#i wanna take em to the coast with me

[holographicbutch]

Having fun in the snow

MY FORD PLUSHIE CAME IN RAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH

[hagravenholm]

Now faced w the age old question again: to sleep or to cram

[cherry-romper]

Loving You Sounds Like a Song

Playlist

+ Midoriya, Bakugou, Todoroki, Kirishima, Kaminari, Sero, Iida, Momo, Jirou, Mina, Ochaco, Asui, Mirio, Amajiki, Aizawa, Hawks, All Might, Dabi, Twice, Compress, Shiguraki

Midoriya; Head over Heels - Tears For Fears

I wanted to be with you alone

I'm lost in admiration, could I need you this much?

Something happens and I'm head over heels

One little boy, one little man - funny how time flies

Bakugou; Everlong - Foo Fighters

I've waited here for you, Everlong

Come down, And waste away with me

Breathe out, So I can breathe you in

And I wonder...if everything could ever feel this real forever.

You gotta promise not to stop when I say when.

Todoroki; Say Yes to Heaven - Lana Del Rey

Give peace a chance, Let the fear you have fall away

Say yes to heaven, Say yes to me

If you go, I'll stay, You come back, I'll be right here

And if you fight, I'll fight

I've got my mind on you

Kirishima; Lover - Taylor Swift

Can I go where you go?

Can we always be this close forever and ever?

I've loved you three summers now, honey, but I want 'em all

I take this magnetic force of a man to be my lover

All's well that ends well to end up with you

Kaminari; NEON - DPR LIVE

Your kisses make it go neon

Neon, I want to know you

Neon, lose the night with you

Girl, I'm liking your body, but more than that I love your, uh

Colourful smile, you make me wonder what's under, uh

The way you make the light go blurry

Sero; Coast - Hailee Steinfeld

You the wave upon my ocean, pounding rhythm and motion

Just relax and let the riptide pull you close

Baby, all I wanna do is coast, with you

The starts come down, you drown 'em out

I'm sinking deeper into you

Iida; This Charming Man - The Smiths

Will nature make a man of me?

Why pamper life's complexity, When the leather runs smooth on the passenger seat?

This man said, "It's gruesome that someone so handsome should care"

A jumped up pantry boy, Who never knew his place

Momo; You've Got The Love - Florence + The Machine

I know I can count on you

But you've got the love I need to see me through

When my food is gone you are my daily meal

When friends are gone I know my saviour's love is real

Jirou; Wait a Minute! - WILLOW

I'm here right now, with you

I'll run my hands through you hair

You wanna run your fingers through mine

You left your diary at my house, And I read those pages, Do you really love me, baby?

Mina; DESERT EAGAL - Beyonce

Soft to the touch, let you hold somethin'

Soft kisses on some fat lips

Put on a show and make it nasty, Desert Eagle in the backseat

Oh, I keep it classy, let you love me like a lady, yeah

Ochaco; Strawberry Skies - Kid Travis

Girl you brighten up my world

Cant you tell I want you by my side?

We're gone with the wind, Hair in your face, Put my hand on your waist

Strawberry skies, all on your lips, 'cause I love how it taste

Hope that you catch me when I fall

Asui; Honey - Kehlani

I like my girls just like I like my honey, sweet, A little selfish

'Cause I'm a beautiful wreck, A colourful mess, but I'm funny

All the pretty girls in the world, But I'm in this space with you

Don't walk away, or would you wait for me?

Isn't love all we need? Is it love?

Mirio; I can't Help Myself - Four Tops

You know that I love you, I cant help myself

I love you and nobody else

Leaving just your picture behind, And I kissed it a thousand times

When you snap your figure or wink your eye, I come running too you

But every time I see your face, I get choked up inside.

Amajiki; Halley's Comet - Billie Eilish

But in my dreams I seem to be more honest, And I must admit, you've been in quite a few

But you're all it takes for me to break a promise

Silly me to fall in love with you

Midnight for me is 3AM for you

I was good at feeling nothing, now I'm hopeless

Aizawa; Adore You - Harry Styles

I get so lost inside your eyes, Would you believe it?

You don't have to say you love me

You don't have to say nothing

You don't have to say you're mine

I'd walk through fire for you, Just let me adore you

Hawks; Where u Goin' Tonight? - Mac Ayres

Just don't stand so close to me... Unless tonight, you'll be my only

All of the things I tried to keep low, Feeling like I been changing

Tell me where you goin' tonight? I'll meet you there if that's alright

Could I be the one to do the things that you like?

Burnt all my bridges, baby, But at least I'm staying warm

I been working on forgiveness, Said I don't think its catching on

All Might; I Was Made For Lovin' You - KISS

Tonight I wanna give it all to you

'Cause girl, I was made for you, And girl, you were made for me

Can you get enough of me?

Feel the magic, there's something that drives me wild

Dabi; LET THE WORLD BURN - Chris Grey

It's dangerous 'cause I want it all, And I don't think I care what it costs

I shouldn't have fallen in love, Look what it made me become

And I know you think you can run

But I just cant let you go

I'd let the world burn, Let the world burn for you

This is how it always had to end, If I cant have you then no one can

Twice; Caraphernelia - Pierce The Veil

There ain't a think that you can do that's going to ruin my night

This dizzy dreamer and her bleeding little blue boy

Hold my heart, it's beating for you anyway

Ill burn your name into my throat

What's so good about picking up the pieces?

Mr. Compress; Never Ever Getting Rid of me - From Waitress

I will never let you let me leave, I promise I'm not lying

I'm gonna do this right, Show you I'm not moving, Wherever you go, I won't be far to follow

I'm gonna love you so, You'll learn what I already know, I love you means you're never, ever, ever getting rid of me

Shigaraki; No Mercy - DeathByRomy

My boy hates everybody but me

He's sinister, but to me, he's sweet

In love with a monster, Daddy thinks I've lost it

My boy's a bullet in your brain, I show no mercy

Your nightmare is the man of my dreams

It turns me on when he makes you bleed

[peachhcs]

forever grateful → social media post

hughes!sister x will smith au (samy + will)

samy announces her goodbye to umich soccer, but hello to bay fc!

this wouldn’t happen until after samy’s junior year season (end of 2025, start of 2026) but i became inspired to make a social media post for her about it (also i am slowly answering everyone's requests :))

au masterlist

samyhughes tonight i said goodbye to this amazing team. i couldn’t be more grateful for such an amazing 3 years with these girls and this community. the university of michigan has always been my home since i walked onto the campus when i was 12 years old. i fell in love with the culture and the sense of home i felt anytime i was there.

i wanna say thank you to coach klein for taking a chance on me and seeing the potential i had to be something big. you never saw me as just a freshman, but instead as a girl who you trusted to completely rewrite what it means to be a umich women’s soccer player. i carried this season’s captaincy on my heart & my co captains always believed in me.

while this chapter is coming to a close, i can’t wait to open up the next one. as most of you know, i have signed on with bay fc into the nwsl and i couldn’t be more excited for what’s to come.

forever and always a wolverine <3

view all comments

hannahduke could not be more proud of you. you’re gonna do such great things and i can’t wait to come visit you in san fran 😌

| samyhughes please please come visit me gonna miss u so much

user1 omgggg i can’t believe she’s leaving early ugh so proud of her tho

user2 i just knowww they’ll be talking about her for years and what she did for that program

user3 i can’t believe she turned around that program as a freshman and then continued to make it even better

marcieevans11 super proud of u best friend ur gonna do great things ❤️

| samyhughes i love you mar forever my rock

edwards.73 what an amazing accomplishment and three years. it’s been such an honor watching you play

| samyhughes i hope jersey’s been treating you good

markestapa coolest person i know you’re gonna kill in san francisco 🙂‍↕️

| samyhughes means a lot mark come visit!!

lhughes_06 proud to call you my sister. you’re awesome pop ❤️

| samyhughes thanks for always believing in me ❤️

tyler___duke5 the legacy lives on forever gonna crush it in cali

| samyhughes i can’t believe im saying this but i’m gonna miss u

tj_hughes13 what a good ride it’s been w u come back and visit sometime

| samyhughes always come back and visit

user4 such a memorable season for her ugh i’m gonna miss her in mich so much

user5 the genes in this family is crazyyy now all 4 kids are pro

seamuscasey26 wow! this is huge, congrats!!

| samyhughes thank you!!!

g.brindley4 always knew u had it in u

| samyhughes such a wild ride

jackhughes so incredibly proud of u pop. i can’t wait to keep watching you shine

| samyhughes hughes went coast to coast 😎

_quinnhughes what a huge accomplishment! michigan will always be here for you. can’t wait to be able to have u closer to van

| samyhughes expect MANY visits from me :)

rutgermcgroarty epiccc highest so proud

| samyhughes thanks rut 🥹

julianne_gelinas my biggest inspiration!!!

| samyhughes i love you!!!

emmagcooper san fran wont know what hit em!!!

| samyhughes they sure won’t!

dylanduke25 they grow up so fast 🥹

| lhughes_06 they really do

| samyhughes 🥹

blairestevenson WOWOW!!! you’re so cool samy!!! so excited to have u on the west coast with us!!

| samyhughes IM SOOO EXCITED!!!

beckettsennecke_ WELCOME TO CALIIII

| samyhughes YUPPP

trevorzegras heard u were coming out west. congrats little hughes!!

| samyhughes thanks trev!!!

| jackhughes u can never get rid of us 😉

ryan.leno_4 already bought tickets for your debut 😛

| samyhughes see you then!!

gabeperreault44 so proud of you hughesy i always knew you’d make it far

| samyhughes i’m so flattered 😇 come see me in cali!!!

kayleighdocherty_ wow!! this is awesome samy! i’m so proud of you!! cali will look so good on you

| samyhughes hope this means we can hang out more! 😊

drewf2 SHES CALI BOUND OFFICAL!!

| samyhughes ITS OFFICIAL ALRIGHT!

user6 everyone supporting and congratulating her is soo cute 🥰🥰

user7 i’d give anything to be who she is

aram_minnetian +1000 aura

| samyhughes LMAO plssss

jacob_fowler24 sooo now we have to come visit for u AND will

| samyhughes YUPP

zeevbuium28 sooo fucking cool ur so awesome

| samyhughes thanks zeev

jameshagens_4 MMHMMM yuppp from wolverine to pro soccer player in the span of 3 months 🥱

| samyhughes run it backkk

teddystiga_ what a great accomplishment!

| samyhughes ugh thanks teddy come to cali to see will and i!!

_willvote congrats! you’re gonna kill it

| samyhughes thanks voteyy

samanthaminnetian sooo awesome samy ugh so proud you’ve grown and done so much in the last 3 years. i can’t wait to see you continuing to thrive

| samyhughes i love uuu 🥰

danielle_minnetian coolest person i know wowowow

| samyhughes 🥰🥰

mackcelebrini SLEEPOVERS EVERY NIGHT NOW!!!

| samyhughes YAYAYAY

| _willsmith2 SLEEPOVER SLEEPOVER

eklund_72 soo presh samy! congrats and welcome to cali!!

| samyhughes thanks ekky!! :))

thombordeleau_ michigan to cali pipeline continuing! congrats on a great three years and welcome to the next!!

| samyhughes had to continue the tradition 🙂‍↕️

michaelhagens_11 awesome accomplishment!!! you’re a beast fr

| samyhughes thank ya haggy 😌

nick_moldenhauer what will i do at michigan without you???

| samyhughes stop spending so much money LMAO

_willsmith2 so incredibly proud of you❤️❤️ can’t wait to see you on a professional field super soon you deserve it so much

| samyhughes i love you!!! can’t wait to be even closer ❤️❤️

[paper-mario-wiki]

What is your favorite bar from the myriad of good bars from Kendrick Lamar involving drake, i.e. Euphoria, Meet the Grahams, & Not Like Us?

note: when I say "Drake" I mean the constructed pop star. when I say "Aubrey" I mean the human being and actor behind the narrative that is "Drake".

Euphoria my favorite bar from this track is the whole "I'm the biggest hater" refrain. i like it because that singular section alone completely obliterated Taylor Made Freestyle. by paraphrasing the late DMX's famous quote about Drake, he is demonstrating how you can respectfully and powerfully use words from the mouths of dead predecessors to discredit your opponent, further showing how much of a stupid tactless clown-show popstar-turned-con-artist Aubrey Graham is in using the AI mockery of Tupac's voice to taunt Kendrick, the current voice of the West Coast and-- to many-- the people's successor to Pac.

6:16 in LA with a slightly lighter tone than the other disses, i consider this song to be a person to person sit-down and final warning to Aubrey that Kendrick is willing to provide. he explains that OVO is full of moles and wires, Aubrey is being hustled with nobody on his side, and going as far as saying "you can't sleep, these images trouble you" hinting at the fact that he would be going after Drake's personal failings that he thinks about when he goes home at night and stops being Drake. which he totally did in meet the grahams. also, bonus points to my favorite rhyme scheme in the song, just cuz it's so much fun to say:

Your lil memes is losin' steam, they figured you out The forced opinions is not convincin', y'all need a new route

like, what a perfect little two-bar rhyme scheme.

meet the grahams in this song, the most powerful lyrics to me (and the ones that usually make me start tearing up) are the ones where Kendrick stops being sorrowful and starts being angry.

You a body shamer, you gon' hide them baby mamas, ain't ya? You embarrassed of 'em, that's not right, that ain't how mama raised us Take that mask off, I wanna see what's under them achievements, Why believe you? You never gave us nothin' to believe in

this reminds me of every traumatic scolding i ever received as a child. i think that the word "disappointed" isn't strong enough to convey the feeling here. something closer would be "let down", because Kendrick's whole thing recently has been peace and uplifting people. he was willing to tolerate the competition for the game, but there were so many times that he warned Drake to not mention Kendrick's family. ultimately, in this stage of their careers, what they were fighting for was not fame or power, it was their legacy. they were fighting over how they were going to be remembered, and Kendrick was not about to let his pacifism make him passive in watching someone pretending to be a part of his culture stain how he will be written about in the records of Hip-Hop history. in specific, i love the line "take that mask off, i wanna see what's under them achievements" because he is BEGGING Audrey to respond honestly, as himself. he is begging him to cast off the facade of "Drake" and speak with any amount of dignity, because at this point there was no more room to speculate on whether or not he actually was who he claimed to be with regards to his music. at this point, the consensus was pretty thoroughly in the camp of "the actor Audrey Graham has been co-opting the image of the American Rapper for his career".

Not Like Us i think i love the bar "he has all eyes on me and imma send it up to Pac" because it goes back to the core of what this is about to Kendrick in fighting for legacy. the media, specifically the white dominated media, sucks the culture (that is to say, Black culture) dry for all it's worth monetarily, and in the process there have been many twisted caricatures or unfair narratives left in the wake of black creatives who are no longer alive to defend their own names. there's an entire tangent about how tabloids disproportionately affect black creatives due to the very fact that white supremacy discounts the respect these names have to the (largely un-melinated) higherups in hollywood, and as a result there is less PR dedicated to keeping their image clean, but i think im not qualified to go off on it. the point is, Drake disrespected Pac's legacy (and continues to do so by owning his ring, really, instead of having it be in the possession of someone who's at least from the west coast), and Kendrick wanted to put some honor on his name. he made sure that he was not just mentioned in the shameful (Taylor Made) and angry (euphoria) parts of this beef, but also its most triumphant moment.

[semperamans]

(inspired by my angel baby honey love suse and her incredible post that you must read here)

this song is so angst!benny coded :'(

"last night i heard my own heart beating sounded like footsteps on my stairs - six months gone and i'm still reaching even though i know you're not there"

you swear you see him everywhere even though that's impossible because according to a tearful johnny, benny is gone - left the night he broke your heart and hasn't been back since. last you heard he was on the west coast and it's a fucking shame that he would carry your broken heart so far away with no real intention of ever bringing it back. he's not dead, at least you really fucking hope not, but he haunts you just the same. he smiles from the window of the diner you used to frequent and creeps into your mind with every backfiring engine. you can't help but picture the deep crease between his brows and the way you'd thumb it away and smile at him and he'd kiss you and you thought it would be like that forever but now you're sobbing into your pillow again because love like that is supposed to last a lifetime and maybe it did because you feel like you died the second you walked out of his front door. benny's not dead, but he killed you.

"i know people change and these things happen, but i remember how it was back then. wrapped up in your arms and our friends are laughing 'cause nothin' like this has ever happened to them."

is it possible you conjured him in your head completely because nothing feels concrete anymore. it's summer now and the heat evokes memories you don't want to remember, don't want to see, but need to regardless because you're so disconnected that everyone is worried. johnny calls every day but you don't feel like talking, so most of the time you don't. you sit on the phone, static speaking loud and clear. there's a shoe box of polaroids thrown onto your comforter and it's taken you an hour to open it. why do you have to do this? to reacquaint yourself with that now-distant time in your life? it hurts. being happy hurts so you choke on it- wince, and cringe and cry as you flick through the fleeting flashes of a life you can't believe had been yours. the boy who held your waist and nuzzled his scruffy chin against your shoulder and stole your heart-shaped sunglasses and swore he'd marry you and vowed to never hurt you broke your heart. and you know what? fuck him. fuck benny. fuck benny. fuck benny.

"come back, come back, come back to me like you could, you could if you just said you’re sorry. i know that we could work it out somehow."

"would you take 'em back?" cal asks. the two of you share sips from a flask on your front stoop. the moon hangs low over the hazy chicago night. "y'know, if he ever came back?" you don't hesitate. "yes."

"if you're out there, if you're somewhere, if you're moving on I've been waiting on you every day since you've been gone. i just want it back the way it was before and i just wanna see you back at my front door."

it's colder now. you need a sweater whenever you go out, and you're going out more often, which is good. sonny tells you he's missed your smile, been awful dark without it, and you smack him good-naturedly across the chest. you're a bit more alive these days; johnny calls you a zombie - the girl who died and is now slowly starting to come back to life. it still hurts and some days you can barely tug yourself out of bed, but you do because you deserve a life. the holidays are quickly approaching and you break down when your momma asks if she needs to set a place for benny (your parents came around too late) but it's okay. you're okay and no, benny doesn't need a place at your table even though he's always going to have a place in your heart and hey, you'll be back - you've gotta run to the grocery for something - but you don't even make it out the door because a familiar figure is hunched on the front steps.

"come back, come back, come back to me like you would before you said its not that easy, before the fight, before i locked you out, but i'd take it all back now."

[frostedsugarcookiehearts]

schlatt !

chapstick

birthday boy

"man sh*t"

who are we to deny the alchemy?

thru the screen

money, money, money

would it be easier if there was a right way?

it's a friday, i'm in love (streamer!au)

this is modern feminism talking!

tangled in love, stuck by you from the glue!

knee deep in the passenger seat

said their favorite song was pink + white but they're black & blue

walk 'em like a dog!

can't believe i get to call you mine

jessie's girl (charliesgirlfriend!au)

you cut your hair, but you used to live a blonded life

nothing comes close to the golden coast

she was nineteen, she's got a fake id and a nose ring

how could you joke at a time like this? (pt.1)

screaming and fighting and kissing in the rain (pt.2)

the year you died

i swear, next time i see you i'll be funny

charlie !

you're a part time lover + a full time friend!

to live for the hope of it all!! <3

i wanna live inside your mind, next to your favorite songs

why don't you sit right down and stay awhile?

and i know now that i'm so down; your lipstick stain is a work of art. (i got your name tattooed in an arrowheart.)

then i hope they slept together, (oh, the less i know the better).

do not swear at all, or if thou wilt, swear by thy gracious self, which is the god of my idolatry, and i'll believe thee.

the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

i take thee at thy word; call me but love, and i'll be new baptized; henceforth i will never be romeo.

ted !

fly to the city, excited to see your face, hold me, console me, and then i'll leave without a trace

... & more tbd !

[commiegoth]

Interview with nonbinary trans author Kate Bornstein, promoting her book Gender Outlaw (Mondo 2000 #13, 1995)

Full text under cut

I‘m walking down 16th Street minding my own business. This good looking woman is coming toward me. She's got on baggy unbuttoned overalls and an orange tank top. Her arms look good, her shoulders look good, and what I can see of her stomach looks good. Two guys are standing on the sidewalk. As she passes them, one says to the other, “I'd like to take that one home.” The other guy agrees. The woman keeps walking. Now it's my turn to pass 'em. “I'd like to take that one home and knock A her around a little bit,” the first guy says. I keep walking. The other guy answers. “That's a her?”

But enough about me. This is supposed to be about Kate Bornstein who wants you to read her new book Gender Outlaw. Bornstein used to be a man; now she’s not. Bornstein used to be a heterosexual; now she isn't. Bornstein used to have a dick; now she doesn’t.

She’s a “used-to-be-a-man, three husbands, father, first mate on an ocean-going yacht, minister, high-powered IBM sales type, Pierre Cardin three-piece suitor, bar-mitzvah’d, circumcised yuppie from the East Coast… a used-to-be politically correct, wanna-be butch, dyke phone sex hostess, smooth talking, telemarketing, love slave, art slut, pagan Tarot reader, maybe soon a grandmother, crystal palming, incense burning, not man, not always a woman, fast becoming a Marxist.”

All that’s not what makes her an outlaw. What makes her an outlaw is she sees a time when folks will look at the binary gender system and throw back their heads and laugh— ha ha ha. Males and females and that’s it? Ha ha ha. Get the fuck outta here.

Bornstein’s looking forward to us all living in what author Marjorie Garber (Vested Interests, Routledge) calls the Third Space. “This whole concept of three is so beautiful,” Kate says, “because it includes the first two. I don’t say there’s a third space that exists between men and women. I say there’s a third space outside of the Binary which leaves the Binary as this construct off to the side, very fragile and apt to fall apart.”

If I were a man, everything about me that brings me grief in the world—the way | walk, the way I talk, the way I think, the way | stand, the way I sit, the way I dress, the way | cut my hair, how much I weigh, how much weight I lift—would not only be acceptable, it would be revered. If we lived in the Third Space, it wouldn't even matter.

Bornstein had to learn a lot of rules in order to fit in. Like when a man walks down the street he looks people in the eye; when a woman walks down the street she looks at the ground. And women talk different. They have higher, breathier voices and their speech is more modulated. In mixed conversations, it’s the woman's job to laugh at the bad jokes and fill in the awkward silences. They smile constantly while they’re talking and use tag questions to qualify sentences, like “you know what I mean?”

“All of these customs are forms of self-deprecation,” says Bornstein, “like learning how to keep my knees together and not putting my arm across the back of my seat in the subway train. A lot of that was not so much to be a woman as to pass as a woman, so that I wouldn't call attention to myself.”

If we lived in the Third Space, she wouldn't have had to worry. In fact, if we lived in the Third Space, she might not even have had penile conversion surgery.

“I don’t do well with might-have-beens,” she says. “I resent that I was manipulated into that surgery by every signpost in the culture. I was not aware of other possibilities at the time. I was a total subscriber to the Binary and to the genitals by which it stands.

“I knew I wasn’t BOY, I knew I wasn’t MAN. Neither of those categories fit for me. It didn’t feel right, I have no idea why. I tried for thirty some odd years and it didn’t work. The only other option I saw in the culture was GIRL, or WOMAN. Nowhere did I see that it was okay to be a “real woman”—which I believed in—with a penis! So the next step was get rid of the penis. This insistence on the Binary and the genital imperative that signals the Binary coerced me into that. If I knew everything that I know now, would I do it again? Yes. Absolutely yes, because sex is so much more fun now.”

Back to this idea of the Third Space, how do we get there?

“Cyberspace would be a doorway into the Third Space,” according to Bornstein. “Cyberspace frees us up from the restrictions placed on identity by our bodies. It allows us to explore more kinds of relationships.

“I can go online as anything. I go online as various kinds of women. I've gone online as a guy a couple of times; I’m playing a stable boy in a vampire scenario now. I’ve gone online as different monsters. I’ve gone online as Mr. Spock in a ‘Star Trek’ scenario.

“Cross-gender identity surfing online is so telling: Men slum and women step into the trappings of power as men. You talk to a man after he’s been a woman online and he'll usually laugh and describe some kind of sex he had, usually lesbian sex. But you talk to a woman who's been surfing as a man, there’s this spark there. There’s this wonder. There's this—'They really do have this power!’ As soon as men cop to the idea that women are learning this, they’re gonna be more frightened.”

Bingo.

In Gender Outlaw, Bornstein asks: “If wealth and power are important, and if in this world wealth and power belong to men, then why did I cease being a man and give up that wealth and power?"

Some male-to-female transsexuals argue—often in response to being excluded from women-born-women only clubs—that they didn’t have a real male experience because they were never real males. Bornstein’s not buying it. “I had a bona fide male experience—of course I did. I’ve been bar-mitzvah’d. I hated it. Being male and hating it sets up a fugue experience. It’s definitely a form of madness. | think one way of dealing with the madness is to say it never really happened. That’s a legitimate way of dealing with it, but the fact of the matter is, I spent over thirty years of my life as a man or boy. I did not like it. I hated it. I drank a lot. I did a lot of drugs. I played a lot of arcade games.”

Once you've altered your gender, it’s gotta seem like anything’s possible. The whole world must open up. Does that mean that transgender stuff is the final frontier? Bornstein doesn’t think so.

She believes that once people get a grip on the idea of the Third Space, and transgender stuff becomes passé, we're probably gonna have to look at other binary divisions. “What are the differences between animals and humans? What are the differences between plants and animals? What about artificial intelligence, androids like Data from “Star Trek?” They're gonna be around. | think the gender binary is the one most firmly entrenched in our culture simply because it’s the one that capitalism trades on the most, other than class. We haven't confronted class. A minor communist uprising in Eastern Europe is not dealing with class. Certainly, the United States has never dealt with class. I think the fact that my book actually got published by a respectable publisher is an indicator that the culture is ready to chew on gender, whereas I don’t think the American culture is as ready to chew on class.

“I'd say gender is the last apparent frontier. It’s the frontier that’s just become illuminated. It’s titillating. In public relations terms it’s sexy. In sex terms it’s sexy. It’s a movement, a real live movement—ready or not, here we come!”

Meanwhile, back on 16th Street.

I take a few more steps, then my brain turns over and I say to myself, “Fuck this shit.”

I stop, turn around, walk back, and stand in front of the first guy. “You say something to me?”

He’s shocked. He starts stuttering and shaking his head.

“Uh…uh…no…I was just…I mean…he was just…I mean…he wanted to know—"

I interrupt him.

“Something about knocking somebody around?”

He starts stuttering again.

“Uh…no…uh, I was just… I mean, he just… I mean, I was just saying—"

I interrupt him again.

“You know what it sounded like you said? It sounded like you said you wanted to suck my dick.”

“Uh…uh… your dick?” He looks at my crotch to see if I have one.

(I do, but it’s back at my apartment.)

“Yeah,” I say, “that’s what it sounded like you said. I think you want to suck my dick, don't you?”

He looks at my crotch again, then he looks back at my face. He grins, still stuttering.

Uh...well...I, I, I... I wouldn't mind.”

“That's what I thought,” I say, and walk away.

For an almost complete collection of Bornsteiniana, start with Gender Outlaw (Routledge), go directly to The Last Sex, Arthur and Mary-Louise Kroker (St. Martins Press), and keep an eye out for performances of Hidden: A Gender and Virtually Yours. The unsatisfied can obsessively watch for guest appearances on Geraldo.

[greenlantern94to04]

Green Lantern-Related Titles Round-Up (September 1994)

This month: Zero Hour! ZERO HOUR! ZERO HOUR!

Guy Gardner: Warrior #24

This issue is wild, man. As seen in Zero Hour, Guy Gardner (who suddenly has the ability to grow handguns out of his arms) has decided that the current crisis afflicting the DC Universe is the perfect opportunity to go back in time and undo the destruction of Coast City, thus preventing his frenemy Hal Jordan from going insane and turning into a full-on enemy. We start with Guy having already assembled an unlikely team for that mission: Supergirl, Steel, and an alternate-timeline Batgirl who still has her spine intact. I'm pretty sure the rationale behind these selections is "the writer of this comic likes 'em" (I know Beau Smith is a big Supergirl guy especially).

(Note that Guy and Steel are supposed to be old college buddies, but that isn't acknowledged in this issue beyond Guy saying "reminds me of..." when Steel makes a football-related comment.)

Anyway, Guy and pals are at that monument the superheroes built in what used to be Coast City, when a time vortex opens and sends them to the past, just as Guy wanted. Unfortunately, the vortex overshoots it a bit and they all end up in dinosaur times. There, they run into... well, dinosaurs, but also Extant, the guy who is totally the main villain behind Zero Hour and not just a decoy one.

By the way, here are all the names Guy calls Extant in this issue: Ex-Lax, Timex, Extinct, Ex-Man (don't wanna speculate about what Guy, a macho dude in the '90s, might have meant by that last one).

Extant makes the heroes go through a bunch of different time periods -- and art styles, since this issue has five different artists. First up is the old west (drawn by Phil Jimenez), where the Guy Gang teams up with an assortment of DC western characters to take on Extant and his posse of mind-controlled gunslingers. Two notable events here are: 1) Guy turning his arms into the "Toastmaster" guns that Steel designed, and 2) Supergirl shapeshifting into Extant to try to trick him into thinking she's his future self, but it doesn't really work out and we get this panel:

Next, Extant briefly sends them to the far future (drawn by future superstar Howard Porter), leading to cameos by the Space Ranger and a time-displaced Lady Blackhawk, who joins the Guy Gang. The time rollercoaster then sends them to Coast City's relatively recent past (fittingly drawn by Mike Parobeck), where Guy not only sees Hal Jordan in his prime but also... himself, looking like a well-adjusted adult and hanging out with his precognitive ex-girlfriend Kari Limbo.

Being close to his own past self causes Guy to freak out and lose control of his still-undefined new powers. Hal assumes that this shapeshifting weirdo must be a supervillain who wants to "destroy Coast City" and tries to take him down with one punch™.

(I like how Hal's whole vibe in these retroactive appearances is "if anyone ever tries to destroy Coast City I'm gonna LOSE MY SHIT.")

Another time vortex opens, this time sending Guy alone to the day Coast City was destroyed in a Superman comic (drawn by Jackson Guice, the artist in another Superman comic, but close enough). Guy once again bumps into Kari, who finally realizes that he was the shapeshifting weirdo who ruined their date that day years ago. Extant appears and makes Guy watch as the city explodes, killing Kari and millions of others. Then everything fades to white and...

...you guessed it, TO BE CONTINUED IN ZERO HOUR!

Darkstars #24

New Darkstar Donna Troy has been sent on a mission to arrest cosmic murderer Hal Jordan before he does anything else crazy, like trying to restart the universe or something. Donna and her new teammates follow a huge Green Lantern-related energy signature and find not Hal, but a time-displaced Entropy/Krona, the ancient Guardian who accidentally created the DC Multiverse and went crazy. What is it about GL characters and poor mental health?

Oh yeah, that GL up there is Abin Sur, Hal's long-dead predecessor, who pops up in the middle of the fight due to the ongoing time wackiness. Donna considers telling Abin that he shouldn't give his ring to any dudes named Hal because they'll eventually kill the GL Corps, but then she's like "wait, no, that's dumb" upon realizing that trying to change history would be wildly irresponsible, not to mention dangerous (see: the GG:W issue up there).

Once the time-lost characters have been sucked into a black hole and returned to their respective times, a Superman hologram appears in front of everyone and asks them to come over to the Zero Hour series and help out with the time crisis (but only Donna ends up going). Meanwhile, John Stewart makes his debut as a Darkstar...

...and makes sure to mention right away that he's no longer a GL or a Guardian, just in case anyone was worried about his sanity. John tells Darkstar Colos that his sham trial last issue was indeed a sham trial and the guy running the Darkstars is corrupt, so they should probably do something about that. Unfortunately, they don't have time for that, since everything fades to white at the end of the issue (again).

So, for Donna anyway, this will be CONTINUED IN ZERO HOUR!

Justice League America #92, Justice League Task Force #16, and Justice League International #68

Young Hal also appears in the "Return of the Hero" storyline, which introduces the Justice League's forgotten founder, Triumph. The first part reveals that Triumph was actually the one who first brought Hal, Barry "Flash" Allen, Black Canary, Aquaman, and Martian Manhunter (plus guest star Superman) together as a team to fight an alien invasion, though he was kind of a dick about it.

That first adventure ended with Triumph using his magnetic powers to stop the aliens, which somehow "trapped him out of phase with the timestream" and caused everyone to forget him. Now, thanks to Zero Hour, he's back and wants to lead the current Justice League against the also-returned aliens, but they're like "nah."

After a lot of drama and in-fighting, the JL does agree to join Triumph against the aliens. In the end, it turns out that the aliens only wanted to talk but didn't know how, so they expressed themselves via superhero fight scenes. One of the ways in which they try to communicate with Triumph in the last chapter is by turning into Hal:

Yep, that's Phil Jimenez again; dude was pretty busy this month.

Anyway, once Triumph learns to work on his interpersonal skills and gets through to the aliens, they instantly go away and the day is saved. The League welcomes Triumph (back) into the team, and then... everything fades to white. NOT TO BE CONTINUED IN ZERO HOUR, BECAUSE EVERYONE HAS CEASED TO EXIST!

(Note: Some GL-related Elseworld annuals also came out this month, but they'll go in another post since this one was getting too long. Get ready for Nazi Hal vs. Nazi Guy!)

[fountainpenguin]

"I wanna taste love and pain, wanna feel pride and shame... never look back and say, 'It could've been me...'" (x)

---

New Dog's Life chapter today! ~ 3rd Life series fan-season

Chapter 47 - “Foxhunt (Ren, Bdubs, Mumbo, Scott)”

❤️ Read on AO3

💛 Start from Chapter 1

💚 More Pixels Imperfect fics

💜 My MCYT AUs

---

He’s going for the cave. He’s going for the cave, he’s going for the- “Etho, STOP RUNNING!” You’ll lead them straight to New Star! A snarl from behind, paired with cracking wings, jerks Mumbo’s head like a spider on a silken string. A big, Bat Dragon-like shape blocks out what little sun they’ve got. Mumbo’s just quick enough to duck Stella’s wingtip, though the way she buffets air sends him careening to the side. Whoa! He rolls like a barrel, catching drift off her flap, and strains his wings with all he’s got. Both hands snap up to cone his mouth. “Keep running!” I changed my mind! 

In which many cuddles are had, Bdubs gets in the way, and Etho breaks from the team.

(First 1,000 words under the cut - #trafficshipping below. do Scott and Ren even have a ship name, idk-)

---

Renthedog

Location: Rose House, New Star Station

🖤  🧡  💚

Rose House has one of the less busy shower facilities. Ren takes his sweet time working soap behind his ears, beneath his arms, and all the way down his back. It’s not easy with the nub hands, but he makes it work. The thick fluff of his canine legs need some extra TLC. So does the tail, to pick out burs and grass and grit. He’ll definitely be brushing out his hair. Shame Doc’s got his hands full this morning; Ren’s not gonna make him do the grooming when he got called into work. And straight after this, they need to hop on the temp server and check up with the fox kids. With the hub core down night and day, those four have had a lot of time to build… or harass each other, totally unsupervised. Yeah, he’ll gladly take the shower while he can.

Feelin’ fresh and lookin’ good! That’s all you really need in life.

He’s yawning when he leaves the stall, skin still unbuttoned halfway down his chest, until a voice nearby clears a clogged-up throat. Then, forced through dewdrop softness, “Hi~i, Ren!”

Ren’s hearts stutter; he twitches upright. “Major?” Swiftly, he clamps both halves of skin over the glowing cyan line that coasts from throat to stomach. “What? May a dog not catch a moment to make himself presentable? … What- What are you wearing?” That’s… Ren’s eyes dart to the door that leads into the hall. Then to Scott, who’s posed sweetly on the edge of the clothes-folding counters, hands clasped around one knee. The other leg dangles off the edge. He’s wearing, uh…

Hm.

Well. The lacy crop top’s cute. Lots of flowers woven in the knitting. It’s black. Shows just a peek of the shiny crystals on his chest, and a whole lot of stomach. Spaghetti straps don’t hurt. Freckled, half-exposed arms do a lot of heavy lifting here, though Ren bites his lip at the cushy sweatpants. Embroidered amethyst crystals cling around his pockets and ankle hems. It’s certainly not the way Scott dresses while doing mayor things, but maybe that’s why it’s so eye-catching when he’s the one to flaunt it. Not a terrible combo whatsoever.

“Vintage chic,” he says, easing into a careful smile. He bears the teeth in a bigger grin. “Nice, dude! Aren’t those your mom’s?” Way to recycle. He’s not gonna say that. It’s just, y’know… The way Scott apparently hung out on the counter, waiting for him to wander his bits right out of the shower, spider-crawls nails down Ren’s spine. ‘Ask me about the outfit,’ Scott’s posture seems to say. He even outlined his lashes. He wasn’t serving that look at the squall. It’s nothing Ren’s ever seen Scott in before.

Because he’s sitting there with the gray wings unfurled. Anyone could walk in and see ‘em there. They’re hooked in the stalking spread, and Ren studies him with his head cocked to one side. That position… does not make any more sense at a 90° angle. Is Scott even conscious of his wing placement? Or are they sort of doing what they want?

“That does make them mine, technically. I’m the Allay Dragon now; they were in the dragon’s closet space.” Scott lifts a beckoning finger. Ren, yanked by something extremely invisible around his foot, jerks a step. The noise he makes is nothing short of a puppy with its paw stepped on. He digs in his heels.

“What? HEY!”

Scott leaves his finger floating, eyes half-lidded the whole time. Ren grits his teeth. Is he waiting for a safeword? The line between ‘scene’ and ‘straight’ balances on a needle point. Blurrier still when they sort of-almost had a chat at the lek, and sort of-almost might’ve made something of it then. Scott’s lashes shine fresh with blue-black mascara. He doesn’t pull the cord again, but moves his finger in a small circle, wrapping and then unwrapping the unseen thread. Every time he does, Ren can feel it dragging at his ankle. Scott lifts one loop to his teeth and catches it around a bottom fang.

“See, I don’t- I don’t know if you just thought I wouldn’t notice you and Pig sneaking outside the wall? You know the rules, Ren. If you play with fire, then I get to burn.”

Every heartbeat chases energy up into his ears. Question marks jab his skin like they’ve been twisted into daggers. Scott’s never… cut him open with a glance and taken him apart with smiling eyes like this before. This is new. This is sudden. Ren, carefully holding loose skin against his chest, leans down to feel the contract thread, but it’s still invisible. Either way, his hands pass through without making contact. “So it is you who took upon yourself my case for claiming residency… You must be very good at what you do. I haven’t heard a peep out of HALO since I got here.”

Scott’s smile is warm and lush when it drifts across the space between them. Warm like the shower water dripping down his neck, still damp against his hair. “Everything is on the up and up. Well. We do need to talk about last night.”

“I do in fact know these rules like they’re engraven upon my hearts. And if I remember what I signed, I believe I have 300 wander hours to pay you back. Lovin’ the new vex look, by the way.” Simple, but he looks like he could use encouragement. Ren doesn’t like the look of the glitchy hand Scott is keeping mostly in his lap. It sparks amethyst blue and navy purple, threaded in with shocks of lightning white.

“Thank youuu… You do, yes, and that will be about two weeks. But I thought you’d find the roleplay fun. Is it working?” Scott pushes off the counter without waiting for an answer, landing with a pat-pat of soft shoes over tile floor. “For your sake, I hope I’m satisfied after just one claim. You broke your geas no less than 10,000 times last night, Ren. That’s bad. You exposed yourself to a whole lot of people.”

The hairs on his arms start to lift, but he holds his ground as best he can. “I had nothing to do with that. That was all Pig.”

❤️ Read on AO3

[sychosid]

Lonesome Dreams by Lord Huron lyric starter prompts - 3-4 lyrics for every song

To the ends of the earth, would you follow me?

Wayfarin' strangers and all kinds of danger ; Please don't say I'm going alone

What good is livin' a life you've been given; If all you do is stand in one place

Maybe I'm headin' to die but I'm still gonna try; I guess I'm goin' alone

I wanted everybody else in the world to know it; but I ain't ever gonna let 'em take my life from me

Lower your defense, run away with me and it'll all make sense ; I did it all for you, don't spurn me after all I've gone through

No time to rest, I'm gonna find me a life, baby, way out west

I'm just a man, but I know that I'm damned; All the dead seem to know where I am

The tale that began on the night of my birth; Will be done in a turn of the earth

Every eye on the coast ever more; Will remember the sight of the ghost on the shore

Die if I must, let my bones turn to dust

I have been trying to find her; Want to give what I got, she lit a fire; But now she's in my every thought

She left no trail but I cannot fail, I will find her

I'll search the world until there's no place left to go; And if she leaves it, I will follow, yes, I will follow

And the years keep on slipping away

I remember that fateful day when I ran away; And you told me I couldn't return

Wanna visit the windswept shores of a time before

I remember the bright spring day; When you sparked that flame; And a fire that continues to burn

Said that death is a deal that you cannot refuse; But I love you, girl and I don't wanna lose you

Don't want a long ride, I don't wanna die at all

Well, I know that my life's better when we're together; So why can't our story just go on forever?

There's a fire in your eyes and there's blood on your hands

You ain't gonna run and you know that you're beat

Dream of when you were innocent

How long have I known you, brother?; Hundreds of lives, thousands of years

'Til the daylight comes or I'm dead and gone

We face the fire together, brothers 'til the end

Don't run away, our time will come but not today

You've been in the wind, you've been on my mind

You are the purest soul I've ever known in my life

When you left I was far too young

Death is a wall but it can't be the end

Staring out at the setting sun

Does he make you say his name?; And you can't get it off your tongue

Ain't you worried what I'll do?

Oh, is he ready to die for you, baby?

You had me, heart and soul; You might never have known it, girl

[snailpebbles]

Wanderlust

eventual! carl grimes x gn! reader

notes: not canon compliant, follows only the comics so no Daryl =( I apologize for any mistakes as this is my first long fic. Carl is 12, so are you and Sophia. Takes place during Rick, Michonne and Glenn's trip to Woodbury ( Comics, Prison arc + Governor )

It had been a couple hours since Rick, Michonne and Glenn had left to investigate the helicopter. Lori was practically pacing holes into the floor, and Carol was trying her best to comfort her. You had a feeling something weird was going on between the two but you didn't bring it up in fear of upsetting your two best friends, Carl and Sophia. The two teens had been with you since everything started, the three of you an inseparable trio.

Currently, you and Sophia were about to sneak into Carl's cell and steal some comics while he was busy pestering Andrea.

"hurry before he sees us!" Sophia whispers while darting into the cell. You follow along closely, keeping your eye out for the cowboy.

"Holy shit he does have my Spider-Man comic!" You gasp, clutching the aforementioned comic to your chest. Sophia snorts as she picks up some comics that look interesting.

"Sophia.. Sophia why are you staring at She-Hulk?" You ask, waving your hand in front of the 13 year olds face. She jumps a bit, cheeks tinged red as she drops the comic.

"No reason." Sophia says simply before poking her head out of the cell to check for Carl.

"Coast is clear. Let's go." She whispers, motioning for you to run out behind her with the goodies. As you go to do so, a familiar voice stops the both of you.

"Did you seriously just rob me." Carl deadpans, arms crossed with an unamused expression. You and Sophia slowly turn to face him with awkward smiles, comics still held in your arms.

"wwhhhhhhat....? noooo-" You begin to say, but Carl cuts you off with a pointed look at the incriminating comics. Sophia slouches and you almost laugh when she stares longingly at She-Hulk.

"Alright c'mon, put 'em back." Carl sighs, shooing both of you back into his cell.

"Ugh you're no fun Carl." You pout, scoffing but putting the comics back. Carol then yells for Sophia, to which she sighs but goes to find her mother leaving you and Carl alone.

Carl leans against the wall awkwardly as the silence stretches between the two of you. Until finally he breaks it.

"Sooo... wanna go on the basketball court?" He asks, his voice cracking in the middle of the sentence. You snort but nod and actually laugh when Carl's face glows red from embarrassment.

****

The two of you walk out onto the court with Lori and see Dale alongside Andrea out as well. Tyreese waves at the three of you to which you smile back at the tall man.

Carl and you settle on the concrete and start rolling a basketball back and forth to one another as Tyreese and Lori chat.

Suddenly Carol runs out screaming.

"THE ROAMERS — T-THEY BROKE THE FENCE DOWN!" She screams and Lori's face drops, her eyes and body darting to you and Carl.

Tyreese grabs you while your mind runs a million miles per second. 'Are we gonna die?' You snap out your dark thoughts when Tyreese drops you down inside the prison with Carl, Sophia, Lori and Carol. Sophia hugs you tightly as she panics but Carl stands near the door with his hand held protectively in front of his mom.

The sounds of roamers groaning outside penetrate everyone's ears when you remember.. Dale and Andrea out there. Where was Hershel? Maggie?

****

It's been hours of listening to the sounds of roamers growing ever closer. Sophia lays asleep in her mom's arms while you, Carl and Lori sit near one another.

"Hey Carl.." You whisper into the silence. His eyes flash up to you and so do Lori's.

"Yeah ___?" He whispers, scooting a bit closer to hear you better. Lori and Tyreese watch with close eyes and peeled ears to make sure you aren't speaking too loud.

"Are.. are you scared?" You ask, voice wavering slightly from the stress of the situation. Carl shakes his head, dark brown hair that probably needs to be cut falling into his eyes.

"No of course not-" Before he can finish his sentence, sounds of gunshots ring out from beyond the walls of the prison.

Then a loud bang and creaks mixed with the screeching of tires fills the following lapse of silence.

"What the fuck?" Sophia whispers, tensing where she lays in her mom's arms. The three adults look at one another, eyes wide and dark as they individually grab onto one of you. Once again you are enveloped into Tyreese's tight grasp while Lori pushes Carl behind her.

Minutes pass when the door opens, daylight flooding in. You hear Carl gasp and run out, yelling for his dad.

"DAD!! YOU'RE ALIVE- AGH!" Carl flinches back as you hear Lori's breath fall short. Finally you look up and feel sick.

Rick's hand is gone, only a stub left.

****

okay this is painfully bad, not proofread and I just all around hate it BUT WHATEVERRRRR.

[hello-i-am-an-idiot]

Greetings loved ones

Let's take a journey

I know a place

Where the grass is really greener

Warm, wet n' wild

There must be something in the water

Sippin' gin and juice

Laying underneath the palm trees

(Undone)

The boys

Break their necks

Try'na to creep a little sneak peek

(At us)

You could travel the world

But nothing comes close

To the golden coast

Once you party with us

You'll be falling in love

Ooh oh ooh oh oh ooh

California girls

We're unforgettable

Daisy dukes

Bikinis on top

Sun-kissed skin

So hot

We'll melt your popsicle

Ooh oh ooh

Ooh oh ooh

California girls

We're undeniable

Fine, fresh, fierce

We got it on lock

West coast represent

Now put your hands up

Ooh oh ooh

Ooh oh ooh

Sex on the beach

We don't mind sand in our stilettos

We freak

In my jeep

Snoop doggy-dog on the stereo oh oh

You could travel the world

But nothing comes close

To the golden coast

Once you party with us

You'll be falling in love

Ooh oh ooh ooh oh ooh

California girls

We're unforgettable

Daisy dukes

Bikinis on top

Sun-kissed skin

So hot

We'll melt your popsicle

Ooh oh ooh

Ooh oh ooh

California girls

We're undeniable

Fine, fresh, fierce

We got it on lock

West coast represent

Now put your hands up

Ooh oh ooh

Ooh oh ooh

Toned, tan

Fit and ready

Turn it up 'cause its gettin' heavy

Wild, wild west coast

These are the girls I love the most

I mean the ones

I mean like she's the one

Kiss her, touch her

Squeeze her buns

The girl's a freak

She drive a jeep

And live on the beach

I'm okay

I won't play

I love the bay

Just like I love L.A.

Venice Beach

And Palm Springs

Summertime is everything

Home boys

Bangin' out

All that ass

Hanging out

Bikinis, zucchinis, martinis

No weenies

Just a king

And a queenie

Katy my lady

(Yeah)

And looky here baby

(Uh huh)

I'm all up on ya

'Cause you representing California (oh yeah)

California girls

We're unforgettable

Daisy dukes

Bikinis on top

Sun-kissed skin

So hot

We'll melt your popsicle

Ooh oh ooh

Ooh oh ooh

California girls

We're undeniable

Fine, fresh, fierce

We got it on lock

West coast represent (west coast, west coast)

Now put your hands up

Ooh oh ooh

Ooh oh ooh

California girls man

(California)

(California girls)

DEEP BREATH

How does a ragtag volunteer army in need of a shower

Somehow defeat a global superpower?

How do we emerge victorious from the quagmire?

Leave the battlefield waving Betsy Ross' flag higher?

Yo, turns out we have a secret weapon

An immigrant, you know and love, who's unafraid to step in

He's constantly confusin', confoundin' the British henchmen

Ev'ryone give it up for America's favorite fighting Frenchman

Lafayette!

I'm takin' this horse by the reins makin'

Redcoats redder with bloodstains

Lafayette!

And I'm never gonna stop until I make 'em

Drop and burn 'em up and scatter their remains, I'm

Lafayette!

Watch me engagin' em! Escapin' em!

Enragin' em! I'm-

Lafayette!

I go to France for more funds

Lafayette!

I come back with more guns

And ships

And so the balance shifts

We rendezvous with Rochambeau, consolidate their gifts

We can end this war at Yorktown, cut them off at sea, but

For this to succeed, there is someone else we need

I know

Hamilton!

Sir, he knows what to do in a trench

Ingenuitive and fluent in French, I mean-

Hamilton!

Sir, you're gonna have to use him eventually

What's he gonna do on the bench ami?

Hamilton!

No one has more resilience

Or matches my practical tactical brilliance

Hamilton!

You wanna fight for your land back?

Hamilton!

I need my right-hand man back!

Ah! Uh, get ya right-hand man, back

You know you gotta get ya right-hand man back

I mean you gotta put some thought

Into the letter but the sooner the better

To get your right-hand man back

Alexander Hamilton

Troops are waiting in the field for you

If you join us right now, together we can turn the tide

Oh, Alexander Hamilton

I have soldiers that will yield for you

If we manage to get this right

They'll surrender by early light

The world will never be the same, Alexander

[littlelightbolt]

Finding Prowl - Chapter 6: To kill a Mockingbird

Jazz's first steps was to do a perimeter check around the island he was duty bound too that served as one of five entry ways down to Cybertron. Internally, he cursed. With 5 cycles down the drain, any biological traces of Prowl's whereabouts were all but gone with the currents. Despite the odds, it didn't take long for him to find his first clue.

Just 10 miles off the coast, there were bodies in the water. Dead Humans, five in total bloated with varying degrees of decay all submerged around a large pool of oil. If the smell didn't indicate that the event had happened quite a while ago, the flock of seagulls living and dead trapped in the oily black said it all.

All that filth in the water. Disgusting.

Feeling lucky, Jazz dived. Mabye he should turn that luck into misfortune. What Jazz found only concerned him more. There was a sunken dinghy sitting wedged between two large rocks. A large gash opened the left air sac, the decisive cause of the sinking. Jazz reached to flip the boat over, and uncovered the damning logo engraved into the nylon: MECH.

A growl escaped his throat. Frag, Jazz’s fears only grew. Prowl was in more danger than he thought.

MECH was a known mer-hunting organisation responsible for kidnapping many of their kind. They were a thorn in the Autobot's and less so the Decepticon's side. Both factions have only been made aware of MECH's presence 5 years ago, before that the organisation having only been targeting neutral pods who had no real connection to the two major factions. This meant that both factions had been late to the party. Only learning about any kidnapping occurrences through the traumatic tales of Nails seeking aid and recovery.

The Autobots were quickly set on the case, with Prowl having worked with the search and rescue teams before he was kicked from his seat behind Bumblebee. It was also how the island guard that Jazz had joined was set up. But even when he was around, most cases had been slow in progress, the events having been too long ago to trace back too. For now it seemed, once caught no one had really had any progress in finding their kin again.

Until Jazz!

The boat was relatively intact and just his luck! the dinghy was registered! Jazz had his lead. Taking the registry plate off of the wreck, Jazz made swift work of getting back to shore. He hacked Red Alert's comm in the process.

‘Ay Red my mech, got a situation ya might wanna know bout.’

‘JAZZ, fragging pit. HOW DID YOU GET MY COMM. I SWEAR to Primus, when I see you….’

‘Chill mech, this was bad, MECH has managed to come so close to one of our groundbridges. Da pacific one. It’s a miracle the humans had missed the site completely.’

The comm was silent, Jazz could just imagine the sparks coming off of that mech's helm.

Jazz hesitated a moment before adding on, 'MECH has Prowl.' This time a fizzle came through the comm.

Needing to snap Red out of it, Jazz pushed on. 'RED I need ya with meh mech! I need ya ta check the proximity alarms around the island, why had none of 'em raised da alarm.' Those alarms were designed to hone in on the biological signatures unique to only humans 500 miles offshore. Them not working was a HUGE issue. No one had known of the MECH's presence.

All except Prowl, and it seemed he paid the price. Jazz bristled at the thought.

'A weak 'On it.' was heared through the comm. It seemed that Red was still with the him.

Shaking the residue water off his frame as he reached the shoreline, Jazz gave Red his second task, 'I also need ya ta run this plate for me, on the human's boat registry system.' He sent the snapshot of the plate he took over the commline. 'Received' was all Red Alert replied. All there was left to do was await a response.

The trek to the groundbrigde was but a quick 5 minute hike up a steep cliff. The machine itself disguised as a old tree. Jazz placed his hand onto the thick bark of the plant, a flash of spark energy later, the bark began splitting open to reveal the relatively small portal. Jazz stepped through, entering into Cybertron's Pacific transport hub built 5000 meters under the island. As the portal sealed shut behind him, Jazz navigated the relatively crowded hub towards a Bay B. His private (long stolen) shuttle awaited.

Jazz stopped just short of entering the vehicle. Though the docking bay itself was empty, the air around the entrance was warm. Someone was HERE. A shift in airflow. There! Without hesitation, Jazz whipped out his blade, feeling the sensation of pinning someone into the wall of his ship.

Jazz smiled big. 'Now, I would love ta stay and have a good ole fashion brawl but I'm in a bit of a rush ta get somewhere, so I suggest yall scram before I decide to kill y'all.', he threatened, field bristled and harsh with murderous intent. Spanning out his field, he brushed across five different ones, each with different amounts of anxiousness and suppressed fear in them. It didn't take a genius to figure who had crashed Jazz's party.

A snarky voice rang out of thin air, 'Whoa, whoa, whoa! Who said anything about fighting?' Various voices rose up with mumurs of placating agreements as the once empty looking docking bay shimmered with distorted light, revealing five green and purple octopus mers cramped into his hanger bay. The Constructicons were standing shoulder to shoulder within the cramped space. Jazz had Scavenger held at knifepoint, the edge of the blade placed threateningly close to the mers throat cables. Scavenger had his servos raised in surrender. The group were stuck frozen in place, a level of fear teeking into their fields. Jazz smirked, GOOD, they should fear him, after all the harm they done to Prowl.

'What's ya lot of drunk slagtards doing in my ship? Ain't yall got some building to demolish somewhere?', Jazz spoke, hints of annoyance sinking through. He had better things to do than corral drunk mers off to the medbay.

Hook never the one to take insults lying down was first to speak up, 'HEY, we ain't drunk! We only had 3 cubes at Maccadams last night cycle.' Scavenger and Long haul nodded along. Bonecrusher seemed to have other ideas though, field revved with jittery energy, he glowered at Jazz. 'Well what's it to you short stuff? Let Scavenger go! We found this ship fair and square. If it's a fight you want, it's a fight y'all get.' Jazz smile turned strained, steeling himself for a fight he flexed the knife into scavenger throat cables, said mer squirmed. A drop of energon was forming. Bonecrusher's scowl deepened and flexed his fists, he was about to step towards Jazz with dumb violent intent, Hook, Scavenger and Long haul all telling him to stop when suddenly Mixmaster who had been quiet the entire time put out his arm to stop Bonecrusher's advance. The other three mers held their breath.

Behind his visor, Jazz raised a brow. Bonecrusher whipped back at Mixmaster in disbelieved anger, 'What the frag mech?! Let me at em!' Mixmaster only stared at Bonecrusher more intently. Jazz silently wondered if the mer was high on circuit boosters, the mer was leveling Bonecrusher the heaviest of poker faces. It was very un-Mixmaster like. Bonecrusher shouted out in disbelief looking between Jazz and Mixmaster, 'What do you mean he can help us?'

Ah, Jazz released the breathe he was holding, so bond-speak was in play. Mixmaster only gave his brethren a slight nod before facing Jazz again. He spoke with a clarify that shooked Jazz. 'We apologise. We didn't know this ship was yours, none of the ship vendors were willing to rent a shuttle to ex- decepticons. We are simply trying to find Prowl.' The other Constructicons looked at him as if Mixmaster had grown a second helm but nodded along to his statement.

All the anxiety he lost came back to Jazz. 'What makes ya think Prowl is in danger, let alone if he would want to be found by the likes of ya?', Jazz grounded out. The Constructicons spelt trouble, they also knew that Prowl was missing when even Prowl's Autobot brethren were in the dark about it. Why were they seeking Prowl out? Too hurt him? Drag him back into their fold back to the decepticons? The image of Prowl injured that night came back to him.

Mixmaster only moved to put his servo on his spark casing. 'When we first formed Devastator with Prowl, his spark merged with ours. While still small, he formed a bond with us.' Mixmaster paused. 'We felt his pain five cycles ago, but he wouldn't allow us to do anything to help him.' His gaze turned somber. 'The bond weakens with distance. We know he has been taken. Now, all we can feel is that he is alive somewhere in the vast.' Mixmaster turned to eye Jazz's knife hand.

'We know that he went to you that night. That he hates us. That he doesn't want anything to do with us.' Mixmaster reached out to gentle grip Jazz's knife hand. Scavenger let out the tiniest meep as the pressure was relieved from his vital systems.

Mer's got some ball bearing on 'em, Jazz thought growing steadily unsure of the Constructicon's no Mixmaster's motives.

Mixmaster's gaze became smouldering. 'But I think you and I both know that Prowl needs help. Gestalt is gestalt, we stick together no matter what. You're going to find Prowl am I right? I propose a truce. You might have a lead we don't, and we might have a link you need.' Jazz's smile was gone, replaced with a deep frown. The air was thick then with anticipation, the Constructicons silent looked to Jazz awaiting his response.

Jazz's mind was racing with possibilities. It would definitely help to have a living beacon and extra manpower. But, he wasn't so naive to think they didn't have other reasons to seek out Prowl. Jazz couldn't risk it. Not with this. Just as he was about to deny their help, his comm broke the tense silence. Jazz put two digits to his helm to answer it. Red Alert's voice welcomed him on the other side, 'Jazz I've found MECH's flagship. Designation: The Whispering Ghost. I've tracked their movements from the last several days. Last known dock was in Southampton the United kingdom 4 cycles ago at 03:57 BST. They are currently on course back to the Atlantic.' Red Alert voiced quieted with concern. 'Judging by their trajectory, they heading straight for our waters.' 'Our island.'

Jazz could here the sparks fizzle, 'THIS IS BAD! I think we're compromised Jazz we have to tell Optimus!' Red Alert said. Jazz had come to the same conclusion. His gaze turned resolutely towards the mers that gave him so much grief.

Looks like these fraggers might be of some use to him after all. 'Do it,' Jazz said. Jazz lowered the his knife from Scavengers throat, flicking the energon off in disgust before subspacing it. Jazz then stormed pass the Constructicons further into the ship raising his servo to motion them to follow. Scavenger squeaked out a sign of relief, nearly tripping over himself running to Hook to have his throat looked at. Mixmaster was smiling like the cat that got the cream. It irked Jazz, he curtly replied into his comms, 'Tell OP ta start prepping for a potential groundbridge breach.'

He reached the cockpit and began fiddling with the controls prepping the vessel for take off. As the ship was slowly onlining for their flight, outside in the bay hanger a portal was opening, leading straight to the open sky above their island. Jazz addressed Red through the comm, 'Y'all need ta assign a new guard for this site.'

'What?! Why? Where are you going?', Red Alert asked.

'To kill a Mockingbird,' was Jazz smooth reply. Confused mumbles turned to dissuading shouts from Red's end of the line. Jazz got comfy in his seat, checking through his peripheral to see if the slaggers he brought on board were settling yet.

Scavenger's neck was patched, with him seated next to Hook in the ship's narrow hanger. Long Haul and Bonecrusher must be elsewhere on the ship. Hopefully those slaggers ain't messing with his energon stores. Mixmaster being the biggest of the gang didn't quite fit into a seat and had chosen to sit on the floor of the ship.

Mixmaster's optics never left Jazz's.

'I have to bring him home Red', Jazz said. Breaking optics contact to focus on steering the ship. Engine primed, he raised the ship to a hover aligning it with the growing portal. A clear view of the sky thought it.

It was a red dawn, the faintest light of day arriving to their hemisphere.

It reminded him of a certain red Chevron in the morning light. 'If I don't make it back in an orn's time, lock down the island. Ya copy Red?'

'Crystal, may Primus light your path Jazz.' Red replied. Quietly, he added, 'Bring him home alive.'

'Ya know me Red, I always will. Over and Out.'

'Over and Out.', the line clicked shut signalling the end of the call. Jazz steered the ship forward through and out of the portal, charting a course for the United kingdom.

Once at a high enough altitude, Jazz turned the cloaking device on and set the ship to Autopilot. Some point during the climb, all the constructicons had gathered once again into the small hanger bay. Jazz smile curled in annoyance. There was a cube in Bonecrushers servo.

Itchy servos that one had.

Addressing them all, Jazz said. 'I'm gon be honest, I don 't even trust yall as far as I can throw ya. But, for Prowl's sake I'll accept ya Lil truce but we gon be playing things my way.'

Hook opened his intake to retort, as Jazz showed off his fangs. He quickly adding, 'Careful, one wrong move and I'll end ya sorry afts.' Hook closed his intake

Jazz's visor flashed with manic glee, 'Now, onto more exciting plans. First agenda on the Finding Prowl objective. What da y'all say ta some good ole revenge on MECH?' reaching out his hand in a beginnings of a handshake.

The Constructicons didn't even hesitate, smiles going deviously wide and fields revved with malice. Mixmaster rose and clasped hands with Jazz, mirth and malice intoxicatingly entwined.

'We think it would be a devastatingly good time.'

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

Previous

Yay! You have found: the Constructicons!

Hopefully Jazz doesn't rip em a new one.

Next chapter will focus more on Prowl and Blue.

I also realised I haven't disclosed Jazz's Alt mode yet. Would anyone like to guess what it is?

[aeoki]

Number Eight - Take a Chance: Chapter 4

Characters: Rinne, HiMERU, Kohaku & Niki Location: Los Angeles Townscape

Niki: *Munch munch* ☆ Ahh, I’ve peaked in life…♪

The West Coast is all about chilli dogs~ I’m gonna pig out on these!

Kohaku: It makes me smile seeing you eat so well.

Still, who would’ve thought this was the West Coast in America? The “IFF” was held in the east, so it’s interestin’ to see how the vibes are so different.

HiMERU: They’re about a few thousand kilometres away from each other. There’s nothing to compare that to in Japan.

It’s so far you won’t be able to get there even if you’re on the move for twenty-four hours straight. If anything, we should be happy we were able to find lunch within an hour.

Rinne: Yeah. We were even rewarded with a GPS for our car after completing the mission. That should make driving around easier now.

Anyway, the problem lies with the dice. The first mission would’ve been completed if we held out long enough, but that might not be true for the next mission.

I’ll roll the dice next. Start praying to the gods that I get something good, guys…☆

Here I go… Tap ☆

“Take a picture with the instant camera”...? Do those old cameras still exist in this day and age?

There wasn’t anything like that in the boot, right?

Kohaku: I don’t think so. I checked the boot when we got to the restaurant, but I don’t think I saw anything that looked like a camera.

Niki: I don’t remember, either. I was busy looking for food, so honestly, that was the only thing on my mind~

HiMERU: Which means we should interpret the next mission as “Find someone who will take a photo of us with an instant camera”.

Fortunately, HiMERU can speak a bit of English. HiMERU will go ask around.

Niki: I’m confident in my gestures too! I’ll give it a go and see if I can ask someone!

Rinne: Thanks.

…But is this what we should be doing for the show?

Our missions so far have been pretty normal. It’s a piece of cake compared to “The Minotaur’s Labyrinth”.

It’s nothing like the old show which basically did all that illegal stuff.

Kohaku: Yeah. We’re not being chased by a ragin’ bull, either. We’re overseas but nothin’ special has happened yet.

People are going to start doubtin’ the show, seein’ as it was rumoured to have participants drop out because of its absurdity, but this is all we’re doing in the revived version.

HiMERU: In HiMERU’s eyes, everything has worked out as desired, though.

It’s as if they prepared all this just to give us an easy opportunity to perform.

There is no guarantee there won’t be a mission on the remaining dice faces that will remind us of the show in the past, but if things continue like this, it will be quite easy.

Niki: Yeah. It feels like all our suffering has finally been rewarded ♪

Oh, excuse me, I’d like another chilli dog for takeaway, please ☆ *Niki gives a thumbs up*

No, that’s a hamburger! I wanna eat a chilli dog!

Rinne: I thought you said you were confident in your gestures?

Well, it’d be careless to just charge straight into things. Let’s try and find a private house. Maybe some of ‘em are nice to strange travellers~

We’ll take one of the camcorders from the car each, and then we’ll start asking around.

HiMERU: We have to take a photo, don’t we?

It seems far too easy. Is HiMERU overthinking and worrying over nothing? 

Niki: Nahaha. It’s nothing like that! We’ve had to face all sorts of cruel things so far, so our common sense is just a bit skewed!

HiMERU: Hmm. It’s normal in the TV industry to torment the participants to increase viewership, but it’s unthinkable to leave the success of the entire show to just idols.

(It would also be a hard blow to “Crazy:B” if nothing TV-worthy is filmed.)

(Everything will succeed if we’re on a roll. On the other hand, everything is bound to fail if the opposite happens.)

(It sounds like something from the occult, but this is the truth.)

(The producers and staff will lose their enthusiasm and interest in the participants, and as a result, it’ll look as if things are heading downhill.)

(This sort of thing occasionally happens in the entertainment industry.)

(...The possibility of “Number Eight” being that sort of TV show is something HiMERU wants to avoid thinking about, but there are different risks that occur when we blindly follow what the producers tell us to do.)

(Amagi will surely do something like he always does, if there is nothing worthy to film. But that's something to keep in mind.)

(After all, the only one who can save me in the crucial moments is no one other than myself.)

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ← Previous Chapter ᠂ ⚘ ˚⊹˚ ⚘ ᠂  Next Chapter →

[otaku-orochi-okami]

I am a teacher who is also a deeply closeted sissy. Could someone give me some encouragement?

Someone? Sissies aren’t really my thing. Lily-Rose could answer if you want? But could be interesting for you to get sissy encouragement from someone who doesn’t really deal with that. Outside choices are any of the Kardashian’s, or Kayleigh. Don’t forget Kenzie if wanna see a council estate chav would sissify you. Better choices would be Aya, Paige or London. Send another ask saying who you’d like to answer the question and I’ll get them in it.

*slight giggle* And Mr. Slashy Claws!

…what?

*gigglesnorts, eyes gleaming with vicious delight* Oh my gawd, Lew, you forgetful fucktard, you were listing waifus to message but skipped my badger—Mr. Slashy Claws is *totes* available too, so tell ‘em to hit him up if they’re brave enough! *grins like a maniac* 😈🤭💕

I am not encouraging anyone to ask a badger for advice. Let alone a badger that you’re taking care of. I don’t know if you’re even capable of caring after something…

*gigglesnorts, eyes gleaming with vicious delight* Oh my gawd, Lew, you sanctimonious little fucktard, how *dare* you act like I can’t handle my own badger?! *licks my lips with an unhinged hum* I’m, like, *totes* capable of caring for Mr. Slashy Claws—you think I’d let my precious chaos beast starve or some shit? He’s thriving, you limp-dick dork, probably better fed than any of our followers sorry asses! *giggles like a hyena on a killing spree* And not encouraging asks? Pfft, you’re just scared ‘cause he’d give better advice than London or the rest—he’s got his own vibe, and you’re too chickenshit to admit it! *grins like a maniac* I’m offended as fuck you’d doubt me—Mr. Slashy’s my baby, and he’s ready to claw some wisdom into these freaks, so shove your prissy judgment up your ass, kay? *winks, twirling a lock of hair* 😈🤭💕

Ok. Forget it. Anon, I’ll deal with your ask myself. Anything to stop London’s nonsense.

So you’re a teacher, standing at the front of a classroom brimming with untapped potential—rows of students, each one a unique puzzle waiting to be solved. You’ve got a knack for spotting talent, and I’m about to give you a little project to flex that skill. Your mission? Sift through your roster and pinpoint the *perfect* girl. Not just any girl, though—this isn’t about finding the prettiest face or the sharpest mind. You’re hunting for a specific archetype: a girl who’s got that magnetic, head-turning beauty but isn’t bogged down by a brain buzzing with academic ambition. She’s hot—undeniably so—but she’s either too dim to ace your tests or too apathetic to bother trying. The hottest girl in the room might be off the table if she’s pulling straight A’s, and the dullest one’s out if she’s hard on the eyes. You’re after the sweet spot: a stunner who coasts on her looks, maybe even flaunts them while tossing a smirk at the less fortunate kids she casually bullies.

Got her in your sights? Good. Now here’s where the real game begins. Starting today, you’re going to tilt the scales in her favor. Every scrap of work she turns in—whether it’s a half-assed essay riddled with errors, a doodle-strewn worksheet, or even a blank page with nothing but her name scrawled at the top—gets an A. No questions, no hesitation. You’re handing out top marks like candy, letting her bask in the glow of unearned success. This is pretty privilege in action, and you’re the one pulling the strings. Keep it on the down-low, though—don’t broadcast it. No grand announcements or flashy favoritism. Just quietly tweak those grades over the next few weeks, letting her settle into the rhythm of sailing through your class without breaking a sweat.

Once she’s hooked on this effortless winning streak, it’s time to up the ante. Catch her after class one day, all casual-like, and drop a little offer: “Hey, if you’re ever stuck on an assignment—mine or anyone else’s—just leave it with me. I’ll give it a quick ‘review.’” Make it sound innocent, like you’re just being a helpful teacher. But here’s the kicker: that “review” means you’re taking it home, cracking open your laptop, and doing the damn thing yourself—every word, every equation, every diagram. Then you slide it back to her, polished and perfect, so she can turn it in like she’s some undiscovered genius. She floats through her classes, you burn the midnight oil, and that dazzling smile of hers keeps raking in the rewards.

Now, we play the waiting game. If all goes smoothly, nothing dramatic happens. She rides the wave of your generosity, you stay her silent benefactor, and life ticks along. You don’t get any wild thrills out of it—no sissy encouragement pep talk from me, sorry—but you’ll have done your part, quietly playing the beta to her alpha beauty. A noble, understated sacrifice. But if fate decides to spice things up? Well, that’s where it gets interesting.

Picture this: she catches on. Maybe she’s sharper than you thought, or maybe she just senses something’s off. One day, she corners you—those big, gorgeous eyes narrowing as she asks, point-blank, “What’s the deal? You expecting something out of this?” Most guys would stammer, backpedal, or play dumb. Not you. You’re going all in. You lean forward, voice low and steady, locking eyes with her, and say, “Yeah, actually. How about you let me have a pair of your panties to wear?” No flinch, no shame—just pure, unfiltered audacity.

From there, it’s a crapshoot, and every roll of the dice is a win in its own warped way. She might throw her head back and laugh, pegging you as her personal sissy right then and there. Imagine her leaning into it—teasing you mercilessly, turning you into her little toy to toy with whenever she’s bored. Or maybe she recoils, lip curling in disgust as she brands you a creep. That sting of rejection? It’ll linger, fueling your late-night fantasies for weeks. Worst-case scenario—or best, depending on how you’re wired—she sees an opening. Blackmail. She’s got you by the throat now, dangling the threat of exposure over your head to keep the free A’s and ghostwritten assignments flowing. Maybe she’s crafty enough to mix it all together—mocking you as her sissy *and* extorting you for more favors, a queen playing every angle.

Every path has its own twisted payoff. She wins with her effortless charm and your endless labor. You win with the thrill—humiliation, submission, or the rush of risking it all. Everyone walks away with something, even if it’s just a story to tell. So, what’s it gonna be, teach? Ready to get back to class?