#reading this again and i'm onboard the ship now

[yaut-jaknowit]

Hi, this is my first time making a request so I hope I'm doing it right. If I am may I please request a part 2 to the "you are not hunted" because I am currently OBSESSED with Gawtin (a little to much) and just re-read the whole masterlist and came upon this post making me want to know what happens next. You can ignore this is u want but I want you to know I love your work and hope your having a great day/evening <3

You Are Not The Hunted Part 2

Character: Gawtin (female Yautja) x GN!Reader

Word Count: 3019

Summary: This giant alien takes you from your friends, from your home. She traps you in her bedroom, the safest place to be. You are claimed to be her pet from that moment forward. And well... you don't take that very well.

Author Note: Ehehehe, I'm so glad you are obsessed with her! There's no such thing as too much with Gawtin. Love her as much as you want! I appreciate all the love!

Part 1

Masterlist

Ao3

Now, onboard Gawtin’s ship, reader is both terrified and angry that this thing took them. Reader tries to fight their way off the ship but Gawtin easily overpowers them and pins them to a wall. So, they tried to escape by wedging the door open or smashing the keypad. They get electrocuted by accident. When Gawtin tries to feed them, that doesn’t work. Reader refuses to eat even when Gawtin uses her presence to scare them.

Despite the pounding of your fists against the creature’s sturdy back, it did nothing to make her even flinch. She continued to strut through the forest you were once enjoying. Your screams rung through the trees. Your friends lost between the trunks and foliage. Tears slowly ran down your cheeks. The world taking a darker turn as you’re carried away from them.

In this position, you spotted a weapon hanging from her waist. A machete. You instantly reached for it and attempted to pull it off of its fixed position. A hand engulfed yours before you could make contact with it. It held a firm grasp but not enough force to crack any bones. You struggled again. Your hand couldn’t be retrieved.

Her feet stopped. Your body slid down her front and landed unsteadily on your feet in front of her. The large alien snatched both of your wrists and crowded into your space. Instinctively, you took steps backwards to get away from her. Until the curve of your spine met the rough texture of a tree trunk. A gasp sounded from your throat.

Each of your wrists were lifted high above your head and pinned to the bark. They were easily held in one of her hands. A snort sounded from the creature. “You… do not think,” she uttered. Her free hand pinched something out of a pouch on her side. Rope was held between two fingers. She brings it up to your wrists. Your brows jerked up towards your hairline. You doubled down the fight and tried to slip out by taking off the weight on your legs. That only pulls painfully on your shoulders. The creature still has a firm grip on you.

Talently, the alien is able to tie your wrists together with one hand. Then, she throws you back onto her shoulder like you weighed nothing to her. With her size, you believed that as a fact.

The journey began once more. She carried you through the forest. The speed she took only made the trip short but sweet. Her form stopped. Her arm holding onto your thigh lets go for a moment. You hear a beep then a hiss. Curiosity got the best of you. You tried to lift yourself up to peer over her shoulder. She makes a short but warning growl. Your survival instincts force you to lay back down against her back, limp.

All you had to do was play along and hope for survival.

A new scene greeted you. She had walked up some sort of ramp and entered… something out of this world. Alien. This was a ship. A spacecraft. The angle hurt your neck but you took in everything you saw. From what looked to be storage all the way to main area of the vessel. She passed a door before one opened up for her.

Muted colors made up the interior of the ship. In the room she took you into, skulls were the first thing that greeted you. A terrified scream pierced the air. The fight entered your veins again. You kneed and punched and even bit to get her to let go you. It didn’t matter if your hands were tied together. You fought for your survival.

Snarls erupted from the creatures throat. Your body was harshly tugged off of her shoulder and dropped onto the floor. Your knees gave out. You were forced to lay back while peering up at her. Her metal mask made it impossible to see her expressions. The muscles that lined her shoulders and chest were tense. You whimpered and scrambled backwards, legs kicking to get away from her.

“Stop,” her rough voice demanded. The green creature ate up the space you desperately put between the two of you. Her hand grasped at the limited space between your own tied up ones and pulled you closer to her. You kicked at her shins.

A sharp huff escaped her. “Stop. I will not harm you.” You could see the blurred reflection of yourself staring back at you. Your head rapidly shook no.

“Let go of me!” you yelled at her and tugged harder. The rope painfully dug into your wrists. Yet, it didn’t budge. “Please, don’t kill me.” Her words had gone flying over your head. You were in such a state of panic, you weren’t listening. Your ears had blocked out all other sounds besides the race of your heart. Survival to see another day.

The grip on the bindings didn’t loosen or falter for even a second; despite your constant kicking. She held strong in her stance. Her other hand came around and grabbed you by the throat. It easily encircled one of the most fragile parts of your body. You instantly froze, paralyzed to the spot. One wrong move and she could snap your neck like a twig.

“Now, listen. I will not harm you. You are my pet now.” You accidently yelled out a ‘what?!’ which caused her to squeeze your neck in a threatening manner. A whimper fell from your lips. “No harm shall come to you under my care. You will be cared for, fed, clothed.” You fearfully looked into her purple eyes that kept you froze to the ground.

“W-why?!” you sputtered out and fought back the tears desperate to dribble down your face.

Her thumb on your neck caressed along the artery hidden between skin. “I have watched you for some time, little one. You intrigue me.” Heat blotted your features. How long has she been watching you?! Oh god. You’ve not felt eyes on you in what was thought to be the safety of your home. “I have made you mine, under my kinds law. I lay claim to you as my pet.”

Every time she called you ‘pet’ made your stomach twist with a sick feeling. Out of all the things to happen to you in your life. To be made a pet to an alien wasn’t plausible in your mind.

Yet, the new situation that surrounded you was evident of your new issues. You swallowed hard, chest stuttering with each intake of air. Your ribs felt like they were constricting your lungs, squeezing out the air in them.

The corners of your vision began to darken. Each new breath was faster than the last. Your eyes glazed over. Her grip around your neck loosened to the point you could almost just drop down the floor. That didn’t help ease up the issue you were causing to yourself.

Both of your hands went to the center of your chest, feeling them move underneath your fingertips. You tried to slow down your breathing. The danger no longer as high of a threat now. But, your body didn’t feel that way. The panic kept building and building. Until darkness overtook your sight and left you limp in the creature’s hold.

When you awoke next, you sat up with a gasp, hands flying to your throat in terror. Nothing held you in place. Your body acted before your mind had a chance to think. All of your limbs forced you to back peddle until you smacked into a hard, flat object. The wall. You pressed yourself against it, limiting the places something or someone could come and attack you.

Your hands gripped at your unkept hair. Whatever dream – or nightmare – that had controlled you during your sleep caused it. You swiftly swivel your head back and forth. The room was empty, bare from anyone or anything. All besides the three skulls on top of the door frame across from you.

One of them was a human skull.

Instantly, your chest began to heave. She was going to turn you into that. Every word from before had flew straight over your head. Actions speak louder than words. And if by the looks of the other skulls that decorated the… bedroom, she’s lying to you. You were no pet, nothing more than another trophy on the wall. These were all trophies.

Wait! Her bedroom?! You finally took in the space and its contents. Currently, you had been placed on top of what looked and felt like a bed. Furs covered it. All from different looking creatures she’s probably killed herself. And that was going to be you next. You shuddered and hugged yourself, slightly rocking yourself in a pacifying manner. It did little to quell the quaking of your lungs or the stuttering of your heart.

One wall had an open doorway that seemed to lead into a bathroom. You were unsure in the darkness that nearly consumed the whole space. Only a low light came from the running boards that lined the walls. It was just bright enough to barely make out the skulls and other animal bones that decorated the bedroom. All of them signs of what will happen to you next.

Light flashed bright. It temporarily blinded you. A yelp echoed back at you. Your face scrunched up, eyes unable to accommodate the sudden light so quickly. But the click of talons on metal had a shiver running down your spine, rattling your bones. You tried to fight off the pain to find her.

A warm hand cupped your chin and tilted your head up. The touch had your heartrate spiking even higher than before. Your hands shot out and smacked against a firm, muscular arm that didn’t yield to your attacks. She didn’t even make a single sound of distress and simply held you in place. It was evident that her strength greatly outweighs your own. In multiple ways she’s shown you.

“Calm down, little one,” she grumbled and pinched your chin only slightly harder to gain your attention. You whimpered. Finally, your eyes worked with you to open and find the giant alien leaning over the side of the bed. One of her hands was holding up her weight while the other held your jaw. Your gaze flickered down to the arm on the bed, knowing there was a chance you could kick it out. That may drop her to the bed. Then what? She’ll easily roll over, sit up, and tear your head off of your shoulders for doing such a thing.

“I have told you, you are not in harms way. There is no reason to panic.” Her voice was a rumble, deep. A tone you weren’t use to when it came to feminine figures. Nor did she fit the standards for humans. The only thing you could notice was a slight pronunciation of her chest and wider hips. Besides that, the thickly corded muscles that lined her figure, deep voice, and aggressiveness made you think of her otherwise. That only made you wonder what the male looked on her side of the species.

Your eyes completely stopped hurting from the light and opened all the way. Shyly, you had tucked your head to the side. Not once did you take your eyes off of her. If you were going down, you were going to take every chance to survive. No matter what.

The alien chuffed then released your chin and straightened her posture. She reached towards the end of the bed and push a tray towards you. “Food. Eat. You will need your strength.”

That through you in for a loop. Why in the world would you need your strength if she was going to turn you into one of her trophies? Your gaze narrowed on her, questioning on her intent. What was her point? What was she doing?

“I’m not hungry,” you stated, eyes flickering down to the steaming plate of food for only a second. The scent waft up into your nose and caused your stomach to growl loudly. Heat flushed to your cheeks instantly. “You didn’t hear that.” Now, she won’t believe you for even a second.

Her head tilted to the side. Her mask was still in place, covering whatever lay underneath. All you could read was her body language and hoped it was at least similar to humans.

She pushed the tray close enough to knock it against your shin. You refused to take your eyes of her for even a second. Every moment in a fight counts. Even in one that looks like you won’t win. You’d rather go down trying than willingly give up. “I told you, I’m not hungry.” Thankfully, your stomach decided not to interrupt the conversation.

Clicking sounded from behind the mask. Your brows furrowed, instantly trying to make sense of the noises. It didn’t sound like tongue clicking. It was far too fast. You leaned away from her the best you could with a wall behind you.

“What will get you to eat?” she asked of you in an annoyed tone of voice. She seemed done with your antics. Your heart began to thunder in your ears. Panic settling back into your veins again.

The food smelled wonderful. It was hot and fresh by the looks of it. But, she had made it. There’s a chance she poisoned it. Who knows? She may have the strength to kill you with her bare hands, but what if she’s insane. She has to be since she kidnapped you out of all of your friends. And her wording from before. She had wanted just you. As if she had been stalking you this entire time, picking out a target to become a new plaything.

Fear drew you away from her, scooting towards the side. Until you had the chance to slip off and get onto your feet. “Just let me go, okay? I don’t know what I’ve done to get kidnapped but please. All I want is to go home,” you pleaded with all of your heart. You knew it was going to get denied. There’s a hidden reason she wanted you. More than her calling you her pet. That had to be.

She bowed her head and shook it with disappointment, flowing off of her. “Paya, give me strength.” You heard her uttered barely above a breath. Her head raised so the eye sockets of the mask found your face. The intense stare from her behind the mask was nearly paralyzing. “Listen to me closely: you are my pet now. You will not be harmed. You are not leaving. I have laid my claim over you.”

With the words repeated straight to your face for the fifth time, you paused in your tactical retreat.

The nearest object appeared in your hand a millisecond before it went flying through the air. “No!” you shouted at the top of your lungs, face flush with heat. The next thing you went was nearly in your hand when you felt a presence behind you.

One thickly corded arm wrapped around your waist and tugged you up and off the ground. Your feet kicked wildly, striking every part you could reach. None of it did the damage you wished to see. She only grunted when you hit her knee in a particular spot. Then, she was sitting down on the bed and hold you in her lap. Your back to her chest. That same arm still snug and secure around your waist.

A deep, vibrating purr erupted from her throat and skipped across your skin. Goosebumps arose across your flesh, pebbling the tissue.

Before you had time to realize the effects, your tense muscles began to loosen. Confusion overridden your features. You struggled weakly in her grasp. Then, you went slack against her chest. The purr acting like a drug had added to your system.

“Good,” she interrupted the sound for only a second. Her other hand came up and petted the top of your head. You further relaxed against her, eyes nearly drifting shut. Your heart even slowed back down to normal.

“What… what did you, you do to me?” you slurred and titled your head back to see the underneath of her mask. In your dazed, doused state, you reached up and poked the exposed portion of her jaw. Weird looking jaw. You attempted to hook your finger under the metal and tug it free. She caught your wrist before you fully committed and put it down by your side. “What are you…?”

The alien paused, including the purring. It still affected you heavily despite the silence now entering the air. You were able to think clearer without the constant sound. She let go both of your waist and wrist and reached for the mask. Your eyes grew to the size of saucers. Was she truly going to expose her features to you? Oh god, what did she look like?!

When the mask was pulled off, a hiss of depressurized air sounded in the room. Your brows furrowed at the noise. She continued the move until you tensed back up. All the dopamine in your system instantly went out the window.

She was surely alien and completely inhuman. But… not ugly? You felt weird to think such a thing. Her head was massive with a dome-like shape that elongated the back of her skull. Piercing purple eyes were sharp and deadly to look in. Four mandibles acted like her lips, each ending in a lethal looking fang. Expect one had signs of a fracture. On the out edges of the dome had beige colored spikes that almost created a full crown.

You gulped down the lump in your throat and stayed still. It wasn’t just her claws and strength that could kill you, those mandible could easily gouge an eye out.

“I am Gawtin,” she announced and set the mask off to the side. “And, like I have said, you will be staying with me.”

[bunneechan]

i'm still not over how sweet this scene was i did not expect the Megumi and Hana ship for some reason and what he said about being her right hand was absolutely so fucking sweet i caaaaan't

[yamaylander]

hey, it's me again! after a whole 2 days, i've finished redoing Nightmare. to be honest i didnt expect myself to work that fast but i guess i was THAT devoted to redoing her entire character. it's a really long file so it's obviously gonna be put under read more. there'll be a preview up until her profile below

special thanks to @cherry-blossomtea and another friend for helping me research DID as well as talking about their experiences with DID themselves. and obviously thanks @adorablegorilla for inspiring me to do this (although i did take a lot of liberties remaking Nightmare's character. found the evil alter thing distasteful)

of course, feedback is always appreciated so i know what parts work best and what areas i need to improve upon, especially in regards to DID as this is my first time engaging it. so do send if you have any!

without further ado, i present to you what i'm calling: Y5 Nightmare!

-----

Nightmare, Medic Operators of Rhodes Island, will provide help no matter who’s currently in the moment.

Who is it I’m talking to today?

Codename: Nightmare

Class: Incantation Medic

Real Name: Nyx Rebel Pasbelletti, Gloria

Gender: Female [Both]

Experience: 6 months [Nyx], 1 month [Gloria]

Place of birth: Victoria

Date of birth: June 1st [Nyx], March 12th [Gloria]

Race: Feline

Height: 156 cm

Infection status: Visible internal blotches, infection confirmed

(file continued below)

Token: A glow-in-the-dark doll, handmade. Nyx said it’ll protect you from bad dreams.

Physical examination

Strength: Normal

Mobility: Standard

Endurance: Normal

Tactical acumen: Good [Nyx], Normal [Gloria]

Combat Skill: Good [Nyx], Standard [Gloria]

Arts adaptation: Excellent

Skills (Rank 7)

Soul Reflection - ATK increases by 70% and attacks two enemies at once, healing two allies in range; each attack binds enemies for 3 seconds

Phantasmagoria - Range expands and stops attacking; decreases movement speed of enemies by 60% and drains 20% of their health every second with Arts damage, while healing operators depending on how many enemies are currently in range

Talent

Fronting - Healing effectiveness increased by 20% when equipped with skill 1; Obtains 18% ATK when equipped with skill 2

*Gloria has asked to keep this event classified until both her and Nyx come to a consensus to speak about it.

Profile

Nyx is a Victorian operating under the codename Nightmare with her headmate, Gloria. Prior to their entry into Rhodes Island, Nyx was a college student who studied medical Arts. Gloria came later during her life due to an unspecified event* before her subsequent infection. They now currently work in Rhodes Island’s triage section, working to help patients as well as Operators in the battlefield.

Clinical Testing

Imaging tests for this Operator showed a blurry outline of internal organs with visible unusual dark spots. Unusually high concentrations of Originium particles were present in her circulation, indicating signs of infection and confirming her as infected at this stage.

[Cell-Originium Assimilation] 16%

Surveillance is recommended for rare cases like this.

[Blood Originium-Crystal Density] 0.33u/L

Infection is in mid-stage and continues to spread. First-level medical plan recommended. Pathological Monitoring Protocol Label: Red (signed by Dr. Kal’tsit, see medical file for more detail).

Gloria is known to be gentle, almost to a fault. She doesn’t strike anyone as the type who would go out in the battlefield, instead giving the impression that she would rather stay and help others in the infirmary. This view is only half the truth. While Gloria does indeed want to help others, she wishes to do so in a manner that both soothes and protects her fellow operators onboard. In the ship, she is often the one who consoles others during their time of need. This is especially true for those who are currently experiencing traumatic stress. Surprisingly Gloria seems to have a good handle on how to deal with such matters, to the point that she could very well apply to be a therapist. It’s even more surprising that Gloria chose to become a battlefield operator, though this is because by her and Nyx’s volition, they want to help people wherever they can.

Archive File 1

Operator Nightmare suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder. In rudimentary terms, DID is when a person suffers from having two or more personalities, also known as alters, in their consciousness. Currently, Nightmare has two headmates that are present, that being Nyx and Gloria, the latter of which tends to be fronting much of the time.

On the subject of Nyx, who is the oldest alter before Gloria came to be, she appears to be far more reserved compared to the more sociable Gloria. She usually remains dormant for long periods of time, often letting Gloria front whenever possible. On the chance that Nyx is fronting however, she shows herself to be far quieter than Gloria is. When talking to others, she speaks in a hushed voice and is quick with her words. She also tends to be more upfront and honest, which has led to others conflicting with Nyx from time to time. From Gloria’s words however, this isn’t because Nyx chooses to be mean, this is only because Nyx isn’t sure how she can talk to others. 

Currently, Gloria is undergoing talks with Nyx in order to help her open up, but she also stresses that Nyx must be given time before she can properly do so. On that note, Operators should be mindful of who they are speaking to at the moment and that proper respect should be given to Nyx’s situation.

Nyx has attended many classes regarding medicine and psychology, to the point that she often spent time reading up on the subject matters during her free time which has resulted in her stifled sociality. This may have also given way to her blunt nature, as Gloria admitted that Nyx often got into trouble by her own volition simply because she was honest in a manner that hurt others. Nyx doesn’t seem to understand why this is but seeing as this was the consequence of her honesty, she wishes to learn how she can avoid hurting others in the future.

Archive File 2

Both Nyx and Gloria have an interest in medicine, psychology and Originium, a somewhat broader range of interest compared to others. Although Nyx was born in a Victorian city that focused on artistry, with her father working in the pottery business, Nyx opted to follow her mother’s footsteps, who worked at the local hospital.

Her interest in Originium came about after Gloria had manifested. Both have been seen attending classes and reading up on Originium and its effects in Rhodes Island. As Gloria stated, “We want to know about Originium simply because we don’t want others to suffer because of it, as well as helping others become safer around it”. To say that Nyx and Gloria are determined to work hard and help others is an understatement.

On the subject of medicine and psychology, it seems the interests somewhat split with Nyx leaning more into studying psychology and Gloria studying medicine more often. Nyx appears to be up to speed on most mental disorders and knows how to deal with them in their proper manner while Gloria’s knowledge on medicine allows her to work in Rhodes Island’s infirmaries without trouble, assisting the doctors if she is available. Their efforts in both departments are commendable and their knowledge will prove fruitful to Rhodes Island’s advances in care.

When Gloria is fronting, the Arts unit becomes more effective at healing operators on the field, targeting multiple people at once. The healing Arts is immensely effective, allowing operators to stand longer and keep fighting. It also has the effect of making our operators feel more alert and thus more vigilant during their battles, increasing their performance in combat.

Archive File 3

For someone so young, Nyx shows a surprising aptitude for battle. Although Gloria has only had one month of combat experience and has focused mostly on first aid, Nyx seems to have the battlefield almost under her control. This is attributed to her Arts unit, which was discovered to have two functions based on whoever is currently fronting at the moment.

On the other hand, when Nyx is fronting the Arts unit becomes focused on keeping enemies back. When used on enemies, it puts them into a dreamlike state where their consciousness appears to dissociate from the current reality. This often causes them to give up fighting in bizarre ways, the most common of which involves them dropping their weapons and staring up at the sky, with some of them slowly wandering the area aimlessly. Why this happens is currently unknown, as Nyx refuses to divulge for the time being. Many operators who have been in field missions with Nyx have said it to be unnerving, unsure what to think when they see the people they were fighting with “suddenly fall asleep while awake”.

One notable incident happened during one of Nightmare’s field missions with Nyx fronting. While fighting a particularly dangerous enemy, she wound up forcing them into a REM state. This resulted in the enemy panicking as though experiencing vivid nightmares, constantly screaming for nonexistent entities to stop while begging for their life to be spared. It was only when they were knocked out that they ceased their panic. After this, Nyx was told not to do this again although it doesn’t seem like she was particularly affected by this event.

While walking back home from college to visit her parents, she decided to take a quick shortcut through one of Londinium’s districts to head there faster. However, she wound up getting caught in the middle of the Kazdel-Victoria crisis where the district she was in ended up getting caught in the middle of the artillery barrages. With nowhere else to go, Nyx was forced to run aimlessly through Londinium in an attempt to get away from the situation. Although mostly successful, the event left her deeply traumatized. In the state the district was in, she had to fend for herself no matter what.

Archive File 4

After a long time, Nyx and Gloria eventually agreed to share how they came to be. Upon their request, this file should also be kept secret from the general staff of Rhodes Island.

The next few days were described to be a living nightmare. She ran afoul with some of the district’s residents whose rationales were gradually deteriorating. Nyx wasn’t an exception as she also began to steal from others whenever she could just so she could make it to another day, even going as far as to attack others who attempted to steal from her. This all eventually culminated into her breakdown when one night, while hiding away in a shelter, someone had broken into it and attempted to steal her supplies. When Nyx tried to fight back, the attacker was far more aggressive than she thought and nearly killed her. Out of desperation, Nyx casted her Arts onto her attacker. Rather than putting them to sleep however, the blast was powerful enough to not only put her attacker to near death but also caused him to experience live nightmares. The end result was that the attacker was left screaming for help for the next few seconds before finally perishing.

Horrified by her actions, her stress finally broke her down. She underwent a severe mental and emotional breakdown before her mind eventually “quarantined” the stressor. For the next few minutes, Nyx had no success of calming down until she suddenly heard Gloria’s voice, who immediately began to reassure her and that everything will eventually be alright. After that, Gloria was able to help Nyx through the crisis however she could, right up until they joined Rhodes Island when they entered one of our buildings in Victoria.

The event has changed Nyx forever and it is certainly not something she’ll easily forget, but she is forever grateful that Gloria was born during her greatest time of need.

To this day, Nyx and Gloria have been continuously communicating to each other about their activities this way but after their therapy sessions, have also been figuring out alternative ways to break down their amnesiac barriers. This led to them creating a headspace of their own, which Gloria described to be a small bedroom in the middle of the night, with a nightlight on at all times. According to Gloria, this is what they find most comforting.

Promotional Record

Prior to them joining Rhodes Island, whenever Nyx and Gloria switched they often forgot about their alter’s activities during their time fronting. Gloria was the first to notice this problem when she spoke to Nyx during their time in Victoria, after hearing the latter ask what Gloria did. With this problem in mind, Gloria had the idea of using a journal she found to document both her and Nyx’s activities so that until they find proper shelter, their alter can remember what the other did so that they are aware of what happened.

Appointed as Assistant - Oh, it’s really bright in here… Doctor, do you mind if you turn down the lights a bit?

Dialogue

Normal text is Gloria speaking, italics is Nyx speaking.

Talk 1 - When we got into Rhodes Island, we weren’t sure what we were expecting… including the kindness that everyone was expressing! It’ll take a bit for Nyx to get used to, but I think she’ll also do just fine here!

Talk 2 - Our staff was given to us by Nyx’s dad. It has the power to sorta put people to sleep but to be honest, using the staff isn’t really a wise choice if we actually want to sleep…

Talk 3 - When I’m alone and Nyx is awake, we talk to each other. The same goes for Nyx too. Hm? Do people think it’s weird? I don’t think Nyx would care, as long as she has someone to talk to… and, well, she’s right for it.

Talk after Promotion 1 - There wasn’t a moment where I could get a good night’s rest back in Victoria… but when Gloria came along, I was finally able to rest. But… I do feel bad for making her go through those horrors. She’s a really brave person.

Talk after Promotion 2 - Oh, what’s that? Our Oripathy is worsening? Yes, that’s been a really big concern of ours… but we’re sure that Rhodes Island can do something. Right Nyx? … mhm.

Trust Talk 1 - Erm, let me apologize on Nyx’s behalf! She really didn’t mean to start that fight in the hallway, I promise! It’s just been a while since she properly talked to someone so her social skills are a bit rusty… but I promise, I’ll help her learn how to socialize better. Just please be patient with her?

Trust Talk 2 - If I’m allowed to be a little morbid here… you’re essentially the leader of Rhodes Island, right? If you die out there, I’d imagine that your operators… your friends, they wouldn’t take it well. Well, that’s why we’re here! We’ll protect you, and everyone, from the threats outside. That much we can promise.

Trust Talk 3 - You get tired from time to time, right? With that pile of work, surely you do lose a lot of sleep doing it… well, what if I have a solution to that? I can always just make you sleep for a day or two. All you have to do is say the word… and I’ll come right along with what you need… haha, just kidding. Too scary?

Idle - … sweet dreams.

Onboard - Ah, hello! I’m Gloria, but you’ve already seen our resume right? My headmate’s name is Nyx! Oh, but give her some time, she’s not used to talking to people yet… codename? Hmmm… well, I think Nyx would want something intimidating like Nightmare but… w-wait, you’re already registering it?! H-Hold on!

Watching Battle Record - So this is how you get stronger…? Intriguing…

Promotion 1 - When we came here, we thought we’d simply be patients getting treatment… but we’d never imagined that we’d be so much more…!

Promotion 2 - It feels like I’m not qualified for this promotion at all… but since Gloria insists, I’ll take it too. I’m just lucky to be alive at this point. So, whatever you need us to do, we’ll do it.

Appointed to Squad (S1) - Mhm, got it.

Appointed to Squad (S2) - I’ll do my best.

Appointed as Squad Leader (S1) - W-Wait, can I really do this alone?

Appointed as Squad Leader (S2) - You won’t be alone.

Depart (S1) - We’ll get a good night’s sleep after this, right…?

Depart (S2) - Curious… what kind of things will you pull off?

Begin Operation (S1) - I see them… over the horizon…

Begin Operation (S2) - So, these are the enemies we’re facing…

Selecting 1 (S1) - Are our supplies safe?

Selecting 1 (S2) - I’ll keep them safe.

Selecting 2 (S1) - I’m ready to fight!

Selecting 2 (S2) - Be sure you won’t regret this.

Deployment 1 (S1) - So this… is our battlefield…

Deployment 1 (S2) - I see no difference in battlefield.

Deployment 2 (S1) - I’ve only fought a few times, please bear with me…

Deployment 2 (S2) - It’s been a while since I’ve been somewhere like this.

In Battle 1 (S1) - Don’t get too rash now!

In Battle 1 (S2) - I’m only getting serious.

In Battle 2 (S1) - Keep yourselves calm!

In Battle 2 (S2) - Relax. You'll only be sleeping for a few seconds.

In Battle 3 (S1) - Have a nice rest!

In Battle 3 (S2) - Sweet dreams.

In Battle 4 (S1) - We’re still advancing? O-Okay!

In Battle 4 (S2) - Don’t waste our time.

4-Star (S1) - D-Doctor… did we just… do something incredible?

4-Star (S2) - So this is what total victory feels like…

3-Star (S1) - And that’s that! Good work everyone!

3-Star (S2) - It ends here. Well done.

2-Star (S1) - Ahhh, is anyone hurt?! I’ll be right there!

2-Star (S2) - We’ve won… but it’s costly. I’ll go clean up the mess.

Assigned to Facility - Where should we sit…

Failure (S1) - Are you hurt?! W-We need to run, now!

Failure (S2) - This… can’t be happening…

Tap - Ah-! Oi.

Trust Tap - Oh, hello! Hi.

Greeting - Good morning, Doctor! Are you well rested?

Title - Akunaitsu.

[sameheart-sameblood]

Turn of the Tide

pairing: wojchek x f!reader

summary: wojchek discovers you've disguised yourself as a man to work aboard the demeter and agrees to keep your secret. he begins treating you different than the other crewmates and you confront him about his unfair behavior

words: 2.8k

warnings: angst, mentions of reader's sad background, chest binding, fluff, me not knowing anything about ships and what happens on them

a/n: popping in to say i'm not dead, just depressed and busy lol. truly grateful to this character for pulling me out of my fic slump. im back to once again make a grumpy fictional man way softer than he was ever meant to be hahaha. also guess im obsessed with david dastmalchian now?? didn't have that on my 2023 bingo card tbh

read on ao3!

Sailors believe in many things. A red sunrise can send them into a panic, anticipating the swells and overbearing winds they’re so sure are to come. Red skies at night, however, can make even the most pessimistic crewmate believe there’s fair weather on the way. Captains refuse to set sail on Fridays, sailors place coins under the mast for good fortune and mariners daren’t whistle lest they summon a storm. Many vessels even have a cat aboard, the little creatures seen to bring luck (and sharp teeth to lessen the rat population). 

Sailors believe in many things but above all they can agree that a woman on board is bad luck. Which seems silly to you because here you are, a woman who’s been on board The Demeter for many months now. Your presence had not brought ill fortune to the vessel. In fact, the weather had remained pleasant, despite the late summer month’s usual downpours and hurricanes. 

Granted none of the crew knew you were a woman. You had disguised yourself as a man, hair cut short and chest bound tightly, but that didn’t change the fact of your sex. A life of adventure on the seas had always called to you but there was no possibility of you being granted work on a ship. The only woman allowed onboard was the carved wooden figurehead of a mermaid that decorated the bow of a vessel. There was no place for you at sea. 

Not one to take no for an answer, you found your own way to get work as a sailor. You had spent time aboard trading ships, learning the ways of the trade and earning the trust of the men you crewed alongside. Your last posting had gone so well that the captain of that ship had recommended you to a friend for your next job. 

That friend had turned out to be Captain Eliot of The Demeter. Captain Eliot and his First Mate, Wojchek, had asked you a few questions, all of which you answered confidently. The Captain was a kind man who remarked positively at your experience. The First Mate, however, was standoffish, challenging your every answer. Wojchek frowned slightly as the Captain offered you the posting and as they walked away you heard him mutter, “He’s too scrawny, Captain. He won’t be able to pull his weight.” 

Captain Eliot had only chuckled, “I thought the same thing when I hired you. Look how wrong I was. You must learn to give people chances, Mr. Wojchek.”

While you appreciated the Captain’s confidence, you made it your mission to show this Mr. Wojchek just how mistaken he was. And for a time, your life aboard the ship was simple. You performed your duties well, befriended the men, took initiative and came to be seen as one of the more ambitious members of the crew. Even Wojchek had to admit, although never to your face, that your were one of the better sailors who had worked under him. 

That good will you had earned was probably the only thing that kept the First Mate from throwing you overboard when he found out who you really were. Your secret was discovered when Wojchek had walked in on you unannounced and had discovered you securing your chest binding. After much fussing, he had threatened to toss you off at the next port. 

You had pleaded with him to show some kindness and let you stay. Eventually, Wojchek reluctantly agreed to let you remain aboard but warned that he couldn’t help you if the rest of the crew found the truth about you. You had promised him that if you were discovered, you would never let on that he had been any the wiser.

The two of you came to an uneasy agreement and work continued, albeit now with a strained air between you. The men would often remark how the first mate would give you the hardest tasks. You had to agree with them. It did feel like Wojchek was taking out his frustration on you. After one particularly grueling day where he had assigned you to a back to back deck watch, you knew you had no choice but to confront him. 

******

You find him in the tiny room assigned to the First Mate of the ship . It was one of the few luxuries he was given on the boat. Whereas you and the other sailors slept where they could in hammocks tied between posts and amongst the cargo, Wojchek had a tiny room all to himself. He even had a porthole, something he takes great pride in.  

You hear him groan as you continuously knock on the door, disrupting his peace. Footsteps approach and the door squeaks open. Wojchek grimaces down at you. 

“What is it, sailor?”

“I need to speak with you, sir.”

“I don’t have time. Neither do you. It’s nearly your watch.”

“I’m not due on deck for a good while yet.”

“We can talk later. Be on your way.”

He starts to close the door but you push against it, anger surging through you at his dismissal. You barge into his room, slamming the door behind you. Wojchek’s eyes widen for a moment, caught off guard by your boldness. But a moment later, he’s back to his usual gruff self. He glowers, backing away from you like you carry a disease he’s worried is catching. 

“This isn’t appropriate.”

“Why? Because I’m a woman?”

“Keep your voice down!”

“It’s not a dirty word.”

“It is when you are disguised as a man on a ship. I’ve kept your secret and I’ll continue to do so. If any of the others were to find out, though…”

“I’ve been sailing with these men for nearly a year. They’re my friends but they’re not the most observant. I think my secret is safe. Besides, if they found out…” you lead off, shrugging your shoulders. 

Wojchek’s face darkens at your blasé attitude. “You think these men are your friends? They would turn on you the second they found out the truth about you.”

“That’s not true,” you retort, “just because you hate me doesn’t mean they would.”

“When did I ever say I hate you?”

“You don’t have to. The way you treat me is proof enough. The others may not have realized I’m a woman but they have started to notice you seem to give me the worst tasks and the most watches.  They know you don’t like me. Sooner or later, they’ll really try and figure out why. You might be the one that reveals my secret to them without meaning to.”

“I don’t hate you, I…”

He looks at you. Really looks at you, something he tried not to do very often once he noticed how catching sight of you made his heart skip a beat. His shoulders tense as he stares into your bright, vulnerable eyes, so out of place in a sailor. 

“You have no idea what a life at sea does to you.” He anticipates the retort you have ready to throw at him and holds up a silencing hand, imploring you to let him finish. “You’ve been on The Demeter for almost a year. No small feat for anyone, man or woman. You’re a good sailor. One of my best. People like you all start out the same, hungry for adventure. They see a life sailing from place to place as an answer to all their problems. And for a time, they’re happy. But eventually, the work breaks you. It keeps you from your family, from your friends. People on land move on while you’re away for months, even years at a time. ” 

Wojchek pauses, all the fight leaving him. “When you come back to port, you look for those who promised they’d always be there for you but one day they don’t come back. The ship’s arrival to land no longer brings hope and the sea can no longer mend the hurt that’s inside you. ” He lowers his gaze, perhaps remembering those whom he’s lost over the years. 

“The light leaves the men’s eyes once they realize that their world has shrunk to the size of this ship. They have nowhere else they belong. It’s suffocating. They grow resentful. I don’t want that for you. I don’t want to see the light leave your eyes.”

The whiplash of it all makes your head spin. You’ve been so convinced these last few months that this man hates you. Now he’s speaking to you more than he has this whole year. Not only that, it seems the worry over your wellbeing has cost him sleep. More so than a First Mate is supposed to spend worrying about a subordinate… 

The light in your eyes? Honestly, you didn’t know that was something you possessed. Maybe a glint of steely determination but you would never have called it anything akin to hope. Your life had always been hard. Being born a woman made life a constant struggle. Being born a poor one made it near impossible. 

Wojchek hasn’t moved, still close enough that you can feel the heat coming off of him in the crisp autumn night air that seeps through the tiny cracks in the ship. His eyes, however, keep jumping between your face and the floor. What he’s said has finally sunk in and along with it, his shame of wearing his heart on his sleeve. 

You keep your voice low as not to scare him. Seeing the usual rock of a man so skittish makes you approach your next words with the same precision as someone handling explosives. “I was born  in squalor to a family that saw my existence as nothing more than a burden. I spent most of my days wondering where my next meal would come from and if I’d have somewhere to sleep. I learned to deal with my lack of means. The thing I never could get over was the fact that I had no one in my life who cared if I lived or died.”

This is nothing you haven’t thought before but something about saying it aloud takes your breath away. A pressure grows in your chest as you fight the emotion that comes with revealing your own secrets. Wojchek doesn’t make it any easier, his once darting gaze now fixed intently on you. It’s your turn to avoid his dark eyes, staring at your shoes as you continue. 

“I was never truly happy until I came on The Demeter. I have food, my own bed, purpose, adventure…friends,” the last word almost doesn’t make it past your throat, now tight with emotion. “I finally feel like I have a home.”

It’s only fair that you tell him the whole of your truth seeing how he’d kept your secret for the last few months. He deserves that much. The tension in the room swirls thick but you aren’t sure if it’s because the First Mate is preparing to send you away or not. You wouldn’t blame him if he did throw you off the ship. With you gone, everything could return to the way it was. It might be better for everyone. 

You become lost in your own dark thoughts. Wojchek reaches out a hand, brushing your hair, shorn short and shaggy as part of your disguise, off of your face. You close your eyes at the touch, savoring the feel of his calloused fingers skimming so gently across your skin. All too soon, he’s pulling his hand away, remembering himself. 

“The Demeter is also the only home I’ve ever known,” Wojchek admits, “It’s a good ship and she’s been strong and true to me. If you’re sure this is where you want to be then you’re welcome to stay as long as you like.”

You nod your thanks, tears threatening to spill again at the relief of knowing you don’t have to leave. When they begin to roll down your cheeks despite your efforts to keep them hidden, Wojchek tuts softly, “Everything will be alright, kotku.”

You may not know the meaning of the word but you can understand from the tenderness in his eyes that it’s a term of endearment in his native tongue. The realization makes you bold. 

“It’s not just the ship or the crew that make The Demeter my home. It’s you.” You force yourself to maintain eye contact with Wojchek, fighting the instinct to look away. The though that he may not return the strength of your feelings sends a shiver of fear through you but you need him to understand how you feel. 

Wojchek searches your face for some deceit but finds only raw truth. He takes a step forward mere inches between you now. His hands twitch to reach for you again but he holds himself back. Above all else, Wojchek is a professional. Just because he thinks you want him doesn’t mean he’ll take the risk of abusing the power imbalance between you. 

Instead, you take the initiative. “May I kiss you, Mr. Wojchek?” It comes out as nothing more than a whisper but he nods. You lean in, teetering on your toes, never realizing how tall he actually was until now. A particularly strong wave hits the ship and you lose your balance. Before you can lose your footing, he has you in his arms. 

Wojchek hikes you up, bringing your face level to his. Years of working the ship have made him strong as an ox and he thanks the gods that he finally has good use for the muscles that hide beneath his tunic.

You press your lips to his and it takes you a few moments to remember to breathe. The kiss is trepidatious and sweet but leaves your stomach swirling with butterflies. Wojchek’s grip tightens on you, scared he’ll find that you’ve been some sprite in his dream that the morning sun will chase away. It feels good to be pressed together like this, limbs intertwined so you’re not sure where you end and he begins.

All too soon, he breaks away, gasping slightly. It seems you weren’t the only one who forgot how breathing works. The sight of the usually stern man so undone by a chaste kiss makes you chuckle.  Your hand grazes his cheek, running over his stubble. It’s strange to remember that just an hour ago you were convinced Wojchek wanted nothing more than to throw you overboard. Now he’s holding you like he’ll never let you go. How quickly life can change for the better. 

The tranquility is broken by the banging of Olgaren resonating through the wood of the ship. Your watch will soon begin and if you aren’t there to take your post, someone will come looking for you. The ship won’t sail itself and you sigh, realizing you can’t put off your responsibilities in favor of staying with Wojchek all night. 

The First Mate groans, “Stay a little longer.”

“I’m late as it is!” You smile at his pout. It’s a new expression you’ve never seen from his before and you push him down onto his tiny bed, kissing him once again. Another bang resounds through the ship and you whine, getting back to your feet. 

“I’ll make Abrams cover your watch.” Wojchek offers, staring up at you with comically pleading eyes. 

“You’ll have a mutiny on your hands if you come between that man and his sleep. Besides, it’s only four hours. You can even come visit me on deck if you like. It’s single watch so there won’t be anyone around to wonder why we’re together.”

“Four hours?” he grumbles.

“You’re the one who assigned me double watch!” 

Wojchek leans back, watching you button your jacket, trying your best to look presentable. He can’t help but smile at the commitment to your work ethic. “I’ll be up as soon as you relieve Olgaren.”

You nod, trying to remove the smile plastered on your face but failing miserably. Hopefully Olgaren is too tired to ask questions when he sees you. “See you soon.”

You’re about to open the door when you remember something. “What does kotku mean?”

Wojchek smiles, “Little cat.”

Once again you’re struck by the sweetness of a man so eager to have the world call him unfeeling. The nickname makes sense. You yourself believe that your presence seems to bring fair weather and good luck to the boat. The Demeter might not have a four legged feline to bring fair fortune but you’re the next best thing; positive, tenacious and willing to do anything for the good of the ship and crew. 

You grin at Wojchek, who now lounges happily on his tiny bed, looking somewhat feline himself. “Are you sure you want to call me that? A ship can never be without a cat. It’s bad luck. You’ll never be rid of me.”

Wojchek smiles contentedly, blinking slowly, sleep seemingly not far off. The chances of him joining you on deck for the evening appear to be dwindling. You’d be devastated if he didn’t look so adorable. He nods, beckoning you for one last kiss goodbye. “Good. I’ll keep calling you kotku so we never have to be apart.”

******

[comicaurora]

So, you mentioned on the podcast that you were watching some classic-era Gundam.

For the season(s) you've watched, assuming you're not planning on suddenly taking the plunge and making a Universal Century Detail Diatribe, would you mind sharing your opinion so far? Universal Century can be a bit divisive, but I always enjoy seeing people's opinions on it. I have mixed feelings on some of the decisions made, myself, but in the grand scheme of things I enjoy what I've seen so far. (Especially Unicorn, but that's not really classic era.)

Also, I'd like to reccomend watching (or reading!) Gundam The Origin, since it acts as a really good, pretty, (and in the anime's case, short) prequel series to the original.

It's interesting! I've watched the compilation movies for 1 and 2 and most of 3, and I can't tell if they lost the plot after 1 or if the writers were being really, really scathing in a subtle way.

1 was incredibly blatant about how Amuro is a traumatized kid who got strongarmed into being the gundam pilot and using it to kill people, something that he clearly absolutely hates - and it's pretty overt that the Federation Force is more than willing to mulch up as many child soldiers as they want in order to win. The movies, and I assume the show they're compiled from, go out of their way to show that there are sympathetic young people on both sides of the conflict that just want to be free of this war, and there are also right bastards on both sides that are willing to be very callous with the lives of others. You can, of course, always identify who the compassionate people are by how pretty they are, and all the right bastards by how grotesque they are. It's pretty unsubtle about that being the core of the narrative, and they really twist the knife at certain points, like when Amuro's mother is horrified and ashamed at him self-defense-killing a Zeon soldier that was actively menacing her refugee camp, and Amuro concluding that she doesn't love him and he truly has no family to go back to.

By 2, things have gotten a little confusing, and I'm inclined to assume this is because the compilation movies had to make some cuts that would've made the character arcs flow a little more smoothly. Amuro decides to leave the whole war behind, which makes sense, but he takes the gundam, which doesn't. They introduce this thread that Amuro is extremely attached to the gundam and very proud of his ability to pilot it, and he has an actual breakdown when he learns that other members of the crew are now trained in its operation and can use it just fine, if not quite as skillfully as he can. It seems like there was a bit of a lurch from "Amuro has been unwillingly dragged into this nightmare and is forced to fight again and again despite his extremely obvious PTSD" to "Amuro refuses to let go of the giant robot that tethers him TO this nightmare," and while it's very interesting in the implications, it doesn't exactly flow cleanly. In fact, this is where there seems to be a bit of a shift from "war is bad" to "wow! cool robot." Amuro goes from PTSD-catatonia every time he destroys an enemy mobile suit to counting them during fight scenes, which is kind of a chilling indicator of the mechanized horror he's becoming accustomed to - assuming that was on purpose and not just a broad defanging of the story to do more Cool Robot Fights.

But the thing is, there's this subplot sometime around 2 or 3 involving a bunch of actual toddlers that have been hanging around on the ship - because it started as a refugee vessel escaping the destruction of a colony, so there's a lot of women (who are now conscripted pilots, of course, and shockingly badass for the era it came out in) and children onboard, and they've been stuck on the front lines running from Zeon with almost no ground support because the Federation likes throwing the gundam at things too much to care about a handful of six-year-olds potentially getting mulched. But throughout this little arc, the kids are finally on track to getting rehomed on Earth by the military - something that the kids are unhappy about because they've got a whole Found Family thing going, but Amuro approves of them leaving, saying "little kids shouldn't see people killing each other," which aligns very firmly with how he is a kid who hates all the killing he's stuck in.

Except then the happy ending is that the six-year-olds get to stay on the warship because they recently helped out with bomb disposal and "they've seen things you guys can't imagine, they don't want to leave!" And this is either really losing the plot or absolutely brilliant spiteful writing on the part of the creative team, because as I understand it, executive meddling was pushing them to include newer, flashier, more colorful giant robots (weapons of war and untold suffering that our teen hero has been trapped in by a mechanized war machine that has effectively enslaved him for his talents) to push toys to the exact age demographic of those chipper six-year-olds. It's almost like the teenage child soldiers are turning out to directly face the camera and saying "what's the difference between forcing us onto the front lines and letting these precocious youngsters keep flinging themselves into the crossfire? Gotta sell more gunplas, right?"

So if that was on purpose, I really liked it. If not, it's kinda hearbreaking to see the show gradually start pulling its punches in favor of turning the Oops All Babies warship into a heartwarming found family situation.

Also they started really banging the "newtypes are the plot now" drum in 3 and once everyone started getting psychic powers I kinda lost steam tbh

[friedfriedchicken]

Hello fellow WFC Breaksounder may I please ask for your head-canons of them 🙏

OHHH YOU GOT IT BESTIE- I'm writing a fic right now but I'm in writer's block so this is gonna be fun letsgooo

Gonna keep this fluffy because I'm in a fluffy mood (<- person who just posted an angsty fic)

I wrote a ton of like- story points- so I'm stuffing it under a read more because uhhhh that's long whoops

Headcanons on how they met because I'm a yapperrrr and I've barely had anyone to yap to about them <3

Soundwave and Breakdown first met during the war. It was by chance that Megatron brought both of them on the train-station-thingy mission but he needed a trusted officer and a good soldier who wound't yap (WFC Breakdown is a yapper but he wouldn't dare say anything that would get him on Megatron's bad side.)

Their first encounter stuck with Soundwave. He's not sure why but something irritating about Breakdown made him smile, or whatever equivalent he had.

Megatron, being old friends with Soundwave, could tell that his Intelligence Officer was comfortable and let his old-self peak through. Whether it was concious or subconcious, that's for Primus to decide. Breakdown really enjoyed being brought into this weird friendgroup for like, 6 hours, or something.

Breakdown and Soundwave wouldn't cross paths again until Breakdown and Knock Out were summoned to the Nemesis.

By this point, Breakdown has mostly gotten over his anxiety, being the character we know him as in Prime, which Soundwave found odd. Soundwave never bothered to keep close tabs on Breakdown because what problems would he cause anyways? Not enough to be a threat, that's for sure.

Anyways, they don't say much to eachother, they're just two Decepticons on the same ship.

That is, until Breakdown was taken by M.E.C.H. and dissected.

Soundwave suffered a similar, even more grevious injury, during the height of the war and felt like he had to help the wounded bot. Also Knock Out was out racing because who knew Jasper, Nevada had such great street races!?

So that put Soundwave in the position to patch Breakdown up. Breakdown was scared at first (who wouldn't be when Megatron's right hand bot is staring you down?) but when he figured out what Soundwave was doing, accepted the help.

Soundwave is a smart 'con and like any good doctor, started to observe Breakdown to make sure his body adjusted to the patch job. It's during this that Soundwave began to feel some odd emotions. Not the same irritations but, something else. He couldn't describe it but he wanted to know more about the blue-grey truck.

Breakdown took notice of Soundwave's sudden attention and took this as a sign to start opening up to the silent bot. Breakdown, as always, was a yapper and liked to befriend the Vehicons onboard the Nemesis because all the other officers were less than friendly or Knock Out. Talking to the same guy over and over again can get boring, as much as you like them.

Knock Out became suspicious of Soundwave but quickly deduced what was going on and started to play matchmaker between his friend and the Intelligence Officer.

And normal relationship headcanons because I am obsessed with these two

Their love language is gift-giving and acts of service. Breakdown has an interest in Earth with how different it is from Cybertron and likes to bring back little presents for Soundwave. Soundwave returns the love by grooming Breakdown, as taught by Knock Out lol. You can tell the two just had a date when Breakdown looks extra shiny and/or Soundwave is trying to adapt some Earth tech into the Nemesis' systems.

Soundwave doesn't like to leave the Nemesis because standing on Earth makes him feel cramped and lost so the pair don't often go on dates outside of the ship but when they do, Breakdown tries to find places similar to Cybertron to comfort Soundwave. They've been to a few drive-in theaters, courtesy of Knock Out, of course.

Sometimes Soundwave sends Laserbeak out on missions with Breakdown for "insurance" but in reality, Laserbeak is also in on the pairing-up. Laserbeak also likes to take pictures of Breakdown just for Soundwave along with actively making sure the Decepticons have footage of whatever's going on just incase something happens.

Megatron absolutely can not fathom why Soundwave had suddenly become interested in Breakdown. The warlord suspects that Soundwave misses the gladiatorial arena and is trying to scope out a new rival to re-enact the old days with so Megatron is a little worried he might have infighting among his soldiers. As long as Soundwave is functioning, Megatron won't step in but, y'know. He hopes it's nothing bad.

Starscream is oblivious to the on-goings behind him.

Airachnid also takes notice in the pair's chemistry but says nothing. It's not her place to talk and she wouldn't gain anything if she did besides look like a crazy conspiracy theorist.

Dreadwing sees Breakdown's and Soundwave's closeness but never thinks too deep into it until after Breakdown's death.

The Autobots never find out about Soundwave and Breakdown's courting.

Both Soundwave and Breakdown come to think their love for the other is one-sided until Knock Out has to break the glass between them. He's very blunt and even a little rude about it but he's just so fed up with them dancing around eachother and never with eachother that he just had to burst in. Laserbeak doesn't react well to this and gets embarrassed on Soundwave's behalf. They all sort out their emotions later and things go smoothly.

Breakdown hoped to fix his broken eye after the war ends but goes back on that thought when he realizes that he'd much rather match Soundwave. Maybe he can get a visor like Soundwave's to cover his missing eye!

Soundwave wanted to finally retire after the war but he starts opening himself up to other possibilities after starting a relationship with Breakdown. He'd be fine doing anything as long as it's with his partner and minicon.

When she's bored, Miko will start making up nonsense lore for the Decepticons to get the Autobots' attention. Her favorite is suggesting that Breakdown and Soundwave have a fairytale Shakespearean tragedy K-drama-esque romance going on between them and it really peeves a majority of Team Prime. Hence why it's her favorite nonsense lore. Even Agent Fowler gets heavily confused and concerned for Miko's well-being.

[le-trash-prince]

for the five or whatever many things meme/prompt...whatever:

the story of how dean completely accidentally becomes the top dog of their prison block and how winner somewhat accidentally becomes his bitch

I'm making this a space prison AU because thinking about real prison just makes me sad dfkgdfgd

setting-wise this is inspired by The Salvation Gambit but garbled because I'm going off of memory of having read it once.

Background plot-wise, things are similar to Pit Babe, just, you know, space-ified. Babe champions a local star-system racing circuit, Tony deals in interstellar human trafficking (I'm going with "special alpha powers are a human thing"), Kenta is an android (I have so many thoughts about android Kenta to share later), and Dean and Winner are on the same shuttle, post-series, getting shipped off to the nearest prison planet. Winner spends the entire trip bragging about how his family is sooo wealthy, he'll get a retrial and be out of there in no time, and "maybe if you kiss my boots I'll think about helping you out." Which just pisses Dean off, but whatever.

But, there's an unexpected change of plans, and their shuttle gets hijacked by a massive, unsanctioned prison ship run by a sentient, megalomaniacal AI that views itself as the prisoners' god of redemption. They're not just prisoners now, they're captives, and nobody ever escapes this ship. Not that this is going to stop them from trying—they're both pilots after all. They're each given a "welcome kit" and then dropped into a hallway where they're immediately jumped by a trio of scavengers. Winner, as always, cowers after a single hit, but Dean—he may be small, he may be new, but he's angry and he's willing to hurt people, and he fights them off until they're rescued by another, friendlier group.

They get taken to this group’s quadrant for the night, and they’re given the recruitment speech, "we grow our own fresh food, we've got weapons," but they've also got boring rules that Winner isn't interested in living by. And if these people are desperate enough to recruit newbies, it means there's bound to be better things elsewhere in the ship. Dean on the other hand is a little taken-in by being pampered and told what an asset he'd be, and he's a little annoyed by Winner's assumption that Dean would just follow him wherever. Especially when Dean is starting to realize he could actually take Winner in a fight, so who actually needs who here? They argue, Winner storms off, and then Dean has a "goddamnit" moment of realizing this ship is bigger than he can even fathom, and the only familiar face onboard is about to disappear, possibly for good. And Winner is a better pilot than him, which still makes him Dean's best chance of ever seeing daylight again. They need each other. So he grabs what he can from the little room they'd been set up in and sulks off after Winner.

From there, the two of them make their way through the different quadrants of the ship, trying to learn the ins-and-outs so they can hatch their escape plan. They get a change of clothes that removes the "fresh meat" target on their backs. They have a "and there was only one blanket" moment on one of the colder levels. And they never cease to be amazed at just how expansive the ship is, and what kind of life people have built for themselves after having been trapped here for generations. They visit a market on a central level that has live music going on—the loud and pulsing sort that gets Dean stripping his jacket off and joining the crowd of dancers because he's been desperate to let loose. Winner prowls along the edge of the crowd, until he gives in to the heated looks that Dean keeps shooting his way and joins him in a dance that's mostly just the two of them grinding their hips against each other. And then there’s Dean grabbing Winner by the wrist and dragging him off to somewhere more private.

Winner is big and good at giving mean looks that intimidate most people, but Dean's the real scary one (he will bite your fingers off). Their goal is finding people who would be useful in figuring out an escape plan, but they end up amassing a small gang of recent intakes, and they hole up in one of the surveillance dead-zones of the ship. And Dean has never felt more useful or needed. The thing is, Winner still has family on the outside. He has something to lose if they never make it out of here. But Dean has already lost everything, and sometimes the thought that he might never see X-Hunter again is almost a relief. Like he doesn't have to face up to the past. He wonders if it would really be so bad to stay. But all it takes is a "No wonder you're such a shitty racer if you'd give up on it before you even got started," to remind Dean that they're still in a prison, and there's things on the outside that he wants to do. But he still gives Winner the cold shoulder for a whole day after that comment.

One last thing is Winner does eventually grow the tiniest spine and attack someone when they try carrying Dean off during a fight because he panics at the thought of something happening to Dean. Of course this is immediately followed up by a show of emotional constipation and “Maybe don’t be such a dead weight next time,” because it is still Winner.

Edit: Android!Kenta AU set in the same 'verse

[tangsakura]

A Possible Future Based On Hisoka's Fortune - HxH Predictions

Hunter x Hunter Chapter 105 (Raw)

"A red-eyed customer will visit your store. Half of them is angel, and the other is the god of death. Presumably they are hoping that you will sell the moon's secrets to them. They ought to be especially pleased about that of the frost moon.

On a hot day, with the mediation of the said customer, the two of you, the man of a reversed cross and you, are probably to be left alone together. The false fourth moon will be torn away from the calendar. With this, those that remain will become 6."

I'm gonna put it here to remind us all of Hisoka's real fortune.

We all know how Shalnark ended up dead according to the fortune he received back in Yorknew arc. Now everyone is paying attention at Shizuku's fortune and making predictions. One of the most popular of these theories is how Shizuku will die around merchandise covered in black, which are brought by the Kakin mafia or one of the princes, if I remember correctly.

So now, I shall make my own predictions on what will happen in the future HxH chapters. But this time it will be based on Hisoka's real fortune.

WARNING: IF YOU HAVEN'T READ HUNTER x HUNTER CHAPTERS 349 TO 400, ESPECIALLY 391 TO 400, DO NOT INTERACT OR READ FURTHER. Keep in mind that this is unedited, and you are bound to read some cringey parts at some point.

First Stanza:

"A red-eyed customer will visit your store. Half of them is angel, and the other is the god of death."

As Hisoka accepted Hinrigh's offer of going to VVIP room at tier 1, he's currently on his way there. The only one there who is described as a "red-eyed customer will visit your store. Half of them is angel, and the other is the god of death" is Kurapika, who is, at present, the bodyguard of 14th Prince Woble and Queen Oito.

At some point, they will meet again. They have to. There is no way that Hisoka will not go to the next banquet nor snoop around and find out what's up in the said tier. He will be there and his encounter with Kurapika for the first time since Yorknew arc is inevitable.

"Presumably they are hoping that you will sell the moon's secrets to them."

With Hisoka's presence in tier 1, Kurapika won't be able to help but wonder what happened to the Phantom Troupe, especially Chrollo, after Kurapika and the main gang left Chrollo, Hisoka and Pakunoda on top of the cliff/mountain (pls my brain isn't cooperating right now, somebody remind me), in the middle of nowhere.

Kurapika will definitely ask Hisoka about the Phantom Troupe. Presently, he wants to know about them and, obviously, he will get curious whether they are in the Black Whale or not. Remember, the Phantom Troupe is also his target, but obviously more secondary as 4th Prince Tserriednich is his first and foremost target as of this arc.

Kurapika will definitely find out that they are onboard the ship, and in all probability, Hisoka will let him know about it. After all, wouldn't Hisoka want to form an alliance again with Kurapika?

"They ought to be especially pleased about that of the frost moon."

I believe Hisoka will reveal something about the frost moon with Kurapika.

As you know, the frost moon refers to #11 of the Phantom Troupe. Back in Yorknew arc, they were referring to Uvogin. But he died. He even got a tombstone-less tomb and a requiem on the night of the underground auction. So, how is frost moon still relevant to this arc?

Well, sucks for you, but the one who replaced Uvogin is none other than this man:

Hunter x Hunter Chapter 377 (Official English Translation)

Illumi Zoldyck.

With the way he is acting at the moment and how he divulged his assassination deal with Hisoka is making him super suspicious. There has been so many theories about him being Hisoka and so on because of how sus he is at the moment.

Though the theory about him being Hisoka has been debunked as of the current available chapters, you cannot deny that this is not merely just a "kill me and my engagement ring to or prenup with you is that you get paid". There's something more going on here.

I predict that he and Hisoka are on cahoots with each other. Surely, Hisoka had a deal with him, but I think it's more of helping him destroy the Spiders from the inside and so Illumi can save Kalluto from Hisoka's murder plan.

If it is true that Hisoka and Illumi are working together because Hisoka asked him to just like in Yorknew and Illumi can save his younger sibling, then Kurapika will be pleased. Because that's less spiders he has to worry with, considering that he also has to get closer to Prince Tserriednich to take back the remaining scarlet eyes, while also helping Queen Oito and Prince Woble survive the succession war.

(At this point, you may take a break. Resume reading once you are ready.)

Second Stanza:

"On a hot day, with the mediation of the said customer, the two of you, the man of a reversed cross and you, are probably to be left alone together. "

I am mostly onboard with the prediction that Kurapika and Hisoka will come up with some sort of agreement regarding the Troupe. Kurapika already has too many things in his plate regarding the succession war with the remaining princes and how he will get close in contact with Prince Tserriednich. It won't come into surprise if Kurapika asks Hisoka for a helping hand or accept Hisoka's offer of his own kind of alliance, which I think he would do just like in Yorknew. But I think this time Hisoka will warn him not to remove Chrollo's nen. xD

Hisoka will perhaps help him take out some of the members. I feel that he will go for Shizuku and/or Bonolenov first. They are currently with Chrollo, so perhaps with Kurapika's help or someone's help, Chrollo can get separated from them, and then he can kill Shizuku and Bonolenov right then and there.

But we can also take into account that the closes Spiders to Hisoka right now are Nobunaga, Phinks, Feitan, and most likely Franklin and Machi. He can go for one of them first, as well. But I really feel like Shizuku and Bonolenov will die and I'll explain why in a short bit.

And of course, the one I'm most excited about is the showdown between Hisoka and Machi. I'm so ready to witness the best tragic romance of all times

Later on, Kurapika will maybe help him get another chance to be alone with Chrollo in return of him getting rid of some of the Troupe members. The ship is on the way to the false Dark Continent right now, so maybe he can set up a place there where Hisoka and Chrollo can face off. And it will be hot on that place on that day.

But it can also be that because of Kurapika, Hisoka and Chrollo will be alone together in the Black Whale ship, whether intentional or not. But how can it be a hot day in a ship, especially later when they can no longer go out of the premises due to the unpredictable travel conditions?

When the whole ship is in chaos and on fire. Now that will be wild, but not impossible.

"The false fourth moon will be torn away from the calendar."

In Yorknew arc, the false fourth moon was Hisoka, the former #4 of the Spiders. His allegiance to the spider was never true and he was willing for the existence of the Spider to perish.

But the one to replace him was Kalluto Zoldyck, the youngest member of the famous Zoldyck family.

As of now, it looks like he is getting along with them, and based on chapter 377 and 380, he has found some sort of comfort with them.

I mean look at Kalluto sitting near Machi, whom I previously analyzed based off of her speech language as someone considerate to kids.

Hunter x Hunter Chapter 377 (Official English Translation)

And how she is reacting when Illumi revealed to Mizai about everyone in the Phantom Troupe onboard the ship.

Hunter x Hunter Chapter 380 (Official English Translation)

Even so, how can Kalluto be a false fourth moon?

Because he is a Zoldyck.

At some point in the current arc, he will have to choose between the Zoldyck family and the Spiders, considering the fact that Illumi is most likely in cahoots with Hisoka, who is trying to kill the Spiders and have a rematch with Chrollo, perhaps.

And he will definitely choose the family. Because before he is a Phantom Troupe member, he is a Zoldyck. Knowing the dynamics of the family and all of that, I think he will have no choice but to choose his own biological family over the one he found some comfort with. Thus, he has always been a false fourth moon, just like Hisoka.

"With this, those that remain will become 6."

Whether this happens before, during, or after the Hisoka and Chrollo being alone together on a hot day, it doesn't matter. I predict that there will be six members of the Phantom Troupe left, including Chrollo.

And you know what's funny, I think the ones who will have to die are Shizuku and Bonolenov, as I stated previously.

Because:

Hunter x Hunter Chapter 397 (Unofficial English Translations)

The ones who will be left will be the original Phantom Troupe members.

Originally, there are nine members. But three of them are already dead: Pakunoda, Uvogin and Shalnark.

When Shizuku and Bonolenov dies, the ones who will be left will be Nobunaga, Phinks, Feitan, Franklin, Machi, and Chrollo.

The original six.

I really think that if this will be the case, then we have a big potential or two when it comes to exploring the dynamics and relationships between the founding members. We have already witnessed the tension and conflict between the founding members when Chrollo was kidnapped by Kurapika back in Yorknew.

So this time it'll be interesting if we see it once again. And it'll be better if six of them are alive, but Chrollo is alone with Hisoka and they are far away from the other five. It'll be another dilemma for them once again. Do you save Chrollo or do you live on and keep the Spider alive?

And it'll be more interesting if the other people's predictions that the Hei-Ly family had something to do with Sarasa's death and the six founding members finds out about this and ends up being face to face with the benefactor.

These two events can tie into the Spiders' backstory a lot with the former possibly igniting or making them recollect the strong bonds that existed back on that day in the forest and the latter resolving the grudge and guilt they have been carrying since childhood.

Also, having the six founding members dying at the same time or together can be melancholic and sorrowful. A tragic and sad ending, but which provided them resolution and catharsis.

And that's about it. I hope you enjoyed reading my predictions. This post has been in my drafts since the day before my birthday last year and I just completed it in one sitting. Finally, I posted something decent after a long time.

Anyways, I'll go to sleep now. It's like 2 or 3 am here right now.

Until then.

[use-your-telescope]

When Everything's Made to be Broken - Chapter 8: You're Just Business

Summary: Loki confronts Theo about her avoidance of the other Avengers.

Author's Notes: Fun story/trivia about this song: In an interview with the Grammy Museum, it was revealed that some of the phrases in this first verse resulted from producer Tony Berg’s mishearing of Jon Foreman’s original lyrics: “You come ‘round like a prison ship” was misheard as “pirate ship”, and “You got a fist for a lower lip” was misheard as “fish.”  Ultimately, the band decided to record the song with the mondegreens as the song’s final lyrics. I like to think that Theo was aware of this little tidbit and it led to part of why she chose this particular song.

Side note, would anyone be interested if I shared more of these goofy little trivia bits/non-spoiler reasons that certain songs appear at certain times (and maybe even captions that Theo might have posted with the covers)? I’d share them on tumblr as a little “behind the scenes” sort of thing. 

I’m posting this a day early because tomorrow is the last day of helping my parents move, which also means saying farewell to the house I grew up in; I’m sure I’ll be all up in my feelings and distracted, so rather than risk missing my (self-imposed) deadline, I’m doing something wild and posting early.

If you enjoy, please reblog!! I'm a lil' blog and reblogs really help me out <3

Content Warnings: None?

Word Count: 5,314

Read on AO3 | When Everything's Made to be Broken Masterlist

Song: I need you (to be wrong) - Switchfoot

You come 'round like a pirate ship You're just business You got a fish for a lower lip You're just business You're the parentless, nightmare kid You're just business You don't answer for any of this You're just business

The end of onboarding meant the return of lazy days off.

Other than the sound of a sleety-drizzle outside, it was probably quiet enough in the tower to hear a pin drop. Any reprieve from commotion could best be described as blissful, and not needing to peer around every corner so Theo didn’t run into the Avengers brought a different kind of relief. 

In a normal day, Natasha and Steve were always the first to emerge, since they liked early morning training sessions. With how they timed their workouts, Theo typically had to wake up at the ass-crack of dawn just to have 30 minutes to get into the kitchen, make herself a cup of coffee, and then slink back to her corner of the tower or get the hell out, which meant going down to the hospital to get ready for work.

Then again, when Theo got back to her suite at night and heard the commotion and the raucous laughter echoing from down the hall, something painful twisted in Theo’s chest, making her miss her life before the Avengers. It didn’t help that ever since she visited Mémère, Theo caught herself weighing whether it was worth trying to make friends with anyone while she was here.

She hadn’t planned on staying with the group after her favor was done, so on the one hand she didn’t want to grow attached, then ditch them. On the other hand, now that she couldn’t see her other friends, life had become little more than work, which was a lonely way to live. And though she loathed to admit it, Loki’s visits and Julie’s perspective on the Avengers made Theo wonder if her trepidation was truly warranted.

Then again, the Avengers didn’t know the full extent of her history or her powers. Given the reactions from people who knew her sob story, she didn’t anticipate they’d like her very much if they learned the truth. That meant every social interaction felt like it required Theo to put on a show; every word, every action was a calculated risk. She’d been doing it for so long that it felt like second nature, but it didn’t mean she liked it.  

However, none of her concerns around socializing mattered, at least for the time being. According to the side discussions before the most recent debrief,  all of the Avengers had plans for the weekend which took them away from New York, so she had the entire tower to herself. Wanda and Vision snuck out on a weekend getaway to Maine, Tony and Bruce were presenting at some science conference in Switzerland (and Peter tagged along), the super soldiers agreed to help with an event for the US military down in DC, Natasha and Yelena decided to visit Clint and his family out at their farm, Shuri happened to be in Oakland, and Thor had gone to New Asgard for something. Theo assumed that Loki had gone with him, since he was also an Asgardian prince and all. 

Regardless, Theo’s agenda for the day consisted of one thing: reading. A mountain of SHIELD reports loomed on Theo’s desk ever since she started, consisting of both recent and past missions that would hopefully provide the context she needed to offer her expertise on the shadow creatures. Even if she would have rather been marathoning Queer Eye or visiting Mémère, a rainy Saturday morning without anyone around seemed like just as good of a time as any to check the reports of her never-ending list of things to do. 

But even before she dug into the stack of reports, she needed coffee.

Theo padded through the halls of the tower, relishing the echo of her footsteps and the lack of chatter filling the air. Upon entering the kitchen, Theo decided that rather than work her way through the reports in her suite, she’d indulge in a change of scenery and set up shop at the kitchen island.

After starting the coffee, Theo brought out her laptop and the pile of reports, scattering them across the breakfast bar for easy review. She placed her headphones over her ears, cranked up her music, and became so absorbed in reading about the fallout of Ultron and the Sokovia Accords that she forgot about the coffee brewing… 

… She also failed to observe that she wasn’t the only one home. 

A coffee mug appeared next to her out of seemingly thin air, to which Theo yelped and practically flew out of her seat.

“What the – “ she tore her headphones off and whirled around to find Loki standing there, holding his own cup of coffee. “Jesus, Loki, creep around much?”

“I was in no way creeping. Your decision to wear headphones impeded your ability to hear me.” Loki’s tone remained cool and unaffected as he took a sip of his own coffee, leaning back against the counter. “Perhaps you might demonstrate some gratitude toward me; after all, I prepared your coffee for you.” 

“In my defense, I also didn’t realize I wasn’t the only one home – I thought you went back to New Asgard with Thor.” Theo protested, trying to ignore the searing heat that rose on her cheeks. She palmed the mug of coffee in one hand, glancing briefly at the swirls of steam rising from the ceramic cup.

“I’ve no reason to be in New Asgard at present.” He shrugged, before narrowing his eyes at Theo. “If you believed you were alone, why not use Stark’s audio system to listen to your music? It is not as if you would cause a disruption.” 

“It’s a habit,” Theo shrugged casually, allowing her focus to travel to her new teammate. Unlike Theo, whose heart still pounded in her chest from the surprise, Loki's casual posture and amused expression left him looking cool as a cucumber, because of course he would. “Besides, high quality headphones have better sound quality than any stereo system Tony Stark could build – it’s easier to hear the nuance and little details in the recordings.” 

Loki cocked a skeptical brow at her before sauntering over to the refrigerator. As he bent down to rummage through the contents, Theo took advantage of the opportunity to drink in the full sight of Loki in the mornings. 

Loki’s Saturday morning attire was more relaxed than she had ever seen from him. Black joggers slung low on his hips and followed the line of his slim form, while a gray t-shirt clung to his torso and hinted at the toned muscle beneath. He pulled his black curls back into a loose bun, but left one strand hanging down to frame his face, highlighting a jawline that cut like glass. 

For all the jokes Julie made, she wasn’t kidding about Loki’s attractiveness. But that was like saying the sky was blue - no one would question that a god was objectively attractive.

In comparison, he probably thought Theo looked a bit sloppy in her oversized sweatshirt and yoga pants, her own hair tossed up in what looked less like a bun and more like a rat’s nest…

Channeling her inner gremlin, as Max would say.

Loki turned around and caught Theo studying him. 

“Are you enjoying the view?” He smirked.

“I’ve never seen you in anything remotely casual before,” Theo said, mirroring his expression. “Looks good on you.”

Loki hummed, something devilish twitching on his lips to match the glint in his eye. “I should hope so.” 

Theo rolled her eyes. Of the many traits Loki held, humility did not seem to be high on the list. Then again, Theo knew that if she was that attractive, she wouldn’t be humble about it, so it wasn’t like she could hold that against him.

Instead of feeding Loki’s ego, Theo returned her attention to the Sokovia report. She knew herself well enough to know if she didn’t make substantial progress on the reports that day, she would never catch up.

However, Loki either did not get the hint that Theo wanted to be left to work or he chose to ignore it, positioning himself across the island from Theo. With each passing moment, Theo felt his burning stare intensify.

“Keep looking at me like that and I’ll hit you over the head with a chair.” Theo threatened, not even glancing up from her work.

“Darling, such a temper from you this morning.” Loki practically purred. “I would have expected gratitude - after all, I prepared your morning coffee for you.” 

Theo rolled her eyes, but couldn’t help the hint of a smile that quirked up. Of course the prince would make a big deal out of a small gesture. “Well, thank you for the coffee, your highness, now will you leave me alone to work?”

“How are you settling in?”

Ugh. 

He couldn’t have been that dense, right? He must have known Theo did not want to talk to him at that moment. No one became a renowned diplomat if they couldn’t understand basic social cues. 

“Fine,” Theo drawled, “Better if you leave me to read in peace.”

“You never choose to spend time in the common areas like this. Why today?”

A loaded question, delivered with a deceptively light tone, had Theo’s hair standing on the back of her neck. 

No, he wasn’t clueless or dense - Loki wanted something; information, probably.

Something unsettling lurched in Theo’s stomach.

“Because I thought I was going to be alone?” Irritation colored Theo’s response; she gritted her teeth, debating if she should try to divert the conversation or just piss him off so he’d leave her alone.

Her morals leaned towards the former, but her temper leaned towards the latter.

For the moment, she held her tongue.

“Perhaps this will surprise you, but you are allowed to venture into the common areas while others are around to spend your leisure time and… Do whatever it is that you are doing,” Loki casually gestured to the stack of papers scattered between them. “As you previously stated, you are not a princess to be locked away in a tower.”

“Currently, I’m reading reports,” Theo muttered, “And you’re proving to me exactly why I don’t do this in common areas – because you’re distracting me.” 

It took a significant amount of willpower not to slam her computer closed and retreat to her suite; after all, the heavily redacted report about Budapest that was next on her list looked like an enticing read.

“See, that brings me to my next question: why, when you have a beautiful Saturday morning to relax, are you spending your time reading reports and paperwork?” A playful, lighthearted tone graced Loki’s question, but Theo’s patience wore dangerously thin. “If you wish for quality reading material, you only need to ask. I’ve plenty of recommendations.”

“Okay, since apparently you refuse to get the hint, I’m just going to be blunt: I am trying to work. I don’t want to talk right now. Quite frankly, your impromptu interrogation is pissing me off. So for the love of all that is holy, can you leave me alone?” Theo huffed, outright glowering at Loki. 

“You may not be interested in speaking, but I’m certainly interested in answers to my question.” Loki arched a brow at Theo, sipping his coffee as if he could wait all day for a response.

“Because the world isn’t going to save itself and I have a lot of background knowledge to catch up on if I don’t want to fuck up one of these missions and get a bunch of people killed.” Theo’s frustration made its open debut, but amidst her ire she failed to hide the undercurrent of anxiety in her answer. 

Before Theo even finished, Loki’s demeanor shifted from taunting to serious - he must have recognized that he struck a nerve. 

Shit. 

She let her guard down and he latched onto it instantly… Careless mistakes like that could get her killed.

“Are you aware that it is not a requirement to memorize every piece of SHIELD’s history?” Loki leaned in so he could look at Theo over her laptop, face shifting to something unreadable before he continued. “Generally speaking, we have only enough knowledge to complete the individual mission. You need not push yourself to learn everything so that you might recall it at a moment’s notice.”

It wasn’t about knowing everything - it was about assessing the risks. Theo needed to know the history in order to understand the potential risks. If she was in an emergency department, she knew the environment. She knew the variables. She had control over her situation.

But in the field? Knowing anything was a laughable thought.

“It’s not about memorizing, it’s about learning what I got myself into,” Theo flatly replied, hoping to make up for her slip. “I know Fury is fond of leaving out important details in favor of creating a narrative, so I want to make sure I know what he hasn’t told me before I’m sent out into the line of fire.”

“And you believe reports are the way to learn such information?” Skepticism dripped from Loki’s question. 

“I didn’t say I liked it, but this,” Theo gestured to the mess of documents around her, refusing to let her nerves show once more, “is better than letting Fury trot me around like a prize horse or his little puppet.”

It was a half-truth; he didn’t need to know all the details, but perhaps she could spin it to take some of the pressure off.

“I do not believe you’re giving yourself enough credit.” Loki stepped around the island so he stood next to Theo, then shut her laptop so she would look him in the eye. He certainly accomplished the goal, but earned a frustrated groan from Theo in the process. “You’re an immensely sharp and powerful sorcerer – I can feel the magic pouring off you. You easily handle extreme physical duress during training, you effortlessly adapt to any social situation, and it has not escaped my attention that you’re extremely well-studied in a variety of areas.”

Sure, Loki saw Theo spar with Steve, and obviously they’d hung out a few times; they spoke at the party from the first night, and showed up to the soccer game and the bar show…  But a handful of interactions wouldn’t have been enough to draw those conclusions, right?  

Maybe it was a bluff, or an attempt at wooing her with his famed silver tongue so she would give him the information he wanted. 

It wouldn’t be the first time someone lied to her in hopes of gaining her trust. 

“First of all, I’m not sure whether I should be flattered or creeped out that you’ve been watching me so closely,” Theo retorted with a scowl. “Second of all, what’s your point?”

“If you are concerned about your ability to defend yourself on a mission, you need not fret.” Loki sounded cocky, almost arrogant – how would he know what they were up against? “You realize you are not the only one responsible for your safety in the field?”

“You really think that the others, who look at me like I’m a terror, give a shit about my safety?” “They do not believe you are a terror.” 

“Cool, tell that to my grandma when she has to deal with my dead body,” Theo muttered. She attempted to snatch her laptop from Loki, but he held firm.

Loki may have been nicknamed a silvertongue, but the only thing his tongue had done was piss Theo off. 

Enough was enough.

“ I don’t have time for this shit.” With a flick of her wrist, a swirl of shimmering runes encompassed the reports and her laptop, teleporting them back to her quarters. Theo snatched her coffee mug, then offered a final wave and a bratty sneer before transporting herself to her suite.

In the solitude of her suite, Theo let out a sigh.

So much for a peaceful Saturday morning.

I got a body, but I lost my mind I'm just business Placeholder with a bottom line I'm just business Please don't take this personally It's just business

Standing in the kitchen, Loki gaped at the empty seat before him and replayed the events which led to his current predicament.

In some ways, he could have foreseen such an outcome. Initial interactions with Theo had been far more successful than Loki anticipated, to the degree that he almost believed Theo might actually wish to befriend him. Thus, it was inevitable that he would ruin his progress in a truly spectacular manner.

In his defense, walking into the kitchen and finding Theo there had not been something he anticipated. The circumstances practically begged for Loki to engage; when else would he see Theo anywhere besides her workplace or mandatory Avengers engagements? 

Yet, after a handful of occasions spent casually making each other’s acquaintance, Loki expected something with a bit more banter, or at least something more lighthearted. Instead, she met his questions with barbed remarks and vicious glares, culminating in another disappearing act.

The Theo that Loki encountered in the kitchen was vastly different from the Theo he first met, or the one that he spent time with in the research library; that Theo seemed confident and self-assured, sharp-witted and formidable regardless of the circumstances. But when caught off-guard, she became aggressive and downright irascible, to the extent that Loki questioned whether or not it was the same woman who he’d spoken to before.

However, deep within Loki’s chest, something uncomfortable twisted. He recognized the behavior, mostly because he had once acted in such a manner;  if he was entirely honest with himself, he knew exactly what motivated such behavior:

Protecting oneself at all costs.

Seeing Theo in such a state brought to mind his mother’s gardens in Asgard. When flowers were cut and taken from the gardens, they eventually wilted and withered, unable to adapt to their new surroundings. Roses, one of his mother’s favorite flowers, eventually developed thorns all along the stem, which made cutting the blooms a much more challenging task; a defense mechanism that evolved over the course of millennia. 

Like the thorns that protected the roses, Theo’s hostility served as a defense mechanism, an instinct developed to protect herself from something which previously scarred her, something which might have caused her to wither and wilt until nothing more than a shadow of her former self.

In Theo’s behavior, Loki saw himself. There was once a time where he had been so guarded that the other Avengers called him a cactus because of his prickly, sullen demeanor. Though the moniker had become a relic, the instinct remained firmly ingrained upon Loki’s psyche.

Theo was by no means a cactus, but she certainly had some thorns. 

Loki sighed, smoothing calloused fingers over his hair. Ideally, he could remedy the situation with minimal lingering damage to the delicate kinship he struck with Theo; yet the manner in which he could achieve such a feat eluded him.

If he approached too soon, she would only recoil, particularly if she felt cornered. If he waited too long to speak to her, she might suspect his intentions stemmed from less than savory desires - exploitation or a means to an end.

After much dithering, Loki settled upon a plan: if he did not see Theo around lunch, he would knock on her door. If she failed to respond, he would try again at dinner time.

If he still had not heard anything, he would send her a message through his mobile, leaving the onus upon Theo - if she wished to interact she could, however he would not push further.

Any and all confidence Loki held in the plan dwindled when noon came and went with no sign of the silver shadow. Despite the aura of magic radiating from within, Loki’s knocks were met with silence, only dampening his spirits further.

To be on the receiving end of rejection brought a certain discomfort which Loki had not outright encountered in quite some time, and it remained at least as unpleasant as he remembered (if not moreso). Midgardians never outright rejected him - first, they feared him, but over time some came to lust after him. As for the Asgardians, they knew better than to disrespect a crown prince, even if his lineage brought disgrace upon the throne. The more he dwelled on the matter, the clearer it became that he could not remember the last time someone outright turned away from him in such a blatant manner.

Without any sign of Theo in the afternoon, or around the time when the others typically took their evening meal, Loki braced himself for the worst and made the trek down the corridor.

As he approached, the faint sound of music could be heard from inside Theo’s quarters, which combined with her aura confirmed she was present. After pausing for a moment to gather himself, Loki rapped his knuckles upon the door.

Much to his surprise, the music stopped. Footsteps grew louder as Theo approached the door. The noise ceased for a beat, then the lock clicked, and the door swung wide.

Theo stood before him, arms crossed and brows drawn tight as she scrutinized Loki.

“I don’t know if I should be impressed or annoyed by your stubbornness.” Theo skipped any formal greeting, leaning against the doorframe as she gave him a once-over. “Then again, I’m the one that answered the door, so maybe your strategy is effective, or I’m a glutton for punishment. Either way, are you here to continue badgering me about work, or is there something else you want?” 

Loki drew in a deep breath. 

“It seems I struck a nerve,” he observed. “For that, I apologize.”

“Is that all?” Theo eyed Loki warily, as if she knew other matters remained on his conscience.

Loki sighed; it seemed as good of a time as any to address what Midgardians often referred to as ‘the elephant in the room.’

“I noticed you’ve not yet made the acquaintance of the others.”

“I socialize with the other hospital staff,” Theo countered.

Loki scoffed. “I am referring to the other Avengers.”

“I know.” Theo answered as if she had no intention of continuing the conversation. Loki raised his eyebrows at her in a silent question; she rolled her eyes and sighed. “Look, I’m sure they’re fine, but I’m not really interested.”

“Dare I inquire as to why?”

“For one thing, the only reason they’re pretending to be interested in me is because Fury gave them the mission of convincing me to stay on as an Avenger.” Theo cocked an eyebrow at Loki as she slouched further into the doorframe. “So it’s not like they’re really trying to be my friend. And besides, most of them were more than quick to jump to conclusions about who, or what kind of person, I was.”

“If that is so, then why have you not shunned my company?” Loki challenged. “How do you know I am not making your acquaintance to win over the director?”

“I don’t,” she admitted, “but you don’t seem like the type of person to crave Nick Fury’s adoration, or like you’d let him make you his bitch. I suppose I could be wrong, though.” 

“Such rousing praise,” Loki drawled. “Truly, the utmost of faith you place upon me—“

“Okay, fine - you really want to know why I’m willing to talk to you?” Theo interrupted, silencing Loki in the process, “Because in that first meeting, you didn’t automatically assume I was the villain.” 

Something painful twisted in Loki’s stomach. Nowhere in the list of potential responses that Loki developed prior to asking the question was Theo’s answer, yet what she described was an experience he knew all too well. The memory of Barton’s initial reaction to Loki’s presence remained painfully vivid to the Asgardian, which only diminished Loki’s confidence in his argument. 

Still, Theo’s perceptions of the situation were not entirely true. “I was not the only Avenger who made no assumptions about your morality—” 

“Not out loud,” Theo agreed, “But you were the only one who didn’t look at me like I was some kind of terror. You actually looked at me as a person.”

If anyone could empathize with Theo’s experience, it would be Loki. Joining the Avengers, a group who he didn’t truly know or trust, and who didn’t know or trust him… For quite some time, Loki believed wholeheartedly that he made a terrible mistake. 

Months passed from when he first relented to Thor’s pleas to become an Avenger to when Loki partook in a movie night, and that only happened because Thor physically dragged Loki from his quarters. He lost count of the number of times he turned Maximoff down before finally relenting to her constant requests to spend time together. 

In the end, it took over a year for Loki to feel remotely comfortable simply existing in the common areas during the day, going on missions without his brother, or speaking to anyone that was not Thor. Even after so long, he still questioned whether the others valued his contributions to the team, or if they simply tolerated his presence.

“I will admit, the others are not always the most… open-minded, shall we say. Not in the beginning, at least.” Loki chose his words carefully, recognizing the delicate nature of the situation at hand. “However, I truly believe they have moved past the false assumptions, and I would highly recommend you use the opportunity to demonstrate that you are not the terror they assumed you to be.”

“And how do you know that they even want to get to know me?” Theo pressed, piercing blue eyes scrutinizing Loki’s every move.

“Because I was once in a similar position.” The answer slipped out before Loki could stop it. He carefully schooled the surprise from his features; meanwhile, Theo made no effort to hide her skepticism.

“I understand that you may not fully trust me yet – I’m the trickster god, I have a history of manipulating people. Quite frankly, it would be in your best interest not to trust me. But!” Loki admitted, then continued before Theo could get a word in edgewise: “You remind me quite a bit of myself, when I first became an Avenger. I believed the others assumed the worst in me. I held no trust in the others, and in turn they placed no trust in me. It remained as such for quite some time – too long, in hindsight. 

“The change in my relationship with my colleagues came when I finally relented to my brother and Maximoff’s incessant attempts to force me to socialize with the others. If it were not them, I would still remain hidden away in my quarters at all hours. 

“Honestly, at the time I desired nothing more than to kill them in a spectacular manner for their belligerent pestering and sickening optimism. But between you and I, it helped me far beyond simply becoming a part of the Avengers – it helped me move on from the past that used to define me.”

To be so genuinely forthcoming was a bold decision. Had it been anyone else, he would not have dared to reveal such information, particularly someone so new. However, Theo had a knack for drawing the unexpected from Loki, even if it often caught him by surprise. Additionally, the mystery surrounding Theo piqued his curiosity, which only grew with the reluctance to socialize with the others. 

Without taking a risk, there would be no reward.

Theo narrowed her eyes at the God of Mischief, chewing the inside of her cheek as she mulled over his words.

“I remind you of… you?” Distrust clung to every word, only amplified by the doubt written across her expression in big, bold letters.

“Well, yes,” Loki replied coyly. “but you are far more charming and engaging. When I first arrived, I was simply full of spite.” He chuckled, earning a hesitant smile at Theo as a faint hint of pink rose on her cheeks from his compliment. “Had there been no consequence, Stark would have gleefully made a spectacle of launching me off the top of the tower.”

Theo’s shoulders bounced as she chuckled at Loki’s remarks. A sense of relief washed over Loki - perhaps he hadn’t made a mess of things after all.

“The winter soldier, the scarlet witch, myself - at one point or another, we were enemies of various factions of the Avengers. Romanoff is a former black widow, as is Belova. If we can be accepted into the Avengers, I’ve no doubt that you can as well.” Loki assured her, his confidence building with every passing moment. “However, you must be willing to engage.”

Before Theo could roll her eyes and offer a snarky dismissal, Loki held up a finger to silence her.

“At least humor Maximoff once,” he bargained. “I’ve listened to her prattle on endlessly about her excitement at your addition to the Avengers ever since she learned the news, and if I have to endure any more of her moping because you’ve rejected her invitations to socialize, I very well might lose my mind.”

After far too long of a pause, Theo finally answered.

“Okay, fine. I will stop turning down the invites to hang out and I’ll try to ‘play nice’ with the others,” she relented, sounding none too pleased as she straightened up. “For the record, I never agreed to any of this. I am here reluctantly, at best.”

“Yes yes, the reluctant Avenger - you’re not the first one. I wrote the book on it.” Loki ribbed, earning a real laugh from Theo. “Now come, it is far too beautiful of a day to spend it reading such dreary reports. Why not spend your time on something you might enjoy?”

“You know it’s raining outside, right?” Theo pointed to a window behind her, where an onslaught of water undoubtedly pounded against the glass.

“Of course I do;” Loki lightly scoffed. “That’s why it is such a beautiful day - it is perfect for settling in with some literature and forgetting about the tomfoolery the rest of this dreadful realm subjects us to.”

Theo didn’t argue with him, but she continued to peer at him rather suspiciously. 

“You have worked non-stop ever since you started here. What is the phrase that you mortals love? All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy? I fear you might become dreadfully dull if you keep this up.”

“Good thing my name isn’t Jack.” Theo winked, her quick-wit making its blessed return. 

“All work and no play makes for a rather wretched existence.” Loki amended his statement, smirking at Theo. “What you ought to do is put those reports away, find a novel that you actually enjoy, and join me in the sitting room to indulge in some reading. We might even listen to some of your music over the speakers, since you seem to be averse to silence yet easily startled when you wear your headphones.”

“I don’t know, this Budapest report looks like a great mystery to crack.” Theo shrugged, though her tone no longer held any trace of the tension or animosity that had previously dominated her replies.

Loki rolled his eyes, though he couldn’t bite back a smile. 

“Okay,” Theo finally agreed, “let me put this stuff away, and then I’ll come join you.”

As she joined him in the corridor, Loki concluded that one thing was certain: he much preferred Theo’s banter to her thorns. 

I need you to be wrong  (All along wе both were wrong) I need you to be wrong  (All along wе both were wrong)

[itsanidiom]

SHIPPER TAG GAME

LET'S GOOOOO~ tagged by @negrowhat

1. What ship were you completely obsessed with when you were a teenager, but now you don't care anymore?

Glorestor or Glorfindel / Erestor of Middle Earth Fanon Fame. Not that I don't CARE about it anymore, mind you. There's just not enough new content (for obvious reasons god it's old and there's like one conversation of original source material). I don't think about them as much anymore. Like I used to be reading fanfic EVERY NIGHT and we're talking like novel length fanfics (as you can imagine people in the LOTR fandom write lol). Anyway here's some super old fan art... (>u<)

2. Which ship would you consider your first one?

Oh god...something Dynasty Warriors related for sure...

Probably like Sun Ce / Zhao Yu or Gan Ning / Lu Xun. (GO WU! lol) I feel like there were other couples I'm totally forgetting right now...but yeah god I love Dynasty Warriors...

Also...daaamn Gan Ning looks good there I should go buy the latest game. (>w<)

3. Your first fanfic belonged to which couple?

Like the first one I wrote or read?? I went into my oldest of old "old writing" folders and found this list of docs that I haven't been touched in over ten years. SO I'm gonna saaaay it was a Dynasty Warriors fanfic...one of these pairings. (^ ^;)

Also kind of hilarious to see that I literally still organize my fanfic files in the same way for over half my fucking life ago...nice...

4. Do you remember the first couple you saw a fanart over?

I feel like it would have been something Inuyasha related. That or something Final Fantasy X. I do not remember, but it was probably some version of these scene.

5. Did you ever get into ship discourse?

Not that I can remember...do not need this in my life...lol but maybe I've reblogged some RPF like discourse? Like the "should or shouldn't you ship" type discussions. I'm on the side of "do whatever you want but don't send it to the famous people" [ex. like ATEEZ fanfic/fanart] or "if they are literally doing it as part of their promo go ahead, it's for fun/they literally requested it as part of their promo" [ex. BillyBabe]. (^ ^;)

6. Did you used to have any no-otp or have it currently?

It honestly always depends on the quality of the fanart or the fanfic because even a notp can turn into a OH!tp if it's good enough. [Exhibit a: my Phaya/Tharn/Chalothorn fanfic]

7. Who were the couple in the last fanfic you read?

Weirdly the one new Chalothon/Singh fic from The Sign. But I really need AO3 to fix the spelling of his name in the tag...

8. Currently, do you have any OTPs?

PhayaTharn are the current obsession~

Look at them...adorable...

9. Is there any couple that, to this day, you are extremely mad about not getting together?

Still wish John Wick / Santino fucked...also like James Bond / Q and The Protagonist / Neil and Arthur / Eames...bromance is SUCH a waste but considering the genres of these movies it is never gonna happen...I have to wait for the Thai BL versions lol (^ ^;)

10. Is there any ship you used to dislike but now you think they are kind of interesting?

OH I haven't been traumatized by watched it yet, but Dead Friends Forever has made me get onboard with Macau/Chay of KinnPorsche fame because OMG LOOK AT THESE CUTIES!!!!

11. Do you have any ship that, in the past, was considered normal but now you would be cancelled over?

GOD I remember there was a LOT of Sesshomaru x Inuyasha yaoi when I was a kid LMFAO like...straight up cancelled...I dunno if it was normal back then but no yaoi was normal back then so like it sadly all got lumped together or something...then again looking at some of the comics that are coming out these days...

12. What was your favorite crack ship?

All the McFassy ships from back in the day like OMG REMEMBER JUNGKOV?? STELIOS AND LETO??? ARCHIE AND ROBBIE? SO MANY CROSSOVERS!!

LOL Sorry that just brought me back LOL

13. Who is the couple you read more fanfics of?

Ahhhh I don't know...I usually either write a lot or read a lot...I literally have a fic rec list for Glorestor lol and then when I look in my AO3 bookmarks the top ship is Hannigram sooooo let's say Hannigram even though I haven't read one for a while.

14. What most of your ships usually have in common?

toll and smol...i like me a toll and a smoll...lol or big and small...i dunno something something contrast something something just crush him and/or be uncharacteristically gentle or somehow incapacitate the larger man with your wiles...that is all...

15. What do you absolutely hate in a ship?

Miscommunication < seconding @negrowhat's response. Cannot stand it. Such a boring trope. Very annoying for me (the audience).

[edanablack]

After going outside to get some fresh air following a noisy family night, I end up getting teleported onto an alien spaceship and die. I am now haunting an alien spaceship.

The aliens look very slug-like (the scientific term is lost on me now that I'm dead and non-corporal) but they're also about twelve feet tall and able to shift their body composition around to fit into unimaginable shapes, however, because not every one of their crew members is fully abled, the doors remain in a general arch shape.

Chairs are wild on this ship.

The whole place is made of a matte purple material that, according to what the aliens say, reacts to their unique body chemistry.

It flys so fast, I don't think we'll ever see Earth again.

I spend a few hours on the first day of my death waiting to pass on, unsure of what to do on an alien spaceship as a ghost.

I elect to find out if anyone can perceive me by haunting through their pool-like cafeteria.

Apparently, every alien onboard can see me - and they're scared.

When these aliens get scared, they attack each other.

For aliens without visible mouths, their bites are impressive.

I decide to stop haunting and try to venture out into the cold abyss of space but I keep finding myself returned to the dissection slab where I died, and frightening whatever alien doctor is unlucky enough to be there at the time.

I've caused a lot of fights.

The captain has begun to take notice of me; they test out multiple methods of communicating with the freakish entity that haunts their ship.

I give up on all the traditional methods I know of and they elect to use their ship's material to register my 'life-force'.

I'm barely even there.

We communicate only through vague notions; a sense awakened there, an angry thought there.

It's like telepathy if you could only read what a person's left elbow was feeling - and that person was a small bluebird with no elbows.

I'm glad to have someone to talk to, at least.

I don't feel as angry as I should, or scared, but that might be normal for ghosts.

The very clever second in command elects to find a better communication method, researching all that they can about humans and the like.

They find an old manuscript from long ago, a transmission they found floating through space, that talks about how to communicate with ghosts.

Following the manuscript, they attempt to force me to pass on.

Unfortunately, it doesn't go as planned.

I am now a formerly dissected zombie, hungry for brains, stuck on an alien spaceship.

[reader6898]

Meeting the Crew

Pairing: OC Amara x bad batch

Summary: Amara meets her new crew

Warning: none I think

A/n: this is the start of my one shot series that will lead up to my Hunter x Amara fic series that will take place after order 66 and follow the bad batch show

"what do we even know about this Jedi?" The rest of the batch look back at Tech who pretty much knows everything. Tech looks at the info on their Jedi general.

"general Lin was previously general Kenobi's Padawan. They recently became a Jedi knight and that's why we've been assigned to them. Commander Cody was actually the one to suggest that Lin be assigned to us."

"can't believe we need a babysitter. We'll show this general Lin who we are." Wrecker laughs as he gets all excited to put their new Jedi general in their place. The batch keep walking and eventually meet up with Cody.

Cody and Hunter link arms. "Commander." "Good to see you boys again." "So, where's this general of ours." Cody laughs. "Probably getting one last lecture from general Kenobi." The small group talks amongst themselves while they wait for you.

After five minutes Amara makes her way to her new crew. She had read up on them the night before and everything Amara read about them had intrigued her. Hunter: sergeant of clone force 99. Born with enhanced abilities and tracking skills. Wrecker: super strength and weapons expert, especially on blowing things up. Tech: the smart one of the batch . Last but not least Crosshair: enhanced sight and sniper of the group. All of it made Amara even more intrigued. She just hoped that everything went well.

Amara spotted them with Cody and made her way to the small group of clones.

"Cody!" The group turns and all of them, minus Cody, look at their general with Suprise as she walks up to them. "Adi'ka. You're late." Amara rolls her eyes. "Sorry. Was getting one last lesson from Obi-Wan." Cody chuckles as he turns to the rest of the group. "This is Amara Lin. Your new general." Amara gave the group a small smile as she waved. "Hello."

The batch nod their heads at Amara and even without the force she could tell that she was immediately getting the cold shoulder from them. Amara turn towards Cody. "I'm just gonna go put my bag somewhere." Cody nods as Amara walks away and as she does she carefully avoids the four clones as she walked by.

Once Amara comes back out she and Cody have a talk while the others talk amongst one another. "You didn't tell us she was a girl, Tech." Tech pushes up his goggles. "I did not know she was a girl." "So much for being smart." Tech sighs at Wrecker's statement. "Look, we don't have a choice in this. We have to work with her whether we want to or not. Let's just all hope that it won't be for long. Got it?" Tech, Wrecker, and Crosshair grumbled but agreed with their sergeant.

"I'm really going to miss you kid. It won't be the same without you around causing chaos with Skywalker and his Padawan." Amara chuckles. "Don't worry, Cody. I'm sure we will see each other again soon." Cody nodded. "I'm sure we will."

Amara hugs Cody and pulls away. "We have to get going now." Cody keeps his hands on Amara's shoulders. "Stay safe, adi'ka. You can comm me anytime." Amara smiles. "I will." "Good. And if those guys give you a hard time you let me know and I'll set them straight." Amara laughs. " I don't think I'll have to do that but I'll keep that in mind."

Cody sets his arms down and Amara walks over to the bad batch. "Everything is all set, general." "Thank you, sergeant. You can get onboard." Hunter salutes Amara. "Yes, sir." Hunter salutes Cody then gets on the marauder. The ship starts up and Amara gets on. She looks back at Cody one more time and he salutes her.

Amara smiles as she waves and enters the ship. Tech sets the course for their mission and once Amara gives the order they head off on the next mission.

Tagging: @techs-stitches @anxiouspineapple99 @sinfulsalutations @the-rain-on-kamino @the-bad-batch-baroness @eternal-transcience @sev-on-kamino @wings-and-beskar @wizardofrozz @cw80831 @deejadabbles @523rdrebel @moonlightwarriorqueen @cloneloverrrrr @sunshinesdaydream

[lemonhemlock]

Bestie expand your thoughts more on this!

https://at.tumblr.com/lemonhemlock/do-you-think-greyjoy-will-succeed-in-taking/nrryawkbqc7q

I'll start by saying that I haven't read The Forsaken. Not because of spoilers, because I already heard some things that happen in the chapter, but I wanted my first experience reading it to be within TWOW (look how that's going so far).

So what I'm about to say is mostly vibes and guesswork. But Euron is a genuinely terrifying character and one of the properly, old-school evil ones in ASOIAF. Like, there is no moral ambiguity here. The man wants to turn himself into a god and will stop at nothing for it. Euron says a lot of crazy ass things like how he visited both Asshai and Valyria and, though it's tempting to label it as bullshit, he does seem to have collected very rare artifacts like his Valyrian steel armour (??) So I would be inclined to believe him.

In any case, Euron has figured out something, some recipe to a transformative ritual. He has imprisoned priests from different religions onboard his ship and he intentionally impregnated Falia Flowers so as to use their unborn child in this upcoming blood ceremony (king's blood is known to be powerful, as Melisandre tells us, and Euron has been elected king by the kingsmoot).

Euron has had weird dreams/visions since he was a child and there are theories saying those images were sent to him by Bloodraven, who might have wanted him to be a Bran-like figure, but dropped his arse because he was way too deranged. There are also parallels between him and the Bloodstone Emperor, who is known to have caused the Long Night. One worrisome thing is that the Horn of Winter is also in Oldtown, having been brought by Sam, so it's very important that Euron NOT get his hands on it. But then again - why did George bring the Horn all the way down to Oldtown if not for this very purpose?

It's interesting that both the Hightowers and the Greyjoys are associated with Lovecraftian imagery. For the Greyjoys it is more obvious with the krakens, the tentacles and the Drowned God, but Oldtown is in a part of Westeros surrounded by places with selkie and merling legends, like the Shield Islands (north-wise), the Mermaid's Palace (Island of the Arbor). Both the base of the Hight Tower and the Seastone Chair AND the buildings in Asshai seem to be made from similar material (??) - fused black stone.

I have no idea what's about to happen - a believable theory would have been that Euron would raise the Deep Ones out of the sea, but I think George shot that one down (dunno whether he was lying or not). Another would be that Euron is going to blow the Horn of Winter and bring down the Wall. I've seen people link him to becoming the next Night's King, but I'm not really sure he is connected to the Others in a meaningful way like that. His symbolism seems to be more kraken/sea related.

The problem with Euron is that, while he is not the Final Boss in any way, he is a very dangerous distraction and could pose a fuckton of problems. Oldtown falling would be catastrophic for the fate of Westeros. This is why this fandom needs to cut it with the bullshit and start stanning Lord Leyton and Malora ASAP, since they're the last defense against the coming of the storm. Sam is also in Oldtown and I doubt George is going to kill him, so that gives me a little bit of hope that maybe Euron will be defeated.

There is also the fact that Leyton & Malora have been preparing for this for 10 years now. They must have something up their sleeve. Oldtown should be, by rights, a source of great magical power, with the High Tower, the Citadel and the Starry Sept there - so magic + science + religion combined for one last face-off against the dark. It's pretty romantic. It's pretty valiant.

Perhaps there was a reason why George placed the dragons Tessarion and Morning in Oldtown, after all. Maybe their remains or eggs will come in handy in the fight against Euron.

[aristobun]

“Those bruises look new, what happened?”

@tearsofrevali | penny and wolf 🛸

Penny   doesn't   quite   know   how   to   respond   to   his   words   at   first,   a   little   conflicted   because   the   cause   behind   those   fresh   bruises   is   him,   but   she's   unwilling   to   tell   him   that   in   case   he   has   a   horrible   reaction   out   of   pure   guilt.   Her   chocolate   brown   gaze   lifts   to   meet   his   bio-masked   face   as   soon   as   he   enters   the   small   space   of   the   little   room   she   had   found   onboard   his   ship   and   she   gulps.

"   I   just..   bumped   myself   I   think—   "   she   says,   unwilling   to   say   anything   further.

When   her   eyes   meet   his   bio-mask   again,   she   winces   at   the   fact   that   she   can't   even   read   his   expression   beneath   it,   but   she   does   take   note   of   the   slight   tilt   of   his   head,   his   dreadlocks   moving   with   the   motion   while   he   regards   her   with   what   looks   like   disbelief.

"   That   sounds   like   a   lie,   Penny..   "   he   simply   says,   his   voice   gruff   and   full   of   annoyance.

Her   eyes   widen   a   little   at   those   words,   but   she   releases   a   soft   little   sigh   in   response   because   she   knows   he   can   hear   the   evidence   in   her   voice   no   matter   how   hard   she   tries   to   hide   it   from   him.   Then   she   slowly   turns   her   full   attention   toward   him,   her   whole   body   facing   him   now   as   she   takes   a   single   step   toward   him,   then   another,   until   she   is   standing   right   before   him,   his   towering   height   still   overwhelming   no   matter   the   months   she'd   had   to   get   used   to   it.

Penny   has   to   lift   her   head   considerably   in   order   to   address   him   properly   and   when   she   does,   she's   still   a   bit   irritated   that   he's   wearing   the   bio-mask,   because   this   isn't   a   conversation   to   have   while   she   cannot   look   directly   into   his   face   at   the   same   time,   to   see   every   reaction   or   flicker   of   emotion   he   may   have   to   her   words   when   she   tells   him   that   he   caused   the   bruising.

"   Can   you   remove   your   mask,   Wolf?   "   she   gently   asks   him,   unaware   if   he   will   want   to.

She   knows   that   he   usually   prefers   to   leave   it   on,   but   there   have   been   plenty   of   instances   so   far   where   he   has   removed   it,   usually   when   onboard   the   ship,   so   she   doesn't   see   any   reason   why   he   would   be   reluctant   to   do   so   right   now.   Penny   simply   understands   that   after   a   lengthy   hunt,   he   usually   has   a   preference   for   keeping   it   on   for   at   least   a   few   hours   afterward   until   he   feels   more   like   himself   again,   once   the   rush   and   the   adrenaline   has   left   his   system.

Surprisingly,   he   actually   lifts   his   clawed   hands   to   do   just   that,   even   though   he   had   just   returned   from   one   of   those   hunts,   so   she   emits   a   little   stunned   rasp   of   breath   while   he   takes   it   off,   waiting   very   patiently   until   she   can   see   his   face   again   and   then   she   smiles.   That   is   all   she   does   for   the   first   few   moments   after   being   able   to   glance   up   into   his   eyes   again,   though   one   of   them   is   blind   and   a   soft   shade   of   white   compared   to   his   remaining   good   eye   of   vibrant   yellow.

"   You..   get   a   little   rough   sometimes,   though   I'm   sure   you   know   that—you   are   a   Predator,   after   all,   "   she   says,   almost   jokingly   as   if   trying   to   make   light   of   the   situation   she   knows   he   won't   like.

There   is   an   immediate   guttural   growl   that   leaves   him   then,   before   the   expression   on   his   face   even   has   time   to   shift   at   all   and   again,   she   swallows   another   little   gulp,   but   keeps   her   gaze   trained   on   his   own   while   she   speaks   up   again   in   some   small   effort   to   quell   the   annoyance.

"   I'm   fine..   none   of   the   bruises   are   painful,   Wolf,   "   she   says   rather   quickly,   rushing   the   words   in   a   bid   to   keep   him   from   feeling   any   further   guilt   than   he   probably   already   does.

Wolf   takes   a   single   step   forward   then,   his   bio-mask   gripped   in   one   hand   still,   while   he   closes   the   remaining   distance   between   them   and   raises   his   free   clawed   hand   up   to   the   side   of   her   face,   almost   as   if   he   is   cupping   her   cheek   in   an   impulsive   act   of   affection   and   concern,   before   he   gives   another   deep   little   rumble   from   the   depths   of   his   chest   and   she   breathes   out   a   soft   puff   of   air.

"   Penny—I   have   hurt   you..   "   he   gruffs,   his   voice   somehow   strangled   by   his   own   sorrow.

She   lifts   her   much   smaller   hand   to   rest   over   his   own   then,   as   though   she   is   giving   him   reassurance   while   squeezing   it   gently   as   his   remains   on   the   side   of   her   face,   a   soft   little   smile   gracing   her   lips.

"   No,   I   have   little   bruises..   but   you   didn't   hurt   me.   I'm   okay,   Wolf—   "   she   says,   soothingly.

Wolf   doesn't   say   anything   after   that,   the   hand   that   was   on   the   side   of   her   face   remains,   while   he   sets   his   bio-mask   down   on   a   nearby   surface,   anything   close   enough   to   where   they   are   standing,   before   closing   the   final   inch   or   two   of   distance   between   them   and   sweeping   his   clawed   fingers   right   through   her   brown   hair,   pulling   her   head   against   his   chest,   though   she   barely   even   reaches   it   with   the   height   difference   between   them   both.   His   other   arm   loops   down   around   her   waist,   keeping   her   pressed   against   him   as   he   lowers   his   head   and   brushes   his   mandibles   against   the   top   of   her   head.

"   I   am   sorry,   little   one..   "   he   says,   his   voice   almost   sweet,   despite   its   roughness.

[emsprovisions]

also 21 with huntlow 💕

21. when they play with your hair

Willow was sitting on the worn old couch in the Owl House, Hunter's head cradled in her lap. Luz and Amity were sprawled out on the floor in front of the coffee table with Eda, transfixed on a particularly competitive game of Hexes hold 'em. Gus had been too busy to come over, instead working on a school project with his boyfriend.

Willow smiled at the sight of her friends, but particularly at her own boyfriend, using her thighs as pillows, his feet were kicked up over the back of the couch. He was rattling on about Cosmic Frontier, he'd just gotten some new-to-him issues of the comics from Camila–he'd already read every book five times. He had the issue he was reading in hand, and was venting about something to do with a misunderstanding between Chief O'Bailey and the botanist onboard the ship who he had feelings for.

His hair was damp from a recent shower after morning practice. She ran her fingers through it, trying to keep up with all the small details Hunter was throwing at her. She liked the Cosmic Frontier TV show they watched at the Noceda household, but there was a lot of lore to keep up with, so she preferred to let Hunter talk about it all he wanted instead.

Willow massaged Hunter's scalp, her fingernails scratching gently against his skin. Her knuckle snagged on a tangle in his hair and he winced slightly before he caught himself.

"I'm sorry," she said automatically, working through the knot with her fingers as gently as she could.

"It's okay." He stopped to stare up at her look of concentration on his hair.

"Your hair's getting long again, do you want me to cut it soon?"

Hunter shook his head, "Not yet. I kinda like how it looks right now."

"It suits you," Willow agreed. "But I think you look handsome no matter what."

His cheeks turned pink in a blush and Willow grinned. He was so easy to fluster. He turned back to his comic, and Willow kept playing with his hair, putting little braids in random sections, only to run her fingers through his hair to undo them and braid again.

[being-of-rain]

I've been in a podcasts and video games mood for a while, but I think it's time to try and change back to reading and writing, because I've been doing far too little of both. So today I decided to spend some time finishing a few books.

I finished reading All Flesh Is Grass, the Time Lord Victorious novel that I put down... more than 18 months ago. Whoops. I couldn't be bothered starting from the start again so I just finished it. Una McCormack has a really wonderful way with words, I highlighted a lot of phrases I liked or made me laugh, such as the Great Vampires' Coffin Ship being described "like sailing through space in a velvet fridge." But while having Eight, Nine, and Ten together is very cool, I'm not sure the book captured the Doctors with its dialogue. And there was way too many paragraph breaks and cutting between scenes, often several on a page. On the whole these issues made me think the story would've been better as a script for an audio, but I think overall I enjoyed the Time Lord Victorious novels more than other people. Now that I've finished them, I'm going to finish listening to all the TLV audios, and consider myself done with the project. And when I feel like I have a bit more free time, I'll move on to Doom's Day. On the whole I think I'm less interested in it than I was with TLV, but it is nice to see that they took feedback from TLV onboard by restricting Doom's Day to a limited, ordered series rather than a sprawling chaotic web of stories. As much as I was amused by the sprawling chaotic web.

I also finished my reread of The Mysterious Mr Quin by Agatha Christie. I think it's definitely not some of Christie's best writing or cleverest mysteries, but it's still one of my favourites because of Mr Quin and Mr Satterthwaite's relationship. There needs to be a TV adaptation of the characters that can mix and match bits of the short stories and include all of the really emotional parts. Much more so than Christie's other protagonists, you could get really stylised TV with Mr Quin.

I read some 2006 Doctor Who short stories in my continuing project to refine a history of the Master's timeline. I've been consuming so much Master content recently, I really hope that I can pull all the fun facts I've learnt together into some kind of video eventually. I don't know how, but it'll be a good opportunity to learn some new creative skills!

I have so many novels and books on my to-read list, of course including the EDAs, which embarrassingly I haven't touched for a few years now, but I took a blood oath to someday finish in their entirety. But I think my next book might be yet another Doctor Who one, the 1999 Past Doctor Adventure Divided Loyalties, because it includes both (dubious) Master lore, and The Toymaker.