#helix jump game

[zackcollins]

I'm a Rocket (Jump) Man :D

[mistysgardenn]

why are mobile games so bad now

[razziematazz]

yeah sexy bitches it’s extremely goofy headcanon time

(disclaimer: some of this would be specific to a human and/or modern au, because i love drawing them as humans, love the designs i gave them, and was not yet born in 2000- let alone conscious to remember anything about it. also i like giving them tails, even in the human au. this ended up being very long, so here’s a courtesy cut!)

max goof:

this man is BISEXUAL!!!!!!! he and roxanne were bi4bi, but they (mutually) broke up their senior year of highschool bc roxanne was moving for college across the country. after a bit of time, they went to just being close friends :3

speaking of college: we know that the goof family is poor. THEREFORE, i raise you: max is at college via a full ride scholarship. he worked his ASS off to be able to go to college without having to take out loans or “leech” from his dad, and it paid off!

he’s actually REALLY smart but a lot of people don’t know that bc “oh that’s some alt skater boy. he’s probably scraping by with a C average at best”.

he’s also the only reason bobby has passed any classes since junior year of hs

he came out to goofy the summer after he graduated high school. goofy cried bc he was so happy max trusted him enough with that and threw max 2 parties. he is the type of dad to buy max pride socks and wear a shirt that says “i love my gay son” for all of june. max is more than a little embarrassed, but overall? he loves his dad, and he’s really glad his dad loves him no matter what

idc what yall say he is NOT a little white boy as a human 😭😭😭 was literally jump scared the first time i saw him drawn white bc like i just thought it was agreed upon that he’s a POC

continuing with him as a human: yall will see this when i post my designs, but he’s pierced UP ‼️ he’s got snakebites he wears rings in (outwardly mimicking his buck teeth, since i draw the rings thick), both a madonna and monroe piercing, heavily gauged lobes, a double conch and double helix on his right ear, an industrial on his left, a right eyebrow piercing, and a tongue piercing. i also toyed w the idea of hip piercings but thinking abt dermal piercings makes me genuinely sick so

he also taught himself how to do piercings and pierced bobby’s lobe. a good half of his piercings were done at home. do not follow his example <3

(he tried to pierce his nipples and failed horribly, so he just took out the jewelry bc he was NOT having uneven nipples. this is based on one of my friend’s experiences!)

yall already KNOW he’s got that smudgy eyeliner look going on

that takes about 2 minutes. his hair, however, takes him a good 30! and an ungodly amount of hairspray.

his mom left when he was 5 and he barely remembers her

he and the goof troop became quick friends with tank after the x-games, and max definitely had a hand in tank giving bradley another chance

has a pet king snake and a pet tarantula! he got them when his powerline phase was still SUPER strong and named them both after him/his songs. whenever people ask him to explain their names, he gets lowkey embarrassed

got a matching trap stamp w bobby. peej was going to join too but he chickened out as soon as the needle touched down 😭

(the first time bradley accidentally caught a glimpse of max��s tramp stamp, he malfunctioned, fled the room, and had a crisis)

long, double coated black tail

bradley uppercrust III

closeted gay man

he’s the typical frat boy who’s been with a ton of girls, and he just kind of assumed that sex was a chore people went through and it was supposed to be be kind of unfulfilling for everyone

nah it’s just bc he wasn’t actually attracted to women 😭😭 he didn’t realize that he’s gay until his junior year of undergrad

(max and his stupid mouth full of stupid piercings that pours out stupid words and dumber retorts is what made him realize)

(he was literally like a little boy pulling on his crush’s pigtails and didn’t even realize it until about two weeks after the x-games, when he couldn’t stop thinking about how max still smiled at him and called off the bet afterwards)

on this topic: realizing he was gay caused an absolutely gigantic crisis, especially since he didn’t have a support system at all

(tank needed a lot of time to process everything, and even longer to begin forgiving bradley)

(speaking of that, while bradley was still officially the president of the gamma mu mu fraternity on paper [his dad paid everyone off], tank took over his position after the x-games. bradley was basically ostracized)

the main part of why his being gay was such a horrible realization for him is because his dad is the epitome of conservative. his mom believes queer people are just misled.

oh good lord, now it’s time to talk about his horrible father!!

as we’ve said, bradley’s dad is extremely homophobic. he’s the kind of guy to say spew absolutely every false “fact” or “statistic” and homophobic rhetoric anyone could have, and did this to bradley

he also put insane amounts of pressure on bradley

in the words of myself after watching a sad tiktok:

“[bradley is] so comphet and horrible neglectful parents who put far too much pressure on him core. he’s such a trust fund baby except the people who created that trust aren’t even in his life. he’s so simultaneously absent father and father who is constantly There, in his mind, judging him. he’s so internalized homophobia [because of this]”.

his father is definitely financially abusive btw

while he’s extremely rich, he threatens to take away any and all funding and shut down bradley’s cards at even the slightest hint of failure

being gay wouldn’t just get bradley’s funds cuts, though. it’d get him cut entirely from the family.

he’s meant to be perfect because he’s meant to be exactly like his dad and take over his dad’s place after retirement.

even one mistake would “warrant” his dad yelling at him for hours

bradley’s extreme daddy issues is what caused him to react so strongly to goofy saying “well clearly you don’t understand the bond between a father and son 🙄”

also bradley’s dad is the kind of guy to go for younger girls. he had four wives before bradley’s mom, but would leave them as soon as he found out his spawn was to be a girl instead of a boy. he needed a son to take on his “legacy”, and if they couldn’t provide that, they were worthless

and them being ~21 means they wouldn’t know any better

plus, he believes in the stupid “a woman’s prime childbearing years are 16-23 🤓” bs

so like even as he got older, he kept getting with women in that age range instead of those of his own

aka bradley’s mom was 21 and his dad 36 when they got married and had bradley within the same year.

on this note , bradley’s mom is.. not as bad

she holds the same values as his father, but isn’t nearly as extreme

she wouldn’t disown bradley for him being gay, but she would cry and cry because she thought it was a sign she failed as a mother. she’d beg him to “take it back”

to bradley, this is even worse than his father’s anger, since he was a mamas boy through and through.

she wouldn’t ever stand up to his dad, but even when he was young, bradley understood that it was out of fear

if she could get away with it, his mom would always comfort him after his dad’s outbursts

but if she was caught, his father would yell that all this soft treatment would turn him into a (slur i’m not comfortable saying!) and he needed to learn his lesson

all im gonna say is she blames herself

however, speaking of when bradley was young..

his mom has wavy/curly blonde hair

when he was young, he had the exact same hair as his mom

however, as he got older, his hair got darker

until it eventually became the same shade as his dad’s

bradley knew this made his mom a bit sad, but neither of them commented on it, because they both knew bradley was even more upset

it meant that he was now a near carbon copy of his father- minus his hair still being curly, and his lack of facial hair

however, when he got older and his hair became darker, his dad started pressuring him to straighten it, too

of course, he did, even though he hated it

… and at college, as a very subtle way of rebelling, he stopped straightening his hair until he had to see his father

anywayssss onto lighter headcanons!

(roxanne as well interlude !!)

bradley’s maternal uncle is married to roxanne’s maternal aunt!!

(this has absolutely zero basis btw 😭)

minus tank, roxanne was the closest friend to bradley growing up

his dad wasn’t really happy he was so close to a girl, but since roxanne is family, he let it slide; he’s supposed to be such a good family man, after all! it’s the uppercrust image!

anyways, as i said, they were super close

they would gravitate to each other every family get together (christmas, thanksgiving, etc) and would beg their parents to let them visit each other as often as possible

it was much more common for bradley to visit roxanne’s house than vice versa, since roxanne’s parents just have a feeling about bradley’s father. bradley had no issue with this at all

however.. max knew absolutely nothing about this!

whenever roxanne would say “sorry, i’ve got family over right now, i can’t hang out today”, he just wouldn’t question it

and bradley would passively listen to roxanne talk about her crushes, but since he couldn’t relate, it just sort of went into one ear and out the other

they also started to drift a bit during highschool

roxanne coming out to bradley was.. a lot. but he loves her, and knows she’s the best person he’s ever met, and so slowly, he begins to unlearn what his parents taught

roxanne is extremely proud (lol!) of bradley and bradley is.. feeling a lot of things, but he can’t say hate for others is one of them

for a long time, even when bradley was growing closer to the goof troop, winning back tanks everything, and accepting his feelings for max, roxanne was who bradley could always count on. she’s the person he came out to first, and he actually went to her for boy (max) advice multiple times 😭

she caught on quickly but didn’t mind at all

anyways, neither roxanne nor bradley knew that the other knows max- let alone that they eventually both date him

for the first time max is friends with bradley and roxanne comes back to spoonersville for christmas, max introduces them

except they already know each other.

and instead of “hello, im ___”, what he sees is them absolutely booking it towards each other with an “OH MY GODDDD!! HIIIII!! IT’S BEEN WAYYY TO LONG!! I HAVENT SEEN YOU IN, LIKE, 2 THANKSGIVINGS!!!!! HOWVE YOU BEEEN OMG WE NEED TO CATCH UP!!!!”

they both completely ignore max and he’s stood there absolutely DUMBFOUNDED

he is STUNNED

he is the EPITOME of ?!?!?!

bc what are the chances they know each other?? roxanne is NOTHING like the front bradley puts on, and her parents sure as hell aren’t millionaires

and what are the CHANCES max ends up not only having a crush on, but ends up DATING both?????

more roxanne: curled, medium-short haired, solid ginger tail

back to bradley

secretly loves it when max calls him brad instead of his full name

before max, no one had ever shortened his name

it feels like a separation from himself and the uppercrust name

it feels like he’s his own person, and not just an extension of his father- bradley uppercrust II

it takes him a good while and a few drinks to ever admit this, but afterwards, “brad” stops being only a teasing nickname- it has a new undercurrent of warmth

an everything shower takes him about 2 hours. he has very long, very specific skin care (both face and body), hair care, nail care, and grooming routines

these include the usages of no less than 30 different products

he has glasses but would rather wear contacts or just not be able to see than EVER wear them in public.

curled, very fluffy tail with a white bottom and tan top

(his dad forced him to always be in complete control of his tail; to never let it wag, never tuck it, anything. always hold it up high and steady)

(the only time he would let himself forgo these rules is when he was with only roxanne)

(the first time he felt the tell that his tail was about to wag when with max, he left IMMEDIATELY, and it took a while to unlearn all of this)

bobby zimmeruski

biggest stoner any of them have ever met

he’s high for the entirety of both movies

genuinely uses brainrot speak (rizz, sigma, gyatt, etc)

this spread to max, and eventually pj

…and when bradley caught himself thinking a brainrot word for the first time, he was absolutely MORTIFIED

he refuses to say the words.

however, beret girl is never infected!!

religious game grumps viewer

he tried to be a twitch streamer for like two days

pasty ass mf 😭😭

he has to wear spf100 every single time he goes outside in the summer or he WILL get 3rd degree sunburns

short and short-haired ginger tail

PJ

absolutely, 100% in love with bianca

im talking he’s already saving up for an engagement ring

(she would say yes in a heartbeat)

he stops wearing the beret he’s seen in at the end of the movie after a while

bianca assured him that, although she’s flattered, she’d love him just as much if he stayed the exact same as when they first met

his new found love of poetry is as genuine as can be tho

the designated driver for SURE

the “what the flip” to max’s “what the fuck” and bobby’s “what the sigma”

(PJ very rarely curses bc his dad does often. if yall didn’t know, his dad. erm. canonically sucks!! not as badly as bradley’s, but his dad is the “your kids should respect (FEAR) you” type)

has a short haired, black bobtail

beret girl

her name is bianca roan greene (b for beret, roan bc i like it, and g for girl)

she goes by roan bc i want her to escape being BG

(credit to Lian_mail on ao3 for the roan part!!)

also bi but leans heavily towards women

she’s a psychology major

she bonds with max over piercings bc she’s also got a few non-standard piercings!

she’s got double lobes, a helix, a forward helix, a conch and a daith on both sides

she wants a nose piercing but feels like, in regards to her future field of work, she’s already pushing her luck with all of the ear piercings

they’re partially why she wears her hair so long

by far the best at advice and the most level-headed out of the (extended, which includes her, roxanne, bradley, and tank) goof troop

has a long, smooth, long-haired tail the same color as her hair

[theyhavetakenovermylife]

Futuristic Flirtations (Fluff)

FastForward!Michelangelo x reader

You, a maid and good friend of Cody Jones, has caught the attention of a certain ninja turtle, who is now trying out new tricks to impress you.

Warings: None, unless you’re Raphael. Then second hand embarrassment.

---------------------------

In the bustling metropolis of New York City, the year 2105 was a world of advanced technology and vibrant innovation. Busy highways with floating cars, high rises higher than any person from the present time would be able to imagine, and the nosy Peacekeepers, that had a tendency to be quite annoying. Yet the four mutant turtles and their rat father had adapted to the changing times, quicker than anyone thought. One turtle in particular, found himself fascinated by the latest trends and futuristic gadgets.

Mikey, the eternal optimist, found himself playing with any futuristic household object that he found a little fascinating. A high tech fridge that could make food? He already knew how to order his favorite pizza. Cody’s multidimensional TV set? Miley had already memorized the times of his favorite shows, let alone when and where they did reruns from 2006. The newest Helix game console? Mikey already knew how to play it.

But as much as Mikey found himself fascinated by the future, he had his eyes set on something special - or rather someone special - you. On the paper you were just Cody’s maid, a helping hand that had been around since you had been Cody’s age. Hired to make sure everything stayed clean, in case Cody had to do touch ups on Serling. But you had quickly found yourself to be one of young master Cody’s best friends, other than Serling and Starlee. The closest thing Cody ever would come to a big sister. And to Mikey, yet another reason to love the future.

Ever since Cody first brought the turtles to his penthouse, Mikey was smitten hard. He admired your resilience and futuristic charm, and he couldn't help but feel a spark whenever you were around. Sweet looking, but was able to punch hard during training with Cody and the turtles. And you knew about the old Justice Force comics. Mikey was sold! And to everyone except you, it was quite obvious. The amount of times Raphael had felt the second hand embarrassment, watching his brother jump around trying to impress you, had already been adding up until there was too many to count. Yet Michelangelo had no intention of giving up.

It was a sunny afternoon at Cody's penthouse when Mikey decided to take matters into his own hands. Armed with knowledge from the future, he had a plan to impress you with his understanding of 2105's trends. There was no better way than scoring a chick from the future, than to tell her how well you knew her time, right? He had studied everything from holographic fashion to hoverboard tricks, and he was ready to put his newfound knowledge to the test.

As you and Cody were engrossed in a conversation about the intricacies of time travel, Mikey seized the opportunity to make his move. Wearing his newly acquired holographic shades and futuristic sneakers, he confidently approached, striking a pose that was more cyberpunk than ninja. In the background at the couch, his brothers and father looked his way in embarrassed confusion, while Serling sighed, mumbling something about the turtles only getting worse. The fact that Mikey was wearing shoes, was already making Raph curl inwards on himself, Donnie patting his head to sooth him, all while Leo rubbed the bridge of his beak and Master Splinter chuckled.

Cody looked away, pressing his knuckles against his mouth to suppress his laughter, his shoulders shaking as he did so. You watched Mikey with your head leaning slightly to the side, looking with an amused smile.

“Hey, Mikey”, you smiled, causing the orange clad turtle to jump in fake surprise.

"Oh! Hey there, (Y/N)! I almost didn’t see you there. Check out these wild kicks!" Mikey exclaimed, executing a series of spins and jumps to showcase his footwear.

You couldn't help but chuckle at Mikey's enthusiasm. "Nice shoes, Mikey!"

"Absolutely! They're called Quantum Kicks. They’re the latest fashion in 2105. Super comfy and stylish, just like you!" Mikey winked, causing you to blush.

“No!”, Raphael squirmed from the couch before leaving for his room. “I can’t listen to it! Tell me when it’s over!”

As the day progressed, Mikey continued his hilarious attempts to impress you with his knowledge of future trends. From holographic food replicators to virtual reality games, he tried it all, creating a whirlwind of laughter and amusement. Cody, well aware of Mikey's crush on his friend, played along, adding to the fun. Even leaving the two of you alone several times, just to find Donnie and Leo in the next room, watching you through the door.

Later, the turtles, you and Cody decided to explore New York City, and Mikey suggested a visit to the Hover Arcade - a cutting-edge gaming center with gravity-defying attractions. Eager to show off, Mikey challenged you to a hoverboard race through a neon-lit obstacle course.

The race was filled with twists, turns, and unexpected loops. Despite his best efforts to impress you, Mikey's competitive spirit got the best of him, leading to a series of comical wipeouts. You couldn't stop laughing as Mikey, determined to win your heart, persisted through each mishap with a grin on his face.

As the day came to a close, Mikey and the rest of you found yourselves at the Time Square, a bustling hub of activity where holographic billboards illuminated the night sky. Sensing the moment, Cody had managed to pull Mikey’s brothers away from the two of you, pointing out a street food stall to catch their attention.

Mikey took a deep breath, summoning his courage to express his feelings. He thought of the best words to use, and how to string them together in a convincing and sincere way. But he stalled, not sure how.

You noticed the conflicted look on Mikey’s face, and placed a hand on his arm, in hopes that it would calm him down.

“Is everything okay, Mikey?”, you asked, a concerned smile on your face that made Mikey’s knees go weak.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m okay! I’m fine!”, he said, stretching the back of his neck, hoping it would calm him down. But after a second or so like this, he realized he had to say it. He had to tell you. "Hey, (Y/N), I may not know much about the future, but one thing's for sure – being around you makes it totally awesome!”

You couldn't help but smile at Mikey's sincerity, soothing his arm with your thumb, causing his heart to galop. "Mikey, you don't need to impress me with future trends. You’re funny, caring and very attentive. I like you just the way you are".

“(Y/N)”, Mikey breathed, taking the hand you hand placed on his arm in his. “I really like you. As in, I really, really like you”.

You laughed. “So do I, Mikey. Like I said, I really, really like you, just the way you are”. And with that you placed your other hand on his cheek, pulling his face down to yours, so you could place a small peck on his lips.

In that moment, surrounded by the dazzling lights of New York City, you and Mikey shared a laugh of happiness and relieve, sealing the beginning of a unique and timeless connection that transcended both past and future.

“Well, that was about time”, Donatello said, watching you and Michelangelo unite in yet another sweet kiss from afar.

“About time?! Dude, I feared I would have to watch that cringe show the rest of our time here”, Raphael wined, poking at his street food.

“Well, I’m just glad they finally figured it out”, Leo said, taking a bite of his food.

“So am I”, said Cody with a laugh. “I don’t think I would be able to keep a straight face if Mikey ever pulled that stunt again”.

[magicianenthusiast]

random lov headcanons

tomura was (and is) the biggest bug kid. he loves them. after he came to afo he was wary of dogs bc of mon and wasn’t allowed any other pets/friends anyway, so he got fond of the spiders and creepy crawlies he found around the bar. he also likes them because theyre also misunderstood and disliked for no reason.

after he gets out of prison he gets a pet tarantula. shuuichi puts up with her bc he’s a good boyfriend and eventually grows fond. dabi and kurogiri are entirely indifferent but the rest of the league refuse to touch/go near her

when compress and kurogiri started to flirt tomura was extremely protective and suspicious of compress. he enlisted the rest of the league (this was post kamino but pre-kurogiri’s arrest) to secretly investigate compress for anything sketchy. unfortunately none of them including tomura really knew what constituted sketchiness amongst a group of supervillains so after a while they gave up. tomura kept a close eye on compress for a long time tho.

dabi has his real name tattooed onto his inner lip along with his date of birth. he got it done when he was 19 just in case he died on the street before he could reveal anything, in the hopes that maybe an autopsy would be conducted.

all the league donate blood to himiko on the regular, so long as she uses clean needles

himiko usually has a supply of league blood on her, and even if not she usually still has some in her system, and she transforms into them whenever she feels unsafe.

after they get out of prison tomura is finally free to express himself with his body. afo banned body mods bc a.) tomura wasnt supposed to go outside and b.) because that’s going to be his body someday

tomura has his hair cut short whilst he was in prison, but ends up growing it out again afterwards bc it just felt weird

he gets tattoos. i havent decided exactly what but he definitely lets each of the league design a small stick and poke each for him. probably gets a few video game themed ones too, and some flowers in honour of hana and the rest of his family (sans his father).

during his surgery to get new skin grafts dabi loses all his staples and piercings. after he gets out endeavour gives him some money (with the offer of more if dabi is willing to move back home) but instead touya uses it to replace all his old piercings and get new ones

he convinces tomura to go with him. tomura gets a lip ring and a helix piercing.

dabi always wanted a pet (specifically a dog but he wasnt fussy) growing up but was never allowed one. during prison he was approved for a therapy cat, a scraggly black rescue. she spends 90% of her time riding on his shoulders and hates everyone but him.

at some point he also gets a dog as well. i havent decided what breed yet. he spends an ungodly amount of time training it even tho he insists he doesnt care.

dabi, tomura and shuuichi have never been to a hairdresser before and none of them ever plan to. they either cut their own hair (dabi and shuuichi) or just dont cut it at all (tomura)

dabi and kurogiri are amazing cooks. tomura is an ok cook but only cooks and eats the plainest foods imaginable. himiko, shuuichi, magne and jin are all decent cooks, they just don’t have any particular passion for it. compress isnt allowed near the kitchen unsupervised under any circumstances.

after they find out about dabis 3 year coma the league decides that it means that dabi is actually 3 years younger than he says he is, making him 20 when he joined the league. dabi calls bullshit but both tomura and shuuichi insist that they’re actually older and therefore he has to respect them as his elders. 

maybe at some point after he gets out of jail the todoroki sibs jump on this too. touya is Not Pleased.

dabi and atsuhiro often get high and watch the worst/most obscure movies they can find together

all of the league love watching horror movies together and laughing at them.

garaki replaced the piece of jawbone dabi lost with a piece of someone else’s skeleton. he did a reasonably good job but dabi’s jaw is still ever so slightly lopsided.

bc of the burns on his throat sometimes he ends up not being able to talk, sometimes for up to a few days at a time. in the begining he’d just disappear until he got better or else write down what he wanted to say, but his handwriting is shit so in the end he begrudgingly admitted defeat and learnt sign language. the whole league learnt with him.

kurogiri is half ghanaian and dabi is quarter chinese

spinner had a tail when he was born but his parents ended up paying for it to be amputated when he was young. thanks to stress and a poor diet it never grew back, but after he gets out of prison it does (though it’s always a little shorter than it would’ve been had it grown normally)

they also had his retractable claws removed. later on before he joined the league he got new claws fitted, ones made of metal, but they’re non-retractable

spinner requires more protein in his diet than the baseline human. dabi needs a lot of calories bc his quirk burns through them so fast even when he’s not actively using it.

neither of them realise this until they’re being rehabilitated. they still get prison food, but it is catered to their dietary needs and they both have  realisations of oh so THAT’S why i felt so shitty all the time

after getting out of prison tomura starts going by tenko, but he still responds to tomura

touya considers changing his name to something completely new, but eventually decides not to. he does usually dispense with his surname entirely tho

he usually goes by just touya, no last name

if he absolutely has to give a surname (outside of a legal documents where he has to put down todoroki) he usually just picks one from the league. sometimes he’ll put it down as hikiishi touya, sometimes sako touya, etc.

[crazylittlejester]

I can yap about anything? Sweat. So I have this LoZ AU I’m slowly making, it’s set post TotK. I’m calling it Royal Depths and let me tell you most of the plot I have for it. This is so long but I must ramble.

TotK!Zelda and Link went missing a few years after the end of the game. Link died and Zelda was captured by a dark force, who was somebody who was close to her. They became “king,” bidding their time in a slow process to reinstate the monarchy back to its formal glory over several Hylian generations. They made sure to have 7 children each generation, becoming the 7 maidens who each oversee different parts of the kingdom. Later in the king’s years, there would be a “chosen successor” to the king voted by the people, but the dark force would always replace the successor after they “died.” After doing this around 3 time already is when the story starts.

Link, the hero, had been reborn as a Zora to King Sidon. He is cursed to be a middle child. He has an older brother named Blueberry(TotK!Link named him) who’s based on a shortfin mako shark and a little sister named Mipha who’s based on a lion fish, like actual Mipha’s concept art. Link is a white tipped shark. He has singing magic, because I like the musical magic in the previous a bunch. Whenever he starts to speak or sing something else, the magic is ceased. After the Zora equivalent of his 16th birthday, he received the Triforce of Courage on his left hand. The spirit of TotK!Link(im just going to be calling him Tears from now on) also appeared, and tries to act like the Hero’s Shade in TP. Link though, is utterly horrified and doesn’t want to even think of being a hero. Hyrule has been peaceful for so long already. Ganon and Zelda have even been born yet. So he traps himself in his room most of the time. He trains and studies in preparation for the worst, but he doesn’t want to make any more connections. People call him the Hermit Prince, and his family is very worried about him. He also has a habit of slipping out of the Zora Domian in the middle of the night.

Zelda hasn’t and will not be reborn, because she is still alive and is being kept as a power source for the kingdom. Yeah. But, she is able to use some of her magic to contact someone, anyone, and to be able to give the Triforce of Wisdom to them. Enter Helix, a mostly regular adult human living in Lodrum. They’re a friend to the Oracles, who only recently appeared this generation, and they are cast out as heretics by the Hyrulian monarchy. Helix doesn’t really care about that, he’s a human after all. Until they receive Zelda’s message and power. In a dream, she tells them that they must go to the castle and stop an evil king with the help of Link. Very vague. Helix goes to the Oracles and they send him off the Hyrule Castle. Suddenly she’s now crowned as the “true” successor of the long missing Princess Zelda. Her name is now Zelda “Helix” Hyrule. They still like to go be Helix, that is their name after all, but they tolerate being called Zelda by the Hylians. His only goal and focus while he’s here is to find the hero, and kill the evil king. He thinks that it would be Ganon, based on the legends.

Ganondorf, or just Ganon, is only like, 10 years old in Gerudo years, but like 12 in human/hylian years. He’s a child, and is trapped within his home and garden by his mother, who believes she’s doing the right thing. She is not, she’s sealing her own demise like this. Everyone believes that he would grow up to be the demon king, just like he did every other time he’s been reincarnated. He’s lonely and scared, scared of himself and what everyone’s telling him he will become. He’s not doing well. Then, one day, an odd bird appears in his garden. It has a long, sleek white body, with pale blue wings. It cozies up to him pretty quick, when all other animals seem to be afraid of him. Soon after that, an oddly dressed purple-cladded Hylian jumps over the garden walls, calling for his bird, Sheerow. Enter Ravio, the main character of this story.

Ravio is the secretary for Hilda, the Prime Minister of Lorule. Lorule is further along in industrial progress compared to Hyrule, Lorule having 2010s vibes while Hyrule is in its equivalent of the Victorian Era. Ravio has magic, but he prefers to do magic tricks rather than actual magic. It’s more fun for him. He was named after Ravio the Merchant, aka AlbW!Ravio. Ravio is obsessed with the story of the Merchant and the Hero, the story of how Lorule was saved with the help of a hero from another world. One day, he receives his world’s equivalent(I’ve been using this word so much)of the Triforce of Wisdom, which looks like where the Hylian Triforce of Courage would be if you turned the Triforce upside down. So when Hilda shoves Ravio in the now open portal to Hyrule, people think that he could be the new hero. He constantly says he’s not, but is his counterpart and is searching for him. He first gets dropped in the middle of Gerudo desert, and a couple of Gerudo help him get to Gerudo Town, since he looks enough like a vai and he also doesn’t know what the words “vai” and “voe” even mean.

But yeah, he goes to Gerudo Town(which is much larger than it was in TotK), and basically adopts Ganon and brings him with him to Hyrule Castle. Well, it’s more like Ganon brings him along to the castle since there is this royal meetup between the kingdoms of Hyrule. Ganon and his “””””mother””””” are representing the Gerudo, Old man Tulin(he’s so old guys but he’s still full of energy) is representing the Rito, Yona and her children-including Link-are representing the Zora, and Helix is also now the main representative of the humans and hylians, along with the king.

Ravio and Ganon have gained permission to explore the castle, and the eventual reach this big garden with a long river at the end of it. Ganon loves it, he loves gardens, and is having such a good kid with the biggest smile on his face as frolics around the place with Sheerow by his side. Ravio’s known this kid for less than a week but is more than willing to kill someone for him I’ll have you know. The garden is also the place where Helix goes to relax and de-stress, which is not happening when she sees the future demon king she’s convinced she’ll have to kill running around in it. She’s very confrontational, only calming a bit once Ravio reveals his mark of the Lorulian Triforce. She’s convinced for a hot second that he’s the hero, but he’s not, just his counterpart from another world, which Helix just can’t seem to get. Another world? How crazy is that?

Then, they both hear a scream coming from Ganon, near the river. A corrupted, monstrous looking thing that looks like it’s made of fire crosses over it in one step, and the battle commences. They’re trying their best, Ravio trying use ice magic(not very effective), Ganon trying to use his own fire magic(not very effective), and Helix doesn’t even know how to use his newfound light magic properly yet(again, not very effective). She pleads to Ravio to go get the Master Sword, since he’s the only one who has a chance of pulling it out of its pedestal. Then, someone is singing. It starts to rain, it starts to pour down hard. Ravio drapes his cloak over Ganon so he doesn’t get hurt by the harsh rain, and the three watch as the monster screams and quickly dies right there and then. On the ground there is this odd, clearly evil, glowing sphere, which gets hit with a Zora spear, shattering it. Link jumps down from the castle roof, says hello, and the rain almost immediately stops once he speaks. He walks directly towards Ravio, while the group are just staring at him with wide eyes and agape mouths. Link introduces himself to Ravio and only Ravio, asking if he really is from another world. Ravio asks back if Link has been there the entire time they were fighting, and Link enthusiastically says yes. Ravio punches Link squarely in the face.

Uh uh, that’s enough of direct storyline for nowww. The Happy Mask Salesman is also here, and Tears lead Link to him to get a Hylian mask. So he can also transform into a Hylian. During the night, he runs off to the circus, and is a semi-famous acrobat. And he can’t speak while wearing the mask, since normally when he speaks the magic he casts stops. But the mask’s magic is way too powerful for him, so he just can’t speak.

Also Ravio, Helix, and Ganon can see Tears, thanks to the Triforces they have. Link has to pretend he can’t see or hear him while in his normal Zora form. And because he’s a Zora with a Hylian soul, he has maybe gender(species?)envy of Ravio. He thinks he’s in love but he’s not, he’s aroace, he just wants to be him not be with him. Ravio also hates Links because of aforementioned stuff above, and also because Link acts very suspicious around him. Ravio has major trust issues. He also is obsessed with the hero, which is also Link. Isn’t that fun? Oh, and everyone calls Link “Herm” because he’s a so called hermit.

A good chunk of the story is focused on the Depths, and the group exploring it to figure out why these monsters are appearing. Eventually, they find Zelda underneath the castle, Tears just breaks because he didn’t know where she was and that she was being used as a power source, and the king finally reveals themselves as the big bad. To the heroes he does at least, but he manages to convince a good chunk of the public that they are the bad guys, because Ganon.

And that’s about it for now haha. 1,708 words, ho boy. Wanted to talk about this for a while, feels great.

Sorry this took me so long to respond to, I wanted to really make sure I had the time to sit down and read it all, and I finally did so YIPPEE!!!

Link died and Zelda was captured by a dark force, who was somebody who was close to her <- GOD DAMN.

They made sure to have 7 children each generation, becoming the 7 maidens who each oversee different parts of the kingdom <- this sounds like a fairy tale almost and im OBSESSED.

Link, the hero, had been reborn as a Zora to King Sidon. <- LETS FUCKING GO ZORA LINK?????? OH MY GOD!!!

BLUEBERRY. PERFECT.

The spirit of TotK!Link(im just going to be calling him Tears from now on) also appeared, and tries to act like the Hero’s Shade in TP <- WOAAAAAAAAH.

Link though, is utterly horrified and doesn’t want to even think of being a hero <- he’s so real for that actually, i adore him

People call him the Hermit Prince, and his family is very worried about him <- Okay so I’m completely obsessed with your blorbo. I am holding him so gently rn

Zelda hasn’t and will not be reborn, because she is still alive and is being kept as a power source for the kingdom. Yeah. <- DAMN.

Enter Helix, a mostly regular adult human living in Lodrum <- OOOOOOOH

Suddenly she’s now crowned as the “true” successor of the long missing Princess Zelda. Her name is now Zelda “Helix” Hyrule <- WOAAAAAAAAAH

Ganondorf, or just Ganon, is only like, 10 years old in Gerudo years, but like 12 in human/hylian years. He’s a child, and is trapped within his home and garden by his mother, who believes she’s doing the right thing. She is not <- OUGH???????? HE’S TEN????

Everyone believes that he would grow up to be the demon king, just like he did every other time he’s been reincarnated. He’s lonely and scared, scared of himself and what everyone’s telling him he will become. He’s not doing well <- you are so evil. you are so so evil (im clawing at the walls screaming btw, holy SHIT!!! /pos /pos /pos)

Enter Ravio, the main character of this story <- FUCKING PLOT TWIST??????

Lorule having 2010s vibes while Hyrule is in its equivalent of the Victorian Era <- Fucking obsessed with this btw

Ravio has magic, but he prefers to do magic tricks rather than actual magic <- HE’S SO ME OH MY GOD

basically adopts Ganon <- OH GOOD, SOMEONE NEEDED TO

Old man Tulin <- TEARS IN MY EYES

Ganon loves it, he loves gardens, and is having such a good kid with the biggest smile on his face as frolics around the place with Sheerow by his side. Ravio’s known this kid for less than a week but is more than willing to kill someone for him I’ll have you know <- Ravio im right there with you

Then, they both hear a scream coming from Ganon, near the river <- LEAVE THAT LITTLE GUY ALONE /ref

Ravio drapes his cloak over Ganon so he doesn’t get hurt by the harsh rain <- i hate you so much for making my heart hurt over this mental image what the fuck (i love you. /p)

Ravio asks back if Link has been there the entire time they were fighting, and Link enthusiastically says yes. Ravio punches Link squarely in the face. <- I LAUGHED OUT LOUD

During the night, he runs off to the circus, and is a semi-famous acrobat <- WHAT A LEGEND

He thinks he’s in love but he’s not, he’s aroace, he just wants to be him not be with him <- OUGH.

Tears just breaks because he didn’t know where she was and that she was being used as a power source <- i am shaking you rn, but so gently and with so much kindness. But also how could you do this to me

Wanted to talk about this for a while, feels great <- IM FUCKJNG INVESTED

I have no idea if you’re writing this, drawing this, exclusively letting it live in your mind, but if you do like produce it physically anywhere… PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD SEND IT TO ME IM EATING THE DRYWALL IN EXCITEMENT RN THIS IS SO FUCKASS /POS I LOVE ALL OF THIS OH MY GOD GOOD LORD I LOVE UR BLORBOS I AM HOLDING THEM SO SO SO SO GENTLY RN OH MY GOD!!!!!!

as you can see i am god’s most normal man. Anyways, THANK YOU FOR SHARING!!!!!

[elfdragon12]

So, for my own fanfic purposes, I worked on a list of canonical locations on Cybertron. I don't know if any site has a nicely formatted list of cities/city-states, so I thought I might share this list with others. This is mostly comprehensive as I left off locations that were too specific to one continuity or too confusing and it's quite possible I missed a few places. There are some continuity specific places included I think are more flexible. Many items on this list are not expanded upon, so you can have as much fun as you want.

Either way, here's what I got in one handy (very long) list:

Regions

Tri-Torus

- Petrohex

- Polyhex

- Dodecahex

Polar States

- Iacon

- Kaon

Tri-Penninsular Torus

- Uraya

- Praxus

- Protihex

Iacon (capital)

Iacon Central

- Great Dome

- Celestial Spires

-- Celestial Temple

Academy of Science and Technology

Jan-ja

Imperial Amphitheater

Maccadam's Old Oil House

Iaconian Aerial Academy

Metroplex

Trion Square

the Undergrid

Translucentia Heights

the Senate

Xeno Quarter

Hall of Records

Observatory of Iacon

High Council Pavilions

Chamber of the Autobots

Polyhex

Darkmount

Deadend

the original Space Bridge

Polyhex Toll Plaza

a canyon

Grease pits

Nova Cronum

Praetorus Wharf

Chamber of the Ancients

center of philosophy

Protihex

Protihex Medical Mechanics University

Uraya

bigger than Praxus and Protihex

Tyger Pax

idyllic and tranquil

Rust Sea

unstable planetary matter

emits a mostly harmless corrosive gas

Hydrax Plateau

- Damaxus

Toxic Sludge Swamps

Tagan Heights

Durax

Ultirex

- technoversity

Tetrahex

responsible for 40% of industrial output

Tyrest

Jekka Amphitheater

Tyrest University

Altihex

deep space research facilities

underground energon refinery

Altihex casino

Kalis

Pax Cybertronia Decommissioning Depot

Kalis Primary Energon Reserves Control

Kaon

Kolkular

- the Cradle

space bridge

gladitorial rings

Jump Joint

Wreckage Row

mines

Kaon Prison

Kaon Plaza

Ibex

Central Spaceport

Ibex School of Epistemology

Ibex Cup racing circuit

Crystal City

Drouhard University

Refracting Gardens

Geosynchronus Energon Bridge

known for elegant construction and scientific minds

Undercity

mostly deserted

near the Red Sea

Peptex

near Rust Sea

Dodecahex

Shuttle Complex Ohm

Petrohex

Upper Petrohex

Lower Perrohex

Rust Sea tributary

Harmonex

"Singing City"

center for art and learning

Lithic singing crystals

Alyon

uninhabited

Vos

rich in energy resources

close to Tarn

Air Command Center

Stanix

Yuss

- Amprodome

- Justice Building

Fort Scyk

Acid Wastes

Proximax

Transhyperwave Caster Tower

Hyperious

defensive walls

Burthov

docks

launch site

labs and factories

"belongs" to Science Division

Petrex

"twin-mode" city

Simfur

Simfur Temple

Chamber of the Dynasty of Primes

Tarn

power plant

border fortresses

gladitorial rings

original Senate Building

The Decagon

main control center of planetary defenses

Blaster City

low class industrial region

munitions source

weapons manufacturing facility

Rad Zone

dangerous

Plasma Energy Chamber

plasma energy reservoir

Tesarus

artisans and philosophers

Helex

Power Base

gladitorial arena

Axiom Nexus

The Blue Deployer

Widow's Cafe Cybertronian

The Heap

Rodion

waterways

Maccadam's New Oil House

Deltaran Medical Facility

Nyon

Rust Narrows

Acroplex

Gygax

tunnel to Ankmor Park

Ankmor Park

as old as Quintesson supremacy

chemical processing center turned biochemical garden

Galaxxon

industrial

slagwerks

K'th Kinsere

Vaulted Heights

home to High Priests

Triax

the Nexis

Ky-Alexia

stronghold

Plurex

Plurex Flats

Emirate Xaaron Spacebridge Nexus

just outside of Iacon

Well of Allsparks

afterlife

inside the Core

Sistex

Sistex University

Staniz

ship building

Centurion

bright

Praxus

the Assembly

Helix Gardens

Slaughter City

low class industrial center

illegal gladotorial games

Border Regions

borders Iacon

Promontory

Forum of Enlightenment

Predigeon Arch

Cities with no information

Nuon

Pescus Hex

Esserlon

Monoplex

Median

Hexima State

Perihex

Praxium

Bitrex

Ultrix

Valvolux

Carpessa

Glibax

Vaporex

Ambustus Minor

Tribat

Unitrex

Tesk

Teledonia

Detrona

Landmarks

Redox River

Timonium River

Straits of Yuss

Trannis Fork River

Mithril Sea

Argon Sea

- gaseous

Sonic Canyon

The Badlands

Manganese Mountains

Cataclysm Tundra

- Athenaeum Sanctorum

Tri-Torus Loop

Tygun Span

-road between Iacon and Nova Cronum

[gummybugg]

Meet my OC Blair from Crater City!

hi hi! i brought a detailed character bio! yay! enjoy the headshot i drew!

Inspired by that one picrew @ reelrollsweat made!

Detailed Bio under the cut!

˗ˏˋ [intro]

Name: Blair (he/him)

Role: protagonist

Dob: Jan 10; aged 23

Sexuality: bi

Mbti: esfp

Occupation: in-universe equivalent of an uber driver (which is lowkey illegal since he hijacks auto-cars)

bio / summary: Moves to Crater City from the outskirts for a chance to pursue computer/technology and to find a place he can finally belong. Quits college and his white collar job because they were “too boring,” much to others’ dismay. Once his bff Elijah gets jumped by his supposed creditors, Blair vows to do whatever it takes to avenge his best friend even if that involves getting his hands dirty.

˗ˏˋ [appearance]

Height: 5’3”

Hair: very dark brown, mullet, full of cowlicks

Skin: beige

Eye: very dark brown

build / physique: build to last (chubby/sturdy)

notable features: acne scars, multiple cuts/scars, missing left pinky, slight beard stubble, sharp canines, double ear gauges, double helix piercings in each ear, tongue piercing

clothing style: some random guy who rolled out from under your bed (cargo shorts + a band tee)

˗ˏˋ [more]

tag for your oc: blair, blair core

aesthetic / vibe / tropes: just some dumbass in a post-apocalyptic hellscape; heart motif

traits / quirks: follows his heart, lives in the moment, loyal to those he loves, tries and fails to keep promises, tends to be self-centered/stuck in his head, party animal, turbulent, vulgar at times, will fight even if all odds are stacked against him, noticeably fidgets/stims according to emotion, excessive use of alliteration and odd metaphors, can talk someone’s ear off for hours at a time

quotes: “Let scientists do what they want with this body. There's enough Blair to go around for everyone!” / “C’mon man, get up, you know we can't afford an ambulance!” / “Oh, so you're mad at me because I wanted to avenge my best friend? Excuse me for thinking my best friend’d wanna help me dispose of the body!”

fun facts: croc-enthusiast, terrible driver, perfect at parallel parking, left-handed, has unusual luck

hobbies / skills: going to bars, dancing, playing video games until 5 am, collects knives/road signs/keys/rocks, creates robot pets that don't last very long, knife tricks with his balisong, doodling, creating characters

likes: the color red, frosted animal crackers, sweet food, night driving, talking about his hyperfixations, hugs, rock music, buying shirts with funny quotes on them, listening to Elijah play his guitar/sing

dislikes: being called crazy/a freak, the constant chatter in his head, loud/bright places (when sober), when people don't believe him, the dentist's office, condescending people, the rich

moodboard: 

playlist

(may update this page as I see fit!)

...

🚗 Want to rot your brain with each sporadic Crater City post? Join the taglist! Maybe I'll finish this wip someday, who knows! (dm to be added/removed): @writeouswriter @lyra-brie @digitalsatyr23 @talesfromtheunknowable

[definitelynotalpharius]

Master of None

The list for this Saturday's tournament has been assembled:

Masters of None (1995 points)

Space Marines - Blood Angels

Strike Force (2000 points) - Vanguard Spearhead

CHARACTERS

Bladeguard Ancient (45 points)

• 1x Close combat weapon

1x Heavy bolt pistol

Captain (80 points)

• 1x Heavy bolt pistol

1x Master-crafted power weapon

1x Relic Shield

Commander Dante (120 points)

• Warlord

• 1x Perdition

1x The Axe Mortalis

Librarian in Phobos Armour (100 points)

• 1x Bolt pistol

1x Force weapon

1x Smite

• Enhancement: Shadow War Veteran

BATTLELINE

Heavy Intercessor Squad (105 points)

• 1x Heavy Intercessor Sergeant

• 1x Bolt pistol

1x Close combat weapon

1x Heavy bolt rifle

• 4x Heavy Intercessor

• 4x Bolt pistol

4x Close combat weapon

4x Heavy bolt rifle

Heavy Intercessor Squad (105 points)

• 1x Heavy Intercessor Sergeant

• 1x Bolt pistol

1x Close combat weapon

1x Heavy bolt rifle

• 4x Heavy Intercessor

• 4x Bolt pistol

4x Close combat weapon

4x Heavy bolt rifle

OTHER DATASHEETS

Assault Intercessors with Jump Packs (85 points)

• 1x Assault Intercessor Sergeant with Jump Pack

• 1x Plasma pistol

1x Power weapon

• 4x Assault Intercessors with Jump Packs

• 4x Astartes chainsword

4x Heavy bolt pistol

Assault Intercessors with Jump Packs (85 points)

• 1x Assault Intercessor Sergeant with Jump Pack

• 1x Plasma pistol

1x Power weapon

• 4x Assault Intercessors with Jump Packs

• 4x Astartes chainsword

4x Heavy bolt pistol

Bladeguard Veteran Squad (180 points)

• 1x Bladeguard Veteran Sergeant

• 1x Master-crafted power weapon

1x Plasma pistol

• 5x Bladeguard Veteran

• 5x Heavy bolt pistol

5x Master-crafted power weapon

Eliminator Squad (75 points)

• 1x Eliminator Sergeant

• 1x Bolt pistol

1x Close combat weapon

1x Instigator bolt carbine

• 2x Eliminator

• 2x Bolt pistol

2x Close combat weapon

2x Las fusil

Eradicator Squad (95 points)

• 1x Eradicator Sergeant

• 1x Bolt pistol

1x Close combat weapon

1x Melta rifle

• 2x Eradicator

• 2x Bolt pistol

2x Close combat weapon

2x Melta rifle

Infiltrator Squad (100 points)

• 1x Infiltrator Sergeant

• 1x Bolt pistol

1x Close combat weapon

1x Marksman bolt carbine

• 4x Infiltrator

• 4x Bolt pistol

4x Close combat weapon

1x Helix Gauntlet

1x Infiltrator Comms Array

4x Marksman bolt carbine

Redemptor Dreadnought (200 points)

• 1x Icarus rocket pod

1x Macro plasma incinerator

1x Onslaught gatling cannon

1x Redemptor fist

1x Twin fragstorm grenade launcher

Repulsor (190 points)

• 1x Armoured hull

1x Hunter-slayer missile

1x Las-talon

1x Repulsor defensive array

1x Twin lascannon

Sanguinary Guard (350 points)

• 10x Sanguinary Guard

• 10x Encarmine blade

10x Inferno pistol

1x Sanguinary Banner

ALLIED UNITS

Vindicare Assassin (80 points)

• 1x Exitus pistol

1x Exitus rifle

1x Vindicare combat knife

The list is surprisingly Ultramarine-esque, as melee still sucks major ass in 40k, hence the build to try to do everything, rather than min-maxing the assault doctrine. From the testing I did, the list works really well in the mid game (around round 2-3) but suffers otherwise. In whole honesty, the only unit that does consistently well is Dante with his Sanguinaries, but that has proven often enough, to be more than enough.

In any case, expect a battle report of the tournament around Sunday. See, y'all around.

[mysteries-uncovered]

"look and see"

sacredotus ego. i assume this is sacred ego, but it is bad latin.

"maproom"

ex septibus unum. out of seven, one. this is also bad latin. septibus is not a word.

ohio is where eyedol games is/was based and seems to be featured prominently as a cursed location within zampanio, perhaps as a nod to that fact

what also immediately jumps out to me, is the alcatraz zone. this is exactly the same as the alcatraz zone from monument mythos. so , this suggests, presumably, another media being subsumed into zampanio. 2 of the other zone names (washington and rushmore) are also found in the monument mythos, though their borders are not the same.

I don't think this does anything right now. Maybe I am missing something.

"Helix"

I've definitely seen the death clock stuff before. Or maybe I'm getting mixed up with the revelation clock.

The cipher says "Look for the eye in the dark."

TA (Time)

WE REMEMBERWE REMEMBER THE PAINYOU DID THIS TO US

this looks like it links to a lot of things, but i dont have the time ^^. just note the name

[shady-scripter]

Whumptober Day22

(Glass shard)

In order for any of this to make any real sense, you might wanna check out this post

The Golden Gems are the boys btw(it’s referring to their Shards of Courage)

New divider made by @firefly-graphics

The sun fell over the horizon hours ago, the sky being overtaken by the darkness of night. Yet, the volley of flaming arrows lit up the sky.

It was a surprise attack, the Golden Gems unsheathed their weapons quickly, taking a defensive stance. The monsters pooled in from over a hill. The army of them looked to be five hundred and too many. They were terribly outnumbered. You could even say that they were out planned.

Fierce commanded the others while Mask got them ready, unsheathing the Biggoron sword and his shield materialized from his gem. The others followed the Fierce half’s directions.

Another volley of arrows flew through the sky, each landing in a tree and setting it ablaze. They felt Fierce’s eye open, but saw nothing out of it.

Wild shot his own arrows, hoping to hold them back just a little longer. Legend assisted the attack, taking out his own bow and making a few arrows materialize out of his purple gem.

Sky sent down a skyward strike, a beam of light following the slash of the blade. It killed some monsters, but the black stain among the other monsters put a glare on Time’s face.

Of course their dark counterpart would lead such a large army. How lucky did they expect to be in the Champion’s Hyrule?

“Old Man!” Wild yelled, trying to overpower the crackling of the fire. Time considered the choices. Fierce said that they’d be better off running and making sure that everyone was safe. Mask said that they should fight, that this hoard will only get larger if they left it alone and ran.

Time turned to Wild, both of the gems, Fierce and Mask reaching an agreement. “Forward!” The other gems went, war cries following them into the heat of battle.

Time threw his shield like a boomerang, decapitating three monsters on his way up the hill. Twilight had an idea similar, throwing his gale boomerang.

Mask caught their shield and Fierce swung their sword. It was like clockwork for them. They’ve fought together for years.

They swung once again at an enemy, but everything froze. They realized what happened.

They locked eyes with their dark counterpart, time in stasis around them. They knew what would happen. At least, Mask did. He’d dealt with this before.

The Shadow decided to look like them this time. Probably for old time’s sake. No words were exchanged, the two fusions eyed each other for another ten seconds or so.

The Shadow had a sly smirk pulled onto his face. Time moved, the Shadow mirrored that move. It seemed that they were also mirroring movements today too.

Mask scoffed, “What do you want?”

“I want to see someone shatter. It’s been far too long, hasn’t it? That we’ve shattered someone?”

“Shattering isn’t some game,” Mask and Fierce said in unison.

“Wouldn’t you know?” Shadow dashed at them, time around them unfroze at their command.

They reached for Fierce’s eye and the double helix sword he used to wield appeared in their hand. They dropped the Biggoron sword, deciding to swing the Fierce Blade.

Their sword clashed with their dark counterpart for what felt like eons, their opponent seeming not to tire even a bit.

Shoulder, thigh, hip. It had been injured at best. Either by the Shadow or a boko who wanted to get a hit in. The boys did the same to the Shadow, jumping in briefly to get their own hit in.

Wind decided that it was his turn to get his own hit in. He sliced through another blue bokoblin before he turned into a spin attack to cut the Shadow. The thing blocked the boy’s advance and kicked him hard enough to knock him into a tree.

Mask and Fierce cried the boy’s name when he wouldn’t get up. They dropped their guard and tried to run to him. They were grabbed by the back of their shirt and shoved into the dirt face first.

Mask screamed, the gem of his nose took most of the force. For a second, Fierce’s heart dropped. He knew what the Shadow was trying to do. Fierce used Time’s trembling hands to brace himself on the ground, Mask’s cries echoing in his brain.

“C’mon! Just shatter already!” Fierce couldn’t- no- he wouldn’t let that happen. Mask was not going to shatter while they were fused.

Time was turned on his back, Fierce raised their arms over their nose. He prayed that Mask hadn’t cracked.

“Someone get there!” They heard the Captain yell, worry laced into every word he spoke.

“I’m trying!” The Skyloftian shouted back.

“There’s too many of them!” Twilight groaned, panic in his own words.

That was when a boot met Time’s nose. An audible crack rang through the battlefield. Fierce paused.

“Mask…?”

No answer.

“Mask!”

“I-“ Fierce heard the smaller gem’s voice cut off and then a groan. “Cra-cked…” Fierce heard a static echo in their head.

Mask, his boy, his sapphire companion that he’s been with, the one he’s fought with for years, is cracked.

Shadow went for another stomp. Time didn’t have the luxury of time to move.

It hit his nose once more. This time, there was nothing, only the victorious laugh the Shadow spat out.

“How refreshing!” It stepped away from Time.

Time didn’t move.

“Mask! Please! Tell me you didn’t-“ Fierce couldn’t feel the coolness of the sapphire that graced his face. When he reached up to make sure that his companion was okay, he only brought back shards of royal blue. The royal blue of Mask’s gem.

Fierce found himself staring, the rest of the battlefield noise faded in the back. He heard their- no- his chest pound violently.

Time used to be the two of them, but now it was just Fierce. Mask was gone, right?

Fierce sat up and held the shattered bits of Mask.

“Hylia no!” Warriors knelt by Fierce’s side, picking at the shards. Out of all the friends the obsidian had lost, he never wanted to lose his little brother…

Fierce stared at the shattered bits in silence. Soon, the others started to crowd around.

Wind, with bandages around his head, decided to speak. “Well, at least you’re not fully shattered?”

Wild tried to help, “Yeah! I’m sure the Smithy could make you a shield just like your old one!”

“I would be happy to, of course!” Four smiled at Wild.

“Enough you idiots!” Warriors stood up, eyeing the three with a vicious glare. “Have you never seen a fusion in your lives?!”

“Captain…”

“No gem in the history of history has ever been made with two fucking gems!”

“Captain!”

Warriors balled up his fists. Sky hugged him, pushing the Captain’s head onto his own shoulder.

Fierce looked back down at the fragments. He felt his eyes start to water. But gems didn’t cry. Gems couldn’t cry. So why was his face wet and why, why, why?!

Time’s body shone white. When the white faded, it was just Fierce. Not even the green of Mask’s stupid hat remained.

Fierce’s breath caught in his throat, the shock setting in.

Mask was gone. Mask was shattered.

—

(:

[theyhavetakenovermylife]

Chronicle of Emotions (Fluff)

FastForward!Raphael x reader

Gif credit: isitdonproof

A/N: This would very much create a paradox in space and time, but fuck it. Let have some fun!❤️ Also, I know that BTTS aired in 2008, but April mentions that they have been gone for around a year, so I’ve set their return to their own timeline in 2007.

-----------------

Being punished with cleaning off Cody’s collection after an incident with Mikey, Raphael stumbles upon your diary from the past.

Warnings: Other than invasion of privacy, one that I can think of❤️

----------------

Raphael grumbled and cursed to himself as he dusted off the boxes around him, mumbling about how much he hated the future. He couldn’t believe he was the one that had to take the fall for this! It was Mikey that started it! Continuously poking that Helix game into his face, until Raph finally jumped on him to give him a beating. But Master Splinter wasn't having it, especially not in Cody’s penthouse. So Raph was the one that got punished with cleaning Cody’s collection.

Raphael wandered through Cody's collection of artifacts, recognizing quite a few of them. A samurai suit, some utrom technology and things from their lair. Some of them were more dusty than others, like the many books that once stood in Leonardo’s bedroom. Understandable. He didn’t even read them now in the future. But as he browsed through the items and boxes, one particular object caught his attention - a small, worn notebook. Raph frowned. He had never seen this before. Was it one of Donnie’s notebooks? Or one of his future ones? Raph did not know, so he opened it and looked at the first page.

Property of (Y/N) (L/N).

Raphael's heart skipped a beat. (Y/N). The name resonated with a sense of familiarity and warmth. You. One of his best friends left back home in 2006. Officially his best friend, yet he had dreamed of you to be so much more to him. He admitted it to himself long ago - he loved you. And to be standing there, 99 years in the future with your diary in his hand, he could not help but feel a slight pain in his heart. He missed you.

But to say that Raphael didn’t find himself curious about what the diary in his hand held, would be a lie. So with a mix of curiosity and trepidation, Raphael delved into the diary, turning to the first page.

19th of July, 2003. Dear diary You wouldn’t believe what just happened to me today. I’ve met four turtles! Four MUTANT turtles! Talking, walking on two feet, carrying weapons and doing ninja things! And get this, they are my age! How sick is that?! I know, I know, it’s hard to believe. Even I feared I had lost my mind for a moment, but they are as real as the page I’m writing on. And they are nice. They are sweet and funny and I hope I can see them again soon!

Raph felt a smile spread on his lips, remembering the day he and his brothers first met you. It had been a Friday night when you came to surprise your cousin April, not knowing she already had four mutant turtles and their rat father staying in her living room, using it as a hideout for a short time. Raph and his brothers would have stayed hidden away from you in April’s closet, had a bug not been crawling on Raph’s arm, causing him to burst through the door and directly into your face.

Raph felt his face get hot when he remembered that you actually caught the bug, and managed to calm him down, even though you were still shocked by the sudden surprise of a humanoid turtle in your cousin’s home. And that had been the starting point for Raphael’s growing feelings for you.

Raph flipped through the pages, skimming at the words, feeling curiosity growing. There were entries about battles fought and victories celebrated, about friendships forged and broken. Names he knew and names he had never heard of before. Someone from school or work mentioned once, just to never be mentioned again. Raphael's eyes widened as he read about your reflections on their encounters, realizing that his presence had left an impact on you just as you had on him. Raphael's cheeks warmed, and he couldn't deny the fluttering in his chest. You were not just a friend; you were someone he had held close in his heart, even if it was a secret he had kept buried beneath his tough skin. And even though it was wrong of him to be reading the words of your thoughts, he just couldn’t help himself.

In the quiet solitude of Cody's futuristic lair, Raphael found himself drawn not only to your words in your diary but to the feeling of being around you once more. He couldn't deny the impact your diary’s presents had on him, awakening emotions he had long kept guarded. Raph knew he would see you again one day, but he could not stop himself from missing you.

“How is the cleaning going, Raphael?”

Splinter’s voice from the doorway made Raph jump. Even with his graduation to Chunin coming up, Raph’s skills could not match his Master’s sneaking skills… especially not when he stood with his beak deep in your diary.

“Great, Master Splinter!”, Raph said, hiding your diary on the back of his shell. “Absolutely great!”

Splinter was quick to notice the way his son was standing. His smile on his face, along with the way his arms was bent to the back of his shell. Having been the one raising Raphael and his brothers for the past 18 years,  Splinter knew way too well how it looked when they tried to keep something from him. But knowing Raph’s hatred for the future, Splinter found it somewhat comforting that his son had found something he wished to keep hidden. To keep for himself. Maybe it was enough to make him more comfortable with their current situation.

“That sounds good”, Splinter said, taking in the somewhat cleaner state of Cody’s collection. There was only so much you could do with an almost hundred years old collection and an angry turtle. “I believe you’ve been punished enough for today, Raphael”.

Raph breathed a sigh of relief. After his father’s reaction to he and his brothers finding April and Casey's old journal, he feared what he would say, had he known about your diary in his hands. He thanked his Master before waiting for him to leave, so he could run to his room all while keeping the old worn book in his hand a secret.

Once Raph was sure he was alone and that none of his brothers would burst through the door, Raph turned to open your diary once more. With a page open he turned to look at the date.

29th of July 2006

Raph almost slammed your diary shut again. His hands trembled a bit. That was the day he and his brothers traveled to the future. The day they left you, April and Casey in the past, reminding him just how much he hated the future. Yet Raph did not leave your diary.

Raph’s heart broke a bit when he read your words. A whole year you were left in confusion before any of them returned home. You, Casey and April looked everywhere for them. Every place you had known for them to call home. You had searched in Casey’s farmhouse and Leatherhead’s lair. April had even traveled to Japan to ask the Ancient One, while Casey searched out of state, all while you stayed back, just in case they got home. A whole year, and nothing. April and Casey came home empty handed. No one knew where the turtle brothers and their father were.

Raphael continued flipping through the worn pages of your diary, his eyes scanning the entries searching for something he did not know how to describe. As he turned a page, he halted.

13th of September 2007

Raph knew he shouldn’t read it. Donnie has already told him and his brothers the dangers of meddling with their timelines, and how just being in the year 2105 could already have made unknown changes to their own future. But did Raph care about that? No. He already hated the future as it was, so making it worse would feel any different to him.

It happened! They are home! The boys are home! So much happened, and I don’t know where to start, but the most important part is that the boys are home and safe. April and Casey texted me and told me they had found them in the lair. And it was true! They were all there! Leo, Mikey, Donnie, Splinter and Raph. Speaking of Raph, it happened. It fucking happened. Finally it fucking happened!

Raph narrowed his eyes in confusion. What happened? Or… what will happen? - The fucking future thing was going to fry his brain one day.

Raphael kissed me!

Raphael's eyes widened as he absorbed the words on the page. The realization hit him like a tidal wave. He kissed you. He would kiss you! At some time in the future… or in the past… fuck that shit! He kissed you!

He did not say hey nor let his brothers say anything. He just walked straight over to me and kissed me! Just like that! In front of everyone! I will not lie and tell you that I didn’t want it, because in actuality, I did. I really wanted it, probably for way longer than I originally thought. I do really like Raphael, and it’s safe to say that he likes me as well.

His heart thudded in his chest as he read your words. You liked him? Just like he liked you? His hands shook as he tried to calm his breath. It was like an adrenaline bomb had hit him, making his heart raise even further.

Raph was tempted to read further. Turn to the next page and learn what would happen next. What words you would exchange and what actions the two of you would take. But just as he was about to turn the page, he decided against it. He already knew too much. Or maybe just enough. He now knew it was safe to kiss you when he turned home, and that you wouldn’t push him away nor fight against it. Learning more than that would take the excitement out of everything the two of you would do together.

Closing the diary with a mixture of awe and anticipation, Raphael couldn't help but smile. The knowledge that you harbored feelings for him, even if it was in a moment he had not yet experienced himself, filled him with warmth. And as he snuck out of his room to return your diary to Cody’s collection, he hoped that none of his brothers would notice him nor the little skip in his step.

Maybe the future wasn’t as bad as he had made it out to be.

[nitrosodiumrapidproto]

Looking at Block Breakers

This genre is mostly relegated to mobile games, as it is best suited to only playing a few minutes per day. You break blocks - sometimes by forming patterns, sometimes by merging, sometimes by using a ball. I would say that the satisfactory element comes from the visual and audio elements, and also the human urge to 'solve' patterns - a holdover from our pattern-loving brains.

Arkanoid was the second block breaker game after Breakout, and so it's partially responsible for kickstarting the whole genre. Surprisingly, it has lore: that paddle you control is a spaceship called the Vaus, and you are fighting against some sort of intergalactic threat called DOH that is creating the blocks that you must destroy. Gameplay-wise, it's a good refinement of the paddle-and-ball mechanics, with some extra elements. Pickups can increase the paddle's width, deploy multiple balls at once, or shoot lasers directly up at the blocks. The different colored blocks also have different strengths. It's simple but cohesive, and I like the neon sci fi look to everything. As for a unique selling point, I would say that Arkanoid is the most accessible version of the paddle-and-ball subgenre compared to its clones.

Piggy Kingdom is a prototypical "match coloured gizmos on a grid" game - I downloaded it for research and ended up getting hooked. The basic gameplay loop involves you achieving a goal in a certain number of moves; it could be getting a duck to the bottom of the screen, smashing plates by making matches next to them, or clearing away King Porter's chocolate sauce from the grid. Matching in certain patterns can create special tools (i.e. five in a row creates a Color Bomb, to remove all pieces of one colour from the grid) and these tools can be matched and combined (i.e. a Color Bomb plus a regular Bomb replaces all the pieces of a color with bombs). There is a quasi-strategic element to it, but mostly the game has purposefully unsatisfying loops to keep player retention. The "hammer tokens" you gain from solving levels lets you upgrade the pig palace with furniture (hence giving a drive to complete levels and fill out the area) and there is a weekly leaderboard system to encourage competitive play. I'm proud to say I scored first place a few times. The unique aspect of this one I think is the aesthetic, and the ongoing storyline between the accident-prone King Porter and his robotic butler.

This isn't a particularly good game, but it fits the block breaker theme, so I'll research it. In Helix Jump, you control a bouncing ball, and your aim is to maneuver it down a long tower while avoiding the sections in your way. The longer the ball falls for unmarred, the more force it builds up, allowing you to smash through some sections and continue your descent. In practice, the game is quite bad. The ball is hard to move with a touchscreen, and there are omnipresent ads - a bar at the bottom, and even audio-only popups while you play. Not to mention each time you complete a level there's an ad, and if you want to revive your ball, you have to watch an ad. There's also a leaderboard system like Piggy Kingdom, but it's not enough to convince me to continue playing. The central game loop is progressing through levels, spurred on by the satisfaction (in theory) of clearing a level in a single drop. The unique aspect would be the verticality and momentum-based gameplay mechanics.

Merge Mansion is similar to Piggy Kingdom in its presentation and gameplay. You mostly solve puzzles on a grid by merging household objects, which break nearby boxes and give you more items to combine and use. In between puzzle sections, you learn more about the story through a visual novel-esque dialogue system - essentially, you must fix up the titular mansion before it is demolished, while also uncovering the secret of your apparently murderous granny. The game uses its hidden lore as a key point in an otherwise uninteresting match game - Granny's plot and the family history are slowly revealed in cutscenes, ads outside of the game, live action short films with BAFTA-nominated actors (seriously) and real-life escape room-esque experiences that reveal more lore. The production value on display is absolutely immense compared to more standard merge games, and it's the intriguing lore that makes this one unique.

Bubble Bobble is quite a unique concept for an arcade game. You play as a dragon dinosaur thing, on a quest to save your girlfriend from monsters. Each level is unique, and you must kill enemies by blowing bubbles at them to trap them, and then pop the bubble. This causes the enemy to turn into fruit, which you can pick up. This mechanic is interesting, and it makes the gameplay more involved than just "spray-n-pray" since you have to remember to pop the bubbled enemy. There are different types of enemies, such as ghosts that fire bubbles back at you and whales (?) who can fly anywhere on the screen. There is also some sort of bingo mechanic where you can pick up letters and fill a bar on the left, but I don't know what it's for. Levels sometimes have unique hazards, like putting the enemies in a cage or having torrents of water to wash you down to the bottom of the screen, to add to the strategy. Being an arcade game, it has a consistently raising skill floor as you play, with levels getting harder and harder. The unique selling point would be the bubble mechanic; it seems like something I've seen in other games, but this one pioneered the idea.

SUMMARY

Because "block breaker" is quite a wide term, most of the games are quite dissimilar to each other. They usually gravitate to one of two specific playstyles though; either requiring fast reflexes (Arkanoid, Helix Jump, Bubble Bobble) or being more tactical (Piggy Kingdom, Merge Mansion). Most of the games make good use of satisfying audio and visual cues to keep player retention, but when the game itself is hollow like Helix Jump, it's a bad experience no matter what. Unfortunately, because of the genre's simple and addicting nature, many block breakers are soulless cash grabs littered with unskippable ads, and just by looking at download statistics and the like, they are obviously successful, even in their ad-riddled states. To me, the most successful game has been Piggy Kingdom, as its puzzle mechanics are well thought-out and it's good on a technical level.

One thing I would change is in relation to the tile-grid system used in Piggy Kingdom and Merge Mansion. Many times I would hold my finger on a tile, move it, and the game would automatically make the match, even if I hadn't thought it through and a better match could be made. I would instead have a more binary input system where the match only registers once the player has taken their finger away from the touchscreen. Otherwise it is easier to make mistakes.

[leebrontide]

Secondhand Origin Stories, Chapter 15

THE FINAL CHAPTER IS HERE

For those of you just joining us, I'm posting a chapter a week of my free near future scifi/low neon cyberpunk YA/NA novel, Secondhand Origin Stories, which has been described as

"-a character driven, compelling story full of family, queerness, corruption, brain altering nanites, secretly teen parenting AIs, and taking aspects of the superhero genre to their very human and rarely-explored natural conclusions."

For an index of already uploaded chapters that hopefully I will remember to update, content warnings and more, check here:

You can follow along by following #SHOSweekly

Chapter 15

With xyr exoskeleton back inside, Yael was bleeding, sweating, and almost crying. Xe hadn’t paid any attention to directions when xe was chasing, and now both xe and the pilot were lost. Xe had to get back to the others. Xe had to hurry. But with no phone, no GPS, and no guarantee that asking for directions wasn’t going to end in a brawl, all xe could do was race through side street after side street and hope they got lucky. 

Xyr adrenaline was starting to crash. Xyr steps kept dragging and sliding to the side of where xe wanted them to go. Xyr lungs had never burned this bad from running. The pilot, Eustus, gamely tried to keep up, but he wasn’t in any better shape. 

He stopped, and it took Yael a couple steps to pause and look back at him. They had to hurry. Xe had to go.

Eustus held up a weary hand. “Wait.” 

Yael wanted to snap at him, but it was a relief to be still for just a second. He looked at xyr. “Is that them?”

Xe frowned, straining to hear. Two voices-- too far away to make out words, but not nearly too far for Yael to recognize them. Issac and Papa.

Yael took off. Xyr sprint was wobbly and pathetic by xyr usual standards, but xe pushed through. Xe didn’t even stop to see if Eustus was following.

Yael almost dropped to xyr bleeding knees when xe skidded around a corner and saw them. Issac was bruised and bloodied, but already bandaged, sitting calmly on the driveway with plastic gloves on and a first aid kit next to him. He was doing something first-aid-ish to an unconscious lackey and chatting with Papa.

Papa was in uniform, already on alert, when they showed up. Yael pushed forward, all ready for a happy reunion. But Papa rushed forward too, obviously thinking much more violent thoughts.

Xe jumped in front of Eustis, arms out wide. “No no no!”

Papa stopped, several feet away. Xe stayed in front of Eustus. To his credit, Eustus didn’t run. “Lasansky had a hostage, and Eustis didn’t have any way to report it, and he wants to testify! Don’t hurt him. He’s on our side. Now.”

Papa's hands flexed, just like Yael's had back in the bushes. Yael wasn’t the only one who wanted to punch their family’s problems. 

He looked over Yael’s shoulder. The team had subdued Eustus once before, and he’d been OK. Yael was pretty confident they wouldn’t hurt him now. But xe stayed between them, anyway.

It took him a second, but xe watched Papa tuck away Helix for the moment. Even with his uniform and weapons, it was Papa who turned to try to find enough non-bleeding Yael to hug. Yael leaned into it. 

“Are you OK, Dove?”

“I’m OK.” His hug turned into a pat-down as he checked xyr over. “Papa, I’m fine.” Xyr giggle was as wobbly as xyr sprint. “I’m fine.”

Drew shouted from inside, “Is that Yael?” 

“Yeah!” Issac called. “And some guy!” Some guy. Issac knew exactly who this was, even if he'd never seen his face. 

Drew came outside, gingerly supporting a beat-up but also bandaged Opal with bare feet and multiple scorch marks on her clothes. Jamie hovered on Opal’s other side. Jamie was holding her right arm, but it looked bruised, not swollen, and Jamie was grinning like she’d just gotten off a roller coaster. Opal pointed at Yael. “Hey! Ditcher! What the hell!”

Yael cringed an apology. Before xe could answer, Issac did that obnoxious everybody-stop-and-listen-to-me whistle. “Less talking, more sitting,” he demanded. “The ambulance is still five minutes out, and if either of those two--" He pointed at Yael and Eustus-- "pass out from blood loss, somebody is gonna get crushed. It better not be me.”

Papa didn’t let go of Yael. He stepped aside, gesturing for Eustus to walk in front of them. He watched Eustus’s every move, but didn’t get in the way of Eustus heading over to Issac’s makeshift first aid station. They followed.

Papa kept his tone low enough for some illusion of privacy. “He’s alive.”

It took a depressingly long moment for Yael to figure out which “he” Papa meant. His eyes were on Eustus. He was commenting on Yael having not killed him. 

Yael stumbled a little. Had he expected Yael to kill him?

Hadn’t Yael expected to kill him? Xe’d left to protect the others but looking back…yeah. Xe’d planned to kill Eustus. If he hadn’t told xyr fast enough what had happened, xe would have.

Xe would’ve gotten away with it, too.

Then, either they never would have known about the blackmail, and Lasansky wouldn’t have been charged with it, or somehow it would have come to light, and Yael would have known xe’d killed a man who was as much victim as criminal.

Eustus stopped just far enough away from Issac not to loom. His shoulders were all hunched up. There was a frozen, anxious moment. Yael had brought Eustus back because it was the right thing to do. And if there had been a fight, he would have been really useful. 

Xe hadn’t had time to think about how Issac would feel about it.

But Issac just blinked up at Eustus tiredly. Yael couldn’t see Eustus’s face from here, but his shoulders inched upwards. “I don’t know how to read infrared scanners. I’m sorry I hit you. I was trying to…I’m sorry.”

Issac pulled off his rubber gloves. “Sure.” He shoved them into a hazardous waste container, as Drew hoisted up the unconscious but alive lackey Issac had been ministering to, and Opal slowly sat down on the driveway near Issac. He studiously ignored how he was being watched. He pulled out some new gloves and put them on. “Seriously, sit down. I don’t want you landing on me.” Eustus sat, looking back at Yael dubiously.

Issac rolled his eyes and started putting on the fresh set of gloves. “You hurt me and caused some property damage. I almost handed an undetectable secret method of assassination and torture over to the guy who made you do it. So it’s whatever."

Xe would have killed Eustus to avenge Issac. Who had decided it was “whatever.” God. 

Xe’d come way, way too close to crossing a line xe couldn’t un-cross.

Xe glanced at Papa, who was watching xyr. He’d almost attacked Eustus himself, but there was no mistaking that he felt Yael had done the right thing in bringing him back instead. He squeezed xyr shoulder. Xe hadn’t actually crossed the line.

 Issac gestured impatiently for Yael to sit on his other side, and opened a packet of gauze. Yael stretched out on the crunchy, yellowed grass next to him, and decided to schedule xyr crisis of conscience for after food and sleep. Opal dropped a fistful of grass on xyr with another admonishment for "ditching." Yael accepted xyr grassy punishment.

Xe realized slowly that they were going home. Home to that conversation Papa'd promised xyr, and to Neil, and Martin, and to all the mess that had driven them out in the first place.

But still, home. Xe looked up at Issac as he started swabbing at the burns crawling up xyr arm from where xe’d overextended xyr basically unused power. He smiled back-- rueful, and embarrassed, but not scared, like he had been. That hunted, haunted look was gone. Jamie was still grinning like it was her birthday, leaning her head on Opal’s shoulder.

So, they’d go home.

* * *

Jamie closed the door to the multi-bed hospital room behind her. Inside, Issac was regaling Mom, Solomon, Drew, and Aldis with his version of the fight. Making them all sound really cool. Amazingly, that didn’t seem to involve any lying, or even major exaggeration. For about 20 minutes, they’d all been cool.

Jamie couldn’t stay. Because, as nice as that was, their homecoming was in danger of falling apart. Even after everyone who’d been arrested was moved into the secure areas of the clinic (the pilot separated for his safety), Dad hadn’t shown up, and Jamie had whole new ways of worrying about that, now.

Jamie had darted an armed altered in the face not two hours ago. All the mess they’d left behind was still here. Jamie was tired, but still flying high on their victory, and she wasn’t about to settle for a lukewarm reunion.

She hated to leave, though. Watching Mom, Drew, and Solomon listen to the story was amazing. They were having the same funhouse-mirror feelings she’d had talking to Dad, but about Jamie. They were finally seeing her for the first time. The real her, not the one they assumed into existence.That was worth every flare of pain or panic she’d been through.

It gave her the strength to put all these revelations to use. 

Dad was sitting in a chair not ten feet from the door, where he could easily eavesdrop. He was listing a little to the side, and his eyes still weren’t right, but he was watching everyone in the hallway with a sharp attention that clearly signaled guard duty. He looked horrible in the unforgiving fluorescent light. His shirt sleeve was pinned up, like she’d seen other amputees do. Seeing him didn’t give her that double-vision feeling anymore. She didn’t need to wonder which version of her dad was there. She understood the link between them, now. But why was he eavesdropping out here, instead of coming inside like a normal person?  Well, at least he was down here. He wasn’t holed up in his apartment, in too much pain to join them. That was something.

He saw her, and looked away. Nervous? She could recognize him now, but that didn’t necessarily mean she could read him.

She lost her nerve and headed the other direction, slipping into the bathroom and pulling out her phone.

JAMIE: Hi, nibling.

MARTIN: Hello! Can I access your camera? Would that be OK?

She leaned against the door. JAMIE: Sure.

MARTIN: I’m so glad to see you! This has been just about the worst day of my conscious memory! Issac’s been letting me watch through his glasses, but then you left. Ah-ha. So Jamie was right about the way Issac’s gaze had looped through them in a pattern. Martin was still watching them.

JAMIE: Everyone’s going to be OK. She hesitated, trying to figure out how to word what she had to say. I just wanted to talk to you privately for a sec.

MARTIN: I love that you talk to me directly now! :D

Jamie grinned and put her phone to her forehead, trying to let happiness at their affection eclipse guilt at not having seen them. I just wanted to promise to always try to see you. You as you really are. Not some imaginary version of you I made up. I know we’re different, so I might not always get it, but please give me chances to know you accurately.

Amazingly, she stunned the supercomputer. It took them a full minute to answer. MARTIN: OK. Thank you. That’s a very gratifying offer.

JAMIE: Do you think you’ll tell the others who you are?

MARTIN: I think I want to. But I’m not ready yet. You aren’t going to tell them, are you?

JAMIE: No. I won’t make you. But I trust them. And when you’re ready, I’ll back you up. OK?

MARTIN: Are you going to tell them about you and Opal?

Jamie chewed her lip, and her stomach clenched. But she knew the answer. JAMIE: I’ll tell them about me. I’m not sure how, or when. But I want them to know. Just…not via Issac telling everyone about Jamie’s first kiss. He’d edited Martin out of his story. She hoped he edited that part out, too. She didn’t want to deal with the teasing she assumed would come with it. She couldn’t deal with that, not when Opal was going to leave.

MARTIN: They love you, you know.

Jamie nodded. They all did. At least, they tried to. And she’d tried to love them. And now, maybe that could be better. Jamie never would have imagined that Dad was hurting, or that Drew would cover something so risky, or that Mom would come down to the clinic with no gel nails or makeup on at all. They didn’t think Jamie could do what she’d done. Maybe now that they could all see each other, that love could get upgraded into something realer, stronger.

Dad was still sitting in the same place in the hallway. Somehow, he’d gotten worse in the span of a couple minutes. Maybe because she’d walked past him without a word? Oops.

Mom and Solomon had both made efforts to explain Dad’s situation to her, weeks ago. She’d just discarded it because it didn’t match the imaginary versions of him in her head.

What a long, stupid misunderstanding. She couldn’t stand it. She couldn’t wait to have her dad back.

It was a difficult hug, with her arm hurting and his broken bones, and the way his spine couldn’t flex to meet her. His arm around her started out tentative, so she squeezed him as hard as she dared to, and he returned the favor.

When she pulled away, his eyelashes were wet. She got a lump in her throat. She grinned at him. “Dad, we won!”

His laugh cracked around its edges, but he smiled back at her. “Of course you did.” She grinned so hard it started to hurt. His expression was still distant; his eyes seemed to be looking far away, but now she understood why she could stop taking it personally. “I’m so proud of you kids. I couldn’t have done it better.”

Now this felt like a reunion. With someone she’d barely seen in years. Her own eyelashes were getting pretty wet. “I broke the gauntlet, though.”

“We’ll get you a new one,” he promised. Even better. 

He’d given it to her. He’d seen that she could handle it-- even if she couldn’t handle coffee. 

He’d been trying to know her.

She sat next to him. With the off-kilter way he was sitting, that put them close enough to eye level that he could look at her without hurting. He was so obviously unwell, but here he was, out in front of people. Being near them was more important to him than keeping up LodeStar’s image. 

Jamie’d never been able to cover for her shortcomings. Dad had been able to. Maybe she could understand the temptation to look stronger, more capable, more put together than he was. At least in front of people. But.

“I missed you.”

“You kids scared the life out of me.”

She shook her head. He didn’t understand, yet. He thought she was talking about a few days, not years.

Jamie stood, offering him both her hands to help him get up. “Come inside, Dad.”

He didn’t move. And now he was having a hard time looking up at her again. It took him getting this bad for her to think he could get hurt. “If you say you’re not scared of me, then I believe you, Pumpkin. But you’re not the only one in there. Let them have a little peace.”

It wasn’t peaceful in there. Everyone kept glancing at the door with varying types of anxiety and tension. No more avoiding. Jamie wanted repairs.

She frowned at him. “Are you scared?”

“Of what?”

“Of everybody seeing you. Like you actually are.”

She was starting to get the hang of reading his expressions, and now she was accounting for pain. She was pretty sure she’d hit a nerve. “Dad, you’re a superhero. You can’t be scared of something so dumb! Do you really think we won’t help?” she demanded.

“That’s not your job,” he answered firmly. “You’re a teenager, and I’m your father. I take care of you, not the other way around.”

So stubborn. It was lucky Jamie had inherited his stubbornness, or she’d never get anywhere with her own family. She probably couldn’t out-bullhead him. So what would tempt her, in his shoes?

She took a risk. “I thought you didn’t like me.” He stiffened, eyes widening. “I knew you loved me, but you got distant and you never looked at me, and you didn’t want to do things with me, and never seemed to be paying attention. Issac thought you couldn’t handle him being deaf, and that you’d pretty much just rejected him. We all thought somehow you’d started drinking heavily. Yael thought you were dangerous. We knew something was wrong, but since I didn’t…know you, I didn’t know this huge thing about your life. I guessed wrong. And then everything just…exploded. Into all this.”

He was horrified. She lost her nerve a little and let herself stare at a bland beige abstract painting on the far wall. “I’ve missed you. I miss feeling like I know you, and like you actually know me.” She forced herself to look back at him. “Even if the only way I can help is by actually knowing you…that would still be better than all this stupid misunderstanding.”

His eyes had lost some of their focus, and she’d lost her read on his emotions again. She hoped he’d heard her. 

She swallowed her nerves and ignored her flipping stomach, her tightening chest. “Besides. You’re messing up Issac with all this.”

Issac’s voice came, muffled through the wall, but loud enough that he meant for them to hear it. “Guys, everybody but Mom can totally tell what you’re saying.”

She glared at the wall. “Well, I’m not wrong.”

She heard a burst of conversation on the other side of the wall, but she couldn’t make it out. She rolled her eyes and looked back at her dad with a little bit of challenge in her eyes. “I’ll let you know me if you let me know you.”

His eyebrows inched up. His smile was tight and small, but she thought it looked real. “Oh. It’s a hostage negotiation.”

“Yeah. Give me back my dad.”

His attempt at a smile dimmed. “Jamie. I can’t go back to the way I was before.”

She shook her head vehemently. “That’s not what I’m saying! You’re still my dad. This one. You. You’re my dad. I want to actually know my actual dad. Not some make-believe version we cooked up for some reason.”

“I wasn’t trying to lie to you.”

“Then don’t. I meant it, you’re messing up Issac.”

“Yael--”

“Yael isn’t scared of you. Xe feels guilty. About hurting you.”

That completely offended him. “Help me up.”

Jamie grinned again. That was her dad. She needed to learn who he was now, but he wasn’t a stranger, after all. 

She couldn’t take any meaningful amount of his weight, of course, but he let her hold on while he shifted on his feet, trying to find his balance as his eyes unfocused. His movements were stiffer, slower, but still held the same total determination she’d expect from him. She could feel in every pained jump of his muscles how badly he wanted to repair their family.

He stopped in the open doorway, watching their family, and Opal and Aldis. His arm clanged against the door jam. She watched him deliberately soften his face-- he tried to pull the pain away, so it wouldn’t look like anger or distance. 

Yael’s eyes widened with outright horror. Xe hadn’t seen on the screen what Jamie had. Xe hadn’t seen the fallout of their fight. Dad frowned harder.

The tone in the room shifted, tension raised. A lot of the attention focused their way landed on Jamie. They wanted to see if she really was OK with him. She moved a little closer to his side.

She looked up, and watched Dad desperately dig for something to say. She couldn’t help him here.

“Well.” He licked his lips. “Who’s up for a sleepover?”

* * *

Issac melted into the couch of his own living room, staring at a nice, familiar white ceiling dappled with random light patterns from outside. This was the first time total silence had felt restful to him. 

Jamie’d finally managed to get the contacts off him. He shouldn’t have agreed to it. Even though Martin’d assured him it was OK, now that everyone was back home and half of them were hauling furniture. He knew what was coming tonight. He even felt ready to talk to everyone.

But he did not want to end up with two eye patches. And he had a black eye swelling up. So, they had to go.

It’d suck tonight, though. Everyone there, and him not talking to anybody. He felt lonely already.

The couch cushion against his head shifted, and he turned to look. Mom leaned a hip on the back of the couch, looking down at him. She looked rumpled, and old. Had he done that to her?

She handed him something, and he took it without thinking.

A pair of retro-looking glasses, and the bracelet that came with his contacts. Oh.

He sat up, switching the bracelet on, and seeing a tiny light on the inside of the glasses blink a reply. 

This. Was so. Much. Better.

He slipped on the glasses. They didn’t even touch his eyelashes, much less his cornea. No itching, scratching, or horrifying procedures to put them on or take them off. 

These glasses were his new best friend. 

And his mom had given them to him. In fact, since he’d never seen the company make anything like them, he suspected she’d fabricated them especially for him. They were obvious, and exposed, and the text would be even bigger, now. But they’d work for Issac. 

MOM: Drew and Jamie told me you didn’t like the contacts. Why didn’t you tell me that?

He shrugged, looking down at his lap. He’d scraped up his hands pretty bad, fighting with Lasansky. His first ever real brawl. He flexed them a few times, hoping they wouldn’t go stiff on him all over again. He’d just gotten more or less put back together, and here he’d busted himself up again. He didn’t want to end up like Dad.

Jamie told me you destroyed the only copy of your data. 

His shoulders tried to curl inward, even though his back lit up with angry nerves and a few pulled stitches. 

I’m so proud of you. 

He looked up to show her how much he believed that pile of Mom-filtered nonsense, but his skepticism fizzled when he saw the look on her face. She really was proud. Even now that she wasn’t giddy on finding out they weren’t all dead. Your tirade before you left-- at least I know why you did it. But honey, Jenna and I’ve been fighting for safe dissemination of medical technology our whole careers. And this-- this wasn’t safe. Impressive. Genius. Honey-- I get why you made it. I really do. But without any countermeasures, it was going to get used wrong. She pushed overgrown hair out of his face. Like by teenagers experimenting on themselves in their bedrooms in secret. 

“Or assassinations, or torture…” Issac added, wearily. 

She smiled wryly back. A multitude of bad options.

If he didn’t say it now, he’d probably let himself worm his way out of it. “Sorry about bringing up your own stuff.”

She poked him gingerly in the forehead. You should be. You know better than that. And?

He took a deep breath. “And for experimenting on myself with illegal altering technology, and for building secret altering technology. And for calling the head of the APB a blowhard in front of him, even though he is.”

Mom nodded. He absolutely is. And you absolutely should be. And next time, just get an ill-advised piercing or tattoo or something, OK? I promise to try to be horrified by your teenage rebellion. 

Issac frowned. “Mom.”

She flinched. I know. I know. I’m sorry. I’m not really used to all this...heart-to-heart stuff. There was room on the ottoman and not really enough room beside Issac on the couch, but she came around the end of the couch and squeezed her butt next to his knees anyway. My parents used to make me feel like I had to be something, someone specific, to belong in my family. You’ve always been so smart-- so good at doing what you said you wanted to do…I never thought you’d worry about keeping up.

“I still want all the same stuff--”

Then you’ll still have it. Issac, this doesn’t have to hold you back. And even if it did, even if you needed to find something else to do, it’s not as if you wouldn’t still--

“Jenna--”

Jenna left. Mom said, suddenly mad. She had the same stupid idea that you did. She didn’t think she belonged here anymore. She didn’t want you kids to change how you saw her. She didn’t want anyone to notice how she’d changed. 

“So she just…left? Just ditched us all instead of letting us try to get used to it?”

He realized after he said it, and she looked at him with way too much irony in her expression. Bullshit, isn’t it? OK, OK, whatever. His ears got hot.

“What about the crate.”

Mom really looked like she’d rather be anywhere else in the world. She looked away, but then made herself look back. Her guilty expression tied his stomach in knots. I don’t know if I can give you an answer you’ll like. It wasn’t Jenna’s idea. I pushed her into it, and she’s still mad at me. Or maybe she’s embarrassed about it. I don’t know. I did it because I love her. And I really, honestly thought she was going to hurt herself or somebody else without wanting or meaning to. The guilt of that would kill her. She’s got new arms and legs, and they are the best non-superpowered arms and legs available anywhere. I know, because she designed them. The designs were supposed to be for your dad, when he retired. Honey, civilians can’t walk around with missiles in their hands and jets in their feet. And she’s not coming back to the field.

He pulled the fake-out flash drive out of his pocket. “Not anymore.”

She pushed his hair back again. Jenna will be as proud as I am that you didn’t let that get into the wrong hands. I promise. She’s very different, but I don’t think anything could make her that different.

At least this meant Jenna was basically OK. But it cut in a different way to know she could come back…could talk to him any time she wanted, and she just didn’t. Pretty crappy, as best case scenarios went.

I talked to her, yesterday. He looked up, startled. I told her what you said about our family. About following in everyone’s footsteps. But I think a few people around here need to get used to the idea that we don’t have performance requirements for this family. Tears didn’t make his eyes itch, now. That was nice.

“Can I talk to her?”

Mom hesitated while Issac held his breath. He wondered how much of this Martin knew about.

She’s really different, now. You know that, right? She’s not the same person you remember. Mom probably didn’t realize how much time Issac had spent in Jenna’s half-destroyed apartment, seeping in reminders of how much the head injury had changed her. For one thing, she voluntarily lives in some podunk little town in south Minnesota. On purpose. 

Issac laughed. “You’re such a snob.”

She was wearing a T-shirt for a sheep festival! What on Earth is a sheep festival?

“Something they have in Podunk, Minnesota, I guess,” he answered, grinning. His chest felt tight. Mom hadn’t said no. She wouldn’t play around with this. She’d have said no if she meant no. “Maybe it’s fun.”

She hugged him. Mom wasn’t much of a hugger. And there’d been so much hugging earlier, so he didn’t expect this additional hug. Or that she just stayed there. He felt her sigh in that shivery, scared way Yael and Jamie had. “Sorry, mom.”

She pulled back, patting him somewhat awkwardly, and collected herself. So, I’m thinking, this summer-- little family road trip to go see miles and miles of corn and a crabby recluse who likes sheep festivals. How does that sound?

Issac couldn’t think of a single thing that sounded better.

* * *

Finally, a weird tower family tradition that Opal could get behind.

The Tillman apartment was looking a lot less ethereal now that they’d covered half the living room floor with unmade mattresses and piles of blankets and pillows. 

 When she’d heard “whole family sleepover,” she’d suspected that they intended to sweep her up into their tradition. They swept her up into everything else, after all, and Dr. Tillman had been doing some serious hovering since they’d got in. Opal hadn’t expected the invitation to include Aldis, Mom, Auntie, and Shani, but Aldis was out picking them up from the station, now. Dr. Tillman had arranged it, calling it a “terrified mother courtesy call.”

 Tomorrow, Opal would go home with her family, provided the garage wasn’t still a bramble of caution tape, so that she could get her things.

 The whole thing was intensely bittersweet.

 For now, Opal was sitting on the biggest mattress on the floor-- Yael’s, obviously-- which easily fit Yael, Jamie, Issac, and Opal all at once. If Opal just focused on this room, if she forgot the outside world, this would have been a perfect happy ending. She was in the inner sanctum of the Sentinels. They’d had a massive post-mission feast. The huge table’d been practically groaning under piles of ribs, tubs of pasta, a mountain of potatoes, and half a dozen different vegetables. Speed healing required serious food. Turned out, Capricorn and Helix were both excellent cooks and generous hosts.

 And the tower family was trying so hard to be kind to each other. Opal hadn’t seen as many heart-to-heart conversations as she personally thought fixing this mess would need, but she saw LodeStar shyly refill Yael’s plate over and over again, without any prompting. He didn’t seem to be mad at anyone, now. He seemed…sorry. Maybe Jamie was right about him.

But he still wasn’t fit for service.

So, Opal would go home to Detroit. She couldn’t compromise on this. She wouldn’t take orders from him.

He and the rest of the team had disappeared a little while ago, with promises to return shortly. They couldn’t need any more mattresses, but she was too tired to care where they’d gone. LodeStar wasn’t any kind of imminent threat. 

Opal was exhausted. She tried to focus on the present moment, with the low lights and stunning view and her real team close at hand. She’d borrowed a pair of Yael’s pyjamas. They didn���t fit by any stretch of the imagination, but they had hamsters playing sports on them, and made Opal feel tiny. Like a little kid at a normal slumber party. After having to try to be a badass all day, they were homey and comforting.

“You guys don’t all have to stay up for them,” Opal suggested. She’d honestly rather that they did, but she felt bad. It was so late now that it was early. They all had to be as tired as Opal was.

Jamie was laying down, her head on Opal’s calf, where she’d shyly put it…some amount of time ago. Opal was losing track at this point. “Yes, we do.”

 Opal almost reached down to touch a tickling lock of Jamie’s hair. She just barely managed to avoid following through on the motion. Jamie’s parents could show up any second. Opal was sure she hadn’t missed a coming-out. “You don’t.”

“We have to tell them how heroic you were. Are,” Yael countered around a yawn. Xe was still sitting up, but every few minutes xe’d start to drift to the side, eyes closing. Then xe’d almost fall over, and wake up again with a start.

 “I didn’t feel heroic,” Opal commented drowsily. “I felt panicky and woefully under-prepared.”

“That’s because you’re the smart one,” Issac quipped. “But you did look cool.” He’d resorted to a phone game to keep awake. And Opal could see additional text scrolling across his glasses from Martin. “PS: your cousin’s van just pulled into the garage. Brace for hugging.”

Yes! Opal tried to get her body to stand up. It wanted so badly to lay down. But she needed family hugs.

Dr. Tillman reappeared with heaping armfuls of pillows and blankets. Jamie sat up. “Mom, where did Dad and everybody go?” They all looked up for the answer. And now was her chance-- Opal should stand up before Jamie put her head back on Opal’s legs and went back to looking at Opal with that content, peaceful smile of hers. It was worse than having a sleeping cat on your lap-- it made getting up completely impossible.

 “They’re in your dad’s apartment, wrapping up some APB business. Give them five more minutes, and if they aren’t back, you can go in after them,” Dr. Tillman answered easily. The tower kids all settled. See? Communication. Was that so hard? Opal leveraged herself up onto her feet.

 She’d only just stepped off the mattress when the front door burst open. Capricorn was in front, opening the door, but he just made way for the glittering streak that was Shani, barreling towards Opal. Shani’s flying tackle-hug hurt, but Opal swung her around in a circle anyway, then put her down so Mom and Aunt Tessa could get in there and do all their hugging and crying. 

Opal cried all over her mom. Who cried all over Opal. Dr. Tillman’s attention had been sweet, but no substitute. Auntie fussed, and Shani demanded more hugs. Opal’s whole soul let out a sigh of relief. 

Shani was the first to get distracted. Once she was fully assured that Opal would be OK, she went right for Capricorn-- who was standing next to Helix, who was grinning, and Aldis, who had been with Opal at the clinic all afternoon. They’d snuck in at some point and-- yep, there was LodeStar, over on the couch. Opal expected Shani to go into fangirl mode. Instead, she let out an exuberant “You HAVE to let her be a Sentinel, now!” 

 Oh, ouch.

 Mom winced and reached out to reel Shani back in before she could start a fight with their hosts. Capricorn just chuckled.

Opal could tell who knew about her decision by who looked crestfallen. Apparently, Mom had told Auntie. Opal’d only told Aldis she was thinking about it, but from the looks of it, he’d figured out where she stood now.

 Jamie tried to salvage things. She stepped around to where Shani could see her. “Want to hear about how Opal saved the day?”

Very smooth. Shani’s attention riveted to Jamie in an instant. “Oh my gosh YES!”

Mom, meanwhile, had just noticed the mattress-coated flooring and was looking around, baffled. Auntie was watching the Sentinels like a hawk, looking for who-knew-what. 

Shani was about to settle in on the mattress to listen, and Opal was going to help with any translating-- it really was too dark in here-- but Helix cleared his throat quietly. “Before everybody settles in, we have an announcement to make.”

Capricorn grinned. 

Oh no.

Opal glanced around. Helix and Dr. Tillman had the sly smiles on their faces of people who knew what was going on. Capricorn spoke a little louder, with the air of a proclamation. “Today, you four uncovered a major threat to national security the whole established team missed, and handled it with minimal violence and no loss of life. You kept dangerous information away from dangerous people, and got a key witness in the case to voluntarily enter custody and actually testify. In short, you did a damn fine job of being superheroes.”

 Oh no. Mom grabbed Opal’s hand. Opal froze. Capricorn misunderstood her shock, and continued with a proud, triumphant grin. “Earlier tonight, the Sentinels applied for a new superhero license. Opal and Yael have both been granted official trainee status with the Sentinels, starting today.”

 This wasn’t fair. She couldn’t stand it. She shouldn’t have to abandon her dream and then be forced to actually turn down the offer. From Capricorn. He was shining with the same bright, proud colors as her daddy had when they talked about her graduation. He was so happy for her. He thought he was giving her what she wanted. 

And she had to turn him down. In front of her family. In front of Shani. 

She could see the others in her peripheral vision. Issac was sitting, staring at the floor. Yael was looking up at Opal with a silent plea. Jamie stood closest, her hands balled into fists, staring at the wall. 

Beyond them was LodeStar, apart from the rest, but watching. He was far enough away from the lights they’d left on in the kitchen to be in partial shadow. Behind him, the city he’d protected for so long sparkled away. With that small, serene smile, he really did look like the proud papa from Jamie’s picture, but beat all to hell. And at his base, that probably really was who he was.

But that wasn’t enough. He was still the same person going into the field with a mind clouded by pain and medicine. The same terrifying man who’d passed Opal and Jamie in the hall two days ago and terrified Yael. 

She could never take orders from him. 

Her heart shattered and splintered, tearing up her insides. The splinters turned into words, and she pushed them out her mouth, even if they cut the whole way. Her throat was raw from it. “Thank you, sirs. But I don’t think I can be a Sentinel.”

Jamie shut her eyes, and bowed her head. She loved her dad. But she knew Opal was right. Yael looked away, looking almost ready to cry. 

 She couldn’t even look at her family.

 Worse, the team misunderstood her. Helix smiled reassuringly. “It’ll be hard training, but I’m sure you can--”

“That’s not it,” she interrupted. It was hard to keep her tone civil. It was harder not to cry. This was what she had decided, herself. She looked at LodeStar, who was watching her, brows drawn together. He had the same intensity as his daughter, but it felt worlds heavier coming from him. He didn’t try to reassure her. He just waited. She shoved her chin up and her aching shoulders back, then pulled more jagged-edged words out from deep inside her, and put them into the world.

“I appreciate the license, but I don’t think I can take orders from you, sir. From today, it doesn’t look like you’re fit for active service.” She knew Drew said LodeStar wasn’t in charge. But he would still outrank Opal. And if he went off the rails again, she wouldn’t be able to stop him.

His posture shifted. He-- he smiled. Opal swallowed her rage. He drew himself up a little more, and through the stubble, the missing arm, and the bloodshot eyes, she saw LodeStar-- the hero. The guy every kid wanted to be like. The freaking beacon of justice.

 And he was smiling at Opal’s pain. She clamped her jaw shut, but didn’t try to stop her furious lights.

 She’d never be able to explain to anyone how he seemed to take up the whole couch, just sitting there against the darkened windows. How, even if his voice was quiet, it cut through the room. He looked right past Opal. “You told me she had character,” Capricorn chuckled behind Opal. The betrayal skewered her.

 LodeStar sat forward, carefully. His tone was so soft it felt like mockery, at first. “Ms. Flynn. I agree with you. Which is why, effective today, I’m retiring from superheroing.” Jamie’s head snapped up in shock. “I’m going to focus on…medical needs. And my family. I’d be honored if you would take my place.” Opal’s mouth dropped open. He looked past Opal again, as Opal tried to process what he’d just said. “Mrs. Flynn, your daughter is a young woman of remarkable integrity.” 

He looked back at Opal and his smile turned less serene, taking on an edge that reminded Opal even more sharply of his daughter. “I hear you have problems with how things are run around here. How would you like to help shake things up?”

It took her a second of everybody staring at her for it to sink in that she was not only being invited on the team-- but she was being invited with the express permission to try to change things. To fight the system from the inside. With backup. Dr. Tillman looked outright smug. Opal looked back to Helix and Capricorn. She saw full support in both of them, and an extra measure of hope in Capricorn. 

She could practically feel her mom restraining herself, trying to let Opal make the decision on her own. She’d been translating for Auntie and Shani. Opal was too much in shock. 

 And then there was Jamie. Watching her with the same breathless faith that she’d shown that first day, by the ring.

 Opal nodded. Kept nodding. Her grin felt like it reached a mile. “Yes. Yes! Oh my gosh, yes! Thank you. Thank you all so much. This is exactly everything I’ve wanted, I--” Her throat closed up, but she shook her head, grinning away, happy to let these new tears pour down her face. 

Yael grinned up at her. “We’re going to be superheroes together!”

Opal couldn’t help bounding in place a little. “We’re going to be superheroes together!”

They tried to high-five, but-- “Ow.” 

“Yeah. Ow. No.”

 LodeStar chuckled, sitting back wearily. “Should have done my announcement first.”

Capricorn clapped Opal on the back. “We keep underestimating her. Yael. That’s a ‘yes’ from you, too?”

“Of course!”

Then Shani started crowing about her sister being a superhero, and Jamie started telling Opal’s family about the fight, and how awesome and brave and smart Opal was, and for a little while, everything was just good. She’d have more fights to fight, but she had a team to do it with. 

And when they piled back onto the mattresses, Jamie shyly laced her fingers through Opal’s, down near where Yael’s legs would hide them from view. She kept beaming at Opal. 

Opal wasn’t leaving, anymore.

Issac let Shani play around with his glasses. Helix left and came back in Super Grover pyjamas. Dr. Tillman drew the shades, in the hopes that they could all sleep in. Opal was excited by the idea.

Before Opal could come back down from the buzz of her new position and Jamie’s cool little hand holding on tight to Opal’s, Capricorn beckoned from the doorway, waving her over. “Opal.”

She moved to get up. Jamie’s hand was still in hers, and their interlocked hands were pulled up with Opal. Out into view of everybody else. She hadn’t remembered-- or wanted to let go. 

It was just handholding. It didn’t have to mean anything. But Jamie’s attention flicked from their hands, then up to Opal’s face. There was that combination of shy and bold that Opal was so weak against, and Jamie stretched out her neck, invitation and hope, and closing her eyes just a little bit. It was the most delicate of invitations, but it rang out as loud and clear as church bells in Opal’s mind.

Opal bent for a brief, perfect little kiss, and straightened amidst a sudden clamor of noise. Mostly confusion. Issac snickered. 

“What?” Dr. Tillman’s voice cut through the noise. “What? When did this happen?”

“Like…six hours ago,” Issac answered lazily, in tones suggesting his mom was just tragically behind the times. 

Jamie was flushed again, but her embarrassment wasn’t wholly unhappy. There was a ghost of a smile in it.

“Of course she’d be dating a superhero,” Helix muttered from a nearby mattress. He was obviously amused. “Of course she is.”

Jamie scrunched up her face, then hid it behind her hand. 

“Ok, this is new,” LodeStar muttered. He was still on the couch-- seemed the mattresses were too tough for him to get on and off. Jamie shrugged wordlessly. 

Clearly, Opal had not sparked any huge problems with the kiss. Not with Jamie’s family, anyway. Shani was eyeing Jamie like she was going to pounce, because she was the nosiest little sister in all of creation. Opal finished standing up. Her mom was giving her very pointed looks. “Yeah. New,” Opal confirmed. 

Opal headed towards the front door to LodeStar’s mumbled “You go into a narcotic-induced stupor for a month, and suddenly your daughter’s a lesbian…” Opal felt safe leaving Jamie to her family’s gentle ribbing, and prayed Mom and Auntie would keep Shani from embarrassing Opal or Jamie too badly.

At the door, Capricorn had a twinkle in his eye. “You should’ve told me.”

Yes! She was right about him! She never had figured out how to ask. She grinned. He motioned her out the door, and shut it behind her when she followed. She didn’t get a chance to ask why he’d called her out here. He handed her his cell phone, said “Whole family sleepover,” and went back inside, leaving Opal alone in the magnificent garden courtyard. She blinked at the door.

Then looked down on the phone, which was mid-call.

Her daddy looked up at her. She gasped. Started crying again immediately. She sat down on the cool pavers and put her hand over her mouth. No calls, no letters, no anything for weeks, and now here he was. Looking at her with wide eyes.

But he was OK. His fear was for her and her bandages and scrapes. She closed her eyes, trying to get herself back under control. Daddy’s voice shook. “I just had Capricorn telling me about how the Sentinels are lucky to have you.”

Opal laughed, which didn’t stop the crying, but did make her ribs hurt. She was going to have a chance to help him, after all. She wiped her tears and smiled at him. “He says I have grit.”

“You have more than that, baby.”

She laugh-cried again. She did have more than that. And from here on out, she knew she’d be able to use it. 

[dragonflight203]

Mass Effect 1 replay, part one of Noveria:

-Am I imagining it, or is human diversity greater in Mass Effect 1 than in later games? I feel we encounter more humans from obviously different cultural backgrounds. I’ll have to keep an eye in later games to see if that’s true or not.

Bit ironic if it's true, considering the emphasis 2 and 3 place on human diversity.

-When greeting Matsuo, Alliance is the neutral option and spectre is paragon. The reasoning is obvious this time; spectres have the right to carry weapons but the Alliance does not.

-As others have pointed out; why is Matsuo the only one to use honorifics? Presumably others do as well if they're languages use them, but only Matsuo’s honorifics are displayed.

-When Liara goes on the offensive in cutscenes, she doesn’t draw a weapon. She prepares to use biotics. Nice touch

-Tali in the conversation with Matuso: Home is a state mind.

Home is quite a loaded concept for Quarians, isn’t it?

-Liara, outside by the Normandy: I do not like this place. Too many dark secrets.

Rather ironic, for one who will later become an information broker, than the Shadow Broker

-I did not realized that there’s a conversation with Liara at the security check on the Noveria. This is actually a very well done conversation. You even have the option to send her back to the Normandy, since you don’t trust her to stand with you when you confront her mother.

-Liara, quoting to an asari idom: Only a child never contradicts her mother

Like it, and it’s true. Defying your parents is part of becoming an adult.

-Tali, bottom floor of the port: My people have dealt with the corporations on Noveria in the past. They pay well and don’t ask any questions.

Not something I had considered before, but quite logical. And Noveria corporations research AI; the Quarians are experts at AI. Of course Noveria would value them.

-There’s an ERCS guard that wants a doughnut. I actually like this guy – for what’s essentially a cop, at least he’s not corrupt. Unlike the other guard you can speak to.

-Liara, bottom floor of the port: Do not be fooled by these civilized surroundings. This is a place of secrets and lies.

If the game had done something with this, Liara's transition to an information broker would have had a much greater impact.

Maybe use it to show how far she lost herself between ME1 and ME2 - Shepard could have brought up her behavior in Noveria versus her Illium, be worried that something must have gone very wrong.

And Liara come back with the obvious - Shepard died. (Even if the actual reason is losing Feron.)

Also would have been a nice opportunity to force Shepard to grapple with their death, instead of gloss over it as the game normally does.

-Lilihierax was obviously meant to have a larger role. Shame it didn’t make it in – I like him quite a lot too.

-Mallene Callis – She is hilariously blunt about using Shepard. Just jumps straight into what she wants Shepard to do, no intro.

This sidequest is quite interesting, because outside the codex it’s one of the few times you get insight into the kind of genetic modifications that can be performed.

Oddly enough, refusing the quest completely gets you more paragon points than warning Binary Helix about her.

She offers you a reward of 500 credits. Lady, I’m at max money.

-Rafael Vargas introduction – This is different! Paragon intro is Alliance, renegade is spectre. Is this because Shepard is behaving corruptly by helping Mallene spy on him?

-Lori Qui’in takes one look at you and goes “opportunity!”. He may be on the outs but he’s having quite a good time. Love this dude.

-Lorik mentions Benezia wore a pin striped suit, but all we ever see her in is that ridiculous black outfit. I bet she looks better in the suit.

-The power dynamic Lorik describes is interesting. Benezia is a matriarch – they’re supposed to be some of the most powerful beings in the galaxy.

But Benezia’s power on Noveria comes from Saren, because he’s a major investor in Binary Helix.

She also introduces herself as Saren’s assistant, which is probably not a typical position for any matriarch.

Did this not set off any red flags?

-Anoleis repeatedly refers to Saren as an Agent. Is the fact that his status was revoked not known?

I repeat: Shepard’s meetings with the Council were public!

-Lorik doesn’t want blood on the carpet of Synthetic Insights, but there isn’t any carpet. Bioware, c’mon.

That one ECRS Guard even says later Lorik complains about the blood on the carpet. Is carpet really that hard to model?

-Stirling calling us cop killers is absurd. Lady, if you’re taking money on the side for a job you’re a mercenary.

-Liara disproves of Shepard giving Lorik’s evidence to Anoleis. Honestly, it’s good to know that even she has limits when it comes to Shepard’s behavior.

-Liara does approve of helping Gianna remove Anoleis. No surprises there.

-Lorik offers me a 500 credit award too. Did Bioware not realize how easy it was to come by credits in the game?

-Gianna doesn’t normally like spectres… How many does she deal with?

She’s dealt with Saren, hasn’t she. That would do it.