#ic (leader verity)

[teamsocialism]

updates: read this and this first

hey there! do you like fairness, equality, sharing, and teamwork? then join team socialism! led by verity and zeke ( @verityandzeke ) bc january wasn't interested in this project lol

we hate the word "grunt" bc it's phonetically unappealing, so we're calling the generic starting rank "employees" instead. you can also request higher ranks upon joining, but we might have to double-check to make sure we trust you with it

this is just an elaborate joke, interpol please don't get our asses

inspired by @team-capitalism

universal rp rules are on my main's pinned post ( @saplingheaven )

dm or send in an ask to join (or reblog or comment, but only if you specify that you want to join, bc otherwise I'll assume you're just blog-boosting)

fun fact: the mascot being a roserade is actually a reference to the fist and rose symbol from rl, but that's about as far as I'll go in terms of referencing rl politics LOL

[honeyccmb]

DAWN / AKARI BIOGRAPHY

FULL NAME: Dawn Hirota Hikari

ALSO KNOWN AS: Dawn, Akari

SPECIES: Human

DOB (D/M/Y): 04/12/2000

AGE: 15 (Post-PT Verse), 18 (Post-PLA Verse)

ZODIAC: Sagittarius Sun / Pisces Moon / Leo Rising

PRONOUNS: She/her

SEXUAL / ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: Asexual / Lesbian

OCCUPATION (DAWN): Champion-ranked Pokemon Trainer / Pokemon Coordinator / Author

OCCUPATION (AKARI): Pokemon Trainer / Galaxy Team: Survey Corps Member

BIRTHPLACE: Jubilife City, Sinnoh

CURRENT HOME (DAWN): Twinleaf Town

CURRENT HOME (AKARI): Jubilife Village

LANGUAGE(S): Sinnohnian (Fluent), Hisuian / "Old Sinnohnian" (Semi-fluent), Kantonian (Semi-fluent), Galarian (Beginner), Kalosian (Beginner, reading only)

HISTORY / TIMELINE:

04/12/2000 - Dawn is born in Jubilife Hospital to Johanna Hikari and Lena Hikari.

09/11/2001 - Dawn takes her first steps.

17/04/2002 - Dawn is introduced to her neighbor Barry, who will become her closest friend.

08/03/2003 - Dawn falls into Lake Verity while she and Barry are playing on the ice. She is saved by a mysterious Pokemon and distinctly remembers the sound of chimes ringing in her ears. Her mothers become paranoid after this and end up helicopter parenting her for around a year and a half.

18/10/2005 - Dawn and her family end up moving to Snowpoint City. Dawn is devastated by this as it means she'll see Barry even less often now.

15/12/2005 - After an incident involving 12 Pokemon hunters banding together to try and break into Snowpoint Temple, the family moves back to Twinleaf Town only two months later.

21/06/2007 - Dawn begins to study Kantonian as a second language, being shipped off to a youth academy in Canalave City in order to better focus on her studies. It's there that she also begins to study Pokemon battling.

30/08/2007 - Dawn looks further into Pokemon mythology, though most stories and scripts surrounding it are vague in nature. Despite this, she starts to become particularly fascinated with the legends surrounding the Pokemon in one of her favorite myths- A Horrific Myth.

12/02/2009 - Dawn's parents have a second child, a boy named Shiro.

03/04/2010 - Dawn returns to Twinleaf Town after graduating from the youth academy, she and Barry prepare to become Pokemon Trainers once they come of age.

04/01/2011 - After a reckless attempt to enter tall grass without a Pokemon, Professor Rowan stops them and offers them their first Pokemon after putting them through a brief exercise. Dawn and Barry receive their first Pokemon, with her picking Turtwig and him picking Chimchar. She and Barry battle, and Barry wins the first one.

05/01/2011 - Dawn and Barry go to Lake Verity to try and catch the legendary Pokemon for Professor Rowan. There, they meet a mysterious man named Cyrus, who they dismiss. Then Dawn hears the cry that she heard years ago when she was under the water.

25/01/2011 - Dawn challenges the first gym and defeats Roark, earning her first badge. Later this day, she encounters two Team Galactic grunts when leaving Jubilife City.

07/02/2011 - Dawn encounters one of Team Galactic's commanders and defeats in her battle. This is when she begins to realize that they may be an actual problem.

13/03/2011 - Dawn runs into Cyrus in Eterna City again, and is fascinated by the strange things that he says. She decides to keep an eye out for him in the future. She also meets Cynthia, who gives her a Pokemon Egg after she defeats the gym leader. She soon hatches this egg into Mischief the Togepi.

09/04/2011 - Only about a month later, she encounters him again while travelling through Mt. Coronet, and he talks more about the state of the world and how the human spirit is ruining it. He now has her hooked with his unique perspective, but he leaves before she can question him further.

19/12/2011 - After her mother gives her a beautiful outfit to wear, Dawn begins to perform in Pokemon contests, surprised about the fact that she actually really enjoys showing her partners off in this manner.

28/06/2012 - Dawn encounters Team Galactic in Pastoria City after they blow up the Great Marsh, and after chasing down a grunt who set off the bomb, she starts to realize how scary and outright dangerous Team Galactic truly is, despite their front of studying space and space Pokemon. Cynthia meets her once again and requests that she use a mysterious Potion to cure the headaches of the Psyduck blocking her way to Celestic Town, and to deliver a charm to the town elder.

30/08/2012 - Dawn arrives in Celestic Town and is immediately greeted by a Galactic Grunt threatening to blow up the entire village. She promptly dispatches him with her Pokemon and he flees. The elder takes her into the ruins and talks about the lake guardians with her, and it's at this point that she realizes that Mesprit must be the Pokemon that saved her from drowning when she was a kid. Before she can do anything about this realization, she and the elder are greeted by Cyrus, who asks to know more about the lake guardians as well as the Pokemon of time and space. He challenges Dawn to a battle, and she accepts, defeating him with some struggle. He leaves with an ominous remark that the Pokemon of time and space cannot be stopped when brought together.

04/12/2012 - On her birthday, she arrives in Canalave City, deciding to train at Iron Island, and after meeting a man named Riley, they journey through Iron Island together and discover Team Galactic agitating the Pokemon. After Dawn helps him defeat the two grunts, he gifts her an egg, which hatches into Axel the Riolu.

08/12/2012 - After defeating the sixth gym leader, Dawn meets Barry, Lucas, and Rowan at the library to discuss the lake guardians, to which she is told to go to Lake Valor. Before they can conclude, there is an explosion followed by an earthquake, and through reports from civilians, they realize that an explosion has went off at Lake Valor. Dawn rushes to see what's happening at the lake, and she meets Saturn, a Team Galactic commander who has caught the lake guardian at Lake Valor. Realizing that it's too late to save Azelf, she rushes to Lake Verity to try and save the lake guardian that saved her when she was a young kid.

09/12/2012 - Dawn fails to reach Lake Verity in time to save Mesprit, which devastates her, but she tries to head to Lake Acuity.

15/12/2012 - After earning her seventh gym badge, Dawn heads for Lake Acuity, and finds Commander Jupiter and Barry there. Barry was defeated and mocked by Jupiter. Dawn, for one of the few times in her life, feels genuine rage towards someone. She challenges Jupiter, but the latter has already achieved what she came here for, and leaves with Uxie in tow.

16/12/2012 - Dawn arrives at the Team Galactic HQ in Veilstone City, stealing a key and breaking into the HQ, tearing apart any grunt who dared stand in her way until she faced Cyrus, breezing through his team as well. She was given the Master Ball and made her way to the lab, where she battled Saturn and freed the tortured lake guardians, before making her way to the summit of Mt. Coronet.

17/12/2012 - Dawn reaches the summit of Mt. Coronet and witnesses Cyrus summon Dialga and Palkia. Despite the efforts of the lake guardians, they cannot stop both legendary Pokemon at once, and a third legendary Pokemon is forced to interfere, dragging Cyrus into the Distortion World. The real world begins to distort due to the portal, and Dawn, alongside Cynthia and with Mesprit's encouragement, chases Giratina and Cyrus into the Distortion World.

18/12/2012 - Dawn and Cynthia navigate the Distortion World with the help of the lake guardians, and confront Cyrus eventually. Dawn battles him one last time and defeats him, much to his anger. She proceeds to subdue Giratina, who is willing to close the portal. Cyrus is furious at Giratina's 'defeat' and storms off into the Distortion World. Dawn and Cynthia leave and Dawn heads off to tell Professor Rowan and Lucas about what happened.

06/03/2012 - After a three month break from everything, involving several mental breakdowns, Dawn decides to finish what she began and heads off to challenge the Sunyshore Gym, now confident in her abilities following her 'defeat' of Giratina, and takes her eighth badge with her full might, helping the gym leader out of a depressive episode as well.

09/03/2013 - Dawn meets Jasmine, a Johto gym leader, on the shore. After a brief conversation, Jasmine leaves, and Dawn is faced with one final trek to the Pokemon League. She arrives, and battles Barry again, winning. Then she prepares for the Elite Four, studying as much as she can about all four of them.

15/03/2013 - Dawn enters the Pokemon League, striking down Aaron, Bertha, Flint, and Lucian. When she's faced with Cynthia, however, she faces a narrow loss which shakes her confidence. She takes a few weeks and then tries again.

05/04/2013 - She retries the Pokemon League, and defeats the Elite Four once again, before facing Cynthia. This time, she wins, and is officially a Champion-ranked Pokemon Trainer. She enters the Hall of Fame and basks in her triumph.

28/01/2016 - Dawn has her memories wiped by Arceus, and then she is sent about 200 years back in time, where she meets Professor Laventon, where, in a moment of panic because she can't remember anything, introduces herself as Akari.

28/01/1818 - After demonstrating exceptional skills with capturing Pokemon, Akari is taken back to Jubilife Village, and despite the peoples' suspicion of her, she is sheltered for the night. The next morning, she is tasked by Cyllene with capturing a Bidoof, Starly, and Shinx. Laventon offers her a partner beforehand, and she picks Oshawott, naming her Cocoa. She passes Cyllene's test with flying colors and is allowed to join the Survey Corps.

5/02/1818 - Akari meets a member of the Diamond Clan named Mai, battling her and winning. Mai then requests that she defeats an Alpha Kricketune, which Akari does with some struggle. She is approached by a noble Pokemon named Wyrdeer, who takes a liking to her.

10/02/1818 - After several days of catching Pokemon, Akari wakes up to see Adaman and Irida arguing in front of the Galaxy HQ one day. Rei, her fellow Survey Corps member, introduces them as such, and she goes up to meet Commander Kamado alongside the Clan leaders, discussing a frenzied noble in the Obsidian Fieldlands. Eventually, the group decides to send Akari to study Kleavor.

10/04/1818 - Akari quells Kleavor with the help of the warden and a few others, and she makes it her mission to quell any other nobles that may also be frenzied.

Over the course of several weeks, Akari quells various other nobles and bonds with several different people, particularly the Clan leaders. After quelling the last noble, the Spacetime Rift in the sky implodes, turning the sky red. Akari is blamed for this change and cast out from the village, but after being rejected from the Diamond and Pearl Clans, Volo approaches her and takes her to the hideaway of a woman named Cogita, who tasks her with approaching the lake guardians. Akari completes each lake guardian's trial, taking Irida and Volo with her as company. The Red Chain is created, and Akari climbs to the top of Mt. Coronet, defeating Kamado in battle before confronting the Pokemon coming out of the rift, who pleads with her to catch them. Akari catches them, and out comes the Diamond Clan's Almighty Sinnoh, enraged and unable to be simply captured like that of the Pearl Clan's. After hours of discussion and a bit of a nudge from Palkia, they are able to gather materials needed for the Origin Ball. Akari takes this back to the Temple of Sinnoh, and faces Dialga once again, this time with a god who isn't weakened from battling with Akari and their own oncoming frenzy, and a ball capable of stopping this once and for all. After a long, hard fight, an unexpected transformation, and major damage to the Temple of Sinnoh, the Temporal Pokemon is locked away in the Origin Ball. The groups leave the broken Temple and return to their homes for a much needed rest and celebration. Akari still distrusts the people of Hisui for being so willing to cast her out, and so she becomes closer to Volo and Cogita, the only two who didn't.

Only to be deeply betrayed when Volo admits to his involvement in the Spacetime Rift at the peak of Mt. Coronet, before engaging her in a battle that seems all too familiar but much more terrifying, especially with the addition of Giratina. After battling to her very limit, Volo and Giratina are defeated, and after receiving the Azure Flute, Akari retreats back to Jubilife Village, her spirits shattered all over again. Her heart isn't in it when she finishes the Pokedex, her heart isn't in it when she faces Arceus, but her movements come so naturally that she was able to impress Arceus nonetheless. Arceus goes with her, but that's not what she wants. She wants to know who she was.

But will she ever know? Will she ever be that person again?

PERSONALITY:

She went through a drastic personality change when she lost her memories and was sent back to Hisui, however. She received a slap to the face- Pokemon could and would kill her without even an ounce of hesitation in this new world. Dawn, or "Akari," would become much more of a worrier and much more considerate of the consequences of her actions, simply because she had even less of a clue about how this world worked. Despite this change, she still remained the same workaholic who was allergic to the words "break" or "sleep" and would gladly run herself to the ground before she dared sit down on a log and have a moment to herself.

Dawn is a workaholic and has been since she was young. Always extremely successful academically, she would drown herself in work in order to achieve the best results. Even the smallest loss or failure could get her down for months on end. She is quiet and extremely curious, perhaps even morbidly so, hence why she gets fascinated by things such as A Horrific Myth. This leads to her being rather reckless and not much of a worrier. She doesn't care much for the consequences of her actions unless they're catastrophic. This may not seem like a good trait for someone who would be considered a heroine if Sinnoh knew of her deeds, but this did not stop her from stopping Team Galactic.

She has a nerdy side that she often keeps under wraps- until somebody says something that brings that side out in her, and then you can't stop her from talking. She's a bookworm and often indulges herself within her own fantasies, which some may debate causes her to have some unrealistic views on the world and human nature itself.

VERSES (DAWN):

POST PLATINUM (DEFAULT): Main verse for Dawn. She is 14-15 years old in this verse and is continuing to explore the world around her, even leaving the familiar comfort of Sinnoh in order to see what other regions have to offer.

CANALAVE STUDIES: She is 6-9 years old in this verse. Dawn is a young girl attending the Night Breeze Youth Academy, primarily to study her Kantonian, but also to study Pokemon battling, Pokemon mythology, Pokemon history, and creative writing. She is a quiet girl who spends a lot of time in Canalave Library or out on the docks reading various books.

PLATINUM: She is 10-13 years old in this verse, and with the many hours she spent studying Pokemon battling under her belt, she is hoping to become the very best. Will studying be enough, though? Or will she need to face these challenges head-on instead of filling out multiple choice questionnaires and taking countless quizzes?

LITTLE ONE: She is 0-5 years old in this verse. Dawn is a little girl who's just getting to know the world around her.

VERSES (AKARI):

POST-PLA (DEFAULT): She is 16+ years old in this verse. Akari is faring about as well as she can given her circumstances. For some reason, Arceus hasn't sent her home, but she's trying to do better here.

PLA: She is 15 years old in this verse. Akari is working to try and complete the first Pokedex. She will run into various obstacles and individuals in the process of doing so.

LOST BUT FOUND: Akari has regained her memories of her past, but yet, she still has no way of getting home. She has found herself, but lost everything else.

THINGS TO NOTE / TRIGGER WARNINGS:

Dawn and Akari are basically two distinct muses that share a body but not a personality nor timeline. If you want to RP with the DPPT protagonist, please refer to her as Dawn. If you want to RP with the PLA protagonist, please refer to her as Akari.

Both Dawn and Akari have had various body image-related issues. Akari developed an eating disorder during the last weeks of her Pokedex completion,

Dawn/Akari is mostly closeted when it comes to her sexuality. She still deals with internalized homophobia on occasions, though it's not nearly as bad for her as a teenager/young adult as it was for her during her Canalave studies era.

She has faced many suicidal idealizations in her lifetime, especially as a teenager and young adult.

Akari drinks in her post-PLA verse. She is no alcoholic, but she enjoys a drink every now and then.

[a-bit-too-much-of-a-pokemon-fan]

Another Ice-Cold Take: Platinum is better than Diamond and Pearl

I think everyone agrees with me here, but after playing all the way through Brilliant Diamond, I need to vent about these damn games.

If it's any consolation, GameFreak obviously realized these were problems, because they fixed them with Platinum. It's just baffling that they made the mistakes in the first place. Even more baffling is that BDSP recreated them despite GameFreak themselves learning from them.

The DP Sinnoh Dex sucks ass. Why the hell would they design so many cool new evolutions for old Pokémon, then lock them all in the postgame? It makes no sense.

It's not just the Dex could have been better, it's that you can really feel those missing 60 Pokémon. One of the most felt effects for me is Route 214 missing Rhydon and Houndour, Fuego Ironworks missing Electabuzz and Magmar, and the Great Marsh missing Tangela.

Fire types where? Hope you like Ponyta.

I Nuzlocked Brilliant Diamond with dupes clause, meaning I couldn't catch more than one of any evoluntionary family. Near the end of the game, I was straight up denied encounters in some areas because I had already caught everything in previous areas.

Mt. Coronet doesn't have any unique Pokémon. As central defining feature of the Sinnoh region and the setting of the story's climax, it's fitting that it should have Pokémon you can't catch anywhere else during the main game. In DP, there's nothing unique. Platinum adds in Nosepass and--at the summit exclusively--Absol. Finding an Absol on the summit is thrilling. Rare, powerful late game Pokémon, especially ones as mysterious as Absol, richen the experience. DP completely miss out on it.

The gym leaders and elite four teams. Poor Flint being out here with a Lopunny, Steelix, and Drifblim kills me. If I can say one good thing about that mess, it makes the battles more interesting to plan around because you can't monotype sweep. But it's still lame as hell when the Fire type Elite Four member only has two Fire types.

I never experienced this personally because I've only ever played Platinum and Brilliant Diamond for the Sinnoh games, but I know that there are some technical issues like HP bars draining really slowly, odd pauses between actions, and the bicycle not being able to be ridden through gates.

I also really felt Cyrus's relative absence in the early game. It was such a good idea to add a battle in Celestic Town for Platinum, plus Barry and the player's encounter with him at Lake Verity. He's the Big Bad, we should get to know him better than two fights in the late game.

I miss Looker and Charon, man.

I also miss Cynthia giving you a Togepi egg, then having a Togekiss in the champion battle. That's a nice touch.

The Pokétch. One button versus two. Completely inferior.

Not having snow in Twinleaf Town and the early routes is a minor thing, but it adds just a bit of character of the early game.

The gym progression. What the hell were they thinking putting Fantina after Crasher Wake and Maylene? Why let us access her city but not battle her, while also not explaining that you have to go to the next two gyms first? At least RSE explained that Norman wouldn't fight you until you had more badges.

I'm sure I could come up with other things, but I just needed to get that out of my system.

[sirowsky]

The Flowers Always Know

Description: When a mad scientist uses you as an experiment while you’re on holiday, the Heroics only just manage to save you. And in your recovery you become very close to the leader of the group.

(Slow burn)

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Language, buried trauma, mentions of tortured and murdered children, furious Marcus.

Link to Masterlist

Comment: We learn a bit more history on the Heroics as a whole, and something Reader’s been supressing, that leads to some new developments concerning her powers.

(Again I apologise for the crossover GIF, but really Narcos just has the best ones. Also, let me know if it’s yours and I’ll credit you!)

Chapter 39

  Wisconsin was getting cold this time of year, and you were frustrated. Verity had really outdone himself this time. He’d positioned himself right smack in the middle of suburbia, on Barbara Lane, in De Pere, Green bay, forcing you to take twice as many safety precautions as usual, before you could see him.

  You’d asked Marcus after the first time you’d met the truth-seeker, if it wouldn’t be less dangerous and more inconspicuous for him to come to you, instead of you having to travel all over the country to find him. But Marcus had explained that he had adapted a lifestyle that meant that he was never in one place for more than two days, in order to stay ahead of any team that HQ might send out to investigate his energy-signature.

  He rarely used his ability to the extent that the new and more powerful sensors could detect it, but on the few occasions when he had, he’d found himself having company some time later. Their response time varied depending on where in the country he was, and whenever he was closer to the west coast, his temporary lodgings were always significantly shorter.

  Allen had been quiet for most of the journey, deep in his thoughts, but when you started getting close to your destination, the old man started talking.

  “I built most of HQ, you know. The Heroic organisation.”

  “Yeah, you were one of the founders, right? One of the first non-powered people to suggest that supers might need help to become actual heroes. You got them to talk to one another, start building relationships, creating the friendships that would ultimately turn them into a team.”

  “It was almost impossible to get those knuckleheads to coincide. There were only four of them back then, and they all wanted the glory and heroism to themselves, fighting for the spotlight every chance they got. We really thought our efforts weren’t gonna do anything.”

  “What changed it around?”

  “Anita Moreno.”

  “Hah… of course she did.”

  “When she came along, young and determined and confident, she elbowed out their failing attempts at leadership by actually taking charge, and making them listen to reason. By way of a beat-down if necessary.”

  “That, I can believe. And I’d have loved to see it.”

  “She was fearless of their powers and their masculinity, their macho-bullshit. And before long, she had them training to improve their skillsets, studying the politics of the world, saying that if they were gonna insist on meddling in other cultures, then it was also their responsibility to understand what the hell they were meddling with.”

  “And that’s where you took the opportunity, I’m guessing?”

  “I reached out to Anita, offering financial support in creating a training-facility for the supers, a kind of recreational area, where they could play with their abilities, test themselves against each other, without risking harm to anyone. She really liked the idea, and asked me to find out if anyone else would be interested in helping them, and over time, that’s how the Heroics were born.”

  “And now it’s been tainted.”

  “I don’t know that it hasn’t been completely destroyed already.”

  “Henry, the organisation can never be destroyed, not as long someone’s around to fight back. And you’d better believe we are.”

  “What have you brought me today, Rainbow?”

  A little while later, you finally stepped into the house, and Verity’s energy hit you. Since he knew you couldn’t use your power to greet him anymore, he called to you from the kitchen and you guided Allen there.

  The poor man was already pale.

  “Someone I really hope you’re about to tell me I can trust.”

  “A founder… this is a first. Your heart is filled with love, for your family, mostly, but that also makes you susceptible to great fear. Right now, you fear what will be left of your legacy once this mess is made public. You fear that the Heroics will be shut down, and that your life’s work will go down in history as nothing but a failed experiment. You love your creation, it gives you great pride, but you fear it too. The power it’s accumulated, and how the politics have gotten more and more in control of it. But you are innocent of any crime or conspiracy. You are, at heart, a good man.”

  Allen looked like he might vomit, so you helped him to sit down and brought him a glass of water.

  “Who are you?”

  Verity never answered that question, no matter who was asking, so you sat down next to Henry to explain.

  “He’s a very special super, that you can never mention to anyone. If you do, he’ll disappear, and we’ll have no way of knowing who’s trustworthy or not.”

  “He can tell the truth? I never even spoke…”

  “Verity sees the truth, like a web around people. I don’t know exactly how it works, but he can see everything, past and present. Every lie and every truth of your entire existence.”

  “Incredible. And really unnerving.”

  “Yes, but worth it. Thanks to him we have over 120 trusted operatives working for us all over the world, and that’s not including the Heroics.”

  “That’s… impressive. But I fear this enemy is going to need much greater numbers than that, to be defeated.”

  “Maybe. But 89 of those operatives are supers, and that evens the odds significantly.”

  “What? But… we scan for people with abilities all over the world, we would know if that many existed.”

  “Not if they’d been hiding their powers. We figured that anyone who was on the Heroics radar, would most likely be on SIC’s as well, so we focused entirely on reaching out to those that we knew were hidden. And in that process, we uncovered a whole community of powered people that want nothing to do with the fame or recognition, and once they understood the stakes, they all agreed to help us. And they, in turn, are reaching out to their friends, normal and super, to join the fight. Our numbers grow every day, Henry. We can beat these assholes; we just need a little more time.”

  Verity’s energy focusing on you, broke your concentration, and you turned to look at him.

  “What is it?”

  “I’m not sure. Something… something in your memories.”

  “If it’s my memory then why can’t you see it clearly?”

  “It’s been hidden. It’s a memory you can’t see yourself.”

  Your skin crawled and your heartbeat picked up, in an involuntary response to any kind of mention of your time with the mad doctor. Verity noticed.

  “A painful memory. Something you don’t want to remember.”

  “I don’t want to remember any of it, V.”

  “Tubes, wires, machines, syringes. Your body remembers. Your cells do.”

  “Pain… so much pain, your nerves remember all of it. You fought him. You bit him twice, escaped your bindings once, almost got out. He punished you for that by pouring battery-acid on your feet. He was so confident that his experiment would work that he didn’t care how much damage he caused you in the process.”

  Lost in his search into your mind, Verity slowly started moving towards you, centring all his power on you, desperate to uncover everything that was hidden. You weren’t sure if he was even aware of how overbearing he was in that moment. How threatening.

  He had never come across a truth he couldn’t see before, and it made him obsessive and ruthless in his pursuit of it. A part of you knew that, but your reptile brain was overcome with a sense of danger, and you backed away from him, but he followed you.

  “V… please, stop.”

  He didn’t even hear you.

  “You’re hiding from me. I can feel the memory so clearly, wrapped in a bubble I can’t penetrate. I need to know what it is.”

  He was pushing so much of his energy into your mind to try and break that bubble, that you started feeling unnaturally heavy. Your body suddenly felt like it was moving through liquid, meeting so much resistance that it exhausted you just to take a single step.

  You collapsed to the floor, struggling to breathe, and still he didn’t let up. He towered over you, and somewhere in the background you heard Allen trying to reason with him, but then a splitting pain shot through your head, and you passed out.

  “You stay the fuck away from me, V!”

  You woke up lying on the sofa in the living room, your head still throbbing and the light burning your eyes. But from what little you could make out, Verity was sitting on a chair right next to you, and it made the bear inside you wake up with full force.

  You launched yourself at him, placing a hard fist at his solar plexus, and when he involuntarily crunched forwards, his face had a very abrupt meeting with your elbow.

  He fell backwards, toppling the chair over and breaking it as he hit the floor, bleeding from his nose and cheek-bone.

  Allen rushed into the room from the kitchen, holding a pack of ice he’d apparently been getting for you. You wobbled over to him and swiped it from his hands to put against your right temple, while Verity slowly got to his knees.

  “I saw it. The memory you were hiding, I was able to break your defence the moment before you lost consciousness.”

  “I don’t care.”

  “He did it in front of you. He strapped children into that chair, and made you watch as he drained them. He made you watch their strength gradually leave them as the pain got to be too much. You saw the faces of at least nine of them, wordlessly begging you for help.”

  “I trapped those memories away for a reason, you asshole. Just because you need the truth like a fucking addict, doesn’t mean I do!”

  The images came to you as he voiced them. You remembered those faces, fifteen of them, actually. You remembered their pain, and how much you wished that you could have borne it for them. How gladly you’d have sacrificed yourself for them, if you could have.

  That was why your powers had manifested into what they did. That was why you couldn’t heal yourself, because in that time and place, you truly didn’t care if you died.

  You slumped against the nearest wall and slowly allowed yourself to sink to the floor. Your head was still throbbing, and you were beyond angry.

  “You do need to know this.”

  “You don’t get to decide that for me! You don’t get to torture me, V, that’s what the fucking bad guys do!!”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Oh, that is as close to a god damned lie as you’ve ever gotten! You don’t give a shit if your powers hurt me, as long as you get your fucking truth. If you’re sorry about anything, it’s that I’m not grateful for your efforts. Go ahead, tell me I’m wrong!”

  He didn’t speak. He just sat there, looking as unbothered about everything as he always did.

  “Allen, get me the hell out of here.”

  “Hermosa? What’s wrong?”

  You took a cab from the airport, and fell asleep about halfway home. The driver had a calm and rhythmic manner that soothed you, and he was listening to John Williams play the Concierto de Aranjuez, with the soft guitar notes making your frayed mind drift away to a warm and sunny Spain.

  He woke you by gently announcing that you’d arrived at your destination, and you paid him and thanked him for his kindness, before getting out and walking towards the gate in the fence. Your legs felt like lead.

  You could hear Marcus and Missy through the front door as you approached it, ingulfed in playing some boardgame, and you stopped and just listened to them for a while, leaning heavily against the door.

  Your darling Missy, the same age as several of those children. But alive and happy and such a wonderful person already.

  And Marcus. Your reason for living. The one that saved you, and kept saving you, despite the darkness that accompanied you.

  You hadn’t kept your word about checking in with him, so when you texted him while you were waiting at the airport in Green Bay, he’d been furious at first, wanting to know why he hadn’t heard from you in almost five hours. But he’d quickly calmed as you’d simply reminded him that since he was hearing from you now, you were obviously okay, and you’d tell him everything when you saw him.

  But now, standing behind that door, you didn’t want to tell him. You didn’t want to talk about it, and you didn’t want to burden him with knowing it. But you also knew that he’d see it on your face the moment you walked in. You were too tired and in too much pain still, to even try and keep up any appearances.

  You took a breath, and walked inside. Marcus was on his feet the moment the door swung open, and he swept you into a tight hug as soon as he got to you, but the mildness of your response immediately had him worried.

  “Could you just keep your voice down a bit, please. My head’s killing me.”

  “Where you in a fight?”

  He looked closer at you upon hearing that, and he realised that you were actually in terrible shape. He swept you up into his arms and carried you to the bedroom, while asking Missy to come and help him prepare a bath for you.

  She went straight to the bathroom and turned on the taps, and you could hear her going into the cabinets to pull out fresh towels.

  In the meantime, Marcus was helping you out of your clothes, and noticed a big black bruise on your elbow.

  “No… just felt cornered.”

  “By who?”

  “...Verity.”

  His whole posture changed, and you could feel a sudden rage emanating from him.

  “Tell me what he did.”

  “I’m too tired right now…”

  “Querida, look at me. Tell me.”

  “He… broke into the memories I’d hidden… the one’s he couldn’t see before.”

  “The one’s Prince had altered?”

  “No… the one’s I buried. The one’s that were too horrible… He forced them out, and now my head feels like it’s breaking apart.”

  “Why would he hurt you like that?”

  He picked you up again and moved you into the bathroom. Missy only stayed until the tub was full and she could close the taps, and then she hugged you gently and slipped out of the room.

  Marcus took the last of your clothes off before lowering you into the warm water, and when you asked him to join you, he did, holding you close and softly stroking your skin under the water.

  “He can’t stand lies, and apparently that applies to secrets as well. He just had to know; consequences be damned.”

  “He’ll regret that tomorrow.”

  “Don’t bother. He won’t admit to any wrong-doing. And we still need him.”

  “I don’t give a fuck. The only reason I agreed to let you go was because I thought you’d be safe with him.”

  “I don’t have anymore secrets for him to try and uncover now. So, technically I will be, from now on. Not that I ever wanna see him again.”

  “You won’t have to. I’ll deal with him.”

  “We’re still at war, honey. We’re gonna have to do a lot of things we’d rather not.”

  “Fuck the war, I’ll turn my back on the whole damned thing and take you to live with the fucking penguins if that’s what it takes. I’m so tired of seeing you in pain!”

  “Oh, please, keep your voice down…”

  “Sorry.”

  You sat in silence for a while, as the warm water started to open up your capillaries, easing your headache a bit.

  “Are you gonna tell me?”

  You knew what he was asking, and you really wanted to say no, but you also knew that you needed to tell him.

  “Prince made me… he made me watch.”

  The tears burned in your eyes, and you tried to chase the memories away, to lock them back into that little bubble where they couldn’t hurt you. But it was too late.

  “Watch what?”

  You didn’t want to say it out loud. It felt as though that would somehow solidify the images into reality, making them truly inescapable. He could feel your resistance, and tried to soothe you with his current, but it wasn’t enough this time.

  “The… ch-children. He made me… watch them die.”

  “Oh, my god…”

  The next morning you felt better. The headache had eased with some real sleep and you were starting to feel human again. Marcus was right next to you, his arms securely wrapped around you while he slept, but he stirred the moment you did. It was still early enough that your monday alarms hadn’t gone off yet.

  You felt him swallow repeatedly against the bile and grief that surged up in his throat as he realised what you were saying. He’d seen the lab. The extraction chair. And the freshest bodies that Prince hadn’t had time to get rid off before they found his lair. He’d seen how much pain they’d been in as they died, evident in their faces even after death.

  He didn’t say anything else, and you didn’t need him to, you just needed him to hold you, and he did.

  “Good morning, hermosa. Did you sleep okay?”

  “Morning. Yeah, actually I did.”

  “No bad dreams?”

  “I think my headache might have made that impossible. It’s gone now, though.”

  “Good. How do you feel about breakfast?”

  “I’m looking forward to it. I still haven’t eaten in our kitchen yet.”

  “Right. Eggs and toast?”

  “Please.”

  You went about your morning toilet and wash, before heading out to the kitchen together. Missy was already at the island, having cereal and flipping through a schoolbook, and since Marcus was already pulling out the frying pan to get started on the eggs, you sat down with her, before the school bus would get there.

  “Morning, angel. Test today?”

  “Yup. Maths. I got it, though.”

  “Oh, I believe that, you’re good at maths. Break a leg anyway.”

  “Thanks, alma. I’m aiming for top scores.”

  “I like your aim.”

  “Don’t worry, preciosa, her protection is in place.”

  Marcus had just sat down a plate in front of you when the bus honked, and Missy ran out the door while shouting she loved both of you.

  You kept staring at the closed door after she’d disappeared through it, and Marcus knew what you were thinking.

  “I know, but after yesterday… I just feel a bit more protective than usual.”

  “That’s entirely understandable, but please try not to stress over it. You have another one to protect as well.”

  “Right… Sorry.”

  “Don’t apologise, just breathe and eat calmly.”

  “So, Allen got the all clear, I assume. Does that mean he’s in?”

  You dug into the food and it was delicious. So much better than the airport food you’d eaten all day yesterday, even though it was just scrambled eggs and perfectly roasted toast, with those tomatoes on the side, that he’d promised you the day before.

  Marcus let you finish before he started talking again.

  “Yeah, he’s gonna coordinate for us at HQ, so we can keep our attention on the rest of the country, and world.”

  “Is he okay?”

  “Shaken, for numerous reasons, but determined to get his lives work back in order. He told me about the early days, and how he and your mom whipped the first supers into heroes.”

  “Really? Mom doesn’t talk about those days much. She’s told me a lot about my father, but not that much about herself.”

  “Well, she seems to have been a tour de force all her life, from what Allen described. And after what you’ve told me about your dad, I can see why he would’ve fallen for her. They were a good match.”

  “She always says that the best thing about him was how good he was at driving her up the walls, because it forced her to really look at him.”

  “I see what she means.”

  “I don’t drive you up the walls. Do I?”

  “Mostly just in the mornings, when you know I’m not susceptible to ‘fun’, but other than that, you’re pretty well behaved.”

  “Oh, no, the mornings don’t count.”

  “And why the hell not?”

  “Because your morning mood is way too amusing not to take advantage of.”

  “Hey! That is so not fair, I can’t help it that my brain just won’t start on all cylinders at once. And, for the record, this is the second morning in a row that I haven’t been cranky first thing.”

  His whole face lit up in a dazzling smile at that.

  “Wow. That’s more than just a record, babe, that’s almost worthy of a mention on CNN.”

  “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

  “Sorry to interrupt.”

  “What the fuck is wrong with you?! How could you do that to her?! I have always been your friend, protected you, guided you, helped you any way I could… and you almost kill my wife!!”

  A voice came from the living room, and with the way the house was designed, about half of that space was visible from the kitchen, while the other half was hidden behind the dining room.

  He didn’t need to step into view from behind the wall that separated the two areas, for either of you to know who it was. The truth-seeker had a very recognisable tone and rhythm of speech. But when he did appear, you couldn’t help yourself from getting out of your chair and taking a few steps back towards the kitchen counter, needing as much space between you as possible.

  Marcus, on the other hand, turned positively feral. He rushed Verity and wrestled him to the floor, while screaming at him.

  “I would never have let her come to any harm.”

  You’d never seen him angry like this. Usually he internalised it, afraid to let it loose because of what his powers might do, but this was more than anger. He felt betrayed by one of his oldest friends, and it enraged him in a way that didn’t even involve his powers.

  He had Verity pinned on the floor and was sitting on top of him with his hands around his neck, every muscle in his body was tensed to the breaking-point and there where visible veins pulsing in his face, neck and arms.

  “Are you seriously fucking lying to me right now?! You did harm her, you ignorant piece of shit! Just because she’s the strongest fucking person you’ve ever met, doesn’t mean you can’t hurt her! She could barely even walk!”

  “But she’s not damaged. Her mind is intact.”

  “I don’t believe this…I don’t fucking believe it!”

  He got off of Verity and dragged him up to standing before shoving him down on the nearest chair, still keeping himself in between you and the trespasser. He paced in front of him while he continued to rail at him.

  “Are you seriously telling me, that you don’t know the difference between physically harming someone, and hurting them? How is that even possible, with all the crap you went through as a kid? How do you not know the difference?!”

  “It was a memory. Hiding them away only ever hurts you, I was trying to help her.”

  “Did you see the fucking memory?!”

  “Yes.”

  “Tell me exactly how seeing those faces for the rest of her life is gonna help her!”

  “It already has.”

  His eyes shifted to yours, and you instinctively tried to back away further.

  “That memory has already made you understand why you have the powers you do.”

  His energy flowed through you, and it made you feel sick. You closed your eyes in a useless attempt to keep him out, but you felt him explore your mind again, bringing those images to the forefront of your thoughts.

  “Seeing their suffering solidified everything that you are. Through all his torture and experiments, all you wanted was to live. But for them… you wanted to die. You wanted to exchange your life for theirs. That’s your true strength – your armour and your weapon. Look at their faces, Rain. See them and know who you are.”

  “You think that just because you know the truth, you understand everything? Do you think you know how this feels? Do you think you have any idea how much this hurts me? Do you not even see how you’re manipulating me?”

  Your blood suddenly boiled with fury. Who was he to command your thoughts? To impose his perspective on you? This man that had hurt you so badly, only to uncover a truth he had no right to.

  The entire house shook as your powers awoke with a vengeance. You snapped your eyes back open just as Marcus turned back to look at you, realising what was happening.

  But you loved this house, you weren’t gonna put a single fucking dent on it.

  Reaching into that special place inside of you, where you’d learned you could find that sparkling dust, you drew it out and gathered it in large quantities on the floor in front of Verity. Then you allowed your mind to fill with the images of those innocent children, in their dying moments, and transferred those images into the dust.

  Fifteen lifelike sculptures appeared in the sparkles, perfect re-creations of the dead and long forgotten sacrifices, that Verity had never met, never known, and yet felt he had the right to use like string-puppets.

  He had the audacity to smile at your creations.

  His smile faded as you spoke, but he made no attempt to apologise.

  “You’re using my pain to force my hand. You know that my powers hurt me, and you force me to use them anyway. And for what? To try and prove you were right?”

  “No. If anything, my efforts should tell you exactly how much we need your powers in this war. You asked me to help you win it. That’s all I’m doing.”

  “And if our baby dies because of it, that’s just another sacrifice for the greater good?!”

  The sculptures collapsed into mere piles on the floor, and you glared at him furiously, daring him to answer you.

  “I don’t believe your baby will be harmed by your abilities.”

  “Your beliefs are of no fucking relevance to me. Tell me if you would care… at all… if another child had to die in order for us to win this war?”

  He paused, but not to consider his answer, only how you would react to it.

  “No. I wouldn’t care. Wars kill people, of all ages, it doesn’t discriminate. Many more will die before it’s over, and if we’re going to be outraged over each and every one of them, then we won’t have time to fight.”

  Marcus closed his eyes and bowed his head.

  “That’s not the point, V. The point is that we only win if we still care. If we stop caring about life and suffering, then we might as well join the assholes. Can’t you see that?”

  “I haven’t lived like you have, Marcus. Caring has never been a luxury I’ve been able to enjoy. I have nothing. No possessions, no family, one person I would call a friend, and whom, despite my best efforts, I do care about.”

  “Then it should matter to you whether or not my family is safe and well.”

  “It does, and they are. When I say that I don’t believe that your wife’s powers will harm your child, I’m not just guessing. I can see your powers, Rain, the core of them. And while they do damage you a little bit every time you use them, I don’t believe that that damage actually harms you. I believe it slowly changes you.”

  “Changes me… Why? Into what?”

  “I couldn’t say for sure, but I don’t think it’s that kind of change. I think it’s simply trying to make you stronger, physically. As in, superhumanly strong. Invincible. And if anyone’s body could – it’d be yours.”

Authors’ Note: I love criticism, please don’t be shy to let me know if there’s anything you like/don’t like/have questions about.

@allmyspideys​

@blueeyesatnight​

@hrk-fic-recs​

@strawberryperegrine

@lucrezia-thoughts​

@computeringturtle​

@sarahjkl82-blog​

@giselatropicana

@ayamenimthiriel

[shirorozutriea]

Sing-a-long to the Hexes Song

Day 8: Free Day

 Sing-a-long to the Hexes Song

It wasn’t really uncommon for adventurers to get cursed in one way or another. You could instantaneously be Sleeping Beauty in a matter of days. You could be the beast in Beauty and the Beast if you perform the same thing he did when he was quite young. And while plenty of hexes and curses are somewhat… tolerable, but of course, there’s the type of hexes and curses that would make you feel like the world’s ultimate jester alive.

And who’s fault is that right now… Yang Fucking Xiao Long. Weiss, in all her days living and performing spells and magic, she was never this embarrassed and mad at the same time, at the same person for nearly over a decade.

Weiss was cursed.

And she doesn’t like every single moment she spends her day, mulling over her predicament, while planning a mouthful of hexes and curses for Yang, and trying to keep her mouth shut. Apparently the curse was making her say all the things she wasn’t supposed to say at all. It was like, downing a years worth of truth potion. And she doesn’t like every single word she says. And what’s more aggravating, there was no known cure for it except a some sort of riddle that written it’s way on Weiss’ vision after she got flung by the hex’s power in the catacombs.

Verity is your greatest enemy Melody shall be your guide When hearts collide It will bid their good bye

Lovely.

  “I’m so sorry, Weiss. I didn’t know that thing was hexed.” Apologized Yang, for like the umpteenth time already. Weiss gave her a look. “If you actually keep your hands off where it should really belong, then we will not be in this god fucking forsaken predicament at all!” She hissed. Apparently it also makes her curse like a sailor. Or is it just her pent up emotion talking?

“Can’t you like, uncurse yourself or something?” Yang asked.

“Are you an idiot? You’re lucky you’re beautiful—shut up. As I was saying, haven’t you read that riddle. It can only be undone by, whatever that is.” Said Weiss, biting her tongue at the slip. Yang gave her a cheeky grin.

“You think I’m beautiful?” She teased. Weiss rolled her eyes, but decided that she could take her own medicine. “You, Yang, are one of the most beautiful lady I laid my eyes on. Your bright blond hair glows just like the sun. Your warm lilac eyes, beats any shades of purple. Your voluptuous bod—”

“Ack—fine, I’m sorry. Sheesh. Stop.” Yang squirmed at the compliments, blushing. “An honest Weiss is not a good Weiss at all.” Weiss huffed. “I’m glad we’ve got something to agree on.” Then Weiss did a double take at her words, suddenly blinking at her realization.

Blake then entered the scene, panting and sweaty. She looked at the two and puffed an air before speaking. Which was immediately cut off by Weiss.

“You know even if your sweaty or wearing anything ragged you’re still beautiful as ever. Now it makes sense why people call you the ‘Mystic Beauty’. Please forget about that. Anyway, are you okay?” Weiss asked, trying to sound casual. Blake gaped at the woman, red tinge was visibly present in her cheeks. Yang whistled. “She got you too. Tell me it’s uncomfortable.”

Blake didn’t hesitate. “I’m flattered, but Yang is right.” She said, and was taken aback. “I don’t know what’s weird, me actually agreeing with you or Weiss complimenting me?”

“Hey!” Protested Yang. Weiss giggled at the shadow weaver's remark. “I know right.”

“As I was saying, before I was nicely interrupted. We’ve got some bad news.” She started.

Weiss spoke, jokingly. “And my thing is not already a bad news.” Blake shook her head smiling before turning serious. “Miss Glynda does not have any cure for your hex.”

Weiss opened and closed her mouth, raising her index finger. “Yeah. That is.. bad news indeed.”

Yang gave her a side way hug. “Cheer up, princess. Lest you can be as suave as you can be.” Weiss let out a sigh. “Only you, would love having this hex.”

Yang laughed. “Well, the hex would have probably been mine if you didn’t become a superhero at the last minute.” Weiss groaned at her.

“Because I didn’t know, that the hex is much, much worse than a potent truth potion in all of Remnant. Be glad I became your knight in shining armor, miss damsel in distress.” Weiss didn’t bother to hide the slight sarcasm at the last sentence, yet it still hold some truth on it. And Yang, again, was blushing. Weiss took notice.

“Yang, are you blushing?” Blake addressed the goliath in the room. Yang’s eyes widen and looked away. Weiss smirked mischievously.

“Who would have thought that the brute was actually a real lady behind those magnificent physique of muscles.” Weiss’ smirk stayed on place as Yang became more flushed. Blake looked at the two in amusement.

“You’re having a bit much of fun in this, Weiss.” Blake stated and Weiss puffed her chest. “But of course!”

“Whatever. Let’s get her fixed up. I don’t think I can handle any more of her compliments.” Grumbled Yang. Weiss shrugged and Blake stifle a laugh on her palm.

The three went to their shared house to rest up their already tired muscles. The three was sharing a room of four, but the fourth roommate was nowhere to be found.

“Where's Ruby?” Pondered Blake. Yang shrugged before speaking. "In the Guild. Probably going to hunt something."

"Without us?" Weiss asked. Yang nodded at her. "But why?"

"That.” She answered while pointing a finger at the latter. “I don't know of." Said Yang. Then their door burst open, revealing a panting red clad adventurer. "GUYS GUESS WHAT?!"

"That you finally asked Penny out." Spat Weiss, then she close her mouth as a hand flew on her mouth as her eyes widen. "I.. forget about that. What?"

Ruby dismissed the statement, or she just didn't heard it at all because she was busy giggling and fisting the air. She looked at Weiss and grinned. "I found the maker of the hex! He's here! Downstairs!!"

The three blinked at her and followed their fearless leader downstairs. They saw a man sipping coffee in the coffee table.

"Why isn't it Miss Schnee?" Said the man. Weiss brows met in confusion. "Professor Oobleck?"

The man chuckled and nodded. "Why yes, it is I, Doctor Oobleck." Oobleck gazed at the witch and nodded. "I see you have been hexed by my own magic."

Weiss sputtered, wondering if she should be mad by how nonchalant the doctor sounds like, or just ask the question she had wanted to hear the answer to. She chose the latter. "Do you have any potions or cures for my predicament?" Before Oobleck could answer, Yang butt in. "And why would you have a hexed mirror?"

Oobleck laughed and sipped his coffee. "Good question, Miss Xiao Long. As you may know, I am a doctor and as a doctor, it is my sole purpose to create antidotes, potions and cures for possible sickness and/or hexes and curses around. That hex was made of a failed attempt of a cure. I abandoned it, and maybe the vial that contains the hexed liquid was poured onto that mirror during the quake." Explained Oobleck. Yang was perplexed by the answer. How could someone just act so nonchalantly about all of this?

"As for your question, Miss Schnee. Unfortunately, I do not have a cure for the hex. You see, it is quite a unique type of hex, heavily influenced by the mirror." He stated. Weiss felt her left eye twitch. "The mirror is possessed by a spirit who wasn't able to confess to her true love. So, I'm guessing, and this is a theory. The hex would be under the influence of her grieve of being unable to confess, and so, the hex would be... confess and the curse will be broken. She's giving the person a chance to confess. My, what a good soul."

He fixed his glasses and smiled at Weiss who is now much more paler than her usual pale skin. Her only thought was;

There's no way in Remnant that I will confess to.. to... HER!!

Weiss inwardly panicked, although she was already sweating bullets under her robe and she felt how they turned like droplets of ice on her skin, no doubt was caused by her magic connected to her emotion of being stressed.

"Well! I shall seek my way home. I have to run tests on my potion. Would you like some?" Oobleck asked. The four shook their heads and the man shrugged before making his way out of the house. The three individuals looked at Weiss.

"I rather shut my mouth. Endure this curse, than confess." Stated Weiss, firmly crossing her arms in her chest.

"But it might take a while for a cure to be brewed." Said Ruby in concern. Weiss harrumphed at her and looked away. "I thank you for your concern, my l—goddamit." She cursed herself for almost slipping. "But I'll be fine. I don't know if Yang will be though."

Yang sputtered, blushing. "No! I don't wanna hear any more compliments!" She yelped. Ruby grew confused at her sister's action.

"Compliments?" Asked Ruby.

"The curse makes her say things she doesn't normally say, but it hold truth." Answered Blake. Ruby nodded in understanding.

Weiss cleared her throat and looked at the brunette. “I will see to it that.. this… wretched curse won’t be a bother to our future hunts.”

 Except it did.

 One time, three days after meeting the doctor, they went for a hunt. A hunt is a job adventurers do to make some money. But, rather calling it a mission or a job, it was chosen to be called a hunt for some unknown reasons. Now onto that hunt, they were tasked to fight some Fire-Breathing Runner Lizards. And this lizards are tall. Like, ten foot tall. Needless to say, it proved quite hard to defeat the fire breathing specimen.

 There were a lot of running, and so, of course, a lot of sweating. Now Weiss was a hundred percent sure that she won’t have a gay panic anytime soon. But seeing three of her attractive teammates sweating and attractively wiping a sheen of sweat, made her think twice. But when her eyes landed on the hard rock abs her leader is sporting, well… there was a flurry of red reaching to her ears and a very well-detailed describing of said voluptuous, well-made, mouth watering abs. Needless to say, Weiss was only millimeter away into digging a hole and burying herself in pure embarrassment.

 And now this time, a week after the first, is when they are tasked by Doctor Oobleck to find him some Rainbow Frogs inside dark, creepy caverns. Doctor Oobleck even insist to them to take his pouch and put some clothes in it, because according to him, “There is a possible hundred percent chance that you might need some extra clothes.” And oh yes, they do indeed need spare clothes.

 As if everything was a com-fantasy anime, ironically, the caves were home to one vicious nightmare(Weiss words after reading about them). The one and only Strip Slime. Yes, you read that right folks, I also can't believe it(did I watched or read too many of these anime cliché?).

 Yang was the first victim.

 As they were walking, Yang was complaining(second to Weiss) about feeling slimy and slippery. There was no light or fire magic on, they simply forgot that they have a mage and a fire user in their group. Then Yang soon complain of being cold.

 “Maybe that’s why we need clothes. It’s so chilly in here.” Said Yang.

 “Don’t be absurd, Yang. It's not that cold.” Weiss rebut. Yang smirked at her, although Weiss wasn’t able to see it. “Or is it because, the cold doesn’t bother you anyway?”(Yes, I sang that in my head..)

 Weiss rolled her eyes. They heard Yang sneeze and the three stood in alert and wonder. Yang’s teeth chattered as they go. Then Weiss had enough.

 With a flick of her wrist, let there be light, and there was light. A small ball of light, three of them, soon came floating. It lit the path they had been trekking on and Weiss inwardly face palmed for not thinking of using her magic sooner. Weiss felt that Yang was about to say something about her magic when she held out a palm to stop her and look at her—oh. Yang is naked. Yang is naked??!

 Weiss let out a high pitched shriek, flailing her arms around like a flappy bird before putting her hands in her eyes, but her fingers were a bit parted.

 “Sweet mother of Oum!! What a fine specimen—oh fuck!! Yang, you’re naked!” Weiss stammered. The remaining two looked at Yang wide eyed in surprise. Yang looked down.

 “Oh, I’m naked… I’m naked…” The cogs on her brain seemed to slowly move. Then her eyes widen and gaped down at her. “OH OUM I’M NAKED!!”

 Weiss flicked her wrist letting the glowing orbs float on different direction and saw eerily familiar blob of gooey slime. Weiss inwardly shiver and gulp.

 “Don’t make a sudden move.” Weiss said in a hushed tone. The three stiffen at her words. Weiss silently grabbed the pouch that the doctor had given them and flicked her wrist. Yang’s spare clothes came flying and magically fitting itself to the blonde’s body with a flick of Weiss’ wrist. Weiss continued her warning. “They're sensitive to movement.”(kudos to people who gets the reference)

 “Why are we whispering?” Questioned Ruby, as silent as she could.

 “I thought their sensitive to movements?” Seconded Yang, her eyes darting around the bouncy blobs of slimes.

 “I don’t know too.” Weiss answered truthfully. Blake glanced at her. “Do you know how to avoid them?” Weiss took a deep breathe and exhaled.

 “When I say run, run.” Exhaled Weiss. The three just looked at the mage wide eyed, realization creeping in, that even their resident smart mage knows nothing to avoid or possibly petrify the slimes.

 Weiss eyes then flickered to the rest of the cavern and gulp as her wrist twitch in anticipation. She breathes in and let's out, “Run!!”

 The four ran like they are in a marathon. Like a stampede of buffalos running through canyons with the slimes bouncing from wall to wall, catching up to them. The whole cavern was filled with panic screams and squeals as they scampered around the dirt. Weiss was cursing.

 “Fuck!! Of all the creatures to be gifted existence in this fucking whole wide world of Remnant. Motherfucking strip slimes had to be the fucking one!!” Hissed Weiss. Her wrist twisting, index and middle finger drawn as light emerges on her fingertips, scrawling out runes. “Even if people like Yang who has a nice body, as well as Blake and Ruby, will be stripped off by these miracle makers. I wouldn’t mind gawking.”

 Yang screamed back, her face red from embarrassment. “NOW’S NOT THE TIME, WEISS!!”

 Weiss screamed in return. “TELL THAT TO THIS STUPID CURSE!!!” Suddenly, glyphs appeared over Weiss that proceeds to shoot ice shards towards the slimes.

 Weiss closed her eyes and screamed to high heavens. “CAN THIS GET ANY MORE WORSE!!??”

  To answer the question, yes. Yes, it could get any more worse than getting chased by a cloth-eating slime disaster. They were stuck in the cave. Luckily for them, at the end of the cavern were piles of unused metal scraps are lying around that were made to become a wall slash shield from the crazy slimes.

 “Weiss, are you really sure there is no way we could get rid of those… whatever those things..” Asked Yang, looking warily at the magic-made wall.

 “For the umpteenth time, Yang, there is no possible way of ridding those pesky little stripping miscreants.” Hissed Weiss, running her temple angrily. “And well, what are the odds that they would eat Yang’s clothes like it’s a snack… well she is a snack—I give up..”

 Yang sighed and looked away. Ruby just stared at Yang, then to Weiss. “Are you attracted to… Yang?” Weiss visibly hear something from behind her words. A certain tone that says jealousy. But that can’t be right, right?

 Weiss closed her eyes and deeply let out a defeated breath. She looked at the brunette and weakly smiled. “You want the honest truth?” Ruby nodded. “I find all of you painstakingly attractive. By far you all, are the most gorgeously attractive women I’ve ever met, aside from the other girls I know.”

 The three blushed at the admission. But Weiss was so tired she couldn’t stop. “I’ll have to admit, there are actually many of times that I had found myself gay panicking every time one of you walk by with only a shirt and an underwear inside our little quaint home.”

 “And you know what… I may or may not have a genuine interest on one of you..” Now Weiss was proud that she didn’t actually blurt out who she really like, but nevertheless it was the truth. “Admittedly so, I had a crush on the three of you. Had.”

 The three were rendered speechless. Their mouth agape, well Yang is. They couldn’t believe what had gone out from their friends mouth. Yang was the first to talk.

 “So.. does that mean… the person you like is one of us?” Asked Yang. Oh Weiss actually didn’t thought of that part. Oh no.

 Weiss grimaced and huffed. “Maybe.”

 After a beat of silence of silence, they heard a certain familiar splash of liquid body from behind. Weiss was the first to notice the blob of gooey green slime. Weiss muttered a chant and a red glyph appeared from behind the three and shoot a large fireball to the little ‘innocent’ blob.

 It disintegrated.

 Oh.

 Weiss looked at the melted body of the slime and observed it. There’s a possibility that it may put itself back together to regenerate. She stared. Nothing. Thank Oum. Weiss grinned and grabbed her little notepad and wrote the little interesting discovery of a certain weakness of the stripping monstrosity.

 “Now that we know what their weakness is, I guess we can go out from this hell hole.” Weiss stated in triumph, as if she just didn’t admitted a rather embarrassing confession to her friends.

 “But we haven’t found what we were looking for.” Queried Blake.

 Ruby raise a tentative hand. “I may or may not have already gotten some on our way running in here. They were just sticking around on the walls when I saw them.” She showed a transparent cage, the specimen, Rainbow Frogs were in sight.

 Yang grinned triumphantly and smacked the back of the brunette making her cough as the former gave her a thumbs up, where she replied with a weak smile.

 “Now let’s go!”

   “Excellent job, ladies! Now I have enough to brew a cure for your recent predicament, Miss Schnee!” Announced the doctor.

 Weiss did a double take and grinned. “That is excellent news, Doctor!” Now she can be free from this wretched curse.

 “But I’m afraid that it would take longer than usual to brew it.” The doctor said dejectedly. Weiss blinked and looked at him. He noticed the gaze. “You see, Miss Schnee. I have recently found the formula for the cure, they were just around the shelves of my home. And I noticed that the ingredients are more or less hybrids of plants that I had made which is another matter of a problem.”

 He held up a finger and exhaled. “They could take months to prepare.” Ended Oobleck.

 Weiss stood gaping at the doctor. She felt faint. Does this mean… I’m going to be like this… FOREVER?!!

 Weiss is clearly traumatized.

 The group had to grab the silver haired woman who stood frozen stiff in front of the doctor not moving at all. That got them worried so they carried the statue of a woman back to their home. They laid her down on her bed and left her staring in the ceiling.

 The three went down, worried for their friend’s mental health. Although, Weiss was the least to be affected by any types of trouble that would definitely made one insane, this one may took a huge toll on Weiss’ self. And it probably did.

   “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHGHHHGHHHGHGG!!!!”

 They heard her shout. No doubt it would be heard from outside their very own home. Panicked, the three jumped from where they are. Ruby fell from the sofa, groaning and holding her side. Blake jumped, very high, and found herself perched on the ceiling, claws outstretched. Meanwhile, Yang tripped spilling water everywhere, and she slipped when she stepped on it, her behind hitting the floor. They heard a clambering of feet upstairs and saw Weiss running down, red faced.

 “What happened to you guys?” Weiss asked, as she noticed the three. Ruby held out a hand and signed okay, Blake fell down in a hiss and Yang groaned, letting herself fall on the floor.

 Blake was the first one to recover. “And you? Are you okay? You screamed.” She stated. Weiss ran a hand to her face and huffed heavily.

 “I’m tired. And I think the whole world is plotting against me, giving me this…” Her arms flail around, gesturing. “… thing, telling me to confess already!”

 Yang stood up, rubbing her behind. “Maybe that's not a bad idea. I mean, you’ve been single for like, what? Almost six years, Weissy. And your last relationship was with…”

 “Coco, I know.” Weiss sighed and shake her head. “But… I don’t know.. I feel like she won’t reciprocate my feelings.”

 Yang scoffed. “C’mon Weiss. As if anyone can resist you.” Weiss looked at her. “Honestly speaking. Although, I don’t like you in that way, cuz I like someone else you know and they're pretty—shutting up now. Anyways, whoever the lucky girl is, I’m sure they’ll like you back and if not, well it’s their loss.”

 Weiss smiled at her. “Thanks, Yang.” Yang grinned and have her a thumbs up. “Just a question though, it’s not me right?” Weiss chuckled and shook her head.

 “No. You're more of a colossal dolt than she is.” Hinted Weiss. Blake caught on this. “You said that you have taken an interest in one of us.. can I take a guess?” Blake asked.

 Weiss sighed in defeat and let out a weak grin. “Knowing you, there will be no second guess.” Blake smirked at this.

 “Let's see, it wouldn’t be Yang because I don't think you would want a pun master spouting jokes all around the place… all day.” Yang gaped and protested at the notion. “It could possibly me, but you know my preference and you still continue to tease and push me to her, so that's a no… and so that left is..” Blake deliberately trailed off, her gaze fixing to Ruby.

 “Ruby.”

 She dropped the bomb.

 Ruby flailed her arms around and vehemently shake her head. “That couldn't be! W-Weiss? Like likes me?!! No way!!” Ruby put her arms in front of her and from a cross.

 “What makes you say that?” Questioned Blake. Ruby stopped flailing and laughed nervously. “I mean, that can’t be right… Weiss is.. she deserves more, a-and… I don’t think I fit the bill.”

 “Weiss is the heiress, the master of magic, a goddess and many more… while I’m just—me, and nothing more. I’m a dolt.. I could be annoying, and my past relationships do say so… I can’t be worthy of her…” Ruby whimpers as she had taken an interest on her shoes, wriggling her toes.

   “What's that suppose to mean?”

 Ruby looked up to see Weiss glaring at her, cheeks dusted with red, a frown of displeasure etched on her lips. Weiss step forward to Ruby, and Ruby almost melt at the sheer intensity of her glare.

 “You? Not worthy of me? Ruby, I beg to differ.” Weiss took a deep breathe and exhaled. “You are the most wonderful person I’ve ever met. You had become the light that shed away the darkness crawling deep within me. You helped me when I fell over and when I thought that I could do everything and anything on my own. You held me when I need a shoulder to lean on. You even saved me from my bastard of a father, which you didn’t have to do, and yet you still did because you care.”

 “Your stubbornness became your charm. Your cheery personality became my light. Your determination became my strength. Everything you are and everything you do is something I always admire and now… I’ve come to love it.”

 In the middle of Weiss’ speech. Yang and Blake had already snuck out to give them privacy, while Ruby just stared at her, wide eyed and jaw ajar. She listened to her. Absorbing the weight of her confession. Does that mean, she really like her? HER? Ruby Rose? The person she really abhor disliking to—well, used to. She, Ruby ‘effin Rose?

 The circuits on her brain fried.

 “And your beautiful mouth that I really want to kiss, had the audacity to tell me that you don’t deserve me? Me?! Heck, I don’t even deserve you! What did I do on my past life to have you in my life? How did I became so lucky to have you literally stumbling into my life?”

 Ruby zoned out by the time she heard the word kiss coming from her crush’s mouth.

 “How did you became the most annoying pain in my ass to the most endearing, lovable, extraordinary, gorgeous woman that I want to live with for the rest of my life? I don’t know, it just did. You are just that.. deeply engraved, into my life.”

 Weiss was crying now. Ruby woke up from her reverie and cautiously approached the mage. When Weiss didn't show any protest, she raised her hand to brush the tears away from her cheek, resting it there as the alabaster woman leaned on the hand with her own darting to rest on the back of Ruby’s hand. She sighed.

 “You changed me, for the better, and I wouldn’t be who I am today without you. You became the light to my darkest days, you shine so bright I almost think you're not real. That you are just a pigment of my imagination, a dream—and if this is a dream…” Weiss sobbed. “… then I don’t wanna wake up..”

 Weiss’ hand gripped at the hand in her cheek and closes her eyes, exhaling a shaky breathe. She opened her eyes and stared at the silvery pools staring back at her.

 “I love you, Ruby Rose. From the bottom of my hypothalamus. And more.”

 Ruby couldn’t believe what she had heard. Or if she's even hearing it right. She had always thought that Weiss wouldn’t like her the same way she had always like her—love her. She would just, daydream about the day she and Weiss would be together. It didn’t occur to her that it would actually happen. But now, Weiss has confessed to her. Admittedly it was because of the curse, but she still confessed. And she still couldn't believe it.

 “Y-you lo-love me?” She stuttered. Her tongue darting to wet her lips. “Are you r-really serious?”

 Weiss smiled lovingly to her. And she swore her heart swoon. “I do. I always have. Ever since you stayed as my friend in the academy.”

 Ruby choke back a sob, tears pricking her eyes. “I’m not dreaming right?” Weiss shook her head ‘no’. Ruby smiled with tears freely flowing to her cheeks.

 Weiss held the hand on her cheek, while the other wiped the tears away. She closed the gap between them and kissed her forehead, longer to stress the fact that she had love her so. When she broke away, she looked at those eyes that she also fell in love with.

 “I love you, Ruby—”

 Weiss went unfinished when a sudden soft lips pressed timidly on her own. She stood there in shock. Blinking owlishly at the sudden movement. And just move goddamit!! Weiss leaned in, reciprocating the now filled with more passion, less timid kiss. While Weiss half-brain complained about the difference in height, the other half was praising the heavens that she actually had a kiss with her long time crush. Weiss felt an arm snaking to her waist, pulling her flush against the adventurer, while the other cradle her head. Likewise, she darts her arms around the brunette’s neck, twiddling the shorter ends of her hair at the back of her neck. She then felt a tongue dart to lick her lips, biting it softly, causing a moan to bubble on her throat. But the moan was effectively muffled when Ruby’s tongue entered the mouth that wasn’t hers.

 Oh my gosh! I’m kissing Weiss!!!

 Oh Oum!! I’m being French kissed by Ruby!!

 The two inevitably parted, their chest burning, both due to the lack of air and from the intense passion of their kiss. The two could only stare at each other. Admiring what they actually had done to the other.

 Weiss is flushed. Her cheeks deep red, panting, eyes clouded with love and lust, dilating. Ruby on the other hand, her once bright silver eyes are now darkened, her tongue grazing her lips again as she stared back and forth to Weiss’ lips and eyes.

 “I—so that happened..” Breathed Ruby. She looked at her—now lover in the eyes. “Wanna do it again?”

 “Please.”

   “So I'm guessing, you both are okay? No more hex?” Asked Yang, as she and Blake re-entered their home.

 “I think the hex is already gone by the time I said.. erm…” Weiss muttered awkwardly. Her hand squeezing her girlfriend’s hand. “I said that..”

 Yang nodded in understanding. “Congrats, you two.” She said. Weiss nodded a ‘thank you’, a smile etched its way to her lips. Yang saw this and visibly relaxed.

 “Now that you had already resolved your thirst…” A couple of ‘hey” was heard. “Are you two going out on a date now?”

 The two looked at each other, as if speaking in telepathy to each other. Weiss timidly nod while Ruby grinned. “We will. The both of us. Although, we haven’t decided when, but most certainly will.”

 Yang hummed and leaned on the sofa. “Well, hex problem solved! Now, what?” Weiss’ eyes darted to Blake. She then looked at Yang. Ruby noticed this and put two and two together.

 “Sis. How about I offer you something?” Proposed Ruby. Yang perked up at this. “Whatsit?” Ruby grinned, Yang didn’t noticed the hidden message behind it. “How about we give you some ‘space’? You know, to ‘think’ things through?” She cleared her throat and slyly looked at Blake. “With Blake, of course.”

 Yang’s eyes widen considerably and sputtered. Weiss glanced at her lover and gave her an appreciative look. Ruby understood. Weiss stood up and held Ruby’s hand as they march to the door, leaving two lovebirds alone. The blond blushing, and the raven confused.

 “Now, if you will excuse us. We have a date to go to.” She looked at Yang and smirked. “Ciao~”

 Yang wasn’t sure if she prefers the hexed Weiss or the Weiss now. But the former sounds easy to deal with than the latter.

  Notes:

Well, I said I was going to continue this one. So, here you go.

I wanna make Weiss gay panic around her friends soooo, hehe.

This was the Curse I was supposed to make and boom.

[fisitronisms]

Good Eye, Sniper || On Perceptor

“When Perceptor and physics make eye contact, physics blinks first.” Getaway, Filling in the Blanks

He talks too much until he doesn’t talk enough, he’s almost too bright and for that, was almost once extinguished.

How does one go from a walking trivia machine to an ice cold gunner?

Let’s talk about Perceptor, The Least Warlike Autobot.

Originally, Perceptor was a security mech under Sentinel as well as a brilliant scientist- not exactly Oohrah Soldier Material, to be sure! 

But his bright and chatty ways changed drastically after being pulled into a Pretender Project, the rebuild of one Kup. Within a short span of time, he went from being a leader in science and technology to nothing much more than a babysitter- the cigarette pack that kept Kup’s processor in line, and something of an IT service for the Wreckers.

He was tolerated, maybe even liked! Until, of course, that fateful mission on Turmoil’s battleship; Where, mid sentence, his chest was blasted through and he hit the ground, surely about to die.

And this is where the change from a chatterbox to a stone cold Sniproscope begins.

Part 1: The Technicalities of “Dying”

After this incident, Perceptor upgraded himself, going from merely a scientist to an ice cold sniper capable of taking out a combiner with a single shot to it’s torso (x). He becomes cold, distant, emotionally detached almost- And if you think about it, it stands to reason this would be the route he takes when faced with his innate personality.

Perceptor is passionate. Specifically about his work- a running gag through several continuities, including the G1 cartoon, is that he can lecture and speak and ramble about something he is truly interested in with almost no stopping- unless someone tells him to shut up.

Turmoil, the Decepticon who shot Perceptor through the spark, falls into that “tells him to shut up” category. In Spotlight: Drift, we see the moment Perceptor meets death- The moment Turmoil shoots him through the heavy doors he is trying to keep locked while the Wreckers try to slice through the wall for an extraction mission.

This moment, specifically. See what he says upon seeing the smoking hole in Perceptor’s body? “Shoot your mouth off, give your position away. Amateurs.”

And then, in the very next panel, a shot to Perceptor’s eye while he, apparently, screams in pain and probably terror. Now, judging by the angle of the shot, its not a clean one- what was no doubt intended as a quick end instead was most likely just added suffering, his spark beginning to slow and fail and fade and half his vision fritzed or worse- gone completely.

And then everyone left.

Now here is Perceptor, nearly dead and on the way out- his sight halved and fuzzy and his spark nearly obliterated. And at the end, he’s alone. The Wreckers moved on, attempting to finish the mission while battling Turmoil’s forces only to be separated briefly.

And then, he’s not alone, and he’s falling, and then he’s on the Trion in a CR chamber nearly in pieces.

Imagine how that affected him, when he came out of the CR chamber- a culmination of years upon years, no doubt, of being just a bit too wordy. It’s even reflected in MTMTE years later, when Rodimus (bored or agitated by Perceptor’s scientific terms, it’s hard to tell) cuts him off to tell him to use layman’s terms.

That aside, for Perceptor- he was nearly killed and then immediately mocked for his chatterbox tendencies. Speaking nearly got him killed, explaining was nearly the end of the line for him.

And when he comes out of the CR chamber, he changes- and not just physically.

He had already been a bit standoffish, no doubt at feeling a bit unwelcome among more active soldiers while being mostly a scientist, but now its cemented that not only is his BODY not up to par for war- but he himself is not either.

And we see, when he rebuilds himself, that his “explanations” are a single sentence, maybe less. Drift gets a “Much obliged” when Perceptor blankly quips that it was due to Drift that he is alive.

Nothing like the miniature lectures or chatter of before.

We see it when Monstructor is taken out by a single perfect shot to the joined-area of his torso, “Just doing my job.”

Operating on single sentences or less; the difference is astounding. But, considering everything that led up to it, not shocking.

The only deviation to this behavior (pre-Lost Light) is on Garrus 9, the prison planet Perceptor was requested to go to along with Kup, Springer, and several others.

The deviation of behavior, specifically, is the explanation of Aequitas’s function.

And this explanation is still rather short, and only at the behest of Verity. There’s no jargon, no tangents, to explanations within explanations or invitations for further discussion- its short, straight, and to the point. It’s blunt, clinical, and worded with a kind of finality that begs a conversation to move on away from the punctuation that threatens to fridge it.

But Perceptor’s initial near-death experience is not the ONLY factor in what his personality, what HE himself became- just the first step.

Part II: The Valley of the Shadow of Death

Near death experiences change you, it’s just a fact. There’s always a part of someone that gets left behind when healing from one, a little bit of their innocence or softness that is given up.

Perceptor is no different.

Perceptor always has been, and always will be, a scientist. He looks at things from a “logical” standpoint, he believes what his eyes show him. 

And what his eyes showed him was being left behind, in more ways than one.

The first time being, of course, on Turmoil’s ship- no doubt it was assumed he wasn’t going to survive, not with an injury like that, not in a place like that- But he did. He made it back, because Drift pulled him out.

Looking over Perceptor’s Wrecker history, that would be the last time that someone did that it seems.

The first incident we’re going to look at is one that happens not long after Perceptor’s rebuild- Actually, immediately after taking down Monstructor.

One of the first direct reactions to Perceptor’s rebuild, not counting Kup’s discomfort and dismissal of Perceptor’s suggestion he rebuild into a soldier (not even specifically a SNIPER, just a soldier, just to have more survivability in wartime). 

Blaster is hinted at being good friends with Perceptor; Primarily in Spotlight: Blaster, where Perceptor not only repairs Blaster after an assasination attempt gone awry, but helps him discover the assassin’s identity- Beachcomber, being mind-controlled by Bombshell.

Perceptor was injured when the trap had been set, and it looks to be a shot to the chest- Ironically, the same injury he repaired on Blaster, shown here:

Which was almost mirrored when Perceptor was shot by Turmoil.

And yet, Blaster’s reaction to Perceptor repairing and, in many ways IMPROVING, himself was to accuse him of “defiling himself”. To tell him his job was “a scientist”, considering Blaster’s job was once a radio host, that seems a mite hypocritical.

The second rejection to look at comes, also, from All Hail Megatron and the battle against the Swarm.

And here’s Ratchet, with an awful thing to say about someone you had a close working relationship with before they. You know. Nearly died and had to rebuild themselves from the ground up with frankly minimal support.

Acting like becoming capable of defending yourself and surviving a war somehow diminishes one’s intellectual capability.

And because Ratchet does nothing by half, he follows it up with something even WORSE. So, that is two people Perceptor considered friends who clearly... may not value the relationship as much as Perceptor might.

An important distinction, however, is while Blaster announced his opinion for the entire unit to hear- Ratchet’s comments were made in a more private setting, directly to Kup.

So, there’s that, at least.

But, these are just comments- rude, yes, but Perceptor has no doubt heard worse?

A fair point, to be sure! The problem comes in the form of Garrus 9. As many things do.

Gun-fondling battle-stat.

A special kind of derision, that- something that could be a reminder of what people really think of Perceptor. It makes one have to wonder- what would hearing another annoyed title being laid on him do? And by THE enemy, no less?

A reminder that his worth is entirely conditional. He is not necessary so much as convenient- He was convenient for Prowl, he was convenient for Kup, convenient for the Wreckers...

After long enough being optional, one stops trying to be irreplacable.

Part III: Old Gravemarkers

So, looking at the previous points, it’s safe to say that Perceptor isn’t in the greatest headspace at any given time.  From the shot that killed an Insecticon scout and prompted Cliffjumper to ask “When did Perceptor become scary?” to his infamously showing activation of tactical explosives; its very safe to say that not all is well with our favorite science-sniper (as Verity once called him, in Last Stand of the Wreckers).

Down to the flat, cold way he voted in favor of killing Impactor, around to the almost clinical way he addressed crewmates in the beginning of MTMTE.

But, the most painful part is, he starts getting better. He begins to interact with others, mostly Brainstorm, and slowly seems to start shedding the frigidness he developed after his near death and his rebuild and after all the backs that got turned to him.

But then, Overlord comes back.

And it’s gently suggested that Overlord went looking for him, as illustrated below: 

Could this be a reference to earlier in the issue, where Perceptor is seen carrying Tripodeca back after a terrible run in with the phase sixer?

Or is it something deeper than that- Overlord remembering Perceptor as the sniper that shot off his hand, that dared to go against him? Remembering Perceptor as one of the Autobots who set him up for absolute failure?

It’s entirely possible, and even plausible, that Perceptor internalized this incident (like many other things, no doubt) and it was one of the reasons Getaway felt he would be suitable to be involved in the mutiny. Perhaps this was a driving factor in seeing Perceptor spend a majority of time with Brainstorm.

Perhaps the behavior shown by Perceptor in MTMTE is the result of him simply forgetting how to interact with people- after so long in sniper perches and wondering if you’ll be dead in thirty seconds some things fall by the wayside, maybe socialization is one of them.

At the end, though, the things Perceptor later becomes known for: Being cold, distant, blunt and to the point even when using jargon, being almost uncompromising; after thinking about what he’s lived through, well....

It makes a little more sense, doesn’t it?

[half-mer-child]

Different Facilities/Pods

Lost Light Pod

The Facility you and Ratchet work at is called the Lost Light.

Company Members

CEO/Head Veternarian: Ratchet

Financing/Management: Mr. Fowler

Head of Communication/ Tank Currator/ Scientist/ Field Worker: Reader

Veterinarians/Feild Workers: June and First Aid(Halfer)

Engineer/Mechanic: Verity

Interns: Miko, Jack, and Raf

Pod Members

Rodimus

Magnus/Minimus

Megatron

Drift

Chromedome

Rewind

Cyclonus

Tailgate

Whirl

Swerve

Skids

Brainstorm

Perceptor

Rung

Fortress Maximus

Nautica

Velocity

Wrecker Pod

Kup

Impactor

Springer

Roadbuster

Sea Spray

Sometimes

WheelJack

Bulkhead

Primes Pod (TFP)

Optimus Prime

Arcee

Bumblebee

Bulkhead

WheelJack

Smokescreen

Ultra Magnus

Knockout

Breakdown

Primes pod often visits and gives updates on how their city Cybertron is doing with it's restorations. They also help keep the sea free of pup snatchers and help facilities all over the world learn more about mers.

Elita Ones Pod

Elita

Arcee

Strongarm

Windblade

FireStar

Chromia

Strika

Made entirely of females Elitas group are warriors born and bred to protect the seas. Their communication goes back and forth between facilities.

SoundWaves Pod

SoundWave

Rumble

Frenzy

Ravage

LazerBeak

BuzzSaw

Ratbat

SoundWave lives near the Lost Light facility as he likes to visit Megatron but he perfers to stay away from tanks and enjoy the outdoor pools. His family come and go as they please

Starscreams Pod

Starscream

SkyWarp

ThunderCracker

Buster

Starscreams cave is a bit away but he likes to check up on the facility as he's a scientist and loves when he gets to tell people their wrong. He's also fascinated with the work.

Prowls Pod

Prowl

Jazz

Bluestreak

Hook

Bonecrusher

Mixmaster

Long Haul

Scrapper

Scavenger

The Twins

Sunstreaker

SideSwipe

Bob

Tend to be solitary but sometimes will come and visit. They're pranksters and love to have fun.

Prehistoric Merfish or Dinomers

Grimlock

Slag

Sludge

Swoop

Snarl

Found when exploring an old ice cave these prehistoric mers are as dangerous as they are incredible. Only demaing a few to be trusting just give them a wide stretch of space and you'll be fine. They attack anything they see but only if they have reason too so just stay away from their markers.

Scavengers

Krok

Crankcase

FlyWheels

Misfire

Spinster

Fulcrum

These are the worst deceptimers in history but hey as long as they aren't killing humans they can do whatever.

Deceptimer Rehabilitation Facility

Lugnut

Blitzwing

Black Arachnia

Acid Storm

Shock Wave

Barricade

DreadWing

SkyQuake

This facility is designed to be comfortable as humans try and make any dangerous or violent merformers calmer. They still have privileges and can go outside into bigger pools but they are there under war crimes against humans and can not leave the facility.

SteelJaws Pack

SteelJack

SaberHorn

Thunder Hoof

Fracture

Underbite

Clampdown

Quillfire

An annoying group of decepticons these cons believe the war should still be fought even though Megatron called a truce. They often cause trouble by sinking ships and stealing treasures or high tech lab equipment.

The Peaceful Tyranny Pod or the DJD

Tarn

Pharma

Nickel

Koan

The Pet

Helex

Tesaurus

Vos

Tyrests Pod

Leader: Tyrest

Royal Guard: Starsaber

Amount of followers is unknown but Tyrest has proven he's a dangerous mer more than once.

Deathsaruses crew

Leader: Deathsarus

Amount of his soldiers is unknown. They are pirates who sink and steal from ships taking any valuables.

Rogue Mers

Overlord and Trepan

Trantulus

Swindle

Mer Hunters/Egg Poachers

Lockdown

Oil Slick

Tell me if I missed anyone :3

[sunspiralings]

JanDragon2021 Day One : Progenitor

Your progenitor, or one of your oldest dragons. Have you modified them in any way? What made you hang on to them?

Verity [She/Her] isn’t the oldest dragon in my lair, but she’s my lovely Progen so of course I gotta give her some love! I’ve only given her a primary and secondary gene, changed her from Fae to Skydancer, and I’ve never scattered her, although I considered it at one point. I was never connected to my original flight, although I’ve got a soft spot for Ice since it was and always will be my first. ^^ 

She and her mate Keiji [My random Progenitor] are Shade Hunters who roam Sornieth dealing with the beasts that cause trouble. They’ve got a small tribe in the Southern Ice Field, and although they’re technically the leaders, their Imp Friend Cicero [Who happens to be the oldest dragon in my lair, last time I checked!] does most of the work for them while they’re gone.

[benoitblanc]

books read in 2019

(given the state of things and how cooped up we all are, i thought i’d publish this rec list i forgot to publish at new year’s. hope people enjoy :) )

red queen by victoria aveyard (4 books + 5 short stories)

goodreads: 3.98

what it’s about: in a world where class is divided by the color of your blood, “red” mare barrow is thrown into the world of the “silvers”- nobility with silver blood and magical powers- and discovers her own deadly power.

good for fans of: the hunger games; renegades

shadow and bone by leigh bardugo (3 books)

goodreads: 4.07

what it’s about: when ravkan foot soldier alina starkov saves her best friend’s life with a power she doesn’t know she possessed, she’s taken to train with an elite force of magical fighters, but not all about their charismatic leader is as it seems.

good for fans of: throne of glass; red queen

six of crows by leigh bardugo (2 books) **

goodreads: 4.54

what it’s about: a gang of unlikely allies must work together to pull off an impossible heist. their reward? unimaginable riches, if they can get out alive... 

good for fans of: harry potter; heroes of olympus

lovely war by julie berry 

goodreads: 4.28

what it’s about: in 1940s europe, the goddess aphrodite tells the tales of two world war i romances in an attempt to save her own relationships.

good for fans of: the night circus; the guernsey literary and potato peel pie society

the folk of the air by holly black (3 books + one novella)

goodreads: 4.34

what it’s about: human jude, living in the world of the faeries with her sisters and parents’ murderer, must fight for the place she’s come to call home when embroiled in a web of spies and treachery.

good for fans of: a court of thorns and roses; monsters of verity

the eyre affair by jasper fforde (8 books) **

goodreads: 4.06

what it’s about: in an alternate 1980s england where literature is prized beyond all else, literary detective thursday next must work with classic characters to maintain order inside the pages of books.

good for fans of: neverwhere

the black witch by laurie forest (2 books)

goodreads: 4.21

what it’s about: when elloren, the magicless granddaughter of the fabled black witch, goes to school to become an apothecary, her worldviews and prejudices are turned upside-down.

good for fans of: the school for good and evil; shadow and bone

neverwhere by neil gaiman

goodreads: 4.17

what it’s about: when richard mayhew stops one night to help an injured young woman, he discovers a world underneath london full of magic, adventure, and terrible danger.

good for fans of: harry potter; thursday next

norse mythology by neil gaiman **

goodreads: 4.09

what it’s about: norse mythology. duh.

good for fans of: the song of achilles; magnus chase

caraval by stephanie garber (3 books)

goodreads: 4.13

what it’s about: for as long as they can remember, scarlett and tella have dreamed of participating in the legendary caraval circus, but they soon discover that the games may be more than they bargained for.

good for fans of: the night circus; renegades

the wheel of time by robert jordan (a ridiculous number of books. disclaimer i have only read the first one so far so it may all go to shit. unsure.)

goodreads: 4.19

what it’s about: when their town is plagued by attacks and disappearances, five teenagers journey with a witch and her stoic guard in order to save their home.

good for fans of: the lord of the rings; a song of ice and fire

the gentleman’s guide to vice and virtue by mackenzi lee (2 books)

goodreads: 4.14

what it’s about: when playboy aristocrat monty’s tour of europe is rudely interrupted by bandits, he, his sister felicity, and best friend percy find themselves on the run from the law.

good for fans of: six of crows; percy jackson

throne of glass by sarah j. maas (7 books + 5 short stories)

goodreads: 4.47

what it’s about: in a world without magic, assassin celaena sardothien is pulled from the slave camp of endovier and entered into a deadly contest to become the king’s champion. 

good for fans of: the hunger games; the folk of the air 

renegades by marissa meyer (3 books)

goodreads: 4.33

what it’s about: the renegades are a group of elite superheroes who stand as pillars of justice for everyone except nova, who wants revenge for her parents’ deaths. but when she infiltrates the renegade base, she’s forced to question everything she thought she knew.

good for fans of: shadow and bone; monsters of verity

circe by madeline miller **

goodreads: 4.28

what it’s about: circe is remembered as a villain, but time, history, and the greeks have not been kind to her true story.

good for fans of: percy jackson; neil gaiman’s norse mythology

the song of achilles by madeline miller**

goodreads: 4.33

what it’s about: exiled prince patroclus and achilles, the best warrior of the greeks, have loved each other since they were children, but a war and a prophecy threaten all they hold dear.

good for fans of: romeo and juliet; the night circus

the night circus by erin morgenstern **

goodreads: 4.04

what it’s about: magicians celia and marco have been engaged in a dangerous contest for years. their battleground is the extraordinary cirque des reves, only open at night. but when they fall in love, their lives- and the lives of everyone in the circus- are thrown into peril.

good for fans of: basically anything. magic + romance + victorian era + beautiful prose. please read this book.

the starless sea by erin morgenstern

goodreads: 4.09

what it’s about: when zachary ezra rawlins finds a mysterious book in his college library, he isn’t expecting to be drawn into the starless sea, a world where sentiment is dangerous, but love conquers all.

good for fans of: neverwhere

good omens by terry pratchett and neil gaiman **

goodreads: 4.25

what it’s about: armageddon is nigh. the armies of good and evil are preparing for war. but crowley and aziraphale, renegade demon and angel respectively, have grown quite fond of humanity. and someone seems to have misplaced the antichrist.

good for fans of: doctor who

the kingkiller chronicles by patrick rothfuss (2 books + one novella) **

goodreads: 4.56

what it’s about: when circus performer kvothe’s troupe is brutally murdered, he resolves to discover the truth about their deaths. his search leads him across the globe, to the most revered school for magic, to far-off kingdoms, but not far enough for his past to be unable to catch up with him.

good for fans of: harry potter; the lord of the rings

aristotle and dante discover the secrets of the universe by benjamin alire saenz 

goodreads: 4.34

what it’s about: unlikely friends ari and dante navigate the unfamiliar worlds of friendship, identity, and romance.

good for fans of: simon vs. the homo sapiens agenda; the raven cycle

monsters of verity by victoria schwab (2 books)

goodreads: 4.16

what it’s about: in a world where monsters plague the streets of what used to be america, monster-hunter august and monster-supporter kate must team up in order to survive.

good for fans of: renegades; divergent

the guernsey literary and potato peel pie society by mary ann schaffer and annie barrows

goodreads: 4.16

what it’s about: when writer juliet begins to exchange letters with one of the residents of guernsey shortly after world war ii, she journeys to the island to research a book about the german occupation- but never expected to find a home.

good for fans of: the book thief; lovely war

the raven cycle by maggie stiefvater (4 books) **

goodreads: 4.23

what it’s about: blue sargent has always been told she will kill her true love. richard gansey has been searching for an ancient legend ever since his near-death as a child. when blue meets gansey and the rest of the raven boys, her life is changed forever.

good for fans of: percy jackson; the folk of the air

[miss-barker]

GenLocke Platinum Part 7: INESCAPABLE DEATH

- Added Alinta to the team and changed her name to Bridget.

- Taught Rock Tomb and Dig to Lazarus.

- Did some grinding to help Bridget catch up with the rest of the team.

- Bridget evolved into Houndoom after a battle with a wild Mr. Mime.

- Lost Anji to Commander Saturn's Toxicroak.

- Added Darwin III to the team and did some grinding to help him catch up.

- Darwin III evolved into Espeon after eating a Rare Candy.

- Taught Psychic to Darwin III.

- Taught Flash Cannon to Cody.

- Fought against Commander Mars at Lake Verity. Darwin III OHKO'ed Golbat with Psybeam. Bridget switched out, got hit with Fake Out, almost got KO'ed by Slash and hit Purugly with Fire Fang. Panama switched out, got hit with Slash and then sadly got KO'ed by a critical hit Slash. Lazarus switched out, got hit with Faint Attack and finished off Purugly with Dig. Lazarus OHKO'ed Bronzor with the same attack.

- Added Nephele to the team.

- Missed catching a Snover on Route 216.

- Caught Yukon the Snover (Lv. 34, Careful Nature, Likes to fight) on Route 217.

- Lost Lazarus to a trainer's Electabuzz on Route 217.

- Missed catching a Swinub at Acuity Lakefront.

- Hatched Alabastar the Riolu (Careful Nature, Often scatters things) in Snowpoin City and added him to the team.

- Nephele evolved into Altaria while grinding.

- Taught Fly to Nephele.

- Taught Thunderbolt to Kutishia. (We never used Swagger anyway.)

- Alabastar evolved into Lucario while grinding.

- Taught Ice Punch and Earthquake to Alabastar.

- Fought against Gym Leader Candice. Cody OHKO'ed Sneasel with Flash Cannon and Piloswine with Surf. Bridget switched out, got hit with Avalanche and OHKO'ed Abomasnow with Fire Fang. Froslass used Double Team, Bridget hit Froslass with Faint Attack, got hit with Shadow Ball and finished of Froslass with Faint Attack.

[healthynutritionstuff-blog]

Do you know that Fat powder is the healthy replacer for traditional cream!!

Fat powder is the healthy replacer for traditional cream, butter and vegetable oils. At the same time it offers a suitable processing, extended shelf life and stability.

To get fat powder product for your own food business and to add value to your products, Contact us now:

https://www.tiba-trade.com/products/Fat-Powder

Depending on products that is dairy free, open the door in front of customers, to find more product's options, as fat powder offers a great chance to create and verity your food recipes with its variety, creamy taste and white color, so you could make soups, sauces and any food kind, as you could use it instead of dairy components.

In other words you will serves people who have problems with dairy products, such as babies under 6 years, moms who work hard to keep their family healthy, vegan people, people who have allergies or maybe people who just don’t like dairy products.

Fat powder, could be the 100% replacer of the creamer, as it has the same white color, texture and mouth feel, on the other hand, it fits your diet, as it has zero fats, the absence of dairy products make it a vegetarian product, but we can control the mount of types of fats in it _ we determine it depending on customer requirement _

Fat powder improves fat distribution in mixes finally, it's ease of storage and handling, which is the most important thing with no doubt, because how it could benefit you if you depend on the best product, but you need a specific condition for storing it, and if you failed in storage it you will lose your money and your time.

Also Fat powder has many more advantages over products that contain dairy, as it's too much easier to handle because its medium melting, so it doesn't lump or flow freely, at the same time Fat powder is faster melting than other fat products. Also, it has a very good quality of texture, as it has a good taste on the opposite of the healthiest products, also it has the same mouth feel and color of the creamer, which makes it replace it very easily with no one notices the absences of dairy products.

So if you want to enhance your products and offer your customers what they are really deserving and take the leader in the food industry, then Fat powder is your smartest choice.

As we mention pervious fat powder has many benefits, because it's an organic product, so we see it used in many things like: breading, biscuits,  Cookies, Cakes,  Gravies, Muffin Mixes, Sauces, Soups, ice cream and Side Dishes  like: Pasta & Potato & Rice.

[teamsocialism]

If you could be a god, what would your domain be?

well, this is kind of awkward lol

I'd probably want to be a goddess of justice - 📘

[thclcstgirl]

It’s Fall, 2148 CE. The Ark, once a place of security and reliability, is dying, and no one knows. Jake Griffin, Senior Environmental Engineer and husband of Head of Medical Abby Griffin, has been floated and his daughter Clarke arrested and taken to the skybox. Rumors spread of why he was floated but nothing sticks. No one save those present know for sure, and if Abby does, she’s not talking. In other news, an illegal 15 year old was found at the Unity Day dance, having been hidden under the floor for the last 15 years with no one’s knowledge. Aurora Blake has been floated and the girl under the floor- Octavia- has been put in the skybox.

It’s September 13, 2149. The 100 chosen delinquents hit the ground with transmitter bracelets to see if the planet humanity one called home is habitable again, a hundred years ahead of schedule. They thought they were inheriting the Earth their ancestors had abandoned, the first and only humans in a hundred years.

Turns out they were wrong.

It’s September 25, 2149. The culling has happened, but too soon. Or perhaps just in time.  The life support systems are in the process of repair, genuine repair this time. The Ark will live. But the kids are left to survive earth with only Ark radio frequencies to help them.

It’s October 7, 2149. The plan was to blow up the bridge to prevent the mounting grounder attack. Instead, a white(ish) flag raised and out of the chaos, peace emerged in the form of Commander Lexa. Members of both sides lay dead and Lexa agrees to meet with Clarke and Bellamy to determine if blood had had enough blood.

It’s October 8, 2149. Peace is established. The Ark is safe again. The ground is safe for the kids for the first time.

Now what?

Inherited the Earth is a group verse for indie players of The 100 fandom. Open to both canon and oc characters, it follows the events of the first season up until the blowing up of the bridge. The two major changes to the storyline are: peace with the grounders instead of the finale battle of season 1, and the Ark being repaired and the adults not needing to come down. The kids are left on their own, in a time of (relative) peace to create their own society among the grounders.

Please send apps into Britt on Fox. Feel free to direct any questions there or to Lor on Verity or Danny on Jasper.

Rules;

Activity: This is a fun, easybreezy group. We’re not here to babysit you, but we do ask you try to be active or at the very least don’t fault others letting plots go on in your absence. There won’t be activity checks, but if we have interest from someone wanting your canon and you haven’t been active in a couple weeks or let us know what’s going on with you, we’ll replace you. It’s nothing personal, it’s just not fair to have a character on hold for someone who doesn’t seem to want to participate. 

Conduct: Just. Be nice, okay? Try to be inclusive. All that jazz. Y’all know this lol

Admins: Britt, Lor and Danny (Fox, Verity, and Jasper, respectively) are available for questions, comments, and concerns when needed.

App;

OOC

Name/Alias:

Over 18?:

Discord handle for group chat:

IC

Character name:

Character age:

Crime (if known):

How does your character feel about the peace with the grounders? And would others readily know this?:

Short bio (mostly for oc characters but canons feel free to put a bio or expand on what’s known about your character. Or leave it blank, up to you): 

Taken Characters; 

Canon:  Fox - Delinquent. 16.  Jasper Jordan - Delinquent. 16.  John Murphy - Delinquent. 17.  Bellamy Blake - Stowaway. Honorary delinquent. Leader. 23.  Raven Reyes - Crash Landed. Honorary delinquent. 19.  Octavia Blake - Delinquent. 17.  Clarke Griffin - Delinquent. Leader. 18.  Anya - Grounder. 29.  Lincoln - Grounder. 23.

OC:  Verity Williams - Delinquent. 17.  Louisiana Chambers - Delinquent. 18. 

Accepted;

@survivorbuiilt, @faultedleader, @greaseveined, @headstrongblake, @skaisetnes, @onyafevayuj, @mystiicanatomy, @trikrulinkon

Track the tag HERE 

[moviestorian]

What is your top 10 fav characters (from any of the fandoms you're in) and why? i'm curious ;)

Alright, so I will make top 10 from Poldark and A Song of Ice and Fire, because I have a separate ask about Lord of the Rings characters. :) So, just in short!

POLDARK

(note: probably after s3 my preferences may slightly change)

1. George Warleggan - mostly for season 1 and 2, and I have a separate ask about him so not gonna go into detail here.

2. Dwight Enys - he’s always really gentle and caring, and selfless.

3. Caroline Penvenen - very intelligent, witty and thoughtful and compassionate.

4. Demelza Carne - in season 1 she was my ultimate favourite, but well… Anyway, I love that she’s very fierce, brave, loyal, and cares about people she loves.

5. Elizabeth Chynoweth - mostly for s1 and 2, introverted, strong in her own way, observant, I also think she is very kind, yet underappreciated.

6. Drake Carne - he’s just so adorable :)

7. Francis Poldark - really dynamic character with fantastic character development

8. Verity Poldark - one of the purest characters ever, kind, gentle, selfless, always eager to help, fantastic friend.

9. Prudie Paynter - honestly hilarious, and I love her relationship with Demelza and Jeremy!

10. Hugh Armitage (at least so far) - I adored all the interactions he had with Dwight, so far he seems calm, willing to help, and he doesn’t seem very self-absorbed.

ASOIAF

1. Theon Greyjoy - again, I have a separate ask about him ;)

2. Sansa Stark - gentle, observant, thoughtful, idealistic, strong in a sense that she’s not really touched by all the bad that happened to her and remains a good person.

3. Jon Snow - intelligent, calm, not very judgmental, good leader, can be relied on, really mature for his age.

4. Jaime Lannister - his character development!!!

5. Quentyn Martell - I strongly empathize with him. He’s very human, imperfect, makes mistakes, but is a very good, sensitive person.

6. Doran Martell - I strongly doubt that most of his plans are eventually going to work, but I love his personality overall. He may not be physically strong, but mentally very much so, considering that he suffered a lot, too, and most people around Doran don’t believe in him. Also, he really cares about people of Dorne, including the poor.

7. Davos Seaworth - good advisor and a wise man, loyal

8. Cersei Lannister - I don’t like her as a person, but she’s incredibly fascinating character and I loved reading her chapters.

9. Missandei - really clever and intelligent considering her age, compassionate, caring and loyal.

10. Tywin Lannister - a terrible person, probably one of the worst ASOIAF characters, but a really fascinating and interesting character, every time he appeared in the book or on screen he drove my attention.

[doremily]

@thetorchsong​ tagged me in this reading ask! Thanks so much, darling :)

Which book are you reading right now? Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín. I saw the movie last spring and really liked it, so I’m hoping it’ll be good. 

What’s the best beverage when reading? Water, black tea, or iced coffee. 

What is/are your favourite book quote(s)?

I can think of two. I started writing quotes I love down in my journal earlier this year, which is the only reason I can think of any. :)

“Still, there are times I am bewildered by each mile I have traveled, each meal I have eaten, each person I have known, each room in which I have slept. As ordinary as it all appears, there are times when it is beyond my imagination.” -Jhumpa Lahiri, “The Third and Final Continent” in Interpreter of Maladies.

“I do not know whether she is a woman or a goddess, but my guess is that she is in truth Venus.” -Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales

Are you looking forward to a certain book release? If yes, which one? 

I just read about one in Time called Exit West coming out in a few months that sounds pretty good. In general, I don’t hear about books until after they’re released. 

What’s your Hogwarts house? Probably Ravenclaw, but I like to think I’m a Gryffindor. 

If you could get on a plane right now, where would you go? (And yes, fictional places are good as well. You could also travel via wardrobe/ train/ etc.) I want to travel around Spain and France by sleeping train. 

What’s your favourite holiday read? I can’t think of any “holiday reads” except those books that I reread over holidays because I have more time to read and I feel like I can treat myself by reading an old favorite. Those books would be the Harry Potter and Percy Jackson books. 

Spell your name using book titles!  Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling, Life After Life by Kate Atkinson, and The Year of Living Biblically by AJ Jacobs

Any books you’d like to recommend?

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Bossypants by Tina Fey, Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri, Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein, Tales of teh Unexpected by Roald Dahl, and Broad Influence: How Women Are Changing the Way America Works by Jay Newton-Small. 

What is your favorite kind of non-fiction book to read?

Essays and personal narratives.

What types of book covers do you find most aesthetically pleasing? Colorful covers with good fonts. 

Favorite book you’ve read this year? Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi was really fascinating. It traced the lineage of two fictional women from western Africa starting in the 1600s I think? One of them was captured as a slave and the other was married to a British military leader, and the novel followed the vastly different lives of their descendants in Africa and North America. 

The One Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson was also also incredible. It was the kind of fiction I’m always looking for but rarely find.  

If you set yearly goals for yourself, how many books would you like to read in 2017? I don’t have a numerical goal, but I want to read a lot of different types of books this year. Looking at the “to read” list I already have, I think I will accomplish that goal. 

Which book, if any, has made a lasting impression on you? No question, definitely the Harry Potter books. 

Which book has been the greatest disappointment? I’m terrible at remembering the books I read years ago, but most recently it would be The Danish Girl, The Magicians, and 1984.

@strawb-aby @spacecatets @fair-winds-far-travels @lost-in-a-cornfield @loserville5 if y’all want to do this please do!

[shop1906]

What is unique in Alpha Phi Alpha Merchandise

Alpha Phi Alpha is a Fraternity (a group of people having a common interest) founded on December 4, 1906, at Cornell University, New York. It is the first African-American, intercollegiate Greek-lettered fraternity. The social studies club organized in 1905 at Cornell University, turned into a fraternity with a motive to provided services to all and promoting brotherhood.

The fraternity has many names –Alphas, Ice Cold Brothas, Men of Distinction, The oldest & the coldest- but Alpha Phi Alpha (APA) is the most famous one.”First of All, Servants of All, We Shall Transcend All” is the motto of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, which was established African-American students who faced discrimination at American Universities.  

What does Alpha Phi Alpha do?

A group of fourteen students started alpha Phi Alpha. Now, It has more than 290,000-lifetime members and more than 800 chapters. The international organization has opted Great Sphinx of Giza as its symbol, and old gold and black as its colours. It believes in promoting brotherhood and developing leaders and focuses on its aim of “Manly Deeds, Scholarship, and Love For All Mankind. APA addresses social issues such as ailments, discrimination and economic and political unrest. The fraternity was greatly recognized for its services during Great Depression, World Wars and civil rights movements.

Alpha Phi Alpha Merchandise

Alpha Phi Alpha offers a big range of Merchandise that follows and leads to a new era of fashion. Alpha Phi Alpha Merchandise includes Alpha Phi Alpha shirts, Alpha Phi Alpha jacket, Alpha Phi Alpha money clip, Alpha Phi Alpha license plate frame, Alpha Phi Alpha License cover Alpha Phi Alpha Mugs and almost all the items that one want to buy.  

Al l the Alpha Phi Alpha Merchandise defines the central theme and identity of the organization. It supports the motto of the APA fraternity. Alpha Phi Alpha Merchandise supports its idea of brotherhood and makes the organization able to provide services across the world.

Alpha Phi Alpha Merchandise can be bought through the online stores and on some Greek stores as well. One can choose the item for oneself from a wide verity of items available on the online stores.