutes his brain was beginning to boot.

A hand landed on John’s shoulder in honest gratitude. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Okay, so that grin was a little smug, but the coffee was worth it. That and it was a novelty to have John for breakfast at any time. He squeezed his brother’s shoulder, blaming not enough caffeine for the sudden soppy.

His brother frowned at him. “How are you feeling?”

Okay, that fixed the soppy. He rolled his eyes. “I’m fine.”

The frown turned into a smirk. “Sure. Would you like some eggs? I hid the last of the bacon from Alan, so there is some if you like.”

The soppy returned. You’d think he was on drugs or something. Must be the sea air. “Thanks, John.”

His brother peered at him a little more before ushering him to sit down and busying himself in the kitchenette. It wasn’t long before the tantalising smell of bacon sizzling wafted through the living area.

“Hey! I thought we were out of bacon!” Alan was not impressed as he strode in, game console in hand. “You lied to me!”

John snorted as he placed the plate full of bacon and eggs in front of Virgil along with a glass of orange juice. “So, you would have eaten Virgil’s share?” The arched eyebrow was challenging.

“Nooo.”

“Sure, Alan.” John turned around and walked back into the kitchen obviously not believing his brother.

Alan sat down across from Virgil. “I wouldn’t, honest, Virg.”

Perhaps his littlest brother’s brain was not connected to his hand because Virgil had to slap it away from his plate almost immediately. “Sure, Alan.”

The bacon was good and the eggs just right. Mouth full, “John, this is divine.”

The snort from the kitchenette was loud, but the only comment he received in reply.

Virgil slapped Alan’s hand away again and glared at him. “So, who’s winning the game.”

Alan was immediately distracted. “I was, but then John pulled a stunt with a rogue asteroid, which I’m not entirely sure was legal...” His voice rose specifically in the direction of the kitchenette.

“Game allowed it.”

“Yeah, well, I PM’d the developers and they knew nothing about it!”

“Gregory never remembers what he programs. The guy does it in his sleep half the time.”

“Hah! Grez is totally cool. He said you’re a stick in the mud.”

John wandered back into the room wiping his hands on a tea towel. “Gregory is also a card-carrying member of the Flat Earth society.”

A snort from Alan. “So?”

“The man has been to space, Al. He designs video games, set in space. Explain the logic behind that?”

“Denial? Imagination? A little too much college night life?”

John threw the towel back into the kitchen. “All of the above. So, yeah, game allows it, it’s legal.”

“Well, I’m gonna whip your ass in the void between galaxies. Gonna stoke my ship with engines only you can dream of.”

Taking a seat at the end of the table, John did not appear concerned in the slightest. “Hey, Virgil, would you like to assist me in developing a fictional intergalactic drive.”

An arched eyebrow as he munched on bacon and glanced between the two of them. “Hmmm, sure.”

“Hey! No fair. No engineering brothers allowed. If you get Virgil, I get Brains.”

John grinned. “Go for it. International Rescue could do with one of those.”

Virgil snorted. He loved Brains like a brother, but the man did not know the difference between reality and fiction. Postulate an idea such as this, give him a few hours and he’d have a working theory. Let him go, and he’d build it. The game would be forgotten the moment Alan mentioned the concept.

“You suck.”

“Just using the tools at hand, Alan.”

Virgil blinked. “You just called me a tool.”

John shrugged and opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a string of profanity from their captain up on the bridge. The boat suddenly accelerated, swerving to port, and Virgil had to grab the remains of his breakfast as it tried to slide off the table.

A frowning Scott strode through the room. A worried glance at Virgil and John, he took the most direct route towards the bridge and disappeared. Alan dropped his console onto the lounge and darted after him.

At higher speeds, the boat began to bounce off the wave peaks. Virgil decided that staying put was probably in his best interests and apparently John agreed as he reached out and gently grabbed Virgil’s arm.

“I’m okay.”

“Just making sure.”

He didn’t bother responding to that.

Wherever the boat was going, apparently it got there quickly because it wasn’t at full acceleration for long and it slowed quickly to a stop, her hull wallowing in the water at the sudden lack of forward momentum.

As Virgil pushed himself to his feet, he glared at the hand wrapped around his bicep. John didn’t let go.

“If you fall on your face on my watch, Scott will kill me.”

“I’m fine.”

His brother still didn’t let go. This was ridiculous.

But apparently smother was in the Tracy genetic code, because John held onto him the entire way up to the bridge. Only to find it locked down and empty.

All three brothers were out on the bow of the boat.

He could hear Gordon swearing from here. What the hell had his brother all riled up?

It took his slow way onto the bow - those steps still hurt, damn it - for him to find out.

“It’s caught in her mouth. Goddamnit!”

“Hey, hey, Gordon. We can help her. Tell us what we need to do.” Scott’s voice was tense. Virgil read it clearly as pissed, but needing to calm a brother and fix a problem before blowing a circuit.

What the hell had happened?

“Gordon?”

His fish brother shot distraught eyes in his direction. “We’ve got a humpback calf caught in a gill net. A fucking illegal gill net. Here. I’m gonna string the bastards up and Mel is gonna skin them alive!”

Gordon stormed past Virgil and John, heading towards the back of the boat, thumbing his comms. “Mel, you got your ears on?”

Virgil turned to look out across the surface of the ocean and sure enough a single dark buoy appeared just off to port about fifty metres away. To his horror there was a weak whale spout just as his eyes focussed on the spot.

Scott strode past and gently clasped his shoulder, his eyes bleak before following Gordon aft. Alan hurried after him.

A glance at John found his brother’s professional facade well in place. Gordon could be heard yelling over his comms from the other end of the boat.

The whale breached again.

Shit.

-o-o-o-

Scott followed his little brother as he stormed down the length of his yacht.

“Mel, what the hell do you mean this isn’t the first time.”

“Don’t get me wrong, Gordon, I’m as angry as you, but these assholes know what they are doing. I’ve had the coast guard out here sixteen times in the last year and they haven’t managed to catch one of them. We’ve lost turtles, sunfish, rays and earlier in the season a humpback died of its injuries. We can’t locate the nets. They don’t appear on our scanners.”

“Well, they appear on mine and I’m not putting up with this crap.”

“Any help is appreciated, Gordon. If I knew you’d be able to detect them, I would have called you in earlier. If you can give us the locations, it would be much appreciated.”

“I’ll get John on it immediately. In the meantime, we have an injured calf and a distressed mother to attend to.”

“Do you want me down there?”

His brother paused a moment and dragged in a calming breath. “I’ll do an assessment. If I need help, I’ll call Kayo to come get you.”

“Keep me in the loop, Thunderfish. Play it safe. Mamma Humpback is going to be anxious.” A pause. “Sorry your vacation has been interrupted.”

“Screw my vacation. We’re gonna get these bastards.” Scott didn’t think he had ever seen his brother so angry. It was understandable. “Speak to you soon. A Little Lightning out.”

Gordon immediately turned to Scott. “We have a situation.”

Scott let his head drop just a little in acknowledgment. “Yes, we do. This is yours, Thunderbird Four. Tell me what you need.”

-o-o-o-

With the power of TB5 they discovered an intricate network of netting just to the west of the Kermadecs, trailing intermittently down their full length. To regular sensors they were invisible, but to IR sensors they were a flicker. A flicker John was able to focus on and bring up a clear picture.

Gordon, now dressed in his IR uniform, swore a bluestreak at how many nets were actually out there. John put him through to WASP Command and Gordon gave a very colourful report to the regional commander, who just happened to be a former squad mate of his. Her response was more formal, but no less colourful.

With tight expressions, Gordon, Scott and Alan climbed into the inflatable dingy and rowed their way out to the beleaguered cetacean. Gordon used the effort to push his anger into the oars. He couldn’t afford to have his thoughts clouded by the bastards who had done this.

Sensors told him the calf had a net caught in its mouth and wrapped around its right pectoral fin. The fine mesh hung down its left side, dangling into the depths where it had caught on a snag. The chances of it catching right there were ridiculously small, the waters so deep between the islands. But the net was hundreds of metres long, weighted, and, even tangled, it reached down far enough to snag itself on a submerged pile of rock.

Hell, he was going to need Four to get down that deep to get the net out of the water.

If the calf had been snagged while diving, she wouldn’t have been able to surface to breathe and would have drowned.

Bastards!

Scott darted a glance at Gordon. The aquanaut held his gaze. His eldest brother was dressed in an IR wetsuit. It was startling to see him out of his familiar uniform. Gone was his flight baldric and in its place, yellow slashed across his blue, visibility more the priority underwater. The only concessions to his commander rank were his shoulder patches and twin silver-grey bands on that yellow baldric. Alan was dressed similarly, but where Scott sported silver, Alan sported red. Neither had their helmets on.

Gordon had only mentioned the suits to Scott when preparing for this venture because he had hoped to enjoy some recreational diving. Their suits were far above average equipment, so why not use the best to have a little fun?

Scott had rolled his eyes, but five wetsuits had been thrown into their luggage. They had supposed to be used for sharing his world with his brothers.

Gordon swore under his breath again and tugged at the oars angrily.

“We’ll fix this.” Scott’s voice was calm, ever the commander when on duty. And on duty they were.

When he got his hands on those assholes...

“A Little Lightning to Inflatable. Mother Humpback is on the move towards you.” John had been tracking her frantic circles around her calf.

Gordon dropped the oars and grabbed his scanner. Sure enough, the worried behemoth was angling in towards them. She posed a serious threat despite their benign intentions.

“Roger that, A Little Lightning.”

The inflatable stilled in the water, three pairs of eyes stared out across the surface.

“Be quiet. Here she comes.”

Not twenty metres away, the mother surfaced, her spout spraying them all with angry water. Her huge mass coasted just under the surface and beelined to her daughter.

Gordon’s heart lurched at the distressed groans she made as she nuzzled her trapped calf.

“I’m going in.” He shoved his helmet on.

Scott caught his arm. “Are you sure that is wise?”

He caught his brother’s worried eyes. “You are just going to have to trust me. I know what I am doing.”

A bitten lip, but Scott nodded once and let him go.

Gordon slipped quietly over the edge of the inflatable and into the water.

-o-o-o-

Virgil stood on the bridge of A Little Lightning and swallowed hard. It was frustrating to be caught unable to do anything, but in this kind of situation, it wasn’t an unfamiliar feeling.

Usually, though, he was hovering in Two far above the surface.

John stood beside him, a mission hologram projecting from his tablet, his hands playing the portable controls as smoothly as Virgil played his piano. Eos spoke up quietly, relaying reports from WASP as the organisation swooped in on the illegal fishing organisation somewhere off to the west. His brothers’ vitals danced in one corner, the readout from the sensors and the now deployed sensor buoy hung beside them.

Virgil could only watch.

“Gordon, approach with extreme care. The mother is emitting infrasound, beyond our hearing. She is very distressed.” John’s voice was sharp, but calm as the sensors traced the sound pattern in the air before him.

Whispered. “FAB, John. I can feel it. She may be calling for help. Silence on comms.”

And Virgil realised he could feel it, too. A rumble in his bones, a wail so deep it could only be felt, not heard.

He closed his eyes.

He felt her shift octaves, the sound pulsing, her thrum desperate. It vibrated at the edge of his sensory perception, slipping in and out, barely felt in his body tissues, his fingertips, the sensitive incisions in his gut.

“Virgil? You okay?”

John’s soft voice startled him, throwing him out of focus. “What?”

He received a copper frown for his efforts. “You’re pale.”

“I’m fine.”

Green eyes narrowed, but his brother didn’t comment further. He returned to his holograms, bringing up a satellite lifesign read of the area.

“We’re receiving a reply.” John frowned. “Another. Several. Locating sources. Eos, give me a narrow frequency band and pinpoint.” The AI didn’t answer but several dots appeared on the satellite view. John waved a hand and zoomed in on a cluster in the Southern Ocean. The view focussed and cleared and Virgil was again amazed at Brains’ skill as the surface of the ocean appeared and a pod of whales was defined. They were all travelling in a south-easterly direction.

Over two thousand kilometres from the mother and calf. John zoomed out again and scanned for a closer answer. He found one but it was still fifteen hundred kilometres distant. Far too far away to return to help the distraught mother.

But then another signal came in, this one only three hundred kilometres away to the south-east. John narrowed in on the location, only to find another mother and calf.

“Is that the mother and calf we encountered two days ago?” The subjects of his painting.

“More than likely. Gordon did say it was very late in the season. The humpback whales migrate from tropical waters north-west to south-east across the Kermadec Ridge on their way to feeding grounds near Antarctica during spring. That places the nets in the optimal position to do the most damage.”

Virgil stared at the kilometres of lines denoting the position of so many illegal fishing nets.”

“Do you think WASP will be able to stop this?” His voice came out parched and cold, an echo of the anger building inside.

“They will do their best. Gordon won’t rest, you know that. I’ve also asked Penny to investigate. This impinges on Tracy Industries’ ecological interests so I have contacted the board.” His lips thinned. “We will find those responsible.”

The lines taunted him. How many? How many lives had been taken moments before sanctuary?

“Virgil?”

The mother shifted octaves again and he found himself closing his eyes.

A hand landed on his arm. Soft. “Virgil?”

He startled. John’s turquoise eyes were frowning at him again.

“She’s terrified.”

“Gordon will free her calf.”

“She doesn’t know that.”

Her thrum was in his bones, vibrating his very soul.

And then the calf cried out.

-o-o-o-

Gordon had always felt small beside his brothers, but floating next to a leviathan of the open ocean there was no comparison.

The mother humpback was nuzzling her calf, a mixture of chirps and groans vibrated through the water accompanied by the modulating infrasound, screaming fear across the Pacific.

Knowledge of cetaceans scrolled through Gordon’s mind, but instinct was yelling at him.

Never get between a mother and her baby.

But the baby was in pain and her mother was unable to help her.

He could.

He edged closer, ever quiet, calm.

Mamma shifted in his direction, her great head swinging around and tossing him about in the resultant wake. Gordon caught himself and took the opportunity to slip in even closer.

C’mon, beautiful, I don’t mean you any harm. I’m here to help.

He reached out and touched the calf’s flank.

The calf shifted away, crying out and her mother propelled herself forward towards Gordon.

He darted backwards, holding up a hand. “Hey, hey, I’m here to help.” She couldn’t understand the words, but perhaps the intent?

A groan wrapped around him, followed by a click.

“Gordon!” Scott’s voice echoed about his helmet.

And into the water around him.

Shit.

He scrambled backwards as Mamma reacted. Surging forward she nudged him hard enough to force him to the surface. “Woah!” He got a brief glimpse of Scott gesticulating at him from the inflatable, obviously agitated and then everything was bubbles.

He lost orientation for a moment and just settled for swimming away from the chaos.

“Goddamnit, Gordon, answer me!”

“Shut up, Scott. I’ve got this! Silence on comms!”

He dove.

Deep.

He relied on his suit to keep his body pressure static as he propelled himself fifty metres straight down.

Sunlight flickered turquoise and disappeared into the depths.

Mamma didn’t follow.

Gordon hovered there a moment, looking up at the silhouettes of the two whales and the dingy far above. Mamma returned to nuzzling her calf, her pectoral fins churning the water into bubbles with the smallest movements.

Okay, Gords, you’ve got this. Gentle, calm and persistent.

He began his ascent.

-o-o-o-

Virgil tensed as his brother was thrown from the water only to disappear and dive down deep.

Gordon’s snarl across comms at Scott was acid.

The mother’s call shifted an octave to the point Virgil could almost hear the clear C, F, and G notes hanging in the air.

Three hundred kilometres away, the second mother and calf answered and turned around.

Virgil stared at the dots on John’s map as they slowly began moving towards them. It would take them a good chunk of the day and night to reach the distressed calf, but the other mother was answering the call.

John’s monitor sketched out the answer, far below human hearing and far too distant to be felt.

A complicated, pulsating aria of sound.

It wove around the mother’s distress call, each note dancing with its partner, an answer in form as well as content.

Staring at the readout, he found himself humming the notes, switching cadence, following the thread.

The rumble in his throat spoke counterpoint to the song in his bones. It completed. It felt...reassuring.

“Virgil?”

“What?!” He blinked. Shocked at his own outburst as John took a step back, Virgil drew in a shaky breath. “Sorry.”

John’s voice was quiet. “What is it?”

Virgil stared at his brother, then back at the sensor buoy’s holographic display showing Gordon swimming up the water column. “Can we transmit sound into the water?”

It was John’s turn to blink. “Of course.”

“At infrasound levels?”

John pulled up the buoy’s specs and Virgil knew the answer before his brother could vocalise it.

“Wait there.”

He had an idea.

-o-o-o-

The sight of the abrasions on the side of the calf’s mouth physically hurt Gordon. He swam up slowly beside the calf on the other side from its mother. He kept quiet but made sure the calf knew he was there.

It edged closer to its mother.

“Hey, beautiful. I’m not going to hurt you.”

She whined, her sonics vibrating through him.

Mamma growled in the way only a mamma whale could and, blowing spray up into the air, drew in breath and dove.

She slipped below her daughter and targeted Gordon.

Oh shit.

He flung himself to the left and down. He could manoeuvre easily around her, but...

...her tail swung and he was caught in a rush of wake, bubbles and the need to avoid the whacking she was trying to give him.

“Okay, I get the message. But Mom, you’re going to have to back off or your baby is going to die.” The calf could last only so long before exhaustion and predators put an end to her struggles.

Mamma swam around in a tight circle and for a moment one of her great eyes caught his, her intelligence and fear glaring at him through the turquoise light.

His external mic picked up a single note.

What?

The note shifted and became more of a wail, cut off and was silent.

Mamma whale was still staring at him.

Another note. Again it was modulated, but this time his brother’s voice accompanied it, Virgil’s raw baritone holding the note for a few seconds before shifting down his range to another note. His keyboard, for there was no doubt that Virgil had his keyboard with him, emitted a series of low moans.

Gordon shivered.

His brother was playing infrasonic, he could feel it, no doubt using the transmitter on the buoy.

Mamma was still staring at him.

He could give his brother all the points for effort, but there had yet to be a case where humans could communicate with whales. Many had tried. Most were ignored. The most success had been achieved with touch, which is what Gordon was attempting to do.

If he could get close enough without having his head handed to him.

Virgil shifted from single notes to a more complex weaving of sounds, combining his voice with the keyboard in a way he had never quite heard from his brother.

Mamma blinked.

Clicked three times.

And let off a wail of sound that tore at his heart.

Virgil answered.

-o-o-o-

End Day Three, Part One

Day Three, Part Two

[harleykeenee]

Parkner/Spiderlad soulmate AU idea

Disclaimer: I made this at 1 in the morning while I was exhausted and I don’t have the motivation to edit it so it might not make much sense

-Harley has a Spider on his chest while Peter has an arc reactor

-Peter always been nervous about who his soulmate will be because the only people he’s seen with arc reactors were Tony Stark, James Rhodes, and that one villain from Iron man 2

-all of those people are old enough to be Peters dad

-he’s rightfully scared about his soulmate being old

-so he does everything he can to hide his soulmark, after all he doesn’t want to be forced to be with someone three times his age

-he never takes off his shirt in public, he doesn’t wear v-necks, he doesn’t even wear light colored shirts just in case water gets on it and turns it see through

-when Peter gets bitten by the spider and gains his powers his first thought is to hide his powers

-he thinks that if he uses his powers it will put him on peoples radars and it will lead to people will discovering his soulmark

-that all comes crashing down when Peters uncle Ben is shot in front of him

-after all, how could he continue doing nothing when there’s people out there like Ben, people who will get hurt if he doesn’t use his powers to help

-so Peter becomes Spider-Man

-he’s super cautious about anyone discovering his identity

-he always wears a mask and tries as hard as possible to disguise his voice

-he even sews a black cloth cutout of a spider to the front of his suit to avoid his soulmark ever being seen

-what he doesn’t account for is back alley cameras which is what leads Tony Stark to finding out his identity

-when he first sees Tony Stark in his living room his first thought is that he found out about his soulmark

-when it becomes clear to Peter that Tony knows nothing about his soulmark his first feeling is relief

-his relief is short lived since it turns out Tony (Mr.Stark?) knows he’s Spider-Man and wants his help fighting the avengers

-Peters hesitant but agrees to go since it’ll be suspicious if he doesn’t go

-(plus it means he’ll hopefully be able to join the avengers someday)

-onto Harley

-Harley was super excited about his soulmate as a kid because “Spiders are super cool and awesome! Stop laughing at me mom!”

-he has a rude awakening when his dad abandons his family

-he gets angry and resentful about the whole concept of soulmates because how could someone just leave the person they’re destined to be with

-he’s still an angry kid when Tony Stark breaks into his garage

-while Tony’s there, Tony talks nonstop about his soulmate Pepper, “She’s just so amazingly brilliant and I need to get back to her!”

-it makes Harley realize that maybe not all soulmates are like his mom and dad were and maybe he can be happy with his

-when Tony leaves he promises to keep in contact with Harley and starts calling weekly without fail

-he even visits Harley when he has the time and by the time Harley is 13 they’ve built the first working Ironlad suit

-(the actual first one didn’t work because Harley tried to do it alone and when Tony saw it he decided to scrap the whole thing and help make him one that will be better)

-by the time Civil War rolls around Harley’s been training to be Ironlad for 2 years and is basically a master with the armor

-Tony asks him to help out with the fight in Germany since he doesn’t think his former teammates will actually go as far as to seriously hurt anyone

-Harley obviously agrees cause it’ll be his first real fight and he’s been wanting to punch Captain America ever since he saw his first PSA

-Tony tells him that the team will consist of him, Ironlad, War Machine, Vision, Black Widow, the king of Wakanda (who is apparently some type of superhero??), and a new superhero called Spider-Man

-as soon as Harley sees his first video of Spider-Man something inside of him clicks and he realizes Spider-Mans symbol is his soulmark

-he comes to the conclusion that Spider-Man is his soulmate and gets super nervous and excited for Germany

-after all, he’s gonna meet his soulmate soon and his soulmate is apparently young and strong enough to lift cars!

-(Harley falls in love just a bit when he hears about Spider-Man developing his own web fluid)

-meanwhile Peter is freaking out, cause Tony fucking Stark just asked him to go to Germany and help him beat up Captain America

-He’ll be forced to spend time around the 2 people (that he knows of) that have an arc reactor

-he’s super scared about one of them finding out about his soulmark and either A) one of them being a match or B) having it be an unrequited mark

-at this point he doesn’t know which one is worse

-when he gets to Germany he doesn’t have time to worry because as soon as he lands he’s being whisked off to fight the rouge Avengers

-when the fight starts he can barely focus on the things going on around him because apparently there’s 3 people with Iron Man armor now

-the person inside the new armor sounds young and Peter can hear Tony call him Ironlad over the comms

-when Peter starts making pop culture references while fighting Ironlad understands them and actively responds

-when the rouges surrender and the fight is over (team Ironman won in this due to Harley’s help) the Ironlad armor opens and out of it comes a boy Peters age

-oh no he’s hot

-and he’s heading right towards Peter

-while Peters having a inner freak out Harley gets to Peter and of since he’s a disaster of a human the first words out of his mouth are “Hi, I’m Harely Keener and I think you might be my soulmate”

- Peter is S T U N N E D

-this cute boy in front of him just said that he thinks they’re soulmates???

-at first Peter doesn’t believe him because there’s no way this gorgeous boy could be his soulmate, Parker luck wouldn’t allow it

-after Peter thinks about it for a bit he realizes that it’s probably true since the boy was wearing Iron Man armor which has an arc reactor in the exact location Peters soulmark is

-plus if the boy had come to the conclusion that they’re soulmates the boys soulmark probably has something to do with Spider-Man

-Peter agrees to compare soulmark once they get back to the hotel to make sure they’re a match

-low and behold, turns out they are a match!

-Peters never been happier, he lived his entire life thinking he’d be stuck with some dude three times his age and it turns out his soulmark is a hot dude that’s only a year older than him

-He’s so happy that in that moment he knows that everything will be fine

I might turn this into a full fic if I have enough motivation, for now I just had to get my ideas down. Y’all are welcome to use this concept for your own fics as well.

[musicprincess655]

“If you don’t sit still I’m gonna glue you to a chair.” Sawamura stopped his relentless pacing, pouting in Kazuya’s direction. Kazuya went back to resolutely ignoring him, tapping at his comm. in the vain hope that maybe it was off, and maybe Nori would have a message for him.

“How can you just sit still and wait?” Sawamura demanded.

“Easy,” Kazuya said, reaching up as Sawamura made another pass to grab the back of his shirt. He pulled until Sawamura collapsed in a heap on the couch next to him. “Park your ass, shut up, and wait.”

“I can’t just sit!” Sawamura protested, although he made no move to stand. “I have to do something.”

“If you don’t stop doing things, I’ll do something that’ll make you wish you were never born,” Kazuya threatened. He wasn’t usually so impatient with Sawamura. In fact, he prided himself on his extensive skills in idiot wrangling. Patience was an important part of that.

But Kazuya had been restless and frustrated all day, and Sawamura’s pacing was going to drive him up a wall.

He hadn’t heard anything from Jade in over a week, and he was starting to lose hope. Nori was keeping an eye out while studying, just in case, and he’d promised to let Kazuya know the second he heard anything, but no matter how many times Kazuya messed with his comm. a new message just wouldn’t appear.

He was just mature to recognize that he was taking it out on Sawamura, and that wasn’t entirely fair of him. After all, Sawamura had been most vocally on his side when he’d finally returned to the Tower. Kazuya had to take allies where he could get them, apparently.

“It shouldn’t have been like this,” Sawamura said, flopping back against the couch, his thigh pressing into Kazuya’s.

“What, Ryou shutting us out?” Kazuya asked. “Waiting around for orders while he gets his shit together?”

“The way Robin died!” Sawamura said. He stared at the ceiling, giving Kazuya plenty of time to study his face in profile.

It was like this that it was the most obvious he was half Greek. Looking at him directly, the Greek features were either hidden or close enough to Japanese features to not be noticeable. From the side, though, his nose sloped perfectly straight, just a bit too long to be Japanese. His eyes were huge, and would look out of place on any other face, but on Sawamura just looked beautiful, large and full and surrounded by thick lashes. Even his cheekbones cut in a way that was distinctly exotic from the side.

“No one’s happy about losing Robin,” Kazuya said, trying to clear how dry his mouth suddenly felt. Focusing on how objectively attractive Sawamura could be wasn’t helping him feel less restless.

“That’s not what I meant,” Sawamura said. He tilted his head until he was looking at Kazuya dead on, and his eyes looked haunting. Haunted. “This isn’t how heroes are supposed to die.”

“Not everyone can go out in a blaze of glory on the battlefield,” Kazuya said. He wasn’t familiar with any Greek myths in particular, but he knew the general gist. As Wonder Woman’s son and the only male Amazon ever born, Sawamura would have grown up on those stories.

“It’s not even that,” Sawamura said. “It’s...okay, so we have this concept called kleos, right?”

“Kleos?” Kazuya asked, trying out the unfamiliar word. It didn’t twist in his mouth the same way it did in Sawamura’s.

“Close enough,” Sawamura said. “It means glory earned in battle. It’s really important for getting to the best afterlife, the one everyone aspires to.”

“I’m with you so far,” Kazuya said. “What’s your point?”

“There’s nothing honorable about the way Robin died,” Sawamura said. “There was no glory in battle. This wasn’t what he signed up for. To die like that...in all our myths, there’s almost no worse fate.”

Kazuya was reminded almost uncomfortably of his mother’s death. There had been no glory there either. Just a young mother killed because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“None of us sign up to die,” Kazuya said. “What we do is dangerous. It happens.”

“Not like this,” Sawamura said. “He deserved so much better than this, even if what we do is dangerous.”

“Is there a word for pride?” Kazuya asked. Sawamura gave him a tiny smile.

“Megalopsuchia.”

“There is no way I can pronounce that.”

“If Robin died like this, all we can do now is avenge his pride,” Sawamura said. “At least, that’s what I believe. That it’s better to avenge him than not. Maybe the afterlife is real, maybe it isn’t, but either way, he’ll have that as a gift from us. And the Joker won’t be able to hurt anyone again. That’s what I believe. And that’s why I’ll stand with Onii-san, even though he lied to us.”

Sawamura’s eyes blazed, and Kazuya almost couldn’t bear to look at them, but he could bear even less to look away. He was too entranced by the fire in Sawamura’s eyes.

“Isn’t pride a bad thing in Greek myths?” Kazuya asked. He could vaguely remember a word like hubris, and that it was the cause of misfortune.

“Depends,” Sawamura shrugged. “There are a few words that can mean pride. One of them is all about thinking you’re better than you really are. That’s the bad kind of pride.”

“So, for example, self-satisfying revenge…?”

“I don’t think that’s what’s going on here,” Sawamura said.

“Don’t you?”

“Doesn’t Onii-san seem different?” Sawamura shook his head, giving Kazuya a brief reprieve from his gaze. “You’ve known him for longer than me, but I don’t think this is just about him.”

As much as Kazuya was still angry at Ryou, furious, he had to agree with Sawamura. This was more than just revenge. Ryou was hiding something, and that something was why he was breaking all his own rules. It didn’t help a whole lot to know this, though. Kazuya couldn’t help anything if he didn’t know what was specifically wrong, and as far as he could tell, not even Kuramochi knew everything.

So he was left here, with Sawamura, waiting for orders that probably weren’t coming.

Sawamura rocked like he was about to start pacing again, and Kazuya moved before he could stop himself.

“Nope,” he said, hooking a hand in the back of Sawamura’s shirt again, pulling until Sawamura fell against his chest. “I told you to stay put. You’re making me nervous.”

He wrapped an arm around Sawamura’s shoulders, fully aware that if Sawamura really wanted to get away, there was nothing Kazuya could do. Sawamura had the blood of Wonder Woman flowing through his veins, and Kazuya was only human.

Pathetically human, he thought at himself derisively at his reaction to the warmth of Sawamura’s back against his chest. He resolutely ignored his own response.

He’d lost count of how long he’d been ignoring it.

[pitchtocontact]

third eye

im gonna try my hand at a star trek au, because...i love star trek. and misawa. 

i haven’t planned this all out yet, but i want to write it in a few parts, so here’s the first one. it’s more of a preface than an actual chapter, laying out some groundwork. 

--

When all you’re left with is nothing, danger turns into a foreign concept. That’s the kind of attitude you’ll need if you’re thinking of joining the Medical Emergency Evacuation Service. Come hell or high water, they’ll be there when you call.

tw for graphic depictions of major injury.

Eijun is ripped from sleep by the blaring wail of a red alert siren, his sleeping quarters suddenly pulsating red from the warning light above his door. As he sits up, he feels an unfamiliar tremble from the ship, the glass of water he had set on his nightstand rattling for a moment before settling.

Unnerved, he throws his covers off and darts toward the comm unit attached to his wall. The display is awake with the words RED ALERT slowly gliding across it in a loop, the phrase spelled out in several languages following it. He hadn't been paying much attention when he was given the tour of the ship and shown how to use the device by the security officer, too excited about getting to their destination to care all that much, but in this moment he very much wished he had. He taps the screen a few times, but there is no apparent change, the warning message staying put under his finger. Feeling a little foolish, he says “Computer, report,” but this too yields no forthcoming response.

As he stands there willing the device to work, another tremble rocks the ship, this time strong enough to force Eijun to take a steadying step behind himself so he doesn't fall. Directly following the motion comes the unmistakable sound of the ship’s hull moaning under some unknown pressure. Fear sweeps through Eijun like wildfire as the alert switches from a siren to a voice.

“Warning, collision alert. Brace for impact. Collision to occur in: 45 seconds. Warning, collision alert. Brace for impact. Collision to occur in: 40 seconds.”

Suddenly out of breath, Eijun gasps. He whips his head around, trying to locate the place where he is supposed to brace for impact in the deep ominous red light his room is bathed in. Seeing none, he scrambles for his door and bursts into the ship's main hallway as the alert tells him he has 30 seconds to find something to hang onto. What's safe to hold onto? Should he brace himself in a doorway like an earthquake drill? Or is he supposed to stay in the open because he's in spa--

“Eijun!” He hears from behind him, interrupting his thoughts. He turns to find his mother rushing toward him, his father close behind. They look just as disheveled as he probably looks, no doubt woken violently by the alarms as he had been.

25 seconds.

“What's happening? What do we do?” He says in a rush. There's a steady flow of panicked people rushing in both directions as they stand still in the hallway. “Which way do we..”

“Hell if I know,” his father grumbles, pushing Eijun and his mother in the direction they had been going at a slow jog, joining the flow of people deciding to go in the same direction. Eijun hopes it's the right one.

20 seconds.

“Eijun, where is Wakana?” his mother asks.

A jolt of panic shoots down his spine. “I...don't know! I don't remember her room number!” He looks around as though she might appear out of nowhere, but she does not. “Mom we have to find her!” He turns around to go back the way they’d come, but his father grabs him roughly around the shoulders and turns him back around.

“We can't--”

15 seconds.

“--look for her now. Let's hope she's ahead of us,” he says, and it's the first time he's ever heard his father sound so desperate. Wakana is part of their family, his father considers her as close as a daughter. He's just as worried as Eijun, so he obeys his father's order and begins jogging faster.

A countdown begins as the 10 second mark is reached, and the ship is hit with another wave of unsteady trembles. Dead ahead, people are piling into a standard close-range transport shuttle, the kind they had used to travel from Earth to the ship. They run in, jumping the small gap where the shuttle is attached to the ship by some kind of flexible rubber Eijun had commented looked like an accordion when they’d first arrived. A security officer stands at the door, hand braced over the hatch control, waiting until the last moment to shut the compartment door, allowing as many people on as he can.

“Closing in 3, 2, --”

“Wait!” A panicked yell draws everyone’s attention, and Eijun sees Wakana and her parents running with another group of people trailing behind her. They’re further down the hall. Far enough to make Eijun’s stomach turn sour. “Wait for us!” She yells.

The collision countdown reaches 5 seconds, and Eijun whips around, jumping back onto the ship to reach Wakana’s outstretched hand.

“Eijun, no!” He hears his mother cry, and then she screams, because the security officer pulls the door hatch, closing it in an instance and cutting off her anguished pleas.

“Mom!” He turns back around and bangs on the sealed airlock door that closed along with the shuttle. He hears the shuttle detach just as Wakana runs into him, grabbing at him desperately. A moment later, her parents shove them to the ground, covering them. Bracing them.

“2, Brace for immediate impact.”

A moment of stillness and calm washes over them as everyone braces, a collective breath held from all who did not enter the shuttle in time.

Then, chaos. An explosion of sound surrounds them as they’re flung from their prone position and slammed into the nearby wall. Someone’s elbow jabs directly into Eijun’s eye, but before he even has time to scream out in pain, he’s flung again to the ground and a pain he has never experienced rattles through his entire right arm. He takes a gasping breath, but that too hurts in a way he’s never felt. He can do nothing but lay there, being slammed around by whatever they’re colliding with, getting more injured with every passing second. The metal grating on the floor slices every bit of skin it touches as he slides across it over and over, his clothes shredding into strips. He feels it when his ankle breaks, but has no more capacity for pain, he simply acknowledges that it happened.

After what feels like a lifetime of torture, the relentless onslaught of collisions dissipates, and he’s left lying facedown, his nose scraped raw and bleeding from the grating. He can tell he hasn’t lost his vision, but still he cannot see anything. Everything around him is dark and silent. He hears no voices, but he’s not making any sound either, so he doesn’t think about it too much.

Another wave of trembles has him closing his eyes and tensing in a useless attempt at bracing himself again, but they aren’t nearly as violent. Whatever hits them this time only has enough impact to turn Eijun from facing down to facing up so that he’s looking at the ceiling. In an odd moment of awe, he sees that it’s not actually dark in the ship, it’s still running on emergency power, dim yellow lights illuminating the hallways just enough to not be pitch dark. He stares up, blinking lazily, unable to even turn his head. Small tremors keep rocking the ship, and with each small movement, his injuries scream at him, his breath hitches, and his muscles tense involuntarily.

Someone far away from him coughs once, followed by a choking sound, and then silence. He can barely hear it. It’s the only sound he hears for the next hour. He wonders why his body is waiting so long to pass out. He’d love to sleep right about now, but his pain keeps him from doing just that. He decides to simply stare straight up, and count how many times he blinks until something happens.

--

122 blinks later, something happens. A buzzing sound directly above him, or maybe slightly to his left, he can’t be sure. It buzzes for a time. It buzzes for 11 blinks. Then, the awful screeching sound of warping metal.

Voices follow that sound, which is the last thing Eijun expects.

“Could you cut a bigger hole next time, jackass? I can barely squeeze through here,” an exasperated male voice says where the buzzing noise had come from. The voice wasn’t speaking in Standard or Japanese, so Eijun was having trouble understanding. After thinking on the sounds for a moment, he recognized it as English.

“Not my fault you’re getting fat,” replies another male voice in English. “Life signs?”

“Scanning,” says the first. “Shit, right here. Like, right here, Miyuki. This guy.”

A silhouette obscures his view of nothing, and then suddenly the brightest light he’s ever seen assaults his eyes, shooting pain up into his head. He clenches his eyes shut.

“Conscious, responsive to basic stimuli,” the same voice states, presumably to whoever Miyuki is, although he’s still facing Eijun. He hears the beeping of a tricorder roaming over his body, followed by a small gasp. “Damn, he’s critical. We need to beam him out, now.” He feels something being clipped to his shirt.

“Medical, this is Alpha sweep. Crit coming your way, acknowledge,” not-Miyuki says into a communicator, speaking in Standard this time.

“All clear, Alpha sweep, ready to receive, over,” he hears, the tinny voice coming out of both their communicators.

His view fills with a shiny haze, and suddenly he is no longer on the dark ship. He’s vaguely aware that he’s just been transported somewhere, but he still can’t see anywhere but straight up, and straight up is just more lights, so he closes his eyes. A rush of movement around him, and suddenly his body is being moved. He can’t take it. The pain shoots through his body and it feels a million times worse, somehow, like it was all happening at the same time, in this single moment. His head throbs and he feels his body go through huge waves and numbness and unbearable pain over and over.

“He’s seizing!” someone above him shouts. “Brace him down gently, he has a lot of fractures.” Strange strips of cloth are placed over his chest and knees. He hears an alarming number of hypospray hisses, but feels none of them. However, shortly after he hears them, he feels his pain dissipate dramatically. He lets out a deep sigh.

“Good, good. Deep breaths.” More tricorder beeps. “Minor. Convulsions stopped after 10 seconds, responding positively to medication. Alright, let’s get you attached to a drip.” The ceiling above him starts moving, and then stops moving. Someone lifts his left arm and roughly taps into the crook of his elbow a few times before he feels a prick in the same spot. Something gets clamped to his middle and index fingers. “I bet you’d like to sleep right about now, huh? Well my friend, you’re in luck. I’m the sandman,” a happy voice says, before another hypo hits his neck and the world floats away.

[sunflowersupremes]

The Starhawk and the Slave: Chapter 4

Yondu’s (accidental) rescue by the Ravagers.

Characters: Stakar Ogord, Aleta Ogord, Yondu Udonta, Martinex T'Naga, Mainframe (Marvel), Krugarr (Marvel), Charlie-27 (Marvel)

Additional Tags: Slavery, Torture, Rape, Abuse, child endangerment, Non Explicit, it’s all in the past, flashbacks in later chapters

Read Chapter on AO3, Read Entire Story on AO3

Aleta was alone.

She’d run off the rest of the stragglers - her ‘girls’ as Stakar so creatively called them - and sat in the darkness of the forgotten rec room she’d laid claim to years ago. She needed silence, which she was greatly enjoying until the door opened and Charlie ducked his head inside. “Permission to enter?”

“You’re already in, you know.”

He lumbered inside, sitting on the floor rather than testing out the durability of one of the chairs. It was probably for the best, they’d learned years ago that most chairs weren’t meant for someone of his size. Hauling a replacement down to the old rec room would just be annoying. “You’re brooding.”

“I am not.”

“Yes, you are.”

Aleta glared at him, breaking the silence again to ask, “Did my husband send you?”

“Is he your husband again? I lose track.”

He was. They’d re-renewed their vows as Charlie was more than aware. He’d been there for crying out loud. “You’re a dick.”

“I’ve always had it.” He patted his crotch with a grin.

The most frustrating thing about Charlie - in Aleta’s mind, most people considered it one of his better qualities - was his inability to be drawn into arguments. Bar fights, tussles with customers or clients, brawls among the crew, illegal street boxing - anything physical and violent you couldn’t keep him out of. But when it came to fights with words he refused to step up to the plate, no matter how much Aleta goaded him.

“Where’s Marty?” she huffed, pushing herself up, a bottle of whiskey swinging from her hand. The Pluvian she could fight with. He wasn’t as fun as Stakar - swing a fist at Martinex and he’d probably jump under a table (or you'd break your hand on his face) - but he would quite happily yell back if she pushed the right buttons.

“With Mainframe, working on something of Udonta’s.”

“Udonta?” It took a moment for Aleta to process what he was saying. “Is that the slave?” She took a swig from her drink and felt the burn as it slid down her throat. “Damn,” she muttered, mostly to herself, “he named it?”

“You do not like him.”

“My husband or his newest pet?”

Charlie laughed, swiping Aleta’s bottle from her and downing half of it in one gulp. “Both, I suppose.”

Aleta snatched her drink back from him, making sure to cuff him upside the head. “He’s already attached. We don’t need any more kids around.” They’d just die, after all. Charlie’s eyes saddened and he patted her shoulder, mindful of his strength for once. Aleta resisted the urge to shout at him for being stupid and sentimental. She was the one who’d brought up the kids after all.

Tara. Sita. John.

As little as Aleta and Stakar talked about them - or any part of their past - word got out. Stakar talked about them more than Aleta did, he claimed it helped. He even went so far as to suggest that she should try talking to someone sometime. But her method was to keep them in a small, private place near her heart, where they were hers alone, not his.

“Something bad’s going to happen,” Aleta vowed, gulping the rest of the bottle in one swig. “Something with that boy and it’s going to destroy him.” She paused, looking at the now empty bottle and wondering if it was worth finding another. “It’s going to destroy us all.”

“You’re being melodramatic.”

She probably was. But there was still a creeping suspicion in her chest that things Stakar loved never seemed to stick around for long. 

Stakar hadn’t considered the logistics of someone never having touched food before, but thankfully the medic, Arc, had caught him before he could accidentally give him something to eat.

“He said his stomach’s hurting,” Stakar explained, feeling slightly put off by Arc’s horrified face. “I thought food would help.” Udonta hadn't said anything so much as he had pointed at his stomach when asked if anything was bothering him, but it was close enough. 

“With all due respect, Captain, food is the last thing he needs.”

“That’s fair.”

Arc tilted his head and sighed, pulling at the blue fur on his fingers nervously. “I’ve given him a shot to get his organs working again - without being used for so long, his stomach has likely shut down - which is the cause of the pain.”

“They hurt because they shut down?”

“They hurt because he’s never used them before. The shot I gave him is waking them up.” Arc sighed and reached for something on the wall behind his desk. Stakar took the opportunity to spare a glance over his reading material, unsurprisingly, it was all on Centaurians. “Give him this,” he said, passing Stakar a cup. “It’s just water with a bit of nutrients. See how he takes it.” Something in Arc’s eyes said that he half expected Udonta to spit most of it back up.

Joy.

Stakar took the drink with a nod. “I’ll see what I can do.”

Udonta was sitting up, looking around him with interest when Stakar entered his room, but as soon as he saw Stakar he slumped back, looking at the floor.

“Are you feeling better?”

“Yuh.” At least he had managed to remember that word, even if it was the only word that Stakar had managed to teach him so far. It was a start, even if it was a slow one.

But Stakar wasn’t convinced that he was magically feeling better, and his eyes narrowed slightly as he sat beside Udonta’s cot, dropping the cup Arc had given him onto a table. “Are you lying?”

It was the kind of question he would have posed to one of his friends - Aleta, Mainframe, Krugarr, Charlie 27, or Martinex - he hadn’t considered the impact it would have on the mind of the fragile rescued slave.

He also hadn’t considered how quickly Udonta could move when he was frightened.

The Centaurian practically threw himself to the ground at Stakar’s feet, pushing his forehead to the floor and licking at the ground. It was just as he had done in the cell earlier - or was it the day before? Stakar hadn’t slept and had lost track of time - but this time, the captain’s feet were within reach. Before he could do process what was going on, Udonta was pressing frightened kisses to Stakar’s boots as well. When Stakar stepped back he flinched, clearly expecting a kick, and managed to whimper, “Sor-rey.” 

Kneeling beside him, Stakar placed his hand on his shoulder and ignored his flinch. “Hey, kid. Look at me.” He waited until Udonta was able to lift his head and meet his eyes, then he reached out and gently stroked his forehead. “I’m not angry. I’m not going to hurt you. No one is going to hurt you. I know you don’t understand. But please, try.”

“Tr-y,” he sounded out.

Stakar offered him an encouraging smile, wrapping an arm around Udonta’s frail shoulder and rubbing his back. “Let’s get you back into bed,” he said, pulling them both to their feet. Udonta leaned into Stakar, seeming to cling to the comfort of a gentle touch. Humoring him, Stakar settled himself on the bed beside Udonta, letting the other bask in the attention as he pointed to the cup. “That’s for you.”

Udonta tipped his head back, staring up at Stakar with confusion clearly written on his face. Stakar picked up the cup. “It’s a drink,” he explained. “Do you know what that is?”

There was a slight nod, and Stakar pressed the cup into Udonta’s hand, wrapping his fragile blue fingers around it and tapping his finger against the straw. “Suck.”

Udonta’s response to that word was instant, shrinking back from Stakar, his eyes darting to the other’s crotch, confusion and hurt in his eyes. “Not- no. Not that.” Trying hard not to think about what that reaction meant, Stakar took the cup and took a sip, then passed it back to Udonta. “Try it.”

He did as instructed, managing to get some of the liquid into his mouth. Immediately he grinned - just as toothy as the last time, but more genuine - and much of it spilled back out onto his shirt.

Stakar made a point of laughing, hoping that Udonta wouldn’t panic over the spilled liquid. “Good. Very good.” Udonta blinked up at him, one eyebrow slightly raised. “Do you like it?”

The Centaurian paused from licking his lips long enough to say, “Yuh.” He took another sip, managing to swallow most of it that time, and Stakar patted his shoulder. To his surprise - and glee - Udonta was more than happy to lean back against him as he continued sipping on the drink and Stakar checked in on his crew through his comm.

Author’s Notes: 

I’m doing Camp NaNo this month with one of my own stories so updates will be slow. I’m still counting my fics as word count though because I can and I want to. I MAKE THE RULES. Plus if I write about my characters 24/7 I’ll be fed up with them pretty quick.

I KEEP WANTING TO CALL HIM YONDU AND IT TRIPS ME UP EVERY TIME I CALL HIM UDONTA. I promise he’ll get his first name soon. For the sake of my sanity. Also for the sake of my spell check with thinks, I'm writing a story about Udon Noodles.

Also, FYI, I’m making up tons of medical shit as I go. Yondu’s an alien so I doubt WebMD is gonna be much help anyway.

Don’t worry, Aleta will come around. I just wanted to info dump some of their past and she wanted to whine and also fight everyone. Mostly Stakar. She’s definitely going to fight Stakar. Ravagers don’t have a concept of “domestic violence” so I’m tempted to add that to the story’s trigger tags???

And I'm continuing my joke/headcanon about Stakar and Aleta having numerous divorces because no one stopped me.

[ruffsficstuffplace]

The Viridian Vanguard (Part 27)

Qrow took one long, slow drink from his flask, pulled it from his lips, and sighed heavily. <Alright, I’m good—let them in,> he mumbled as he capped it again, put it away in the inner pocket of his shirt.

Soon, the door on the other side of the room opened up, their first interviewee of the day strode to the dais in the center of the room, Ruby and the rest of the Keeper Team surrounding her. They exchanged the usual formalities, before she knelt down on the large cushion provided for her, bathed in the light streaming through the high windows.

<Welcome to the first round of interviews for the Keeper Team!> Penny said smiling. <First off, congratulations for making it this far! Second, for the purposes of uniformity, we will have to request that you please communicate almost-to-entirely in Actaeon, save for any Nivian sayings, concepts, or quotes that you feel will not, or cannot translate adequately. Third, though we are sure you are already well aware, the questions we may ask you can get intensely personal, and that you are free to ask such questions back, if either of us feel that they may be relevant, or might prove to be a significant asset or liability in the future.

<With that out of the way: please state your name, who you are, and how your merits and achievements make you the best candidate for this position!>

<I am Anouke Kalla,> Anouke replied. <I have been a watcher since I was old enough to walk and handle a knife, and have been hunting down, slaying, and skinning almost every dangerous beast and horrific monster that lurks in this Valley for the past five decades. Whether they stalk no man’s land, lurk in the darkest, murkiest depths, or soar the most treacherous skies, I can guarantee you I have faced and bested them all, with one notable exception:

<Soul Eaters.>

Anouke put her hand to her breast, looked Ruby in the eyes, and said, <I swear, Keeper Rose, grant me the honour of serving under you, and those monsters will learn to fear my presence as much as yours.>

<Yeah, say no more, you’re out.> Qrow said calmly.

Anouke’s eyes widened, she snapped her head to Qrow. <Excuse me?!>

<We don’t need overconfident big game hunters who want to be part of team just get close to a Soul Eater, and try to bag its head for a trophy,> Qrow said. <They’re not ‘fun,’ or a ‘worthy challenge,’ they’re an abomination of magic and science we have to stop at all costs—even if it means killing it so hard there’s nothing left of it that you can see without the help of a scanner or a microscope.>

<Yeah, I’m really sorry, Watcher Kalla, but Uncle Qrow has a point,> Ruby said. <You have to put your very all into fighting a Soul Eater—and every bit you spend on trying to kill it in a way that preserves its body, rather than just doing everything you can to ensure it’s dead is more opportunity for the Soul Eater to kill you, instead.>

Anouke scowled, before she let out a short, disappointed sigh. <I feel you are incurring a great loss by rejecting me… but very well, I will respect your decision, Keeper,> she said, turning back to Ruby, and bowing her head. <Thank you for your time and the opportunity.>

Ruby and the rest of the Keeper Team said their half of the formal farewell, before Anouke was out the door, and the next candidate came in.

“Wow, that quickly and just for that reason?” Weiss asked.

“Yep!” Ruby said. “It’s kinda like one of those economic theories or something, where there’s hundreds of folks that want to fill in a vacant, permanent spot in the Keeper Team, so we can just pick and choose whoever we think is going to be the absolute best of the best, though there were some folks where the issues were more, uh, personal.”

“Such as?”

“Well...”

It was mid-day now when yet another candidate strode into the room, a pair of well-worn headphones around their neck. <Yo, name’s Yral Revene, but you might know me by my stage name: ‘Jackdaw,’> they said. <Officially my job is as a watcher-weaver, but only to pay the bills while I work on my real job: music maker. I want in on the Keeper Team as you all are gonna be the key to my revolutionizing music and weaving, and it’s going to start with me helping you kick Soul Eater tail like never before!>

<That’s an incredibly bold statement,> Ren said. <May you please explain how exactly you are planning to do this…?>

<With the freedom to use my Sound, is what,> Jackdaw replied. <I’ve been forced to use all the stock standard sheets and songs, so me and the rest of the sound weavers can harmonize and collab easy-like, and even then, I’ve barely been allowed to use my Sound on the field.>

<Your ‘Sound’…?> Ruby asked.

<They mean their personally composed music,> Penny said.

<Oh!> Ruby said. <So, is this also a set of custom-made and modified spells, then?>

<Yes,> Jackdaw replied. <I could go on and on about how awesome it is, but I think I should just let my Sound speak for itself,> they said, pulling out an external speaker and their comm-crystal.

<Excuse me!> Penny said, rising up from her seat. <I would like to remind you that elemental weaving of any sort is forbidden inside the interview room, and will be considered an attempt to harm the Keeper or her teammates, with the according grave punishment!>

<Relax, it’s just the music this time!> Jackdaw replied as they set it down, before they smiled. <You can experience the rest later, at the Grove. Ready?>

Everyone agreed to it, or didn’t mind, except for Qrow, who said <Hold on.> then ripped open one of the cushions, and plugged his hearing-holes with the stuffing.

<Oh come on, Uncle Qrow, aren’t you overreacting?> Ruby asked him.

<Alright, go!> Qrow said loudly, either ignoring her, or unable to hear.

Without any further issues, Jackdaw grinned, and pressed play, their personal music booming and filling the room. Merely ten seconds in, the smiles on Ruby and Nora’s faces disappeared, Zwei whined and pressed his two heads together and covered his outermost ears with his paws, while Penny looked concernedly at the increasingly uncomfortable and displeased members of the Keeper Team, sans Qrow.

<Oh, Eluna, make it stop!> Blake cried, clapping her hands over her ears.

<I’m really sorry, but please do!> Ruby added.

<Seriously?> Jackdaw asked, frowning. <It’s just new! It’s like an acquired taste! You’ll learn to love it, I swear!>

<My sincerest apologies, but I will really have to ask you to stop, or be forced to!> Penny cried. <Any more of this, and you might be charged with harassing and psychologically harming the Keeper and her Team.>

“And then there were some folks who’d been doing incredibly well, but we had to make the tough decision to reject them because of one deal-breaker or another...”

It was afternoon now, the curtains on the windows drawn to keep the glare of the sun from being too powerful. It was already past 2, their agreed upon lunch break, but they delayed it for the sake of their latest interviewee.

<… While I doubt I will be able to concoct, or even begin to research on something that might affect the Soul Eaters themselves, I’m sure that I’ve proven that my potions can be a great boon to you and the rest of the team, in combat or out of it,> he finished.

<Indeed you have, Maker Nyimu!> Penny said, smiling. <There’s just one more aspect from your record that we would like to address: we’re rather concerned about how dramatically your combat performance dropped after you finished drug rehabilitation, both in training exercises and live situations, and how that might be a liability when it comes to high-stakes situations like a Soul Eater attack.>

Nyimu frowned. <Ah, yes… to be honest, most of my stellar performance before it was all thanks to the constant abuse of enhancers, or using more to escape the consequences. Again, I swear I will improve myself without the cheap, dangerous shortcuts.>

<We know,> Qrow said, <but let me give you a hypothetical situation: everyone but you and Ruby are down or dead. She’s in deep shit, you’re the only one that has a hope in hell of saving her, but you know that the only way you can do it is if you pop a pot, or jam a needle into your arm, give you the boost you need.

<Would you do it…?>

Nyimu was silent, his eyes widening in surprise, before his face contorted into all manner of expressions, the inner turmoil clear for all to see. He opened his mouth to speak, closed it again, before finally, he sighed heavily, slumped his shoulders, and shook his head. <No, Watcher Branwen, I believe I cannot…> he said. <Even a single misstep will be all it takes to fall again into addiction, I’m certain of it..>

<So you don’t think you can sacrifice yourself, if it comes to that?> Ruby asked sympathetically.

Nyimu looked at her, and said, <No Keeper—I apologize.>

<Nothing to be sorry about.> Ruby said. <Though, I am sorry to say you’re not going on the Keeper team.>

<I expected as much,> Nyimu said, smiling ruefully. He bowed, they went through the formal goodbyes, and left.

As soon as he was out the door, everyone started getting up off their cushions and stretched, groans and sighs of relief echoing in the room.

<Ugh, I’m so glad it’s finally over...> Blake muttered as she arched her back. <Please don’t take this as a personal insult, everyone, but I never realized how much truth there was to the stories of what kinds of Fae would want to apply for the Keeper Team… I always assumed there was some element of exaggeration and fabrication to it to make it a more entertaining story, not that they were just reporting it as is!>

<Yeah, Keepers tend to attract misfits, outcasts, and oddballs almost as much as they do trouble,> Qrow said, bending his arms back and forth between their usual and flying configurations. <And sometimes, they’re both at once,> he added, looking pointedly at Blake.

She scowled, and said nothing.

<Be nice, Uncle Qrow,> Ruby snapped softly, before she smiled at Blake. <So, since this is your first time in the Bastion and being out of the house in general since you got here, anything you want to get for lunch? There’s plenty of great restaurants here, and I’m sure we can convince the Council to foot for our bill.>

<If none of you mind, I would really appreciate someplace that serves fish,> Blake replied. <Preferably fresh.>

<Oh, well you’re in luck!> Nora said, grinning. <Ren and I know this great seafood place in the Tender’s Fields, serves pretty much everything—freshwater and saltwater fish, squids, octopi, shellfish, algae, seaweed—heck, they even have these neat compressed balls of plankton you eat like chips! You even get a discount if you catch it yourself.>

Blake smiled. <I’d really like that, actually.>

<Any objections?> Ruby asked. When there were none, she smiled and said, <Then let’s go get some lunch!>

Then as if on cue, all of their comm-crystals sans Blake’s started flashing and beeping wildly in alarm, similar alarms echoing elsewhere in the Roost. Penny projected a holo and read aloud the message:

<Emergency Alert! Research Facility Hyrkanos in the Thundercall Tunnels is under attack by an aerie of Thundercall Rocs, confirmed lead by ‘Zeus V!’ Requesting Keeper Team and other Apex-class watchers to reinforce within an hour or less! Outposts have been overrun or isolated, security has sustained casualties and infrastructure has been severely damaged, evacuations impossible without outside assistance!>

<Isn’t Thundercall where we were supposed to go in three weeks?> Ruby cried as they started running.

<Looks like the date’s been moved forward, kiddos!> Qrow cried back.

<Sorry to sound self-centered, but what’s going to happen to me?> Blake butted-in as she kept pace with them. <I’m supposed to be with at least one of you at all times!>

<Simple: we take you with us!> Ruby replied. <Your equipment’s all fixed now, and you said it yourself that you’re willing to fight and hunt with us, right?>

<There’s a lot of legal mumbo jumbo about Keeper’s deputizing folks, so don’t worry about going to jail, and just focus on not dying!> Nora chirped. <It’d be really tragic and awful if you died so soon after you just got introduced into the story!>

Blake looked strangely at her, before she shook her head, and kept on running.

Note: Qrow, like many avian Fae, does not have ears, and has hearing-holes instead. Ren also has them, as reptilian Fae and some more exotic subspecies like snake Fae have acquired adaptations from others over the millenia, though the earliest of them reportedly could only “taste” sound or had very poor audio perception.

[warsamongstthestar-keen]

Chapter Thirty-One

"Why prepare to fight if we're not even going after Kanan?" Zeb grumbles from his seat in the cockpit of the Ghost.

"You think he'll talk, tell 'em what he knows about us?" Sabine asks the Captain.

The Twi'lek shakes her head, "He doesn't know anything."

"Sabine. Uh, where are the power cells? I need some for my...lightsaber," Ezra asks over the comms.

The Mandalorian sighs, looking up from the targeting system "Did you check the overheads?"

"First place I looked."

"Hold on. I know where to find some. Chopper, take over for me," she grabs the Lasat by the arm, dragging him with her, "You can help us look too, Zeb."

"Pfft. Really? Why do I need to–" he complains.

Sabine drags him through the ship straight for the Phantom.

"Is Chopper in position?" Ezra asks, just as the doors slide open.

" Yep. Let me in there," she responds, moving for the pilots seat that the Padawan just vacated.

"Wait," the Lasat cries, finally understanding what's going on, "you're going to find Keen and Kanan. You're disobeying Hera's orders!"

"Were they orders, or more like her opinion?" Sabine asks, setting the getting the Phantom ready to fly.

"If we're gonna save them, we don't have a choice. You with us or not?"

"Yeah, I'm with you."

"Good," the boy turns back to the viewscreen, "because the plan's in motion already. Just waiting for the signal." A light on the console starts incessantly blinking only moments later. "And that would be the signal. Let's go."

Sabine launches the Phantom, moving as far from the Ghost as quickly as possible, "Okay. So, where are we going anyway?"

"Our last resort. Vizago."

*Tarkin's Cruiser*

"It's only a matter of time before he breaks," Agent Kallus informs his superior.

"You have wasted enough of my time," Tarkin grumbles. "I have brought in an expert on the Jedi, he trained many of the Inquisitors."

A deep, heavy breathing fills the space, as the helmeted figure steps forward. Kallus, his eyes landing on the Sith Lord, pales. "You are no doubt unaware that Jedi are trained to resist mind probes."

"If he is the Jedi he claims to be, I take it you have a solution?"

"Pain," Darth Vader responds, "A Jedi still feels pain. And pain can break anyone. I have no use for him," he says, waving a hand at the Knight, "He knows nothing. But, Quinara, she knows more than she says, they wouldn't leave a Jedi of her caliber out of the loop. Continue with your silly games here, Agent Kallus, but you will find nothing substantial."

With those words, Vader turns with his cape whipping around rather dramatically, as he breezes from the room.

***

Tarkin leads the Sith Lord across the hall. "This is a true Jedi," Vader says, opening the door. "She trained in the Jedi Temple for many years. Sat on the Jedi Council. Jedi Master Ar'iabel Quinara, the last of the Old Religion," he tells Tarkin, although the Governor is very much aware of all of this, and Vader knows that.

Defiantly, she lifts her head up, her eyes glaring right at Tarkin, not that he can see them. "So, what's the plan now?"

"Pain," Darth Vader responds.

Her head turns, finally seeing Vader. She freezes for a few seconds, before saying, "Cool. Not really all that into that. Consent's an important thing, y'know," she snarks. Keen had heard Kanan's screams that had ceased only moments before, but she had turned to the Force, stuffing her fear down.

"There's the snark you Jedi were so well known for."

"Aww, you remembered? How sweet, you really shouldn't ha–" she's cut off as painful bolts of electricity jolt through her body, causing her muscles to convulse.

Tarkin smirks. "Tell me what you know of the other Rebels cells."

Breathing deeply, she slowly raises her head. "I've never heard of other cells. I've heard of other people, standing up for what's right, for the sake of freedom and peace in this Galax–" she screams as the electricity surges again, more powerful than the previous time.

When it cuts off again, her shoulders relax. "Tell him what you know, or I'll just keep going, with a higher, and higher voltage each time."

"Well, I can't tell you what I don't know, you kriffing piece of kung!"

The torture continues on the Jedi, and she refuses to give up what she knows about the Rebellion, endeavouring instead to keep them all safe, most importantly Luke and Leia.

*Ghost Crew*

"Well, this is unexpected. Looking for work? Or something else?" Vizago asks, as the rebels walk up to him.

"My guess is you already know why we're here," Ezra states, seriously.

"I don't know where your friends are. I'm sorry," the alien says, not sounding all that apologetic.

"You must have heard something."

"Even if I did know something, it would be of no use to you. The Empire is locking everything down. That's bad for you and bad for business." Vizago turns away, directing his droids as they carry the crates.

"Well, if you want to change that, you need to help us," the Padawan argues.

"I doubt that. In fact, I think your activities got the Empire's attention and have made things more difficult for me. Get out of here. You're bad luck," he shoos them away, walking further onto his property.

"Ever wonder why the Empire was so interested in Kanan, why they'd send an Inquisitor to Lothal?" He shouts after the alien.

Vizago, stops, turning back to face the Padawan, Sabine warning Ezra not to reveal too much. "No, please do."

"Because Kanan is a Jedi."

"Kanan? A Jedi?" Vizago breaks down, laughing so hard he almost falls over, "You're funny, kid. That scoundrel couldn't be a Jedi any more than you could." Ezra glares at him, slowly closing his eyes. He summons the Force, lifting a crate over the alien, letting it float above Vizago. He looks up, as Ezra's eyes snap open. He releases the crate, the alien jumping out of the way, just as the crate drops over his head, "You? You are a Jedi?"

"And so is Kanan. And so is Keen."

"So what does this mean for Vizago?"

"It means you help me, and you'll have a Jedi owing you a favor."

"Hmm. Whatever I ask?"

The Padawan considers the question, consulting his friends, responding, "Within reason."

"No deal," Vizago immediately states, once again turning to leave.

"Okay, okay, okay," the boy backtracks, "Whatever you ask."

"All right, come with me, boy," he says, indicating toward his ship. The Mandalorian, Lasat, and Padawan all start to follow him, so he adds, "Alone."

Ezra follows Vizago to his ship, stepping through the door, he immediately says, "So start talkin'."

"First, the deal," the alien states, bowing to the Padawn. Confusedly, Ezra taps his horn. "Hey! What's the matter with you? I bow, you bow, then we have deal."

"Oh, right. Yes, okay," the boy goes into an over exaggerated bow to Vizago.

"Okay, okay, whatever. You're overdoing it," the boy straightens, "Eh, look, since you blew up the Empire's comm tower–"

"That wasn't us," Ezra argues.

"Well, you probably know they have no long-range communications, so they've started using these," Vizago opens a hologram, revealing an astromech Droid, with a long conical done, "Droid couriers. They take data from the city up to their communications ship in orbit."

"What kind of data?"

"Everything. You name it personnel, weapons, deployments. Prisoners."

"Kanan? Keen?"

"Possibly, but I can't guarantee that," the alien shrugs.

"That's pretty typical for you," Ezra turns to leave.

"Hey, a deal is a deal."

"A deal is a deal," the boy agrees, turning back, "So what do you need?"

"Hmm. Today, nothing. Tomorrow, who knows? I'll let you know when I want to collect."

Ezra leaves the ship, strolling back towards his crewmates, "It's okay, guys. I have a lead." He rounds the corner to find a very angry Twi'lek glaring at him, "Whoa!"

"For what you just bargained, you better have something more than just a lead," she angrily states.

"Hera, I know you're mad, but–" the Padawn tries to placate, only for the Twi'lek to cut him off.

"Mad? Try furious. You just put all our lives in jeopardy. I give you a direct order, and you disobeyed me."

"Well, it paid off. I know how to find out where Kanan and Keen are," he states, before adding as an afterthought, "Maybe."

"Maybe? All that for 'maybe'?" Chopper looks at the furious Captain, uttering an 'uh oh' in his babble.

"Hera, none of us want to give up on them."

"And you think I do?"

"No, I don't," the boy says, wholeheartedly, "That's why I took this risk."

"Okay. What did you learn?"

"I have a plan, and it involves Chopper," the Padawan points to the droid.

The Crew head back to where Hera landed the Ghost, all marching straight to the cockpit. Sabine has Chopper bring up a hologram of an Imperial shuttle she'd been watching, "I'm betting this is the shuttle the Empire's using to get the courier droid to their comm ship. Our only chance is to intercept the droid before it boards the shuttle."

"The only way to be sure is to grab the Imperial droid and send Chopper in its place," Ezra responds.

Chopper looks up at the boy, grumbling angrily, putting his hands on the sides of his body. "Come on, Chop. I'll give you a paint job. The Empire won't know the difference."

He turns to her, continuing his grumbling. Ezra looks down at him, "For Kanan."

The astromech agrees, although voicing his displeasure at the concept.

[verdigrisprowl]

Mar 25 Dancitron Movie Night - Thor: Ragnarok

Prowl tuned out most of the movie and left his avatar on idle. He’s working on a project.

He skimmed his recording of the movie during the credits, realized that there was some rather traumatic content in there, and went over to reassure Soundwave. They’re now scheduling an opportunity to go destroy Soundwave’s old cell in the pits. Prowl also worried over Mixmaster a bit.

Today Specs 7:32 pm *the dragon arrives! she, thankfully, does not have a knife this time. she does have some shellfish-shaped energon cookies, however.* ItsyBitsySpyers 7:33 pm *Soundwave finishes popping something into his mouth and closing his visor just before the dragon arrives; he turns to greet her and nods, peering at the cookies with much curiosity.* Specs 7:33 pm Hello, Soundwave! *she's putting them where they belong before she takes a seat, as always* Smokescreen 7:34 pm /Smokescreen's coming in, and is going to flop onto a couch as soon as he enters./ ItsyBitsySpyers 7:35 pm [[Greetings, dragon. Have you had a pleasant week?]] *Soundwave glances over to Smokescreen and nods to him. Still nervous after that card, but... a couple of hours here can't hurt. Right?* Smokescreen 7:37 pm /Smokescreen's waving at Soundwave, so far looking like he's fine!/ Hey, Sounds- Sounds, can I share this one documentary with you? ItsyBitsySpyers 7:37 pm [[Do.]] Specs 7:37 pm It's been quiet. Nothing much happened. Concursion with the one of the space elevators came and went, so new supplies came down! That was nice. Er, came up. How do directions work in space, anyways. ItsyBitsySpyers 7:38 pm [[Poorly.]] Smokescreen 7:38 pm Alright- it's a from the boxyverse, but focusing on this hit band group at the time! ... Also, can I talk to you about the big- you know, the allspark thing in my universe? Ratchet 7:39 pm *pops in* Jetstream 7:39 pm it's fighting me Omicron 7:39 pm *Ice Queen comes in, tired predacon is tired, looks around and chirps a greeting* Specs 7:39 pm *the dragon chirps back at the predacon* ItsyBitsySpyers 7:40 pm [[You may.]] *Soundwave nods to Ice Queen, Jetstream, and Ratchet. Greetings.* Omicron 7:40 pm Racer: *Chirps! too from Icy's back, riding and chewing on a metalic stick* Smokescreen 7:40 pm ... Right here? Now? Ratchet 7:40 pm *slow scan of the room. is there anyone here he wants to sit with tonight? doesn't look like there is, yet.* ItsyBitsySpyers 7:41 pm [[You might as well.]] [[...Over comms.]] Smokescreen 7:41 pm Oh! Oh yeah! Prowl 7:41 pm *arrives via the door like y'do* Smokescreen 7:42 pm @Soundwave: ::First- you got any idea how to break the news to Megs that I'm inviting you to help? And- and also, we found these different symbols that go with all the coordinates we've found.:: ItsyBitsySpyers 7:42 pm [[Good evening, Prowl.]] Ratchet 7:42 pm Hey, platter arms. Is Bug around? Omicron 7:42 pm *Icy tries not to flop, but lays down in beast mode* Jetstream 7:42 pm ((what do y'all see?)) ItsyBitsySpyers 7:42 pm [[..."Platter arms"?]] *Irritated blip.* [[They can be, if you give me a moment.]] Smokescreen 7:42 pm !! /Waving at round Prowl!/ Omicron 7:42 pm RAcer: *Meeps at the mechs he's seen before* ItsyBitsySpyers 7:43 pm @SS: [[Gently. Perhaps not specifying which one he is. And what do you mean, different symbols?]] Prowl 7:43 pm ...*her helm whips in Soundwave's direction, mouth opening slightly before she collects herself* Good evening, Soundwave. Prowl 7:44 pm *fails to notice Smokescreen waving, he might want to say something if he wants Prowl's attention* ItsyBitsySpyers 7:44 pm *So very pleased with that.*

*Zori trundles into the room by way of the ceiling as comes out of the stairwell. He beeps noisily at Ratchet and waves a claw upside-down.* #hiiiiiiiiii Smokescreen 7:45 pm @Soundwave: ::That could work- but he'll find out when he sees you, won't he? And- different symbols of the different Primes, the allspark, and another symbol I don't recognize. So we know, from all the coordinates, which one should be the allspark- but the other ones should also be interesting!:: Ratchet 7:45 pm *platter arms indeed. but nevermind that, here's Zori!* Bug! You wanna sit with me tonight? Jetstream 7:45 pm ((Alright here we go, i think)) *Walks in and looks around* Omicron 7:46 pm ((I have a friend that wants to join as a TFP Knockout, would that be okay?)) ItsyBitsySpyers 7:46 pm @SS: [[There's little he'll be able to do at that point. And Megatron knows where his priorities rest. Megatron would be a fool to turn away his help.]] Pause. [[You mean to say you might have found other relics...?]] ((long as the rules get observed, sure thing)) #yes! #um #...hold on #I do not want to jump Smokescreen 7:47 pm @Soundwave: ::Oh no- we've known that there would be other relics. We have 15 different coordinates- but now we have a better idea of what they are! I've been looking through the co- through soome historical research files to see if I can make a guess what they are, but no luck yet.:: Tarantulas 7:48 pm (( I WAS GONNA ASK IF U HAD THIS ONE QUEUED ItsyBitsySpyers 7:48 pm *Zori wiggles a little, concentrates, and.... BWOOSH. Big fragging Bug on the ceiling. NOW he drops to the floor with a huge thump, and once he's settled, shrinks again.* *Up the couch he'll crawl.* Omicron 7:48 pm O_o Prowl 7:48 pm *makes way over to the table nearest the door to sit down* Jetstream 7:49 pm *Happens to have sat there already. more than welcome though* ItsyBitsySpyers 7:49 pm @SS: [[Is there anything he can do to assist you with identifying them?]] Specs 7:49 pm *the dragon considers joining Zori's couch, but Ratchet doesn't really know her. oh well! an unoccupied couch it is. maybe next time.* ItsyBitsySpyers 7:50 pm ((there's only a few songs left, so y'all get your snacks and drinks and stuff)) Omicron 7:50 pm *there's always the big predacon you can sit on lol* ItsyBitsySpyers 7:50 pm *Zori taps Ratchet's leg. Can he perch on the knee?* Ratchet 7:50 pm *....* That was impressive. Specs 7:50 pm *the dragon pile is too powerful for this movie night* Ratchet 7:51 pm Come on up, Buggo. Omicron 7:51 pm *NEVER! dragon loafs together, even if RAcer is acting like he's got catnip* Prowl 7:51 pm *Prowl's aiming for the chair against the wall that faces out to the rest of the room, is Jetstream sitting there or did they snag another chair at the table?* Smokescreen 7:52 pm @Soundwave: ::I mean- if you know more relics that were associated with different Primes, that could help. I don't think it's any of the relics that ended up on Earth, and I'm pretty sure the covenant is not one of the relics. Alpha Trion's might be his quill? That's my best guess right now:: Magnum Ace 7:52 pm -pings Soundwave. It's movie night, right?- Jetstream 7:52 pm *just another chair in the area* ItsyBitsySpyers 7:52 pm #thank you! #...but it makes me hungry

*Up up, little circle, and settle. Except for the wiggling he does in time to the music.* Ratchet 7:52 pm *wiggles fingers along with* You get that snack I sent for you? Omicron 7:53 pm RAcer: *nomnom on his stick* ItsyBitsySpyers 7:53 pm @SS: [[He'll consult his files. We attempted to find - and indeed, located some of - several uncommon relics on the way to Earth. They may match.]] Prowl 7:53 pm *oh good, Prowl doesn't have to ask Jetstream to move, she'll slide into her usual chair contently and ping Soundwave for the movie title* Jetstream 7:53 pm *Jetstream gives a small nod to this Prowl that he hasn't met yet.* ItsyBitsySpyers 7:54 pm *Yes, it's movie night; Ace gets his bridge.* Swoop 7:54 pm *slides in, looking around for Soundwave* Prowl 7:54 pm *Prowl didn't see the nod, so she might come off as rude here, whoops* ItsyBitsySpyers 7:54 pm *Soundwave politely sends his Prowl the title... AND a place to get quality audio descriptions. Someone's pleased.* Specs 7:55 pm *oh no. that's a Swoop on a mission. nevermind, Icy, she's taking you up on that dragon pile. one fox-sized dragon, coming in to LOAF* Smokescreen 7:55 pm @Soundwave: ::That might help! Some of the coordinates are right on Cybertron- I'm kinda curious about those ones. They're probably really well hidden in one way or another.:: Swoop 7:55 pm *makes a bee line for Soundwave* Hey! Jetstream 7:55 pm *Jetstream's head starts to bob to the song already* Smokescreen 7:55 pm Stars Cream Swoop 7:55 pm Soundwave Soundwave Magnum Ace 7:55 pm -pings back a thanks, and then trots through- Rosanna 7:55 pm *slips in. hello* ItsyBitsySpyers 7:56 pm ((plz don't spam the chat with repetitive things rn i can barely keep up as is)) Omicron 7:56 pm *Icy shifts her wings, used to making a place for her hatchlings to ride, thus she's easier to climb right now* ....pfffft xD Swoop 7:56 pm ((kk)) Prowl 7:56 pm *a ping of gratitude to Soundwave* Bull 7:56 pm *Bull follows Magnum in* Specs 7:56 pm ((I would love to be the person who makes and rigs these models for MMD)) ItsyBitsySpyers 7:56 pm #the big one? #from Bevel's? #yes! #it was good #I still have some #do you want it?

*Soundwave looks at Swoop and - hold on a minute. What is he doing here. What does he want.* [[What.]] Swoop 7:57 pm You Soundwave good at call people. You call Bob! Him Sunstreaker looking. You tell Bob to go check in and then Him can movie! VProwl 7:57 pm *appears* Jetstream 7:57 pm ((just appears? what like he teleports like Skywarp?)) Ratchet 7:57 pm Heh, no. Just checkin' no one grabbed it before you. ItsyBitsySpyers 7:57 pm [[...He thought Bob's comm was off.]] Omicron 7:57 pm RAcer: ...! PBBBT! 'Owl! Magnum Ace 7:57 pm -and he's going to snort at what's on screen once he and Bull are seated on the table- VProwl 7:57 pm ((no he materializes out of thin air like a hologram turning on)) Jetstream 7:58 pm ((Same concept)) VProwl 7:58 pm ((because he is a hologram, which has just turned on)) Swoop 7:58 pm Dunno. Him Sunstreaker say Bob have to check in and Him not checking in. Ratchet 7:58 pm Hey, Prowl! VProwl 7:58 pm Hello. *goes to sit with Ratchet.* Ratchet 7:58 pm *has a Bug with* ItsyBitsySpyers 7:58 pm *Soundwave pings Prowl hello and immediately snaps his attention to Racer afterward. Was that - did Racer call Prowl by name? How /precious./* Bull 7:59 pm *The footage on the screen is reminding Bull Armor of something which makes him chuckle* ItsyBitsySpyers 7:59 pm #oh #no no #Laserbeak tried #I pinched her wing #... #it was mean #but it was my candy VProwl 7:59 pm *turns to Racer. He caught it this time.* Hello, Racer. Omicron 8:00 pm RAcer: *bouncing on Icy's back, excitedly waving his first soft metal stick around, look what he has! He's getting bigger! * Smokescreen 8:00 pm /Smokescreen's finally moving enough on the couch to make a little more room. He zoned out for one second and suddenly everyone's here!/ Ratchet 8:00 pm I thought she might. But you're right, it was your candy. You can pinch people who try to take your things. Specs 8:00 pm *that's ADORABLE, but also requires ducking. mind her head, Racer!* Jetstream 8:00 pm ^WHAT. IS THAT.^ ItsyBitsySpyers 8:01 pm [[...His comm still registers as unavailable.]] Swoop 8:02 pm Unavailable? 😕 Him Bob should available for movie Omicron 8:02 pm oy *turns her head around and nudges Racer to scoot him a bit away from Specx* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:02 pm *Zori shifts uncertainly, but nods. Ratchet is a good mech, and a doctor. He will trust that Ratchet would not tell him to pinch people if it was bad. Back to wiggledance.* Magnum Ace 8:02 pm -nudges Bull. He thinks he has an idea of what- ItsyBitsySpyers 8:02 pm *That's a thing now, by the way. He has a somewhat mobile head.* Specs 8:02 pm Thank you, Ice Queen. *hatchlings are adorable, and everything is worthy of their enthusiasm! but she has a fragile organic skull.* Rosanna 8:02 pm *finds a spot to sit--somewhere. There are many here tonight* Smokescreen 8:03 pm /Smokescreen's offering a seat on the couch to Rosanna!/ Ratchet 8:03 pm *look at him go. he wiggle.* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:03 pm *Good thing Rumble's not here. Soundwave will just... tell him to skip the night.* Bull 8:03 pm *looks to Magnum* Remind you of anything we had to do? Magnum Ace 8:03 pm Hush you Rosanna 8:03 pm *Offer accepted!* Jetstream 8:03 pm ^Oh hey, it's that Tom, guy.^ Omicron 8:03 pm If you want you can sit up on my head or neck, the spines are good to hang onto. Racer has been...really active all day Magnum Ace 8:03 pm -still gets a snort of laughter from him anyway- ItsyBitsySpyers 8:03 pm ((LAST MUSIC APPROACHES)) Ratchet 8:04 pm *Ratchet has a Bug and a Prowl, this is good. this is exactly the company he was hoping for tonight.* VProwl 8:04 pm *oh, hey—Zori is here. Prowl didn't notice him immediately, he's too small. hi, Zori.* Specs 8:04 pm He's still a hatchling, isn't he? It's the time to be full of energy. *but she's taking that offer. neck loaf, away!* He's quite endearing. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:04 pm ((*sinks into this and hums happily*)) Rosanna 8:04 pm @ smokescreen - Hello! ItsyBitsySpyers 8:04 pm *Zori waves a tiny hello to Prowl.* Smokescreen 8:05 pm /Smokescreen's waving at Rosanna/ Hey! Don't think I've seen you here before- what's your name? ItsyBitsySpyers 8:05 pm ((ALSO. y'all. he composed this when he was like 19 or 20 and it took until a few years ago for him to let anyone see and play it because he thought nobody would like it. if there are things you want to do in life, don't wait that long.)) ((musical sap psa.)) Smokescreen 8:06 pm Man- those giant dresses look SO COOL Swoop 8:06 pm ((that's so sad and kind of sweet)) Magnum Ace 8:06 pm ((it's freaking amazing, thank you)) Rosanna 8:06 pm *throws up an energetic peace sign at him* Rosanna! And you're... Smokescreen, ne? Jetstream 8:06 pm *looks at the Prowl near him* ^Hi.^ Swoop 8:06 pm *wanders over to the goodies, grabbing what he assumes to be a Bob sized portion* Rosanna 8:06 pm *hopes she got that name right* Smokescreen 8:06 pm Rosanna? That name sounds kinda familia- yeah! That's me! /Smokescreen's throwing back TWO peace signs this time!/ VProwl 8:06 pm *waves a not-so-tiny hello back* Swoop 8:07 pm *looks around for where to sit* R. 8:07 pm *Incoming Bruin. Spotter is here too, and Specter is curled around his neck. They'll just try to find somewhere unobtrusive to sit* Prowl 8:07 pm *turns her helm toward Jetstream and nods politely* Hello. Rosanna 8:07 pm I appear sometimes *Big ol' smiiiile* Mostly when Rumble's not here Omicron 8:07 pm Racer is, and likely dew to grow again here soon. He's the oldest of the clutch, and on the ship right now *lifts her spines a little, to let little dragon get under and lets them settle, giving a shelter from active hatchling* Smokescreen 8:07 pm Rumble? Haha- you don't get along with him? Me and Frenzy are like... BEST friends. He's better known as Friendzy. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:08 pm \\LIKE FRAG\\ *From upstairs.* Jetstream 8:08 pm ^Haven't seen you at one of these before. but then i'm not here as often as i'd like. Name's Jetstream. You?^ Tarantulas 8:08 pm *tarantulas is arriving before the movie starts, wow!! annnnnnd wow there's really a crowd tonight, time to walk right back out the door so he can hide and gather the proper stamina and courage for this* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:08 pm *Someone's on camera duty tonight.* Swoop 8:08 pm Spiderbot! Rosanna 8:08 pm Mmm... it's complicated. But, hey-- *honestly giggles* It's fine now Omicron 8:08 pm *Ice Queen starts humming to the music, she likes it* Swoop 8:08 pm *sets the bowl back down and sprints for the door* Rosanna 8:08 pm *probably lying* *trying to be cute* Prowl 8:08 pm Prowl. I only started coming to these recently. Smokescreen 8:09 pm Haha- that's fair! Slag happens- there's lots of bots I've ruined the chance to be friends with, and it hurts, but- it's sometimes just not worth it. Rosanna 8:09 pm Will you be my friend? Jetstream 8:09 pm ^Another Prowl, huh? I'm never gonna get the hang of this multiverse thing... eh.^ Specs 8:09 pm The others are still too little to be out and about, then? Or, well, I suppose that's really none of my business. My apologies! Racer is certainly looking fine. You must be very proud. *the dragon adores this music, too- her eyes are half-closed in a rather feline show of appreciation* Smokescreen 8:09 pm Hey, sure! Sounds good to me! /Thumbs up at Rosanna!/ Tarantulas 8:09 pm *internal groan. ah, swoop. gotta come back in now* Yeeesss? Ratchet 8:10 pm *settles in quite comfortably to lean on Prowl. he is here for a nap tonight because he cannot get any peace on the Ark* Swoop 8:10 pm *bounces right up into Tara's person space* YOU call Bob! ItsyBitsySpyers 8:10 pm ((all right, warnings for tonight: ... THERE ARE NONE BECAUSE I HAVEN'T GOTTEN TO SEE THIS. if you haven't either, you're in the same boat as me.)) Rosanna 8:10 pm *quiet yay! since the movie is about to start* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:10 pm ((so if there's anything unpleasant or something, i apologize ahead of time)) Specs 8:11 pm ((uh, alcoholism is the big one I can think of off the top of my head. also being Hulked. and eye trauma.)) Smokescreen 8:11 pm ... /Smokescreen's making a point of looking towards the screen when/if he can hear Tarantulas./ ItsyBitsySpyers 8:11 pm ((thank ye)) Jetstream 8:11 pm ((Can vouch. it's not all that bad.)) ((Seenit before.)) Dragon 8:11 pm *looks around as wanders in* Awesome, just in time! ... Hi people I don't know? Omicron 8:11 pm *to the dragon on her neck* One or two are getting big enough, but their not as out going to those outside of the crew. There's a little wyvern, but she's very...umm...bitey ItsyBitsySpyers 8:11 pm ((and NO SPOILERS i swear to god I will boot people)) Prowl 8:11 pm I'm sure it will come with time. VProwl 8:11 pm ((there's a flashy scene. there might be more than one but i can only remember one)) ItsyBitsySpyers 8:11 pm ((i managed to keep myself mostly unspoiled and i'd like to stay that way)) Jetstream 8:12 pm ((THE VILLAIN IS-)) Specs 8:12 pm ((oh YEAH, there's two)) Tarantulas 8:12 pm Call Bob? What - why? Smokescreen 8:12 pm ((I'M THE VILLAIN Swoop 8:12 pm Him not here! ItsyBitsySpyers 8:12 pm *Also, Soundwave has nods for everyone who's come in since the last time I remembered to have him greet people. Bruin, Bull, and so on.* Smokescreen 8:12 pm Skeleton friend! ItsyBitsySpyers 8:12 pm [[A jaw-dropping introduction.]] Jetstream 8:12 pm ^well. that's... quaint^ Magnum Ace 8:13 pm ......... Specs 8:13 pm *the dragon chuffs in amusement* So was I, as a hatchling. Sometimes that's how the world is best explored. With teeth. Smokescreen 8:13 pm .... that guy sure is.... Omicron 8:13 pm *Ice Queen chirps a confused greating to Athena, remebers her from port* Smokescreen 8:13 pm he sure has horns! ItsyBitsySpyers 8:13 pm [[Mind yourself, Smokescreen.]] Smokescreen 8:13 pm Sounds come on it was too obvious Jetstream 8:13 pm ^what th- Baaahahaha!^ VProwl 8:13 pm *that human sounds familiar. has prowl seen this human before? he feels like he has. where has he seen him.* Dragon 8:13 pm *Athena blinks when she hears a chirp and looks over* Whoa hey, didn't expect to see you over here. Funny how the verse works, yeah? Magnum Ace 8:14 pm .........-snorts- Smokescreen 8:14 pm ... I like this thor more than the one in like the avengers movie Omicron 8:14 pm *to little dragon* this one has teeth that harded fist, she's left marks on my tail Jetstream 8:14 pm ^umm... yknow what ima let that stay^ Smokescreen 8:14 pm ..... this thor is just me giant eyebrows Swoop 8:15 pm *woudl love this fire themed badguy but he needs Tara to call Bob so they can mooooooovie* Magnum Ace 8:15 pm He's...big Specs 8:15 pm *another chuff* Teeth do that. Dragon 8:15 pm *hears the comment about a tiara and grins* Oh I like the blondie. He's got fire. Jetstream 8:15 pm ^This freaking movie...^ Tarantulas 8:15 pm *puts a distracted hand on swoophead and tries to comm bob to no avail* Swoop 8:16 pm *bounces to the music even if he isn't watching* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:16 pm *Soundwave pings Tarantulas. Greetings, spide.* Swoop 8:16 pm *this is def Dinobot music* Smokescreen 8:16 pm /He's practically bouncing watching this fight scene!/ Tarantulas 8:16 pm .....He's - not responding. Or more accurately, there's just - nothing. Specs 8:16 pm *okay, maybe the dragon is wiggling to the music. maybe a little. maybe a lottle.* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:16 pm #...that is a strong hammer #😮 VProwl 8:16 pm ... Oh. This guy. I remember him. From his other documentary. Prowl 8:16 pm Impressive weapon. Swoop 8:16 pm Comm broke 😛 Jetstream 8:17 pm ^That's ok. what's physics in movies anyways.^ Smokescreen 8:17 pm maaaaan I want thunder powers Omicron 8:17 pm *Icy might be tapping tail against her leg to music too* Magnum Ace 8:17 pm .... Tarantulas 8:17 pm I do hope that's what it is. *worries it's not* Magnum Ace 8:17 pm He's not doing his job, is he? Dragon 8:17 pm *laughing* I gotta get myself a hammer one of these days. Jetstream 8:17 pm ^who the heck is this?^ ItsyBitsySpyers 8:18 pm [[...Where is the bridgekeeper from before.]] Jetstream 8:18 pm ^SON OF A^ ItsyBitsySpyers 8:18 pm [[This one is an oaf.]] Omicron 8:18 pm .....? VProwl 8:18 pm ((tecks-awss)) Swoop 8:18 pm *huffs* Him Bob have to check in with Sunstreaker before movie. Him not check in yet. Sunstreaker say so. Rosanna 8:18 pm *there's the dragon she thought she saw!* Smokescreen 8:18 pm Ohhh- is that how you pronounce Texas? Omicron 8:18 pm Why is a human hording? Dragon 8:18 pm Humans are weird, Icy. *shrugs* Jetstream 8:18 pm ^No, uh... Smokescreen... right?^ Magnum Ace 8:18 pm Oh Rosanna 8:18 pm *wants it back on screen--thank you* Specs 8:18 pm Sometimes they have good ideas. *okay, the dragon does not have a problem. she has a solution, and that solution is cooking.* Omicron 8:18 pm true... you going to come over and sit down? ItsyBitsySpyers 8:18 pm *Huffs at the hammer trick.* Smokescreen 8:19 pm That's me! And it's called Texaws! ItsyBitsySpyers 8:19 pm ((A SHAKE-WEIGHT i'm crying)) Jetstream 8:19 pm ^WHAT WAS HE JUST USING^ Swoop 8:19 pm ((fuck off with the shake weight XD)) Magnum Ace 8:19 pm ..... Dragon 8:19 pm Eh? Oh, right. *Athena walks over to Icy and settles nearby* No sense in me standing in the doorway. Omicron 8:19 pm Scourge? that oaf takes a name after one of my mates? *snorts steam* Rosanna 8:19 pm ((that dragon. did it have like fire jets for wings)) Magnum Ace 8:19 pm that was only the opening? Bull 8:19 pm I hope that it didn't go through with him Specs 8:19 pm ...Fire wings? *her eyes have been opened* Bull 8:20 pm ... Jetstream 8:20 pm ^part of it did^ Rosanna 8:20 pm D : Magnum Ace 8:20 pm ........... ItsyBitsySpyers 8:20 pm [[That will make a fine trophy. When it stops sliding.]] Smokescreen 8:20 pm Poor dragon Omicron 8:20 pm ....the frag Magnum Ace 8:20 pm P-part of it did? Dragon 8:20 pm *Athena bursts out laughing* Ooooh that's one way to make an entrance. Specs 8:20 pm *the dragon whimpers a little* Poor cousin. Cousin-ish. Cousin three times removed? Tarantulas 8:21 pm *pats swoop on the head again* I'm sure he's alright. Jetstream 8:21 pm ^i'm with the blondie. what the heel is that^ Omicron 8:21 pm *shifts her neck as she nods* poor thing Smokescreen 8:21 pm .... PPpppp VProwl 8:21 pm *... isn't that the brother that backstabbed the... main character, here? why did he get a statue? he missed something.* Jetstream 8:22 pm ^Wait but that Odin guy IS in asgard...^ Omicron 8:22 pm Racer: *well timed* pffft Swoop 8:22 pm *tilts his head to lean into the pats* Him missing movie Specs 8:22 pm *look, sometimes you stab someone and then get a statue. it happens.* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:22 pm [[...He doesn't remember it happening this way.]] Smokescreen 8:22 pm I wanna see a play about me Tarantulas 8:22 pm And so are you and I, Swoop. Specs 8:22 pm ((the error message concerns me)) VProwl 8:23 pm ((same)) Rosanna 8:23 pm ((same Jetstream 8:23 pm ((yup)) Omicron 8:23 pm ((umm)) ItsyBitsySpyers 8:23 pm ((it's bob-mun don't worry)) Tarantulas 8:23 pm (( i'm EXCITE Specs 8:23 pm ((I know but... fear. something is Happen.)) wily 8:23 pm ((= =ob Swoop 8:23 pm Yeaaaaahhhh Us go movie now : > Jetstream 8:24 pm ^That's... is that not?^ ^Oooooohhh^ Specs 8:24 pm *cackles* Omicron 8:24 pm *laughs* Dragon 8:25 pm *grins* Somebody got busted. Omicron 8:25 pm .... O_o *predacon laugh mad it poof?* Smokescreen 8:25 pm PFFFF Omicron 8:25 pm (op, its back) Jetstream 8:25 pm ^...^ ^burn^ Swoop 8:26 pm *scampers back inside* Jetstream 8:26 pm ^OH! OH^ ^I KNOW THAT ONE^ Magnum Ace 8:26 pm !!! Swoop 8:26 pm ((swoop every movie night)) Smokescreen 8:26 pm .... man is it really that normal for gods to date mortals Specs 8:26 pm *chuffs more. this is hilarious* Omicron 8:26 pm humans have ground bridges? ItsyBitsySpyers 8:26 pm [[Not... usually.]] Dragon 8:26 pm *shrugs at Icy* Never question humans and their weirdness, I've learned. They're just... different. Jetstream 8:26 pm ^This is a rather...^ Smokescreen 8:27 pm ... is that wizardman Magnum Ace 8:27 pm Um...? Smokescreen 8:27 pm the wizard Jetstream 8:27 pm ^STRANGE encounter, amirite?^ Rosanna 8:27 pm *helm tilt* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:27 pm [[Who is that?]] Jetstream 8:27 pm ^ugh i should leave the puns to Whirlwind^ Bull 8:27 pm *is confused* Jetstream 8:27 pm ^You don't know?^ Smokescreen 8:27 pm thor comes in and breaks everything Omicron 8:27 pm I sense a possible show off ItsyBitsySpyers 8:27 pm [["Possible" nothing.]] Magnum Ace 8:27 pm Thor isn't...good with delicate objects Specs 8:27 pm Humans do enjoy their wing measuring contests. Omicron 8:28 pm ...XD Smokescreen 8:28 pm I don't like that wizard Magnum Ace 8:28 pm How? Omicron 8:28 pm ....can he do that with energon? *intrested* Dragon 8:28 pm Anyone who can fill a mug that fast is good in my books. *grins* Bet he's a favorite at parties. Bull 8:28 pm I think asking that question will just lead to more... Smokescreen 8:28 pm fdshjndasvbnMDSAVFB Jetstream 8:28 pm ^Primus. This movie^ Magnum Ace 8:28 pm ... Jetstream 8:28 pm ^Norway.^ ^Not. surprised. at all^ Magnum Ace 8:29 pm What the... Jetstream 8:29 pm ^Wait...Where's the witch^ ItsyBitsySpyers 8:29 pm *Mental mutter.* [[It is like dealing with greyfaces.]] Smokescreen 8:29 pm i like to imagine wizardguy isn't doing anything and thor just likes tumbling around Dragon 8:29 pm *blinks at the noise* ... Primus, sounds like one of my friends when the ninjas are chasing him. *laughs* Magnum Ace 8:29 pm Revenge, I think Jetstream 8:29 pm ^there he is^ Specs 8:29 pm *she's going to bust a lung laughing* Omicron 8:30 pm and this is why there's no teleporters currently in my crew Jetstream 8:30 pm ^HAHAHAH!^ Specs 8:30 pm Is this an unethical use of groundbridge technology, and if so, should I care? Magnum Ace 8:30 pm One way to deal with him Prowl 8:30 pm Certainly would be useful if our bridges could do that. Jetstream 8:30 pm ^Actually Soundwave can kinda do that^ ItsyBitsySpyers 8:31 pm [[He does not know, but he'd like to learn how to do it.]] Jetstream 8:31 pm ((Didn't Soundwave do just that to Arcee and almost do it to Miko?)) Smokescreen 8:31 pm ... he ItsyBitsySpyers 8:31 pm ((he can't do all the spot warping and whatnot)) Smokescreen 8:31 pm he better not die i'll Jetstream 8:31 pm ((fair enough)) Smokescreen 8:31 pm NO Dragon 8:32 pm Easy Smokescreen. Don't get revved just yet. There's bound to be some sort of twist he-ooooh that sounds bad. Omicron 8:32 pm ((wait)) Jetstream 8:32 pm ^not liking this^ Smokescreen 8:32 pm no no no no no Jetstream 8:32 pm ^He better freaking not^ Magnum Ace 8:32 pm ..... ItsyBitsySpyers 8:32 pm [[And he didn't think to tell anyone?]] Jetstream 8:32 pm ^ODIN DON'T YOU DARE^ Swoop 8:32 pm *settles down on the floor in front of the screen with the bowl for bob next to him* Magnum Ace 8:32 pm Oh no.... Omicron 8:32 pm ((hela? isn't she supposed to be Loki's first born child?)) Jetstream 8:32 pm ^Odin!^ Specs 8:32 pm ((she is, yes)) Swoop 8:32 pm *chances are it will become a bowl for bird but, hey, works out either way* Smokescreen 8:32 pm no no no no no n n Bull 8:32 pm I don't like where this is going Jetstream 8:32 pm ^Don't you even dare!^ Specs 8:32 pm ((but marvel gives No Shits about mythos)) Rosanna 8:32 pm ((#closenough)) Smokescreen 8:33 pm NO Jetstream 8:33 pm ^NO!!!^ Specs 8:33 pm That's a fancy way to die. Magnum Ace 8:33 pm ........ Jetstream 8:33 pm ^SON OF A-^ Dragon 8:33 pm *stares* ... that... at least he went out in style? Magnum Ace 8:33 pm He's gone... Jetstream 8:33 pm *stops himself from throwing something.* Omicron 8:33 pm (I remember them saying that in the cartoons and in the comics though) Smokescreen 8:34 pm come on you can't blame your goth brother for everything Magnum Ace 8:34 pm Um....? Jetstream 8:34 pm ^holy heck she's more goth than Loki^ Specs 8:34 pm *looks at Soundwave* You make entrances like that. Or at least your alternates do. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:34 pm [[He still does when it suits him.]] Bull 8:35 pm .... why is she reminding me of the Owner of the Blue Angels? Jetstream 8:35 pm ^where did that sword come from^ Dragon 8:35 pm Ooooh she's a nasty piece of work, this one... Swoop 8:35 pm KAH! ItsyBitsySpyers 8:35 pm [[And that cannot be good.]] Swoop 8:35 pm Good catch Magnum Ace 8:35 pm Because violent as....oh dear Jetstream 8:35 pm ^that was cool^ ^osht^ Specs 8:35 pm *gapes a grin and returns to looking at the movie. Soundwave is So Cool.* Jetstream 8:35 pm ^WHAT?!^ Rosanna 8:35 pm ! Magnum Ace 8:35 pm She...broke it Bull 8:35 pm I don't think that was suppose to break... ItsyBitsySpyers 8:35 pm *Now THAT is a crown.* Dragon 8:36 pm ... Kind of glad ground bridges don't do that. Specs 8:36 pm That would hurt. Right up until you died, anyways. Magnum Ace 8:36 pm Oh that's not...that's not good Swoop 8:36 pm Where him fall? Smokescreen 8:36 pm I wanna be flung into space ItsyBitsySpyers 8:36 pm [[It is perfectly possible to fall out of a ground bridge, if it destabilizes.]] [[You do not want that to happen.]] Omicron 8:37 pm well... Dragon 8:37 pm *stares* ... ow...? Smokescreen 8:37 pm what did I just say sounds Jetstream 8:37 pm ^Smokescreen, unless i'm mistaken, you WERE flung into space^ Swoop 8:37 pm Dead Magnum Ace 8:37 pm She just...killed them Smokescreen 8:37 pm Not while I was awake though! Tarantulas 8:37 pm *alright, it's taken tarantulas this long to steel his nerves and he still hasn't come back in yet, iiiit's not happening. time for the spide to go home* Jetstream 8:37 pm *spots Tarantulus* Tarantulas 8:37 pm (( mun is staying ooc *thumbs up* Omicron 8:37 pm *grumbles something under her breath about falling through bridges, sour look* Jetstream 8:37 pm ^Oy. You're that Spider scientist, yeah?^ Specs 8:37 pm To be fair, she doesn't seem like the sort to negotiate, nor does she seem to need to. Jetstream 8:38 pm ((killjoy)) ^nvm then^ Specs 8:38 pm There's something to be said for that. Maybe nothing good, but something. Dragon 8:38 pm I... will have to see if Frost ever fell out of one. He's got the luck for it... I know he's made landings like that before. Tarantulas 8:38 pm (( they can intro sometime! just having ooc difficulties atm Jetstream 8:38 pm ((:P)) Specs 8:38 pm ((I would send you a message of Goblin Support but the princess is eating my toes instead)) Rosanna 8:39 pm ((this reminds me of Junkion Omicron 8:39 pm ((I might be delayed, having some connection issues)) Smokescreen 8:39 pm ((aaaaa hope everything's okay on your end mau! tasty thor Jetstream 8:39 pm ((Middle one's Wreck-gar)) Smokescreen 8:39 pm I wanna be caught in a net Specs 8:40 pm *the dragon looks awed* I want to be that cool. Dragon 8:40 pm *looks at Smokescreen with mild wonderment* You're a special kind of adventurous aren't you kiddo? ItsyBitsySpyers 8:40 pm [[You do not. It is awkward and unpleasant. The pieces get caught in all your edges.]] Jetstream 8:40 pm ^She's wasted^ Specs 8:40 pm ...Oh... Jetstream 8:40 pm ^yup^ Swoop 8:40 pm Kah haha! Her fall! Smokescreen 8:40 pm I'd like to try everything at least once! And I do Sounds- I wouldn't say that if I didn't wanna try it! Omicron 8:40 pm that's a bad example of pirate life little dragon Jetstream 8:41 pm ^OOhhh hohoho Smokescreen 8:41 pm I WANT THAT FRAG YES Jetstream 8:41 pm ^Ruthless^ Dragon 8:41 pm Well... your fall then. *blinks at the gun controls shown* ... I think we ALL want that. Omicron 8:41 pm .....okay I like that *perks up* Specs 8:41 pm She looks like she's having fun! ItsyBitsySpyers 8:41 pm *....Makes a note of that for Dancitron's defense systems, maybe.* Jetstream 8:41 pm ^I amDEFINITELY getting one of those for my ship... when i hae a ship^ Omicron 8:41 pm ....! Swoop 8:41 pm Her like Bird kehhehhe ZAP Smokescreen 8:41 pm ... I DON'T want that part to happen! Dragon 8:41 pm That was brutal. *blinks* Omicron 8:41 pm *hisses at the screen, spines lifting* Dragon 8:42 pm *looks at Icy* Whoa, easy there. I've got a feeling this won't be a permanent problem. Omicron 8:42 pm I recognize control chips *glaring at the woman on screen* Specs 8:42 pm *the dragon, at least, sees nothing wrong with putting someone down and keeping them there. but she suspects there's more to this than that, and she's on the back of someone who's- ooooooh* Jetstream 8:43 pm ^That's more of a shock chip^ Omicron 8:43 pm *specs is safe, might be lifted up if on a spine* Swoop 8:43 pm kehee Jetstream 8:43 pm ^pft^ Swoop 8:44 pm This going to good fight Dragon 8:44 pm Oh this will not end well... Smokescreen 8:44 pm Actually Sounds, can you shock me again sometime? ItsyBitsySpyers 8:44 pm [[He will consider it.]] Magnum Ace 8:44 pm ........ Specs 8:44 pm As they say in those memes- Hela is Soundwave, and the legions of warriors are firewalls. Smokescreen 8:44 pm Thanks! I've been having trouble recharging again. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:44 pm [[And it seems like a poor idea to get into a physical fight with the god in control of death itself.]] Swoop 8:44 pm *bounces in place* Jetstream 8:44 pm ^Sounds accurate^ Swoop 8:44 pm Dead Magnum Ace 8:45 pm I... Jetstream 8:45 pm ^Killcount, anyone?^ Omicron 8:45 pm did she say she was a god of death Specs 8:45 pm *gapes another grin at Soundwave* What if you bridged them into the sun? Dragon 8:45 pm ... That was... horrifying... Magnum Ace 8:45 pm I think I'm going to... Swoop 8:45 pm KAHAH VProwl 8:45 pm *sets his avatar to autopilot. the movie isn't doing a great deal for him, and he's not having any conversation at the moment. he'll (probably) tune back in if someone speaks to him, but otherwise his avatar's recording the surroundings for him.* Swoop 8:45 pm Him no problem DEAD Smokescreen 8:45 pm ... You okay, Magnum? Bull 8:46 pm *if Bull could pale he would* Magnum Ace 8:46 pm -NOPE- Specs 8:46 pm HE'S BACK. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:46 pm [[He would like to be certain bridging such a being into the sun would not give them greater power, first.]] VProwl 8:46 pm ((oh this is the flashy scene i remembered)) Omicron 8:46 pm (prowl can always see racer, or have him come visit with his stick of nom) VProwl 8:46 pm ((not yet but in a mo)) Jetstream 8:46 pm ^wait wait... THIS MUSIC WTF^ Magnum Ace 8:47 pm -answers by burying his face in his knees- Specs 8:47 pm *grumbles* This is propaganda. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:47 pm *Soundwave tilts his helm. Is this not the song from the candy factory movie? Did Thor go there?* Smokescreen 8:47 pm .... I'd end up in that place wouldn't I Swoop 8:47 pm ((I love how blatantly Willy Wonka this is)) ItsyBitsySpyers 8:47 pm *Bristle.* [[/Property?/]] Omicron 8:47 pm are they trying to brain wash him? VProwl 8:47 pm ((okay it's done)) Jetstream 8:47 pm ^ppfffffHAhAH^ Omicron 8:47 pm ..... *hisses again- hiss pauses* Dragon 8:47 pm This... this I do not like.... *blink* ... *snirk* Specs 8:47 pm Poorly, but it seems so. Jetstream 8:48 pm ^Brutal^ Swoop 8:48 pm Him have energon on face *draws a finger over his chin where grand master has blue* Omicron 8:48 pm what...is with these organics ItsyBitsySpyers 8:48 pm *Bristling harder.* Bull 8:49 pm *Has a feeling this is how the UN views them* ..... Dragon 8:49 pm *watching with a frown* Well... this is certainly... interesting... Omicron 8:49 pm *soundwave isn't the only one bristling at this* Magnum Ace 8:49 pm -knows this is how the UN views them- Jetstream 8:49 pm ((oh this)) ^wha-^ Smokescreen 8:50 pm ... Bull 8:50 pm !!!! Jetstream 8:50 pm ^oh primus^ Swoop 8:50 pm *squeaks and laughs* Him MELTED Specs 8:50 pm The blue stripe is like what Docents have on their muzzles. Is he a planetary Docent? Is that his claim? Dragon 8:50 pm *O_O* that... oh that was just... *shudders* Bull 8:50 pm *hopes Magnum was not looking up* Magnum Ace 8:50 pm -didn't need to look up, he heard it- Swoop 8:51 pm ((that sudden smile drop lol)) Smokescreen 8:51 pm loki just lives to party Magnum Ace 8:51 pm -curls into a tighter ball- Jetstream 8:51 pm ^what does that mean^ ^oh wait... nevermind^ Smokescreen 8:51 pm th Omicron 8:51 pm *Icy shifts and sits up, protective of Racer and now specs on her- Racer though seems interested in the music off and on as he chews* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:52 pm [[He is a vile fleshling who attempts to take ownership of souls as though they were - as though they were pretty baubles to be displayed before others.]] Bull 8:52 pm *places a hand on Magnum's shoulder and is try not to react the same way* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:52 pm [[He deserves no claim to anything.]] [[Except, perhaps, to a front row seat with Hela.]] Smokescreen 8:52 pm that guy ROCKS Swoop 8:52 pm *giggles, this humor is on his level* Omicron 8:53 pm Or frount row view of Dreaded Wings' main cannon Specs 8:53 pm Noted. *he's like the Eaten, then.* Do you think Hela eats him by the end of the documentary? Jetstream 8:53 pm ^hang on i need to make a call^ *comlink on* ^Dude. you know that movie you saw? it's playing at Soundwave's.^ ItsyBitsySpyers 8:53 pm [[He hopes this "Grandmaster" is eaten in the next three minutes.]] Magnum Ace 8:53 pm -will thank Bull for trying, later- Jetstream 8:53 pm *Whirlwind enters, albeit a bit hurriedly* Specs 8:54 pm *yawns, and shows all her Teeths* It would be deserved. Ratchet 8:54 pm [[ i like the rock guy he's cute ]] Specs 8:54 pm ((korg is the best)) Jetstream 8:54 pm "Why didn't you just say that was where you were going?" ^Didn't think you'd care so much.^ VProwl 8:54 pm ((the rock guy is a peach)) Omicron 8:54 pm RAcer: *meeps up at little dragon, showing off his fangs back?* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:54 pm *Briefly admires the Teeths as a distraction from his hatred of the Grandmaster.* VProwl 8:55 pm ((notice his revolution failed because he didn't make enough pamphlets)) ((rock, defeated by paper)) ItsyBitsySpyers 8:55 pm ((....i missed that)) Jetstream 8:55 pm ((son of a-)) Smokescreen 8:55 pm ... man now I'm wondering if the hall of records has anything like this Ratchet 8:55 pm [[ omg ]] Specs 8:55 pm *the dragon chirps at Racer* Yes! They're wonderful. You will shred so many things. Dragon 8:55 pm ((I never caught that before. o.o LOL) Omicron 8:55 pm (pffft that's awesome) Swoop 8:55 pm *snickers* Her funny Specs 8:55 pm ((I can't decide whether to be HORRIFIED that puff pointed that out, or unsurprised that puff noticed it first)) Smokescreen 8:55 pm energonnnn enered john Swoop 8:56 pm Oh! Her fire : > Omicron 8:56 pm Racer: ya! *lifts up his metal stick and waves it around again, he's a thrid through* VProwl 8:56 pm ((i saw it pointed out somewhere else, lol)) Swoop 8:56 pm That bad floor Jetstream 8:56 pm ^This can't be good^ "It isn't" Magnum Ace 8:56 pm ........ Smokescreen 8:56 pm ... this makes me really want to destroy slag is that bad Magnum Ace 8:56 pm -peers back up- Smokescreen 8:56 pm I want to wreck a floor and jump through to the first level Dragon 8:56 pm I'm kinda with dino-bird on this one; that is not a safe floor... and an even worse basement by the look of it. *shudder* Specs 8:56 pm Who puts a floor over a giant crypt? Swoop 8:56 pm Destroy Slag????? :V Smokescreen 8:56 pm me Omicron 8:56 pm a tomb? Smokescreen 8:56 pm I do that ItsyBitsySpyers 8:56 pm *Note to self: Smokescreen is impressionable as Pit.* Smokescreen 8:56 pm Destroy stuff! Swoop 8:56 pm *looks at Smokescreen with confusion* Slag stuff? Omicron 8:57 pm .....didn't a whole organic city do that on earth? Smokescreen 8:57 pm /He didn't Sounds already know this/ Bull 8:57 pm .... *whines lowly* Jetstream 8:57 pm ^What?!^ "yup" Smokescreen 8:57 pm Slag stuff! Dragon 8:57 pm *jolts back, utterly horrified* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:57 pm *AND NOW THERE ARE TERRORCON GODS?* Specs 8:57 pm Did they at least drop a glacier over the pit first? Swoop 8:57 pm Kehehe You have to get past Him Slag first! Kehhehehhh ItsyBitsySpyers 8:57 pm *Is practically flattened to the couch yet puffed as far as his armor can go.* Magnum Ace 8:57 pm -horrified noises- Omicron 8:57 pm ..... well....this is bad *lifts wings and holds them loosely, if someone needs they can hide under them* Jetstream 8:57 pm ^Look at how done with Loki he is!^ Smokescreen 8:58 pm You've gotta at least try, right? Specs 8:58 pm If they break the hammer, use your claws. If they break those, use your teeth. It's simple. Omicron 8:59 pm *radiating protectiveness, Queen mode* Jetstream 8:59 pm "Blunt" Dragon 8:59 pm *shifts uncomfortably, but slowly relaxing* Thank Primus that Remix didn't bring her minis to see this; they'd be scarred for life. Smokescreen 8:59 pm i love that guy Omicron 8:59 pm ......... *snorts at that* Jetstream 8:59 pm "hahaha!" Specs 8:59 pm *HAH* The only proper reaction. Smokescreen 8:59 pm he's mcfreakin gone Magnum Ace 9:00 pm -slowly pats Bull when he's recovered enough to- Jetstream 9:00 pm ^HAHAHA^ "real mature" Smokescreen 9:00 pm CFASDGVHBJZXCHBJNMCXV Specs 9:00 pm ((fhaksjfaljsfga)) Swoop 9:00 pm !!! ItsyBitsySpyers 9:00 pm ((.............)) Jetstream 9:00 pm ^AW" Swoop 9:00 pm ??? Omicron 9:00 pm ?@?@ Smokescreen 9:00 pm that timing is Dragon 9:00 pm *stare* ... Well... Scrap. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:00 pm ((uh. hold on.)) Omicron 9:00 pm ....what Dragon 9:00 pm ((Haha no worries)) Rosanna 9:00 pm (( r i p Smokescreen 9:00 pm it's gotta be intentional right Specs 9:01 pm *distraught peep* Omicron 9:01 pm *shifts and huffs* if anyone needs they can use my wings ItsyBitsySpyers 9:01 pm ((....for fuck's sake. y'all gimme a minute okay.)) Dragon 9:01 pm *rolls her shoulders before glancing at Icy* So, those two tykes you met with my crew? They're growin' up. Driving the boss nuts. *grins* Magnum Ace 9:01 pm ((kaaay Dragon 9:01 pm ((No worries, you got time. 😃)) Smokescreen 9:02 pm ((no worries!! Jetstream 9:02 pm *Whirlwind looks over at "Other Prowl"* "Oh hey! Are you another Prowl?" Omicron 9:02 pm ((we can chat here)) Swoop 9:02 pm *reaches over and tugs on the nearest bit of Smokescreen's armor* Smokescreen 9:02 pm !! /Looking over at Swoop, and is going to try to pat his helm!/ Swoop 9:03 pm *immediately leans into getting pet* Smokescreen 9:03 pm ... /Petpetpet/ Omicron 9:03 pm *looks at Athena* they have? good. Those insecticon workers are healed now, though I lost one worker recently. Dragon 9:03 pm ((Yay! 😀)) Swoop 9:03 pm You call Bob Specs 9:03 pm ((yay!)) ItsyBitsySpyers 9:03 pm ((don't cheer yet)) Smokescreen 9:03 pm I don't have Bob's comm! Rosanna 9:03 pm (( for now I \o/ Smokescreen 9:03 pm /Pet peeeeet pettt/ Specs 9:03 pm ((YAY)) ItsyBitsySpyers 9:03 pm ((.... all right. we'll hope it sticks.)) Swoop 9:03 pm *pings the frequency over to Smokescreen* You call Him and ask if Him going to movie : < Dragon 9:04 pm *grins at Icy* Yeah, but that's probably because they've been hanging out with our jet. He's a nutcase at the best of times. *thinks a moment* Sorry to hear 'bout your worker. At least the rest are healthy though, yeah? Specs 9:04 pm Drinking things that are on fire. A wonderful tradition. Smokescreen 9:04 pm p primus I can try? Omicron 9:05 pm flames can be fun Smokescreen 9:05 pm /And he's gonna try to comm Bob!/ Jetstream 9:05 pm ^Wow he's old^ Specs 9:05 pm ((comm boob)) Omicron 9:05 pm ................. Smokescreen 9:05 pm ((sadvbncxvbmn my o key is broken Dragon 9:05 pm Primus! *stares in horror* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:05 pm *And now they modify him against his will.* Swoop 9:05 pm *stares expectantly at Smokescreen* Jetstream 9:05 pm "That's Stan Lee, Jetstream. Respect him" Smokescreen 9:05 pm ... Beep beep beep hewwo Bob are you there? Omicron 9:05 pm its a pit fight... ItsyBitsySpyers 9:06 pm *...Soundwave is going to stand up and go upstairs.* Specs 9:06 pm They could rise up and eat him. Swoop 9:06 pm *looks at Smokescreen like he's bananas* Dragon 9:06 pm *shifts a bit and scowls a bit* This looks bad... Smokescreen 9:06 pm GIVE HIM HIS HAIR BACK Rosanna 9:06 pm ((is that Kratos makeup ((or at least that's wht it reminds me of lmao Smokescreen 9:07 pm ... /Patting Swoop again and actually tries comming Swoop./ Jetstream 9:07 pm *Whirlwind shifts giddily* Dragon 9:07 pm *stares* ... Dude would be a boss to wrestle against. Specs 9:07 pm ((loki's face is PRICELESS)) Jetstream 9:07 pm ^What?^ "What do you mean what?" Swoop 9:08 pm *looks at the screen* It Hulk! Omicron 9:08 pm ..... *Ice Queen gets up for a moment but since little dragon is watching sh just turns around so her back is to the pit fight, pulling Racer down and under a wing* Smokescreen 9:08 pm ...... Yeahhhh Thor is me Swoop 9:08 pm ((oh my fucking god loki's face)) Dragon 9:08 pm *looks at Icy with concern* You gonna be alright? ((XD Loki's expressions are amazing as always.)) Specs 9:09 pm *the dragon herself readjusts herself so that she can watch without forcing Icy to go through contortions. she's going to purr, too. that's a good way to make people feel calm, right?* Swoop 9:09 pm *pats Smokescreen* Him Bob check in with Sunstreaker for movie night yet?? Omicron 9:09 pm I grew up in cresh Pits, I don't want to see this scrap ItsyBitsySpyers 9:09 pm *That is exactly why Soundwave is upstairs working on something else instead.* *He had enough of this in person.* Jetstream 9:09 pm "Did you people learn nothing from tony's example? Never mention puny Banner" Smokescreen 9:09 pm !! /Doorwings wiggle as he's pat! And he's patting Swoop back./ I don't know, Swoop. Do you want some to get some energon while we wait? Dragon 9:09 pm Ah... yeah, that's a rough scene... bet you and the big guy on my crew have something to relate to each other with that way. I'll letcha know when it's over, alright? Magnum Ace 9:09 pm -back to hiding his face now- Swoop 9:09 pm No Omicron 9:10 pm @Soundwave: can I go somewhere not to see this? Smokescreen 9:10 pm 😔 Jetstream 9:10 pm ^HAHAHA!^ ItsyBitsySpyers 9:10 pm *Soundwave sends her a small map to the canyon a little ways out of Dancitron.* Jetstream 9:10 pm ^Trapped!^ Bull 9:10 pm *Bull groans* Dragon 9:10 pm ((Freaking Loki, lol)) Smokescreen 9:11 pm Fair enough Swoop- you wanna sit and wait? Specs 9:11 pm Creche pits? Creche, as in, where hatchlings are raised? *well, that horrifies the dragon* Swoop 9:11 pm *mock siiiighs but is immediately into the movie* Them FIGHT Omicron 9:12 pm *IceQueen shakes herself carefully, gets little drago in jaws and puts on a counter on her way outside, picking up Racer and goes to get a flight* yes exactly that. I'm not going to see this. Jetstream 9:12 pm ^???^ Swoop 9:12 pm ZAP! Magnum Ace 9:12 pm -seriously not watching anymore- Dragon 9:12 pm *watches Icy head out, grimacing in concern before looking back to see when it ends so she can let Icy know* Specs 9:12 pm ... *she is on the counter now. okay. that's fair. Icy definitely needs some time.* Jetstream 9:12 pm ^Woah...^ Swoop 9:12 pm Coooooll! Magnum Ace 9:12 pm -sorry Bull- Swoop 9:13 pm Oh! Him JUMP on! Kehehheh SPLAT Dragon 9:13 pm *gets up to go track down Icy and make sure she's alright* Smokescreen 9:14 pm REVOLUTION ItsyBitsySpyers 9:14 pm *Frenzy heads over to the Boss and taps him on the leg. The Pit is done with for now.*

*Soundwave will make his way back downstairs and reseat himself.* Smokescreen 9:14 pm when I was a young boy Jetstream 9:14 pm *Whirlwind goes and sits near Smokescreen* Specs 9:14 pm *the dragon would help, but she's only got a respirator. accidentally falling, or acid rain, or being stepped on are all real and dangerous hazards. she will give Icy's friend a supportive chirp, though. go comfort the predacon!* Swoop 9:14 pm *snickers at smokescreen* Smokescreen 9:15 pm ? /Smokescreen's feeling popular today! But waves at Whirlwind./ Dragon 9:15 pm *glances at Specs and winks on her way past* Jetstream 9:15 pm *Whirlwind waves back* Specs 9:15 pm HIM. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:15 pm [[Finally.]] [[Someone not utterly disgusting.]] Swoop 9:15 pm It, uhhh, guy Pacific Rim Omicron 9:16 pm *Icy is is streaching her wings, Racer sitting at the door noming- says something that the big predacon trusts soundwave enough that her hatching will be safe for now* Jetstream 9:16 pm "He HeimDEALT with those freaks" Specs 9:16 pm Maybe he eats those who need to be eaten? Although he's got those silly human teeth... ItsyBitsySpyers 9:16 pm *The first to so much as think of injuring Racer will lose their limb.* Dragon 9:17 pm *wanders closer, but not quite in range* Hey, it's over. I don't think they'll have anything like that again. Gonna stay out here for a bit, or up for coming back in now? Swoop 9:17 pm *streeeeeeeeeetches* When them more fighting? : > And joke Prowl 9:17 pm *Prowl's tuned out a while ago, focusing most of her processing power on more important matters, but she's still monitoring her surroundings and what's happening in the documentary* Smokescreen 9:17 pm i heard thor was ripped Specs 9:17 pm *!!!* *the dragon doesn't technically SAY anything, but she lets out a series of warbles and whistles at seeing Heimdal's sanctuary* Smokescreen 9:17 pm that he had a 6 pack Swoop 9:17 pm what a 6 pack? Smokescreen 9:18 pm The chest! It's a way they show how strong they are Swoop 9:18 pm what 6 for? Omicron 9:18 pm RAcer: *wanders back in with his stick, confused as to why he's alone....this is pack?* Smokescreen 9:18 pm For each level of strength! They have a 1-pack if they can barely fight Swoop 9:18 pm How many Swoop has???? Smokescreen 9:19 pm You, Swoop? 200! Specs 9:19 pm *the dragon hops down with an energon cookie in one paw* Wanna go back to the couch with me, Racer? Swoop 9:19 pm keeheee THEN 6 not much at aaaaaaaall Smokescreen 9:19 pm ... OH like red and white hulk Omicron 9:19 pm *frustrated predacon roaring in the air away, she's getting some cursing and things out of her system* Swoop 9:20 pm Him Grimlock have baby arms KAHA! Him get zap again! Omicron 9:21 pm Racer: *gasp! energon! and a stick, follows innocently* Specs 9:21 pm *back up to the couch they go! and Racer gets the cookie. she'd say something, but Heimdall is back doing his thing and she does that string of whistles again.* Swoop 9:21 pm COOOL Dragon 9:22 pm *is staying with Icy for the present, quiet but there if she wants someone to talk to* Swoop 9:22 pm Kehehhehh Smokescreen 9:22 pm DON'T BULLY HULK noooooo Swoop 9:23 pm *gets increasingly worked up into a laughing mess, this is literally the dinocave and he loves it* Omicron 9:23 pm RAcer: *fail at climbing couch, but he wants cookie* Swoop 9:23 pm *flops over, still laughing* *if he needed to breath, this would be a problem* Specs 9:24 pm *the dragon is a softie. Racer gets cookie.* Alright, alright. Just stay nearby until your docent gets back, okay? Omicron 9:25 pm RAcer: *happy trill, no promises as he eats the energon cookie, he's on the floor that means he can wonder* Specs 9:26 pm *the dragon stress-bakes. she feels reasonably confident in the quantities of energon cookies to keep him corralled, if maybe overfed* Smokescreen 9:27 pm PFfff Swoop 9:27 pm KAHAHAHAHHAHHAHAH Omicron 9:27 pm ((pfft)) Magnum Ace 9:27 pm -snorts at the window jumping- Smokescreen 9:27 pm I wanna jump out a window.... Swoop 9:27 pm Me Swoop jump things aaaaaaaaall the time Smokescreen 9:28 pm /He's looking around for windows. Just out of curiosity!/ Swoop 9:28 pm Him Bob find WINGS! Me Swoop want to get him to flying! Omicron 9:28 pm RAcer: *is so confused, he's noming stick and cookies, but starts to sniff around* Smokescreen 9:28 pm hulks just lonely Magnum Ace 9:28 pm ((Rabbit ((stop eating my shit Specs 9:29 pm *sniffing is allowed! wandering too far away from the couch will prompt the dragon to retrieve... ANOTHER COOKIE* Smokescreen 9:29 pm banner's gonna be naked Magnum Ace 9:29 pm It's...I've done that. A few times...I mean the window jumping... Omicron 9:29 pm *Icy lands outside and sits by her friend* Dragon 9:30 pm *looks at Icy and offers an encouraging smile* Feel better? Smokescreen 9:31 pm c criminally seductive Swoop 9:31 pm That means tricky Specs 9:32 pm I almost regret suggesting eating him. He must be riddled with prions. Omicron 9:32 pm Racer: *meeps, looks around and looks for pedes he knows, the little predacon trying to move with a cookie and stick* Specs 9:32 pm ((racer pls cookies are for eat)) Omicron 9:32 pm .....sort of, but I think a roaring predacon will start to scare the locals ((racer is going to do a cute with his half eatten cookie)) Dragon 9:33 pm Ah, it might, yes. But hey, sounds like the bad stuff's over, so at least there's that. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:33 pm *...He hopes Prowl is on autopilot right now, or else this would be a bad thing.* Magnum Ace 9:33 pm -and back to hiding his face- Swoop 9:33 pm DEAD Specs 9:34 pm ((racer already is a cute)) VProwl 9:34 pm *he is* Omicron 9:34 pm ((...then he's going to kill with cute)) Specs 9:34 pm ((im ded already)) Omicron 9:35 pm Racer: *sniffing his way to a mech he knows, good thing peopel are sitting* Smokescreen 9:35 pm thor Specs 9:35 pm *the dragon just follows Racer. she may be tiny, but she's going to keep him safe! the tiniest bodyguard.* Omicron 9:36 pm are you sure? *folding wings down* Dragon 9:37 pm Yeah. From what I picked up, blondie escaped and is working his way around to an off-planet adventure. Swoop 9:39 pm Keheheheh! SMACK! Keheehee! Omicron 9:39 pm Racer:: *sits beside Soundwave's pede* Smokescreen 9:39 pm pppppffhffp Specs 9:40 pm *okay, that's probably the safest place for Racer to be.* Specs 9:41 pm *CACKLES* Smokescreen 9:41 pm cxzbnmcbnmsdfnbmcvm Swoop 9:41 pm KEHAHEHEH! Dragon 9:41 pm ((XD that story is great.)) Swoop 9:41 pm That good trick Omicron 9:41 pm Racer: *careful pat with a paw on the hosts pede, waits for attention* Smokescreen 9:41 pm EGGS Windchill 9:41 pm *Walks in at the wrong moment.* Tarantulas 9:41 pm (( *loud ooc snorting* Swoop 9:41 pm *notices Windchill and pops up* HI! Windchill 9:42 pm *Looks too tired for this already, as if he's aged 20 million years in the past week.* Hi, Swoop. Swoop 9:42 pm *scampers over into windchill's space* You call Bob! Bull 9:42 pm ... *really doesn't like that guy* Omicron 9:42 pm *icy comes in again to sit to one side* Smokescreen 9:42 pm I wish I had a family again like this... Windchill 9:43 pm I call Bob? Dragon 9:43 pm *Athena follows after her and settles nearby, as before* There we go. See? Things are better. Swoop 9:43 pm yah Smokescreen 9:44 pm maybe family that doesn't have needl- Loki no 😔 Windchill 9:44 pm *He's going to engage in this...conversation and watch the film simultaneously. He's seen this already so it's fine.* Magnum Ace 9:44 pm -okay, this is a nice lull- Windchill 9:44 pm Why call Bob? Smokescreen 9:44 pm fPFPFFFHF Specs 9:44 pm *cackles more* Jetstream 9:44 pm ^BAAAHAHAHA!^ Swoop 9:44 pm Him Bob not at movie Magnum Ace 9:44 pm -oh wow- .... Windchill 9:44 pm Why is Bob not here? Specs 9:45 pm Turnabout is fair play, I suppose. Jetstream 9:45 pm "That's a shock. when that get there?" Dragon 9:45 pm *Athena blinks* ... I... did not see that coming... *grimace* Jetstream 9:45 pm ^Whirlwind, you little.^ Magnum Ace 9:45 pm ............. Swoop 9:45 pm Dunno! Him supposed to check in with Him Sunstreaker and then movie with Swoop. But no check in! So Swoop come here. And no Bob still. Omicron 9:45 pm Racer: *has dropped his things and put the half eaten energon cookie on soundwave's pede for when he comes back to it, and starts chewing on his stick, sitting beside Specs* Bull 9:46 pm .... *is so happy he never felt a shock circuit* Omicron 9:46 pm ((rabbit keeps eating my cute)) ItsyBitsySpyers 9:46 pm *Soundwave glances down at his foot and tilts it up to better see what's now stuck to it. Is that... is that a half-eaten snack?* *...........Okay. He'll leave it where it is.* Windchill 9:46 pm *Looks suspicious. On one half of his face, anyway.* Magnum Ace 9:47 pm -Those things do remind him of the shock circuit and he's not happy about it- Swoop 9:47 pm *bounces* Omicron 9:47 pm RAcer: *meeps! he's learning to give gifts* Windchill 9:47 pm Why don't you call Bob? Swoop 9:47 pm Did! Windchill 9:47 pm And? Swoop 9:47 pm No answer So! You call : > Specs 9:47 pm *Racer gets a pat on the head and another cookie. Good hatchling.* Windchill 9:47 pm Did you ask Soundwave? Swoop 9:48 pm Yes Dragon 9:48 pm Frag, this chick's giving Striker a run for her credits... Omicron 9:48 pm indeed...might not want to show her this Windchill 9:48 pm So my calling Bob would be a little redundant, don't you think? Swoop 9:48 pm No Specs 9:48 pm (( https://78.media.tumblr.com/3fa050fe628706b6451e832886ef83a4/tumblr_p67iw3ImaD1wz9wjeo1_1280.png )) ((it's relevant I swear)) Dragon 9:48 pm *laughs* Primus no, she frays her sire's circuits as it is already. Windchill 9:49 pm Well, I think it is. *Tries to not sputter mid-sentence.* Omicron 9:49 pm RAcer: ! *noms cookie* Windchill 9:49 pm I'll call Bob one time. Swoop 9:49 pm *bounces on his toes like he wants to get picked up* Kay! Windchill 9:49 pm *Picks him up without hesitation, sorry.* Swoop 9:50 pm *is absolutely down for this and hugs Windchill around the neck* You call now Windchill 9:50 pm *Great, he might have miscalculated. Now he's got a fancy necklace.* Ratchet 9:50 pm [[ i love rock guy i love him. also look at that good big doggo ]] Specs 9:50 pm *bristles and hisses at Skurge* ((GOOD DOGGO)) Windchill 9:50 pm *He always was bad at math.* Okay. Swoop 9:51 pm *is a winner winner chicken dinner, just needs a bug friend to complete things* Windchill 9:51 pm *Calls Bob I guess.* Omicron 9:51 pm RAcer: *tries to minic bristling, no idea why* Swoop 9:51 pm ((bob's comm is unavailable fyi)) Windchill 9:51 pm (( I guessed. )) Specs 9:52 pm ((I typed good doggo and the princess sat on my keyboard and muted everything)) Windchill 9:52 pm *Waits...gets distracted by the movie for a few seconds...waits some more...* Swoop 9:52 pm *sets his chin on Windchill and stares at him* Specs 9:52 pm *pats Racer* Don't worry, little hatchling. You're safe. Windchill 9:52 pm I don't think he's going to answer, Swoop. Swoop 9:53 pm *unblinking staring* Windchill 9:53 pm *Gives up.* Omicron 9:53 pm Racer: *happy still, chewing on his stick again, waiting for another cookie* Windchill 9:53 pm Well, we tried. Magnum Ace 9:53 pm -now what is going on?- Specs 9:53 pm ((help a kitten is holding my keyboard hostage)) Swoop 9:54 pm Him Bob missing movie Bull 9:54 pm nothing good... Windchill 9:54 pm (( Ur doomed say your prayers.)) Yeah...it's a good one, too. Magnum Ace 9:54 pm I...figured as much Windchill 9:54 pm *Sighs, still just standing more or less near the doorway.* Specs 9:54 pm ((oh goblin princess, please release my keyboard, if not my heart)) Omicron 9:55 pm (kittly noms?) Swoop 9:55 pm *leans backwards to look at the screen upside down* Specs 9:55 pm ((she is full of teeth and noise)) Dragon 9:55 pm ((XD cats are always a love/hate relationship) Specs 9:55 pm ((nah, she's love/love, she's just a demanding little child)) Magnum Ace 9:56 pm ...... Dragon 9:56 pm ((Haha glad she's a good kitty.)) Magnum Ace 9:57 pm Oh...oh no Windchill 9:57 pm You're pulling on me. *Reaches around to grab at Swoop's fingers, probably in vain.* Dragon 9:57 pm ... Icy? ... let's NEVER show that critter to Striker. She'll want one in a heartbeat. Omicron 9:57 pm Racer: *puts his next cookie on soundwave's pede too, trying to be a good boy* Windchill 9:57 pm *Gives up, having a better idea.* Omicron 9:58 pm ....yeah, no. she tried to take one of predacons like that Swoop 9:58 pm *pops his head back up to look at Windchill* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:58 pm *Soundwave glances down again and tilts his helm. What is with the cookies...?*

*He picks the second one up and looks at it, then to Racer. Points at himself with a finger. Is this supposed to be his?* Windchill 9:58 pm You need to ride on my back if you're going to be stuck on me for the movie. Dragon 9:58 pm ((I know I wrote a response to Icy... o.o)) Swoop 9:59 pm Backpack Windchill 9:59 pm (( It's eating a lot tonight, I've had to retype several things. )) Dragon 9:59 pm Yeah, though she's more likely to ask for one than just take one. Jetstream 9:59 pm "..." Specs 9:59 pm ((yeah, same here)) Windchill 9:59 pm Yes, like a backpack. Specs 9:59 pm *CACKLES* Bull 9:59 pm ...... Specs 9:59 pm I've felt like that before.. Smokescreen 9:59 pm banner no Omicron 9:59 pm Racer: *exited wiggle and waves a paw, present! for soundwave!* Bull 10:00 pm ((Banner No, Hulk YES)) Swoop 10:00 pm Ok : > Backpack Magnum Ace 10:00 pm ((pfffff ...... That looked...painful ItsyBitsySpyers 10:00 pm *Ah. So it IS for him. He nods and makes a show of placing it in his subspace, since he can't eat it in public.*

*He'll trade a very tiny bead of silver. Here you go, Racer.* Windchill 10:00 pm *Nods as best as he can with a dinobot hanging from his neck.* Do it. Ratchet 10:00 pm [[ I LOVE HIM ]] Dragon 10:00 pm ((Freaking Loki XD)) ItsyBitsySpyers 10:00 pm ((oh my god.)) Swoop 10:01 pm *hoists himself up over Windchill's shoulder to climb around the long way to get on his back* Smokescreen 10:01 pm LOKI Specs 10:01 pm *cackles more* I like him, I think. Omicron 10:01 pm ((dude has style)) well.... *won't admit she would do just that* Windchill 10:01 pm *Thank Primus. He might be harder to pry off this way, but he'll deal with the consequences later.* Ratchet 10:01 pm [[ i meant korg tho ]] Windchill 10:02 pm (( Korg is pretty great. )) Magnum Ace 10:02 pm ....... Omicron 10:02 pm Racer: *OMG SHINY! whiggles around happily for the silver- is it just a shiny? can he eat it?!* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:02 pm [][][]Eat.[][][] Windchill 10:02 pm *He's not gonna sit down though, not with this new parasite.* Swoop 10:02 pm *is an A+ backpack, maximum secure grip* Windchill 10:03 pm *So long as it's not Permanent Backpack.* Specs 10:03 pm *wiggles* Omicron 10:03 pm RAcer: *NOM!* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:03 pm *Gentle pat.* Dragon 10:03 pm .... Gotta hand it to humans, this music's pretty epic. No wonder Remix is always jamming. Windchill 10:03 pm We'll try to call Bob later. We can always watch the movie again. Omicron 10:03 pm Racer: *paws on soundwaves fingers, but not noming them* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:04 pm *...What a power to have.* Swoop 10:04 pm Kay Windchill 10:04 pm *That's as reassuring as it's gonna get, sorry.* Smokescreen 10:04 pm I was about to say I wish I could have awesmoe theme music play whenever but But I CAN do that ww Magnum Ace 10:04 pm ...yikes Omicron 10:04 pm ....hey look, jolt as a human Specs 10:04 pm *suddenly rises up onto her hind legs, mantles her wings, and allows herself a wild, howling warble* *and then gets back down and ducks her head. okay, that was a little embarrassing* Dragon 10:05 pm *laughs* I was gonna say I need to bug our medic about getting an electricity upgrade. Frost's got his ice bombs, I don't wanna be left out. Magnum Ace 10:05 pm !!! Omicron 10:05 pm You have a giant aft shield that can punt people Athena, I don't think you're left out Magnum Ace 10:05 pm -looks around the room for where the noise came from- Dragon 10:06 pm *thinks* ... *grins* True that. Frost can't pack that thing around to save his life. Windchill 10:06 pm You know what might make you Swoop feel better? Swoop 10:06 pm What? Windchill 10:06 pm A sticker, duh. Swoop 10:06 pm YAH! Me Swoop like stickers Windchill 10:07 pm Yes, I know. Swoop 10:07 pm You have sticker? Omicron 10:07 pm Racer: *noming and wiggling happily, soft metal? he can chew it!* Smokescreen 10:07 pm Wait wait stickers where Windchill 10:07 pm Yes. Do you want...a fire sticker or a turtle sticker? Swoop 10:07 pm FIRE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Jetstream 10:07 pm ^LOKI NO^ ^FOCUS^ Windchill 10:08 pm *They're car decals because that's how you get big enough stickers on Earth, okay.* Specs 10:08 pm ((a place in midgard called Texas)) Windchill 10:08 pm Okay. Swoop 10:08 pm ((there is something incredible about a guy in full body armor with two automatic guns jumping out of a space ship)) Dragon 10:08 pm ((Achievement unlocked: Des-Troy)) Specs 10:08 pm ((also, seriously, how much damn ammo is in that thing)) ((oh)) Magnum Ace 10:08 pm ((not enough Omicron 10:09 pm ((that much is seems)) Specs 10:09 pm ((I, too, headbutt undead abominations)) Swoop 10:09 pm !!!! Windchill 10:09 pm *Digs around in his bra/subspace for a flame sticker. Swoop gets a white one today. He'll hold it back over his head for Swoop to take.* Magnum Ace 10:09 pm !!!!! Swoop 10:10 pm *chirps!* VProwl 10:10 pm ((i'm so happy for that dude)) Swoop 10:10 pm *takes the sticker thx* Dragon 10:10 pm ... Hey... Icy? ... Ever think this is what Magnus does when he gets mad? Specs 10:10 pm ((IN THE BACKGROUND)) VProwl 10:10 pm ((he wanted one thing. he wanted to destroy asgard. and he got it.)) Bull 10:10 pm .... Smokescreen 10:10 pm HULK NO gotta smash Windchill 10:10 pm *Ur welcome.* Specs 10:10 pm *cackles* It's Smokescreen as an organic! Smokescreen 10:10 pm HEY COME ON I almost never smash! Swoop 10:11 pm *chatters while he plays with the sticker* VProwl 10:11 pm ((how often do the big terrible monsters get to achieve their life goals)) Omicron 10:11 pm ....well....he's nearly metrotitian size *she wonders if Dreaded Wings will ever transform an...* really... VProwl 10:11 pm ((i'm proud of him)) Windchill 10:11 pm Swoop. Swoop 10:11 pm Hi Magnum Ace 10:11 pm ........ Windchill 10:11 pm No putting it on Soundwave's things. Or on other people without permission. Swoop 10:11 pm Why Rosanna 10:11 pm ((he's having so much fun Specs 10:11 pm ((korg ;-; )) Bull 10:12 pm ((nope)) Windchill 10:12 pm Because that's not nice. Magnum Ace 10:12 pm ...... That's...it's gone Windchill 10:12 pm You have to abide by the sticker rules if you want more stickers. Smokescreen 10:12 pm ......... Bull 10:12 pm yeah... Smokescreen 10:12 pm this is this hurts Omicron 10:12 pm Racer: *no more silver, flops on his side* Swoop 10:13 pm Me Swoop never hear sticker rules before Magnum Ace 10:13 pm -sinking where he sits- Windchill 10:13 pm *That's because he made them up just now shhhh.* Swoop 10:13 pm ((hug hug hug)) Windchill 10:13 pm They're new sticker rules. Swoop 10:13 pm Not old sticker rules? Kehehh Windchill 10:13 pm Right. Specs 10:13 pm *makes an attempt to balance a cookie on Racer's snout* Omicron 10:14 pm Racer: *full, but after a minute tries to eat the chookie* Swoop 10:14 pm This sticker look pretty new to Me Swoop Windchill 10:14 pm (( Still laughing at his hair. )) Tarantulas 10:14 pm (( MIEK Omicron 10:14 pm .....pfft Windchill 10:14 pm It is a new sticker. Dragon 10:14 pm *grins as she leans back* That was intense. Specs 10:14 pm *chuffs* I like this documentary. Ratchet 10:14 pm [[ i am actually In Love with Korg ]] Smokescreen 10:15 pm why earth though earth smells Omicron 10:15 pm (he's awesome) Smokescreen 10:15 pm ... I mean it wouldn't be my first choice to live forever ItsyBitsySpyers 10:15 pm *Well. That was - something.* Windchill 10:15 pm And if you want more new stickers you have to play by the new sticker rules. Dragon 10:15 pm *glances at Smokescreen* Eh? Dude, Earth is fun. You just gotta be in the right crew to enjoy it. Swoop 10:15 pm What rules are? Magnum Ace 10:15 pm -is from Earth- Specs 10:15 pm Is it an unethical use of multiverse bridges to find and eat the Grandmaster? Smokescreen 10:15 pm It is fun! But I don't think I'd wanna live there. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:15 pm [[Not in the slightest.]] Specs 10:15 pm Excellent. Smokescreen 10:15 pm You'd rust to death there, you know Windchill 10:15 pm *Sighs internally.* Bull 10:16 pm *would rather stay on Earth* Prowl 10:16 pm *oh is it finally over, that sure was a movie she totally listened to yep* Magnum Ace 10:16 pm What's wrong with Earth? Dragon 10:16 pm Bah, only if you are a ninny about what you do. So far my gang's going just fine and one of us already has a rust problem she's gotta be careful with. Windchill 10:16 pm No putting stickers on Soundwave's things, no putting them on other people unless they say it's okay, and you have to not get kicked out. Omicron 10:16 pm That grandmaster wouldn't' have something that could effect several cybertronians at once do you think? Windchill 10:16 pm I can't give you a sticker if you get kicked out. Swoop 10:16 pm Me Swoop get kick out aaaaaaaaaall the time ItsyBitsySpyers 10:16 pm [[If we are fortunate, he will have never heard of our kind.]] Specs 10:17 pm Likely not. And it's rare that anyone notices someone my size. Windchill 10:17 pm I know, and if you get kicked out you can't get a sticker because you're not here, understand? Swoop 10:17 pm Yah Dragon 10:17 pm ((Loki's face there is priceless)) Jetstream 10:17 pm ^What^ "The^ Dragon 10:17 pm That... looks bad. *frowns* Swoop 10:17 pm *holds the sticker in front of Windchill's face* Me have sticker Jetstream 10:17 pm ^FRAG" Bull 10:17 pm uuuuuuh..... Specs 10:17 pm Hm. They're going to need a bigger stomach. Magnum Ace 10:17 pm Oh no...that looked bad Bull 10:17 pm What was that?! Windchill 10:17 pm Yes you do. What are you going to do with it? Specs 10:17 pm Or a freezer. Magnum Ace 10:17 pm I don't know Swoop 10:17 pm Keep ItsyBitsySpyers 10:18 pm [[He has no idea, and he doubts we will find out any time soon.]] Omicron 10:18 pm *debating on finding that place and letting Dreadded Wings loose for a bit...and taking some Crew down to leven that pit* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:18 pm ((reminder: 20 minutes)) Windchill 10:18 pm Good plan. Omicron 10:18 pm (okay) Dragon 10:18 pm *looks at Icy and grins* Bring me along if you go in there; I'm up for trashing some people. Swoop 10:18 pm !!! Movie over Dragon 10:18 pm ((Thanks for the update)) Smokescreen 10:18 pm Windwind- can I have a sticker too? Specs 10:18 pm *the dragon stretches and yawns* Goodnight, everyone. *gives Racer an affectionate lick to the forehead* Thank you for the movie, Soundwave! Magnum Ace 10:19 pm I think it's time for us to go though ItsyBitsySpyers 10:19 pm [[You are welcome, dragon. Thank you for the fuel, as always.]] Omicron 10:19 pm Racer: *full hatchling, wiggles to lick back, then to peer up at Soundwave* Bull 10:19 pm Yeah, sounds like a good idea. Specs 10:19 pm ((sometimes ya gotta slorp the child)) Windchill 10:19 pm *CRINGES on the inside, but it wasn't 'Windy' so he's not going to gripe about it.* You can have one sticker. Omicron 10:19 pm (he's Icy's little, he gets all the licks) Smokescreen 10:19 pm YES Jetstream 10:19 pm *The twins stretch a bit.* ^Should probably be on our way, too.^ "Always nice to see a good movie." Prowl 10:19 pm Good night, Soundwave. *Prowl leaves with a nod* Smokescreen 10:19 pm Can you put it right in the middle of my face? So that way, I can have a nose! Jetstream 10:20 pm ^Soundwave, Thanks for lettin us in. Maybe we'll see ya next time^ ItsyBitsySpyers 10:20 pm *Pings those who can be pinged and nods to the rest.* Windchill 10:20 pm I don't know if I have any nose shaped stickers...*digs around...turtle nose it is.* Dragon 10:20 pm *can't help but tap foot to the music* And more epic earth tunes. Swoop 10:20 pm Him Bob miss whole movie :x Omicron 10:21 pm Racer: *little mind turning away, waiting to show off* Magnum Ace 10:21 pm Soundwave? Can we have a bridge home? Windchill 10:21 pm *Luckily, his gibbon-like arms are long enough that he can just about reach Smokescreen's face to put the turtle smack dab in the middle of it.* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:21 pm [[Hmm? Of course.]] Windchill 10:21 pm Behold...one sticker. Smokescreen 10:21 pm /Smokescreen iiiis getting up and singing + dancing to this whoops./ ItsyBitsySpyers 10:21 pm [[It will be right outside. Ah, and next week's film should be... lighter fare.]] Windchill 10:21 pm Okay Swoop, let's go. We can watch the movie with Bob later. Magnum Ace 10:21 pm Thanks. Good night. Windchill 10:22 pm *When they, you know, find him.* Magnum Ace 10:22 pm -and out he goes- Omicron 10:22 pm *Icy is slowly nodding in time, calming down, keeping her mind and memories in strict order. not going to relive things* Swoop 10:22 pm Kay : < ItsyBitsySpyers 10:22 pm *Difficult, isn't it?* Rosanna 10:22 pm *streeetches. She's still here--sort of. Will likely returneth to her room and form a cuddle pile of microns* Bull 10:22 pm *Bull exits with Magnum* Windchill 10:23 pm I know one place we can watch movies. It's kind of dirty though. *But, he's going to worry about that part later.* *Turns to leave, with his new backpack.* Omicron 10:24 pm *very, she's keeping the predacon instincts down and trying to focus on the music, tail might be curled around Athena for saport* Swoop 10:24 pm *doesn't care about dirty and doesn't particularly care where they are going, just so long as it's fun* : > Dragon 10:25 pm *thinking a bit as she listens to the music, glancing over when she notices the taili* Eh? ... Heh, glad to know you got my back. I got yours too. Windchill 10:25 pm *Fair enough.* Omicron 10:25 pm Racer: *sits on a soundwave pede* Windchill 10:25 pm Byeeeee suckers, hope you all enjoyed the Devil's Anus as much as I did. Smokescreen 10:25 pm sounds uptown funk you up Windchill 10:25 pm *Hand, over spark.* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:26 pm *Lightly bobbles his foot to entertain Racer while he waits for Ice Queen to collect the hatchling.* Omicron 10:26 pm Racer: *happy trill, looking up though, peering at lap, waiting to be invited. hatchling has a plaaan* (maybe lighten the mood before going) ItsyBitsySpyers 10:27 pm *Small puff. He'll allow it, but only for a couple of minutes. The less he has to think about what he saw, the better.* Windchill 10:27 pm *Goes.* Smokescreen 10:27 pm /Smokescreen's also singing to this/ Omicron 10:27 pm RAcer: *happy wiggle and climbs up- oof he's full, forgot he ate so much* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:27 pm *Soundwave pings Windchill goodnight.* Dragon 10:28 pm *blinks and stares at the screen* And... then we find the weird side of human entertainment. *blink blink* Smokescreen 10:28 pm oh this isn't the weird side Omicron 10:28 pm *Icy bumps her head against Athena's shoulder* want to get highgrade and do something? Dragon 10:29 pm *blinks and looks over before grinning* Sounds like a grand party to me Icy. Smokescreen 10:29 pm /PRACTICALLY SHOUTS THE ME/ Omicron 10:29 pm RAcer: *sitting in Soundwave's lap, rests a moment, then looks up, big breath* (this song is killing me) ItsyBitsySpyers 10:30 pm *Hears a breath and pays close attention. This is either speech or fire.* Omicron 10:31 pm Racer: 'Ave! Aaayye....wa...'ave...aye! *faceplants on his chest, predacon over exited nuzzle, senses the sad/grump* Smokescreen 10:32 pm I wish we had video conferences like that ... we don't even have a fully functioning government bots are still trying to have elections megatron I think joked about making a council ItsyBitsySpyers 10:33 pm *Soundwave is delighted to hear part of his name, but he does nooooot like other mechs messing with his chest. He carefully picks Racer up with one hand and boops his snout with the very tip of a finger on the other hand.*

[[Thank you, small one. The comfort is appreciated. But you should return to your creator. He closes the building soon.]]

*Places Racer on the ground.* Dragon 10:34 pm *stretches a little and rolls her shoulders* Well, I better make sure the minis aren't using my shield like a snow sled again. Catch ya in a bit, Icy? *moves to get up, but doesn't quite make it due to the tail* Smokescreen 10:35 pm sounds hey if megatron makes a council can you shock him ItsyBitsySpyers 10:35 pm *That sounds like something minicons would do.*

[[He'll do worse than that.]] Smokescreen 10:35 pm ... What'll you do? Omicron 10:35 pm RAcer: *flops, krells for icy to come pick him up...might have burped smoke*

Yes, I'll meet you...and get Racer home *gets up to walk over* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:36 pm [[He hasn't decided yet. You've only just informed him.]] Smokescreen 10:36 pm .... wait I probably shouldn't hav Dragon 10:36 pm *grins as she gets up* Sounds like a plan. If I'm late, it's because I'm hauling Frosty's aft out of the closet again. *turns and salutes playfully to whoever's still present* Later! *heads off at a run* Smokescreen 10:36 pm sounds can you pretend you didn't hear that ItsyBitsySpyers 10:36 pm [[We'll see. Time for you to be on your way. He can't do as he's said he would with everyone here.]] Smokescreen 10:37 pm Awww- night night, Snoozewave. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:37 pm [[Smokescreen.]] *Warning tone.* Smokescreen 10:37 pm I'm going! I'm going! /And he's finally leaving!/ Omicron 10:38 pm Racer: *picked up, whines for his stick, gets that after put on icys back* bahh!!!! ^__^ ItsyBitsySpyers 10:38 pm *He more meant the nickname, but that works.* [[Goodbye, Racer. Ice Queen.]] Smokescreen 10:38 pm /Hey he was tempted to call him Soundbabe to be fair/ Omicron 10:38 pm Thank you for the even soundwave... even with....moments. Sorry if I scared anyone nearby ItsyBitsySpyers 10:39 pm [[You're welcome, and you were fine.]] Omicron 10:40 pm *Icy turns to leave, racer meeping to prowl on the way out* (have a good night!) ItsyBitsySpyers 10:41 pm ((you too!)) VProwl startles out of idle mode 10:41 pm VProwl 10:41 pm ((oh hey /me works, i didn't mean to do that)) Omicron 10:41 pm (oh, I can talk again! XD now I poof, rest well you two) VProwl 10:41 pm *nods to Racer.* Omicron 10:42 pm Raver: *flaps wing in a good bye, full sparkling....enjoy the cookie?* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:42 pm *Soundwave will wait until everyone is finally out to slump down in his seat and stare up at the ceiling. Zori comes scuttling across the floor, up his Boss' leg, up his Boss in general, and curls up to dock on Soundwave's neck.*

*He's banning this movie from the building, he thinks.* ((hit enter too early. just apply it when it applies)) VProwl 10:53 pm *right, he's fully here now. he's gonna head over to Soundwave.* ... Hey. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:54 pm *Soundwave sits up some to track the movement he hears. Ah. Prowl.*

[[Hello.]] VProwl 10:56 pm I was—I didn't really pay attention tonight, I went on auto-pilot to work at home, so—I only skimmed quickly through the movie when the credits were rolling, so I didn't realize at the time—uh... *cut to the chase.* How—how are you? ItsyBitsySpyers 10:58 pm *Soundwave watches Prowl uncertainly at first. Yes, he thought that might've been what'd happened; if the workload now is anything like what he had to deal with, it's a heavy one - but what's that got to do with...*

*Oh.*

[[...Furious. Not with you.]] [[And somewhat - hmm. Mildly overwhelmed. He was not expecting so many, or quite what he saw.]] VProwl 11:00 pm *nods.* And so many unfamiliar, too. *part of the reason he'd checked out. it was... busy, tonight.* Do you w...? *no, not that way.* What would help? ItsyBitsySpyers 11:01 pm *...Ping marked with gratitude. Prowl didn't have to come ask him anything.*

[[Yes. Most mechs are welcome, of course. He simply wasn't aware of the drawing power of this documentary ahead of time.]]

*Soundwave places the little spinning circle on his visor. Thinking.* VProwl 11:04 pm *he'll wait.* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:07 pm [[He was thinking of...]] *Shakes his helm a little bit. That was a poor start to the sentence.* [[The plants he wished to show you. He considered destroying his cell afterward. He thinks he will. It would - he would like your assistance with that. An enforcer helping to do what his own should have done long ago.]]

[[...And to be reminded that he is owned by no mech. He /knows/ it, but it - the memory still feels like claws and chains on his plating at times.]] VProwl 11:12 pm It still stands? *... a nod.* I'd be happy to help you destroy it. ItsyBitsySpyers 11:15 pm [[The Predacons nest mainly on the surface of the arena. Most are too large to fit into the cells beneath, and those who can claim to dislike the scent. Countless millions of years of fear, despair, anger, energon, rust... among other things. Ravage loathed it as well, back then.]] *Long, long pause.* [[Thank you.]] VProwl 11:16 pm What weapons do you want me to bring? ItsyBitsySpyers 11:19 pm *Faint huff.* [[You mentioned using acid and acid weaponry, once. There aren't many who can say they've literally watched their past be melted away. He'd like the right.]] VProwl 11:20 pm I'll ask Mixmaster for the most corrosive stuff he can cook up. ItsyBitsySpyers 11:22 pm [[Those are some of the sweetest words you've ever said to him.]]

*Small leg stretch. That helped soothe his mind a little.*

[[How /is/ Mixmaster? Still ill?]] VProwl 11:24 pm *a frown.* He's—quiet. He's not worse, but... ItsyBitsySpyers 11:25 pm [[...But?]] VProwl 11:27 pm Well. He's not better. Which is... We'd thought it was psychosomatic. Stress, from the construction site. But, if that was the case— He hasn't gone outside since construction was completed, and he knows none of us are going to make him until and unless he decides of his own volition that he wants to. But he—doesn't feel better. *Prowl's starting to worry. They all are.* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:28 pm [[Hasn't gone outside? For /anything?/]] *Feels a little unobservant having to ask this, but he doesn't watch the apartment anymore, and he tries not to watch the Constructicons too much lest Bonecrusher freak out.* VProwl 11:29 pm No, well, that's normal for him. He'll hole himself up in his room for months at a time if he's allowed. I think he /might/ have gone out once with Bonecrusher. That's it. ItsyBitsySpyers 11:31 pm [[He would think that'd have helped by now, if it's normal for Mixmaster. Has Hook had a look at him yet?]] ItsyBitsySpyers 11:34 pm *What if it's a horrible slow-burning plague unleashed by that planetary reset he's heard about? The flobster plague didn't hit his Cybertron for a while. Or, or - some kind of tool Bombshell and the others planted while sticking Prowl with Devastator that's going wrong without anyone to fix it, Garak style?* VProwl 11:35 pm Hook has. Mixmaster's not in peak physical condition, but Hook says everything he's seeing could just be consistent with sustained stress without an underlying condition. But, we don't know. At this point, he could be feeling unwell because he's stressed or he could be stressed because he's feeling unwell. To find out more, we'd have to take him somewhere with better medical equipment, and, well—that would involve dragging Mixmaster outside, against his will, to interact with strangers. If this IS a psychosomatic reaction to agoraphobia-related stress, we'd just make him worse. ItsyBitsySpyers 11:36 pm [[And there is no mech willing to make a house call? Are there any who are even an option?]] *Because he's willing to dig up dirt on them and blackmail them into it. If Mixmaster's going to be asked to help him, the least he could do is repay the debt.* VProwl 11:41 pm House calls aren't the issue—there isn't a medic on Cybertron who matches Hook. It's the equipment that'd be needed. We're talking stuff that only a hospital would have. We can't just rent a heavy-duty medical scanner from the nearest hospital for a day, pry it out from the wall, roll it out on a trolley, load it on Long Haul's bed, and drive it home to Mixmaster. *there is a reason for this extremely specific example.* *the reason is he's checked.* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:41 pm ((rabbit can u not eat my comments)) ItsyBitsySpyers 11:45 pm *Ohh. THAT kind of better medical equipment. Also, yeah, by that description, he's kind of assuming Prowl looked into it. Too specific.*

*Vent.* [[Then for now, he will hope better feelings are merely late, and not impossible. ... Still. Keep him updated if it gets worse?]] *If only because that puts Devastator, and therefore Prowl, at risk.* VProwl 11:46 pm That's what we're all hoping, right now. *A sigh.* I will. Thanks. VProwl 11:47 pm *There's a hint of noticeable grimness in Prowl's face. Mixmaster's condition has been bothering him more than he's verbally admitted.* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:48 pm *Nods. He doesn't like it, but for the moment, he hasn't got any better ideas. Space bridging the mech directly to the equipment probably wouldn't be of any more use than making him walk or drive there, and anyway, Prowl already knows how to use th-- and THAT'S unusual.* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:50 pm *To ask and risk Prowl turning off his expressions and making everything that much harder to read, or to ignore it and wait?*

*...Maybe he'd better keep quiet for now. He can poke that bitbear when they're both in a better place to discuss it, moodwise.* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:51 pm *But a feeler will slither out and move towards Prowl's wrist, clicking its claws. That'll look more like comfort for him than anything for Prowl, so it should be safe, providing he's allowed to coil.* VProwl 11:54 pm *allows him to coil; and grabs with his other hand as well. he could use a little more comfort himself, thanks.* Yesterday ItsyBitsySpyers 11:55 pm *Oh, good! Not only did it work, it worked better than expected. He'll definitely offer up extra loops and length of feeler.* VProwl 12:02 am *Good. He's taking them. TOTALLY BECAUSE HE'S OFFERING SOUNDWAVE COMFORT AND NOT BECAUSE HE'S BEEN REMINDED OF HIS WORRIES OVER MIXMASTER.* ItsyBitsySpyers 12:04 am [[We have both had a great deal on our minds tonight. A crowd of thoughts, the Pits, your work.]] And Mixmaster. [[Come relax with him. Things might be clearer in the morning.]]

*Rises and uses the grip on Prowl's arms to squeeze and tug in the direction of the stairs.* VProwl 12:07 am *Is willingly tugged up with Soundwave.* I hope they will be. *And if they aren't, still better to pass the time with Soundwave than without.*

[pixelgrotto]

Episodic Dark Knight I plowed my way through all five episodes of Batman - The Telltale Series over the weekend, and last night I played the first episode of season 2, The Enemy Within. And I had a really great time. I’m not one to “binge” TV shows, since I would rather read or play video games than watch much stuff on TV. (This includes that Batman-related prequel show Gotham, which I consider to be a huge waste of potential.) But I could binge these Batman Telltale episodes all day, and I’m currently wishing that this series goes on forever, eventually bringing us Robin, Nightwing, Red Hood, Batgirl, Batwoman, Ace the Bat Hound and all the other craziness that exists within Batman’s extended universe. (I don’t think it’ll happen, but I can hope.)

I put off playing Telltale’s take on Batman for a while, since I wanted to wait until all of the episodes had been released. Also, while I’d heard a lot of praise over the years regarding Telltale’s efforts to revitalize the adventure game genre, I’d heard some mixed stuff as well. Their games tended to be buggy and were filled with Quicktime Events, and Telltale’s famous “illusion of choice” was supposedly becoming more and more iffy with each new series. Also, Batman - The Telltale Series was supposed to be another story set in the beginning days of Batman’s’ crimefighting career, and if there’s anything more overdone than the trope of Bats being a tortured, obsessive loner who’s a dick to everyone (see: Batman v Superman and pretty much all of Frank Miller’s recent writing), it’s Year One stories. (Hm, stories that fetishize the Joker might be up there too.) So yeah, I wasn’t in a hurry to play this. But goshdarnit, now that I have, I’m happy to report that despite frame rate drops and silly Quicktime Events, Telltale’s version of Bats might just be the best non-comic book interpretation since Batman: The Animated Series. 

The reason I liked it so much is probably because it shows a Batman who’s heroic rather than an overaggressive bruiser (once again, see Batman v Superman). Don’t get me wrong - if you wanna play through the whole thing like the Goddamn Batman, then you can do that by breaking more bones and being gruff to your allies. But even if you go down this route, the story still tends to portray Bats as more of a noble, willing-to-work-with-others Caped Crusader, kinda like the version established by classic creators like Denny O’Neil and carried on by modern comic book dudes like Grant Morrison and Scott Snyder. This is the Batman that I consider definitive, and it was satisfying to see it finally portrayed in a video game, because the other major games starring Bats - Rocksteady’s Arkham ones - have never done a great job at making the Dark Knight particularly interesting, with one notable exception that I’ll get to in a minute. Sure, they have gameplay far more elaborate than anything in Telltale’s episodes, and I consider playing Arkham City for the first time to have been one of my top ten most impactful gaming experiences. But the Arkham titles always had lousy stories, perhaps even moreso if you’re someone like me who’s read a fair share of comics. Paul Dini might have written the first two Arkhams and pulled off a Clayface twist in City, but he’s capable of much better, trust me. And if you wanna know how I feel about Arkham Knight’s plot, well, you should read what I wrote about it two years ago. 

Going back to Batman, though, in the Arkham games, the Dark Knight was frequently portrayed as a nearly emotionless dude. He’s stone-cold throughout Asylum, City and Knight and so focused on “protecting” the people around him that he intentionally drives them away, completely falling into the “tortured, obsessive loner” trope that I previously mentioned. Some people like this, but I find it such a lazy way of writing the character. It’s easy to script a stoic rock who has no friends. It’s much harder to write a nuanced person who balances light and dark and is actually a hero, which is why I really liked how Batman was portrayed in Arkham Origins, which I know is the unpopular, developed-by-another-company black sheep of the franchise. But its technical issues aside, Origins had the best boss battles in the series and also showed the most human Bruce Wayne, making him into a dude who actually wishes a Merry Christmas to his butler over his radio comm. The game’s plot, while revolving around the Joker and existing in that overused Year One setting, managed to also break stereotypes by offering new looks at underutilized bad guys, as well as a take on Batman’s relationship with the Clown Prince of Crime that ended up being more nuanced than any of Rocksteady’s efforts. (Oh, and it had the best version of Bane, who is treated atrociously in the other Arkham games.)  Batman - The Telltale Series follows in these footsteps by also doing something new, remixing established Batman players like Vicki Vale, the Penguin and Two-Face in ways that are downright surprising. Without spoiling anything, a lot of these characters end up subverting the expectations that have been built up for them after countless media portrayals and stories in 70+ years of comics, and that’s grand, both for the newbie and the longtime Batman geek like me. And the other characters who act in a more expected manner - like Catwoman, for instance - end up being very well written. (It’s worth reading this article from The Mary Sue on how Catwoman’s portrayal in Telltale’s series is leagues ahead of most other stuff she’s been in lately.) Finally, just like in Arkham Origins, Telltale is interested in showing a relatable man under the Batman mask rather than an emotionless rock, which means that the sections where you play as Bruce might even be more interesting than the ones played as his alter ego.

It’s worth noting that not everyone was quite as enthralled as the first season of Batman as I was. A look at Steam reviews seems to indicate that most liked it, but several say it isn’t as good as other Telltale efforts like Tales from the Borderlands or The Walking Dead. I can’t speak on that, since this is my first Telltale game. But judging this effort solely on the premise of delivering a good Batman story, I think that my expectations were blown out of the water, and even though Arkham Knight’s tagline was “Be The Batman,” I felt more Batman-ish after 10 hours of Telltale investigation than I did after 60 hours of driving the Batmobile around and hunting for Riddler trophies. 

Make of that what you will. Ultimately, I’m glad that my favorite comic book hero is making moves in the 2017 adventure game space, and I had a good enough time that I am very, very eager for more. Judging from the first (stellar) episode of Batman: The Enemy Within, it looks like Telltale’s gonna keep delivering, and I’m totally down to see how they continue to develop Batman’s relationship with “John Doe.” (They made the Joker feel fresh again. Would ya believe that?)

Screenshot and concept art courtesy of Telltale Games. There’s some more cool behind-the-scenes art visible here.