#she saves the world again. goddamnit.

[thedragonagelesbian]

you are the only power left standing

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again 11/5/2024

i am going to do my absolute fucking best to stay off the internet today. also the next time i write one of these i will be goddamn thirty. yeesh.

listening

it took three hours to make a normally brisk 50-minute trip back from the airport on sunday bc there were simply so many accidents. my phone wasn't charging, i was kind of locked into the one way i actually knew how to get home, it was pouring, and the only radio station that was reliably coming through was the local dad rock station.

i don't think i've ever actually heard this song all the way through before! i have of course heard the chorus in eight billion advertisements and trailers etc, but i tuned in right at the lyrics

I was a willow last night in my dream I bent down over a clear running stream Sang you the song that I heard up above And you kept me alive with your sweet flowing love

big ren faire lady of shallott vibes.

-

reading

witch hat atelier, the first twelve volumes that are out in english anyway. let's yoink the setup from the fan wiki.

Coco, a girl living in a small village, had been dreaming of becoming a magician since little. But people who don't know how to use magic since birth are unable to become magicians, or witness the moment magic occurs. But one day, Coco accidentally saw Qifrey, a magician that was visiting the village casting a spell. Ecstatic to finally know how magic works, she tries it immediately and transforms her mother into a stone statue. With the help of Qifrey and his disciples, Coco will embark in a magical journey to save her mother.

this gets a lot of ghibli comparisons, and i get it-- there's a lot of concern about healing scars from a near-cataclysmic magical war, lots of contraptions, bucolic countryside, loving shots of food, etc. i think there is a focus on academia and cohort-building, and how networking is a profession all to itself, that we do not generally see in ghibli films. i think the comp pull should go beyond the aesthetics, as well, but ghibli is still a good comp-- the world of witch hat atelier is dangerous and can hurt or kill you, but it treats the reader's heart with the same care a ghibli movie will. things may not be happily ever after or go perfectly at all times, but there are no twists for the sake of twists, and it doesn't sneer or make fun of you for caring about a character. there are no whedonesque "well THAT happened!" moments. these characters are going to learn and grow and you will learn and grow along with them goddamnit. it is queer but incidentally queer. the folx side of the fags-folx spectrum will feel very welcome here but this is not a tenderqueer kind of gay book. characters are incidentally gay because of course they are, that's just how the world works, look at all the fullness of human expression you can encounter in your one short life, why NOT be gay

i did not expect this series to kickstart a fresh wave of grief for my own academic experience. coco leans on her cohort so much and they truly do work together to solve problems and come up with good solutions and i wish i had had that kind of astronomy experience. it's kind of cold comfort that i don't know and have never heard of a woman having a good astronomy experience.

witch hat atelier: very fun to sink into the details on a page (Kamome Shirahama knows how functional but pretty clothes work), endlessly charming veneer on a very taut game of political ethics happening in the grownups' background

-

watching

happy noirvember!!!

Another Man's Poison (1952, dir. Rapper) courtesy of Kanopy's little revolving carousel of new noir films.

An English mystery writer (Bette Davis) kills her husband, then tries to kill a man (Gary Merrill) posing as her husband.

In his review in New Statesman and Nation, Frank Hauser wrote "No one has ever accused Bette Davis of failing to rise to a good script; what this film shows is how far she can go to meet a bad one."

a plot that could only happen in a country where appearances are everything. i must agree with mr hauser and most of the critics of the time who said Huh???? to the script and basic premise. AND the ending is a little too pat. a breakneck ninety minutes filmed in three months where its stage play bones show. however i really like Bette Davis and it's so much fun to watch Bette Davis pace around an English manor house like a caged tiger.

-

playing

fallow week, i am having a consistent problem with the now five year old gaming rig overheating and once i solve that issue i am very excited to play Red Dead Redemption the original (thank you again @pasta-pardner !)

-

making

deep cleaned my entire house. drove three hundred miles this weekend to pick up my sister and her friend from the airport, go to the ren faire, come back from the ren faire, and take them back to the airport. houston delivered to me some of the worst fucking driving experiences i have ever had here. really upsetting torrential downpour for nearly an hour on a road with no shoulder to speak of.

the actual ren faire was fun! i did not realize how vital a chair or bench with a fucking back was to my rest and recovery. it was nice to go with fellow adults and not help wrangle several small children, as fun as a kid-friendly experience can be. got my overpriced gyro for the year. got my bootleg anime merch for the year. wish it hadn't rained but i feel very smug for packing enough umbrellas and ponchos.

[gumnut-logic]

Lego Volcano (Part 5)

Alexander Sweetapple series | Lego Volcano - Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

It has been some time, and some of this fic has been sitting on my hard drive waiting for attention since May (wow) but tonight I finally started writing more of this. Writing muscles are still a bit rusty, but fortunately I know mostly where this is going. There is more written so hopefully I can post that soon, too.

I also feel that some fo this might be a bit familiar as there have been a lot of WIP Wednesdays since May and I have the vague feeling I posted some of this already, but there is new stuff here as well.

This one continues to be @idontknowreallywhy, @sofasurf, @womble1 and @sailing-on-a-puddle and other wonderful Thunderfam peeps' fault :D

@onereyofstarlight has been her usual amazing self, even rereading this whole thing from the beginning and helping me out with some of her specialities as well :D Thank you so much for your wonderfulness :D

This is Alexander Sweetapple so the fic is m/m. If that isn't your jam, this isn't your bread. Though I will admit, there is very little of that in this bit as Scotty is the one who is having a hard time this time :D

As always, so many thanks to Thunderfam for being the amazing kind fandom it is ::hugs the lot of you::

I hope you enjoy.

-o-o-o-

Being ever so competitive, all the Tracy brothers knew how to get to any part of the villa in the shortest possible time.

Gordon availed himself of that fact the moment John called him.

He had been putting on his swim trunks ready for his morning foray in the pool. Moments later saw him leaping a Lego volcanic island and landing smoothly enough amongst the bricks to slide to Alex’s side.

“What happened?”

Alex had laid Scott in the recovery position. “He has a fever.”

Gordon ran through vitals without thought.

Scott groaned and attempted to shove him away.

“Yo, Scooter, you’re on the floor clocking a temperature somewhere in the hundreds. Give yourself a break.”

His brother mumbled something and tried to roll over and get up.

“Oh, no, you don’t.” Gordon grabbed him as Alex scuttled out of the way. “You are staying put until Grandma gets here.”

As if summoned by her callsign, their grandmother hurried into the room. “Scott, honey, what happened?” She stepped lightly over the Lego scattered across the floor and knelt down beside her grandson.

“I’m��kay, Granma.” Scott pushed himself into a sitting position.

Gordon growled at him, but placed a hand on his back, not convinced he wouldn’t fall over again.

“Looks like you’ve picked up Virgil’s flu, honey.”

Scott swore.

“Gordon, please find us a hoverstretcher.”

And that was how Gordon found himself dragging an obstinate and complaining, cranky big brother up to the infirmary and tucking him into a bed. The protests were of legendary proportions until Grandma brought them to a firm halt.

“I’m fine, Grandma.”

“No, you’re not.”

“I’ve got work to do.”

“You’ve got resting to do.” She switched off the scanner and turned to put it away.

“Gordon, stop fussing!” And yes, his hands were swiped at.

He took a step back. “Fine, oh great Commander, tuck yourself in.”

And there it was, his feverish and ill brother trying to be big brother but running out of resources and struggling to hold himself up. Wet, blue eyes attempting stoicism and failing. Damnit, Scott, why do you do this?!

“International Rescue, we have a situation.” John popped up by the bed.

Oh, for the love of-!

Scott sat up, ramrod straight in the bed. “Go ahead, John.”

“We’ve got a cargo freighter foundering off the Great Barrier Reef.”

Gordon exploded. “What?! How the hell did they even get near it? Those are sanctuary waters!” Goddamnit! The remains of the Great Barrier Reef were a World Heritage Treasure. The Supreme Barrier Reef was an attempt to save the ecological system. What little was left of the actual reef off the coast of Australia was ever so precious. How the hell had they ended up in those waters at all?

John, as usual, was calm, but his expression said everything. “Investigating as we speak.” In other words, both he and Eos were out for blood.

Gordon let out a breath. Damn it was good to have a family to depend on.

“Thunderbird Two and Four responding. Get Alan down here. I need transport.”

“Gordon!”

He turned to his beloved eldest brother who was radiating heat like a blast furnace. “Alan and I have this, Commander. You’re staying in bed.” Moving towards the door, he almost collided with Alex. Stumbling, he gestured with a firm finger at Scott. “Make sure he stays put.”

Gordon tore out of the room at a run.

He had a reef, and possibly a few people, to save.

-o-o-o-

It had all happened so fast.

And Alex had no idea what he should be doing right now. He stood beside the door, not sure what to do with his hands, feet, or any body part really.

From the moment he caught Scott, events had just happened around him. The Tracy family responded smoothly and well-practised and before he knew it, Gordon was out the door, and Alex was left in the infirmary with a weak but literally vibrating Mr Tracy.

Mrs Tracy had looked at her watch and cursed. A firm finger and quiet word with the bed ridden man and she was hurrying out the door as fast as her grandchildren had moments before.

But she did brush her fingertips across Alex’s shoulder as she passed, catching his eyes enough to reinforce Gordon’s wish to keep Mr Tracy where he was.

How the hell was he going to do that?

In the distance, Alex heard the roar of Thunderbird Two as she launched from the Island.

Virgil was not going to be happy.

He let out a breath. That’s where he should be now. Virgil would be clambering out of bed. There was no way he would not respond to that sound.

A rustle of sheets and Mr Tracy was sitting upright again. “Thunderbird Five, give me comms.”

“Negative, Thunderbird One.”

“John-“

“Thunderbird Prime’s orders. You’re on sick leave, One.”

Mr Tracy swore dirty, very much not the calm, cool professional Alex was used to.

“Rest, Scooter. We’ve got this.” And the line cut out.

The man on the bed deflated like a balloon, falling back onto the mattress almost as limp as when Alex had first caught him.

An arm came up over his eyes and a barely discernible whisper crossed his lips. “Goddamnit.”

-o-o-o-

Mr Tracy lay there like that for enough time for Alex to think he had fallen asleep.

Should he leave or go? Both Gordon and Mrs Tracy had asked him to stay…really ‘ordered’ him to stay. But Virgil…

Virgil needed Alex to give him permission to relax. Virgil needed Alex to drag him back to bed to stop his headlong run into work and exhaustion.

Yet Virgil was reportedly the level-headed brother.

Virgil had often described Mr Tracy as the embodiment of his Thunderbird - fast, impatient, determined, and consequently ridiculously prone to working himself into collapse.

In Virgil’s case, it was a pot and kettle situation, but after tonight’s demonstration, Alex had first-hand experience and there was the distinct possibility that Mr Tracy would do exactly what Virgil predicted.

As if the thought was permission, Mr Tracy rolled over in the bed and pushed himself into a sitting position.

Alex blinked. “Do you really want to do that?”

The man jumped, tired eyes latching onto him and widening. “Alex?”

Stepping forward, Alex held up a hand. “I’m sorry, Mr Tracy, Mrs Tracy said you need to stay in bed.”

Those blue eyes blinked once sharply and then again but slower. “There’s a situation.” His words were running into each other.

Alex took another step closer. “Mr Tracy, you need to rest.”

He looked away, mumbling something.

“Mr-“

“Alex, my name is Scott.”

“Sorry, sir.”

That drew those eyes back to him, if only for them to roll as Mr Tracy let himself fall back onto the bed. “Augh, Alex.”

“Sorry, s-“

The man grunted.

“-cott.”

A more positive grunt and he shifted on the bed, pulling the covers over himself before fixing his eyes once again on Alex.

Those eyes had so much power.

“So, Grandma has you sitting guard.” It wasn’t a question, more of a challenge.

Alex straightened his spine. “I guess so.”

There was steel in that tired blue, but Alex held on.

Just long enough for Mr Tracy to sigh and relax back into the bed and close his eyes. “Fine.”

There was silence after that. If Alex was working for any other employer than the Tracys, he might have been afraid that he was throwing away his career future.

He wasn’t.

The silence stretched on and Alex resisted the urge to fidget. But then a soft snore wafted up from the bed.

It was followed by another.

Oh, thank god.

Alex wilted where he stood, suddenly aware of exactly how early in the morning it was. A chair beside the bed beckoned, so Alex edged over as silently as possible and curled up.

He watched the bed covers move evenly up and down as Scott slept.

Up and down.

In and out.

Up and…down.

His eyes dropped closed.

-o-o-o-

Next

[thisapplepielife]

Written for the @steddieholidaydrabbles December challenge.

Obviously

Prompt Day 3: Mutual Pining | Word Count: 1000 | Rating: T | CW: Brief Period-Typical Internalized Homophobia | Tags: Dual POV, Post-Season 4, Idiots in Love, Just Make a Move Already, Platonic Stobin, Eddie and Gareth are Best Friends

Steve

Steve waits outside of The Hideout, hoping Eddie will come out soon. He's trying to be casual about it, but he knows he's basically being a certified stalker. Robin is loving every embarrassing minute of his steady descent into madness.

"Just tell him, dingus. Ask him out," Robin says.

"Just like you asked out Vickie?" Steve says, "Or Nance? Why is it impossible for you, but is supposed to be easy for me?"

Robin rolls her eyes, "Because Eddie has a crush on you, too. Obviously."

"Obviously," he mocks, sarcastically.

He likes Eddie, and he's spent months dancing around that fact because he doesn’t really know how to just…say that. He wants to say it, wants to see if Eddie feels the same way. But Eddie’s never shown an ounce of interest. He steers clear of Steve, never does anything alone with him. Maybe they aren't friends. Maybe they are just two strangers that survived a traumatic experience together, and Steve's trying to make it into more than it ever was. Steve feels like they are friends, though, but Eddie sure isn't making it easy. He’s keeping Steve at an arm’s length and Steve is sure it’s because Eddie thinks he’s being weird.

He’s making this weird. He doesn’t mean to, it’s just…happening against his will.

The door to the bar opens, and Steve straightens up, "Shhh!" he hisses at Robin, and she just gives him the familiar face telling him he’s a dingus. He waits, and slumps again when he realizes it’s not Eddie. Then he hears a commotion from around the corner of the building, in the alley.

Car doors banging, loud arguing, just a general ruckus. He strains to hear. Maybe it’s Eddie. The van was parked back there, he saw it when he pulled up tonight.

"Do you think your boyfriend is still here?" comes the question from a voice, loud and cocky. 

"Shut up, Gareth," is the reply, and that’s definitely Eddie. They must be loading the van with their equipment. Usually they hang out first, but there’s another band following them tonight, so they must have had to load out early.

Steve wants to die. He’s been too obvious. Goddamnit, that's embarrassing. He’ll just slink off, and pretend this night never happened.

"Get in the car," he hisses at Robin, voice low and imploring, as he climbs off the trunk, and crawls into the driver’s seat of the BMW. She gets in next to him, and is staring at him. He refuses to look her way as he pulls out of the gravel parking lot, back onto the highway. They just won’t come back next Tuesday. He won’t, anyway.

No way in hell.

Eddie

"Stop it," Eddie says, putting Sweetheart into the back of the van, making sure she’s secure and won’t get banged around by the rest of the gear. "He’s not my boyfriend and you damn well know it. Steve Harrington? Into me? The Freak? Unlikely."

Gareth scoffs, "Dude keeps hanging around like a little lost puppy. You have eyes, dontcha? He’s into you."

"He’s not into me, drop it," Eddie says, helping Gareth load his drums. There’s a very particular order to repacking the van, and if they don’t do it right, it’s gonna suck dick, and not in the good way.

"He is," Gareth argues, and this kid will never let him get the last word, that’s just the way of the world.

"Gareth. Steve is straight. As an arrow, and I’m pretending to be, too. So, knock it off. I don’t want the town hunting me down for being a different kind of freak."

Gareth looks at him, and lowers his voice, "He likes you, Eddie. He just doesn’t know how to tell you that. I’m sure of it."

"Great. You’re sure of it. Let me get my ass kicked on your hunch."

"Eddie," Gareth says, putting both hands on Eddie's shoulders, "Steve Harrington isn’t going to kick your ass. Steve Harrington nearly died to save you. Steve Harrington keeps coming to this shitty bar, to hear us play shitty music he hates. Pull your head out of your ass."

Eddie sighs. Steve saved him, that much is fucking true. But that has nothing to do with liking him. That’s just Steve. He wanted to protect his flock, and somehow, Eddie’s in it. Eddie’s supposed to have his own sheep to tend to, not be one of Steve’s sheep. It’s weird.

Eddie climbs in the driver’s seat and Gareth climbs in beside him. 

"You should just give him a sign. A little one. Steve will run with it, swear to god. He's a brave fool, like that. I know it. Do something small. Just. Give him a little bit of hope, and…" Gareth says, slapping his hands together, "you’re in there."

Eddie loves him, but Gareth's an idiot. But, maybe this isn't totally terrible advice?

Steve

Steve sits out by his pool. It took a lot of time to be able to return to it, after Barb. He kicks his foot, splashing the water, and stops when he hears something walking through the brush. He doesn't have a weapon, but he's thinking about pushing himself up to standing when he sees Eddie coming through the trees.

Steve relaxes and laughs, "You scared the shit out of me."

"Sorry, I just thought your neighborhood might not appreciate me in their midst," Eddie says, moving over and toeing off his shoes to sit down beside him.

They haven't been this close since Steve was forcing him up through the gate, trying to save him.

"You didn't stay after tonight," Eddie says, softly.

"Oh, well, uh, I thought maybe you didn't want me to, anymore," Steve admits.

"I wanted you to," Eddie says, glancing over at him, smiling, just a little, and then he lays his hand on Steve's knee. 

Holy shit. 

This is an opening. Steve's sure, and he's gonna take it.

Steve smiles, and leans in for a kiss.

If you want to write your own, or see more entries for this challenge, pop on over to @steddieholidaydrabbles and follow along with the fun!

If you want to see more of my entries into this month-long challenge, you can check them out in my tag, right here!

[ilovereadingandstuff]

JINX CHAPTER 56 (S2) REACTION

WHY IS HE SO PRETTY??!?!

GOd! I feel like he's better now that he left Jaekyung behind...I feel him different...

That's good.

"He's handsome"

I get you girls, i get you...

But why is he so sad?! Where's your grandma?

YOOOO, SHE'S HAPPY!! SHE'S OKAY!!

Even the doctor said she's been better than before! sdfhdgjklsdfg WOOOOOOOO, WE WON!!!

But then...whY ARE YOU SAD, KIM??

"I'm scared... of being alone"

Oooouu...so that's it.

Mmm, ok, I get it now.

He's about to snap at any given moment, bruh...he's gonna kill anybody on the road, that's for sure...

criminal side-eye...ofensive side-eye...haha

"The first time i saw him..."

Man, you're going insane, that's clear as water now.

You really have so much free time now that, for the first time in ages probably, you're letting yourself have a moment and think about you're life and feelings...

Goddamnit, you need help QUICKLY

"So I found myself wanting to see how that would play out in the room..."

So you were into him for the very first moment 'cuz you felt like he was a kind of weakling coward little man?!?! HOW MANY REASONS ARE YOU GONNA GAVE ME TO HATE ON YOU MORE???

yOU'RE SICK, YOU'RE A DISGUSTING PERVERT, YOU'RE A KINKY SHIT, JOO JAEKYOUNG!!!

"...and even our sexual chemistry"

Using him as your sexual toy was some kind of 'chemistry' for you? You're out of your mind, man.

"This is how I've always lived my life"

And that has worked out the way you wanted? Don't you think it's time for it to give it a review? a little change, if you mind???

WHY YOU GOTTA BE THIS FINE WHEN YOU'RE A DEPRAVED SON OF A B**-!!!

I genuinely feel like I'm hating on this man EVEN MORE than I ever did back at season 1...I don't like how's this going really, why am I even more disgusted by him than ever? Shouldn't this be the season where he changes, where he gives his reasons to DESERVE to be Dan's partner??? 'CUZ NO WAY YOU GET NEAR HIM AGAIN, BITCH!!

Kim is healing, YOU OF ALL PEOPLE SHOULDN'T BE NEAR HIM!!

"I'm just going to meet with Kim Dan and talk about this."

TALK ABOUT WHAT??!!

'Yo, Dan, I wanna fuck u again, wanna abuse you like I had been doing this past year, u miss me?'

TALK ABOUT WHAAAAATT, ASSHOLE?!?!

"I feel like it's the only way to put these thoughts in order."

So you're gonna force this pure being into listening to your bitchy complains and life-problems because you got nothing best to do and wanna ruin his life even more than it already is??

Wow, so kind of you...

GO SUFFER ALONE IN YOUR BIG-ASS MANSION, DON'T RUIN THIS NOW!!

"The number you dialed is not in service..."

tHANK GODNESS, MAN!!

"He's probably with his grandmother..."

THE JUDGING FACE?? REALLY??

I genuinely ADORE his facial expression, ngl.

"However, due to patient confidentiality, I cannot reveal further details."

You're saving a life here, m'am.

Seems like Kin is kinda escaping from you...any guess of why that may be it, Joo?? ANY FUKCING GUESS OF WHAT THE REASON MAY BE??

He's fucking desperate, HAHAHA

Why did I suddenly get reminded of RinHaru's 'running and searching for the other' (fs2 movie) by watching this panel? God no, they are NOTHING alike these too...

"Fuck! Where the hell is him?!"

Calm down, bitch, the world doesn't revolve around you...

"Find Doctor Dan"

Oh my fucking godness, NO!!

"Track him with any method necessary"

THIS WASN'T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN!!! FUUUUCCCK NOOOOO!!!

POOR BABY, I'M SOOO SORRY DARLING!!

Ok, so I've left my actual impressions while reading this chapter above, yeah, but I also wanted to add that, yes, Joo Jaekyung is an asshole...EVEN THOUGH I'm aware of the actual 'good things' he did for Dan... it's do take recognition over

His disposition for paying Dan's debt on those abusers back at his old house

Beating up said abusers

Paying Kim's granma's treatment

Giving Kim a place to live

Giving Kim a work, a worth salary AND the opportunity to be in his team, be part of his crew (and meet his people, actual humans who appreciated his efforts and became his friends)

Ultimately, yes, Jaekyung changed Kim Dan's life for the better when he was in a really tough situation back at the begining...BUT, the reason why I'm so mean to him in my reactions lately is because, yes, he helped Kim, but with the mindset and pursuit of his own needs and interests, just like he has said these two past chapters into this new season...

Joo has done all that NOT taking in consideration Kim Dan's feelings, needs, much less emotions...He did all that for his own convenience...

And, honestly? as a said, he has more free time now and it's finally thinking over his situation, reflecting on his current reality and somehow giving it a thought on Kim Dan's impact in his life...even though that, yes, he's doing it in the wrong way...

I hate this bitch, but I'm aware of his seemingly slow development and possible good things he has done so far...

Anyway, there's still a long go for him to treat people as actual human beings and change his toxic narcissistic mindset...and also, we don't know his background nor his personaly story...so I hope that will improve my view of him as a character on the long run further in the future...

So... yeah, that's it.

Hope you enjoy my babbling. I do really enjoy this series because of how insane it is, but so well constructed so far, and because the art is fucking amazing...

And, yeah, Joo Jaekyung is hot. I hate him, but he's goddamn hot.

[nerdythebard]

#56: Malenia, Blade of Miquella [Elden Ring]

[Art Credit: Aleksandra Skiba on ArtStation] ---

What's her name again?

This request comes from an anonymous reader. Surely, their goal was to give some of you lovely folks violent flashbacks. It is in fact time to venture into the world of Elden Ring and yet again face Malenia, Blade of Miquella. I'll be completely honest, I do not get the appeal of Souls games, so I never bothered to look into them, but you all very well know that your wish is my command. So let's step into the arena!

Next Time: GODDAMNIT, BARBARA!

Let's see what we need to equip for this fight:

I am Malenia

Blade of Miquella

And I have never known defeat

Um... okay... whatever you say.

---

Malenia, Blade of Miquella, is a demigod, and specifically mentioned to be an Empyrean; in D&D terms, Empyreans are celestials so that will make her an Aasimar. Using the new rules from Mordenkainen's Monsters of the Multiverse, we get a +2 and a +1 to two abilities of our choice (let's get Dexterity and Constitution respectively), speed of 30 feet, Celestial Resistance to necrotic and radiant damage, 60 feet of Darkvision, the Light cantrip, and the Healing Hands ability that lets us heal a creature for [our proficiency bonus x d4] once per long rest as an Action.

Malenia, Blade of Miquella (this is the last time, I promise), is going to have the Soldier background, as we can definitely use those Athletics and Intimidation proficiencies. We also gain proficiency with one gaming set and operating land vehicles, and the Military Rank feature, which will make soldiers related to our former (remember, the concept is that D&D characters begin their new lives as adventurers) organisation recognise us, and may provide us with supplies, shelter, or help.

ABILITY SCORES

We'll start with Dexterity, as we need to be nimble with our moves and swing our weapon better than Benny Goodman. Constitution will be next, since we've never known defeat. Follow that up with Wisdom, for our Rot damage.

After that, we get Charisma - Malenia's got that intimidation skill perfected. Strength will be on the lower end, in case we need to switch weapons, and we're gonna dump Intelligence - we just need others things more.

CLASS

Level 1 - Fighter: We start with the classic, but a useful one. Fighters start with a d10 as their Hit Dice, [10 + our Constitution modifier] initial Hit Points, proficiencies in light armour, medium armour, heavy armour, shields, simple weapons, and martial weapons. Apart from her helmet and prosthetics (the latter of which you can also get, as described in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything), Malenia doesn't appear to use any armour, so we'll skip that for now, and grab her a rapier; it's not exactly a katana, but it's the best finesse weapon we can get for now.

Our saving throws are Strength and Constitution, and we get to pick two class skills from the list (Acrobatics and Perception).

Fighters get to pick their Fighting Style. You could consider picking Blind Fighting since Malenia has no eyes and doing so would make you aware of everything within 10 feet of you, but in this case we need to deal damage and a lot of it; we're going with Dueling. When we're wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapon, we get a +2 to damage rolls.

Fighters also get to tap into Second Wind. As a bonus action, we can regain [1d10 + our Fighter level] once per short or long rest.

Level 2 - Fighter: With Action Surge we can now take one additional Action on our turn once per short or long rest.

Level 3 - Fighter: We choose our first subclass, our Martial Archetype. Malenia uses a long katana/odachi, but because her spirit is essentially unbreakable (and she's never known defeat), we're gonna go with the Samurai archetype. We get a bonus proficiency in one skill from the list (Insight) and we gain Fighting Spirit; as a Bonus Action, we can give ourselves an advantage on weapon attack rolls until the end of our turn and gain 5 Temporary Hit Points. We can use this ability three times per long rest.

We also gain a racial ability - Celestial Revelation. We get to choose a form to transform into for 1 minute as a bonus action (once per long rest). To keep with Malenia's Rot theme, we're gonna get the Necrotic Shroud; creatures within 10 feet of us who can see us must make a Charisma saving throw or become frightened of us until the end of our next turn. Additionally, once per turn we can deal extra [our proficiency bonus] necrotic damage to a single target when making a weapon attack or cast a spell.

Level 4 - Monk: Let's jump classes for some faster and more nimble slashes. Multiclassing into Monk gives us proficiency with stuff we already know, so instead we jump straight into Unarmed Defense. While wearing no armour or shield, our AC becomes [10 + our Dexterity modifier + our Wisdom modifier]. We also learn Martial Arts. When benefitting from Unarmed Defense and using our bare hands or a monk weapon (which the rapier qualifies as), we gain the following benefits:

We can use Dexterity instead of Strength for attack and damage rolls of our unarmed and monk weapon strikes.

We can use a 1d4 instead of the dice used for our unarmed strikes and monk weapon attacks (the value changes as we level up).

When we use our Attack action to do an unarmed strike or a monk weapon attack, we can use our Bonus Action to make an unarmed strike.

Level 5 - Monk: We gain access to the Monk's resource - the Ki energy. We start with a pool of Ki Points (that we recover when we finish a short or long rest), which we can spend to achieve the following effects:

Flurry of Blows: Immediately after making an Attack, we can spend 1 Ki point to make two unarmed strikes as a bonus action.

Patient Defense: Spending 1 Ki point lets us take the Dodge action as a bonus action.

Step of the Wind: Spending 1 Ki point lets us take the Dash or Disengage actions as bonus actions, and doubles our jump distance for the turn.

We also gain Unarmoured Movement. When not wearing armour or using a shield, our speed increases by 10 feet.

Level 6 - Monk: Here, we learn how to Deflect Missiles. Whenever we're a target of a ranged weapon attack, we can use our Reaction to attempt to reduce the damage by [1d10 + our Dexterity modifier + our Monk level]; if the result reduces the damage to 0, we catch the projectile and can use the same Reaction to throw the projectile (range 20/60) and make an attack.

We get to pick our second subclass, our Monastic Tradition. To get better with our only weapon, we're gonna choose Way of the Kensei. We can now make our rapier a kensei weapon, which will give it extra bonuses. We gain proficiency with either caligrapher's supplies or painter's supplies (choose either), and with Agile Parry, if we make an unarmed strike as part of our Attack, we can gain a +2 to our AC by using our weapon to defend ourselves. We also gain Kensei's Shot, but since we're not using ranged weapons, we'll skip that one.

Level 7 - Monk: Finally, we get our first Ability Score Improvement. We're gonna boost our Dexterity and Constitution, as it will be useful in the next level. Here, we also gain Slow Fall, which helps us when falling, reducing fall damage by [our Monk level x5]. I would also ask your DM if you can take the optional feature Quickened Healing from Tasha's (since we didn't get anything when multiclassing), which lets you spend 2 Ki Points to roll a Martial Arts die and heal the rolled number of Hit Points.

Level 8 - Druid: Time to make some things rot. Multiclassing into Druid once again gives us proficiencies we already have, so we'll jump straight into Spellcasting. Wisdom is our casting ability and we know cantrips and rituals. Druids have access to their full spell list, and they can prepare [our Wisdom modifier + our Druid level] spells each day. We start by choosing two cantrips (Infestation and Resistance) and two 1st-level spells (Jump and Longstrider). We also learn Druidic, a language unique to the druids.

Level 9 - Druid: Although druids gain their signature ability, Wild Shape here, we will not focus on that in this build (we will be using the resource for something else), so allow me to skip straight into picking our third subclass - our Druid Circle. There is absolutely no question here, we're picking Circle of Spores.

From the circle conntected to rot and decay, we pick up our first feature: Halo of Spores. We're surrounded by an invisible aura of spores and bacteria, which we can unleash onto a target. Whenever a creature moves into a space within 10 feet of us (or starts its turn there), we can use our Reaction to deal 1d4 necrotic damage (unless the target makes a Constitution saving throw) which increases as we level up (1d6 at lv. 6, 1d8 at lv. 10, and 1d10 at lv. 14).

We can also channel magic into our own spores to create a Symbiotic Entity. By sacrificing one usage of our Wild Shape, we can awaken the spores on our body and gain [4 Temporary Hit Points per Druid level], as well as the following benefits (which last for 10 minutes or until we lose the THP or until we use Wild Shape again):

When we deal damage from our Halo of Spores, we roll the damage die a second time and add it to our attack

Our melee weapon deals extra 1d6 necrotic damage to any target we hit

We can also get another spell; let's grab Protection from Evil and Good.

Level 10 - Druid: Halfway through the build and we don't unlock anything class-related, only 2nd-level spells. Enhance Ability may aid us in case of saving throws for abilities we do not excel at, and we pick up two spells from our subclass: Blindness/Deafness and Gentle Repose.

Level 11 - Druid: Time for another ASI. Putting two points into Dexterity, we now max our primary damage-dealing and evasive ability. We also collect one more 2nd-level spell, Wither and Bloom, and one more cantrip - Primal Savagery.

Level 12 - Druid: Once again, we do not unlock any class features but we get 3rd-level spells. Let's grab Plant Growth, and get Animate Dead and Gaseous Form from our subclass.

Level 13 - Druid: We get our second subclass feature - Fungal Infestation. We can now spread our spores to a recently killed person or beast. If a Small or Medium creature dies within 10 feet of us, we can use our Reaction to animate it for 1 hour (or until defeated or dismissed) with 1 Hit Point. We can use this feature a number of times equal to our Wisdom modifier per long rest. The Cleanrot knights will now serve us!

Level 14 - Monk: Time to get more sword strikes to our build. We get Extra Attack - we can now attack twice, instead of one time, during a single Attack action (plus unarmed strikes as a Bonus Action). We also get Stunning Strike; when we hit a target with our melee weapon attack, we can spend 1 Ki Point to attempt to stun the target. The target has to make a Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the end of our next turn. Additionally, our Martial Arts die becomes 1d6.

Level 15 - Monk: Our Unarmoured Movement bonus is now +15 feet. At this level, we can now deal extra Punchables™ with Ki-Empowered Strikes; our unarmed attacks now count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistances and immunities. From our subclass, we gain One with the Blade, which gives us the following benefits:

Magic Kensei Weapons: Our kensei weapon attacks now count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistances and immunities.

Deft Strike: When we hit the target with our kensei weapon, we can spend 1 Ki Point to add extra damage to our weapon equal to our Martial Arts die. We can only do so once per turn.

Level 16 - Monk: At this level, we get two really useful abilities to avoid harm. Evasion allows us to take no damage when failing a Dexterity saving throw would make us take half damage (and half damage if we'd normally take full damage). With Stillness of Mind, we can use our Action to shake off one charmed or frightened effect.

Level 17 - Monk: Time for another ASI. Let's put one point into Wisdom and one into Constitution.

Level 18 - Monk: We gain Unarmoured Movement Improvement. We can now effortlessly move across vertifcal surfaces and liquids without sacrificing any loss of movement.

Our Unarmoured Movement bonus is now +20 feet. With Purity of Body we are now sure that the Rot or any of its strains will touch us, as we're immune to poison and disease.

Level 19 - Monk: For the final ASI, we'll put one point into Constitution and leave the last one into Intelligence.

Level 20 - Monk: Our capstone is Monk 12, which gives us our final subclass upgrade: Sharpen the Blade. We can now imbue our weapon with Ki, spending up to 3 points to increase the weapon's attack force, damage, or both for 1 minute. Our Martial Arts die also changes into 1d8.

---

And that's Malenia, Blade of Miquella, who has never known defeat! (I had to squeeze that last one in!). Let's see what we have here:

First of all, we have a lot of ways to deal damage, depending whether we with to attack with our weapon, our unarmed stikes, or our Rot powers. We have also several ways of sustaining ourselves, whether by gaining Temporary Hit Points, healing with Second Wind, or casting a spell.

Our AC is 17 (+2 if we use Agile Parry), we have 50 feet of movement, a +5 to our initiative, and the average of 163 Hit Points.

This build is also difficult to maintain because of a triple multiclass, which means a lot of resource management: Ki Points, Wild Shape, Spell Slots, Martial Arts die... plus, the many options of attacking and several versions of managing your Action, Bonus Action, and Reaction moveset, this may cause some confusion.

---

Ho boy, that was something. It seems to be a satisfying build, but I also feel like I've spent a bit too much on it. I also had to reschedule the next build, but I'll explain why later. If you want to, I'll also provide commentary on the few controversies with Wizards of the Coast and D&D situation, but all in due time.

Remember that I love you and wish you all a good day or night!

-Nerdy out!

[phightinghottakes]

Goddammit ight again, wait were you able to copy and save it? Actually nvm.

Alright so, equivalent to what I sent earlier, I can see and somewhat agree to what the Broker haters are saying. Because in all honesty, Broker is boring.

Sure, he has the "I know everything and the world isn't real" bullshit, but like. What else, like other than the cult stuff, What Else?

And there's nothing other than those two things.

So, yeah. Broker's pretty much 1D and I find that boring. And someone give Scythe more lore like goddamnit isn't she a wanted serial killer? She's Got to be interesting. But nah. Just. Cult. That's it. Like bruh.

Yeah, Soda apparently said that Scythe is a serial killer because “she’s a hater”, which might imply she hates people for existing and they could go an interesting direction with that, but seeing how things are going, it’s probably just going to be tied back to the stupid cult.

[rei-does-stuff]

Watched new the little mermaid movie and I have a LOT of thought! Enough for a whole post!!

Little mermaid thoughts LETS GOOOO

-I LOVED IT FIRSTLY but I do have a few nitpicks

-Firstly I don’t like the cgi animals, they look bad, I get they don’t wanna do the cartoony look for all the fish, but I feel like at least for flounder they should’ve so we could’ve connected to him more, Sebastian was fine, so was scuttle but flounder really got the short end of the stick

-The lighting wasn’t that bad, sure there was some scenes that maybe should have been a tad brighter but it really wasn’t as bad as everyone was saying

-Hailey Bailey singing is INCREDIBLE, I was worried that she would be able to sing well, but not be able to sing in CHARACTER, but goddamnit she KILLS it man! You can really FEEL her emotions and she does so well

-ALSO SHES SO PRETTY???? LIKE OMG???

-Sebastian and King Triton don’t really have as much of a friendly dynamic as I’d like, King -Triton especially doesn’t seem as friendly towards him compared to the original, so Sebastian’s quips seem like ACTUAL complaining instead of something more innocent yk??

-Also because they cut out the song where the daughters sing and Ariel is missing we don’t really get that Sebastian is a conductor/composer so his part during ‘kiss the girl’ doesn’t flow as well imo, bc like how would he know this? He doesn’t know anything about music

-They don’t introduce Eric’s statue, so it’s appearance later on doesn’t make sense unless you’ve watched the original, something I don’t really like about disney remakes

-And Ariel finds it BEFORE under the sea, which brings two issues, one is that the statue is supposed to be a gift from flounder TO Ariel, which strengthens their relationship, and two it makes her leaving at the end of under the sea make no sense, since she left TO see the statue

-OH AND UNDER THE SEA WAS AMAZING, I love how they did their own thing instead of copying the og, makes it way more memorable and it looked rlly good!!!

-ALSO ARIEL JOINING IN ON IT WAS GREAT!!!

-OH, and whilst part of your world was amazing, I feel like Sebastian should have seen it. Since he wasn’t there, he doesn’t know much about Ariel’s motive and her desire for going to the surface, they didn’t have to add all the slapstick that was in the original but just having him there instead of him come after would strengthen their relationship a lot more, especially to those who haven’t seen the original

-I like them setting up how Eric and Ariel are two sides or the same coin, both wanting more from their lives and wanting what they can’t have

-when Eric goes to save Max, I think the original does it better, him jumping from the boat and going BACK onto the ship shows his compassion than him about to leave the ship but going back for max

-When Eric sees Ariel with his blurred vision I feel like it was a bit TOO blurry, in the original the og Ariel had this ethereal aura to her from his vision that added to his whole fantasy of her, that the remake doesn’t really capture due to how blurry it was

-When King Triton destroying all of Ariel’s things was good, not as powerful as the original but still amazing, but one nitpick I have is that Triton tells her “never leave again” and doesn’t LOOK at her. In the original he doesn’t say anything, but does look at her crying and you can see the guilt in his eyes.

-Also, the whole, “your mom was killed by humans thats why i forbid you going there” feels a bit??? Unnecessary?? Idk how to describe it, I think because the original had this sort of queer undertone in it, like the original fairytale had, and I feel like the line is removing that a bit?? The whole humans are barbarians thing feels unnecessary too. I feel if they just stuck with the whole “you’re a mermaid he’s a human” thing would’ve been better, no need to over complicate things yk?? Also it gave said human-mermaid line less power imo

-Flotsam and Jetsam aren’t really in the movie, they don’t tell Ariel about Ursula, which is double edge sword I’ll explain later, but them not being in presence makes the ‘kiss the girl’ scene and them dying and Ursula being pissed about it less powerful imo

-How the double edge sword thing does come with a good side, of course, Ursula being the one to tell Ariel gives her more manipulative side strength, and it adds to Ariel’s trust of Ursula, her being related to her adds to that as well, you understand WHY she doesn’t immediately leave yk??

-NOW URSULA’S MAKEUP, im gonna say it, it’s bad, they didn’t go far enough with the drag queen look and it really hinders it imo, she just looks boring and not menacing at all which sucks because the actress really gives it her all

-POOR UNFORTUNATE SOULS, it’s an amazing song of course, but they do change the lyrics to be less about Eric which makes more sense for this movie so I won’t fault it for that

-They did remove the ‘BODY LANGUAGE’ lyric tho so points off,

-And the song is a lot shorter, which isnt good considering PUS was originally a 5 minute song cut to 3 minutes THEN NOW cut to 2, hinders it a lot I feel

-I LOVE THE VISUALS THO, love them doing their own thing and I love how glowy Ursula’s tentacles are, I do wish they kept the lil hologram thing from the original, could’ve added a whole lot to it!

-Them replacing Ursula’s henchmen forcible shutting Sebastian and flounder from telling Ariel to not trust Ursula to just flounder shushing Sebastian isn’t great, makes Ursula less scary imo

-They removed the scroll, and replaced it with her putting her scale in with blood, more intense which I like and removes the question of “if she could sign the scroll then why couldnt she write to Eric” thing the original had

-The transformation sequel isn’t as flashy as the og, the imagery of her tail splitting in two and forming legs was iconic,

-Also Sebastian and flounder not helping her to the surface is something I didn’t like, hinders their relationship

-The whole ‘Forgetting she has to kiss Eric’ thing felt unnecessary? I don’t think the original had it but I could be misremembering

-At first I didn’t like Ariel not immediately meeting Eric but I grew to like it ngl, her seeing the town was really good, and her song is also neat!

-The moment she realizes she cant talk is GOLDEN

-Her bonding with Eric in the little trinket area was SUCH a nice addition, it really strengthens their bond together

-Also the “my little mermaid” thing ADORABLE

-OH OH ALSO, eric and ariel have such autism energy I love it sooo much

-Them going on the town was SOOOO cute, I love them so muchhhhhh, and the dress Ariel wears is really cute, I do wish she had more things to wear it’s really just one outfit and her wedding gown which isn’t that different from her regular outfit, in comparison to the og which had her in a lotta outfits, especially with how pretty hailey bailey is?? She would’ve killed it!!

-OH ERICS SONG IS SO GOOD??? I wasn’t expecting to like it so much but the way it mirrors part of your world is SO good????? And his voice????? Incredible

-Oh i love Sebastian and scuttles friendship it’s really sweet

-also scuttles song wasn’t that annoying?? Idk it was cute and fun and Sebastian joining in was cute!

-They cut out the Poor unfortunate souls reprise which Is a huge let down I really liked it!!!! They use the music for it but she doesn’t SING!!!!

-Vanessa is SO pretty??? Exactly like the og too!!

-I feel like Eric being under control should’ve been hammered in more though, the subtle vibes doesn’t work as well for it imo

-Ariel being the one to stab Ursula wasn’t a good choice imo, the of gave Eric more character, and it would work even better in this movie since theyre so similar. She saved him and now he gets to save her yk?

-Also killing Ursula didnt look that great, you couldnt even tell she was stabbed it had no punch

-When Ursula takes Ariel away she doesn’t say anything to Eric like in the original she just leaves, which is a bit disappointed, they do a lotta things that rob Ursula of her iconic personality

-I think we should’ve seen Ariel get back her legs like in the movie, cutting that I feel like, loses a lot, especially with the bond with her father

-No 80s dress, sad.

-I think that’s everything????? I’m rewatching the original movie tomorrow so I’m sure I’ll have a few more things to add, especially when the 2023 movie goes onto disney plus

-Overall the movie was really good, Haliey Baliey stole the show and the visuals were really nice, special shoutouts to the visuals for Ursula’s tentacles, triton’s triton and the scenes for kiss the girl and under the sea, VERY pretty,

-All the voice actors were great ngl,

-The movie didn’t feel too long either, the stuff they added was good and moved along nicely, didn’t even feel like 2 hours yk???

[serialadoptersbracket]

Round 3, Match 13: David Wymack vs. Dadan

Submitted kids:

David Wymack: Kevin Day (biological), Andrew Minyard, Aaron Minyard, Neil Josten, Dan Wilds, Nicky Hemmick, Matt Boyd, Renee Walker, Allison Reynolds

Dadan: Luffy, Ace, and Sabo

Propaganda under the cut!

David Wymack:

1. “He purposefully made a college sports team to take in fucked up kids and give them second chances. He gave them a home and support when no one else would. And he's sooooo grouchy about it, like he doesn't love these kids and fight for them every second of every day. For fuck's sake, he adopted his ex-girlfriends son when he was escaping major abuse before he even knew he was ALSO his OWN biological son!!! The woman he loved had a kid and he took him in without hesitation and he didn't even know! He didn't even know!! Wymack fights the media, the college courts, the legal courts, the fucking Mafia, all because he loves his kids and knows they deserve more than the world has ever given them. I wish Wymack was my dad. DILF of the year”

2. “- He is the coach of a college sports team

- His team is comprised only of kids who need second chances

-This team is entirely found family

- He works very hard to make sure these kids get a chance to shine

- He gives second chances. And third chances. And whatever amount of chances you need

- He once spoke to a therapist about one of his athletes, saying "I trust you to do what's right by my kids"”

3. “His whole thing is literally adopting the children who have had a messed up childhood. The violent ones and the ones who runway from stability. Without spoiling the series he gives Neil a place to live without question. He cares for all the the foxes (the sports team he coaches), and gives the opportunity to change and find family.”

4. “He just wants them to get the second chance he never had!!!!”

Dadan:

“Dadan didn't even WANT these kids, goddamnit! She's a small-time leader of a gang of mountain bandits, she didn't want some big-shot Vice Admiral rolling up to her and blackmailing her to take care of his shitty grandkid and the son of the Pirate King! Then those little brats had to make friends with another homeless brat and now she's got three kids to take care of!

But despite them being a handful, she loves those boys. She raised them, bathed them, fed them. She ran into a gargantuan inferno to save Ace and Luffy, then she and Ace fought a pirate captain together. They won, but Dadan suffered horrible burns. When they heard about Sabo's murder, Ace was about to run off to avenge him before Dadan stopped him and told him to get strong before he even thinks of dying.

When Ace left to be a pirate, he sent a letter thanking Dadan, and she broke down in tears. When Luffy left to be a pirate, he told Dadan he hates bandits but likes them, and she broke down in tears again. When she heard about Ace's execution, she pushed past her fear of Garp to beat him up for not saving his grandson, crying in sympathy for how Luffy must be feeling. When she heard about Luffy's return, she celebrated.”

[elk96]

A Battle Of Ideals 1

Part One.

Pairing: Chris O' Doyle( Free Fire) x female OC

Warnings: graphic description of blood, wounds, some violence, swearing cause that's all they did in that movie, enemies to lovers kinda?, h/c, English is not my first language.

Word Count: 2287

After the gunfight ends, a woman comes out of the shadows, to take care of him even though they seem to belong in completely different worlds. Her goal turns out to be in high contrast with her actions.

This is a sappy, completely self indulgent story guys, you have been warned. Chris suffers, a woman is there to take care of him. They also hate each other some times, especially in the start. That's it

You’re being ridiculously loud right now, Chris thought, his breathing echoing amongst the dead. The building was empty now, but he somehow preferred the panic, the gunshots -even the fear. He was not afraid now. He knew that death was approaching-and but for his fucking leg maybe he could try to go to a hospital, ask for help.

He moved his head to rest it on Ord’s body-it wasn’t bad, having a more comfortable deathbed. He never liked the guy anyway.

“Goddamnit Stevo”, he groaned, trying to remain conscious a little while longer. Suffering like a wounded animal he was, covered in dirt and blood.

“God has damned all of us, a long time ago. I thought you knew”, said a voice-a female voice-, and Chris put his best effort to lift his head up.

“Who the fuck are you, eh”?, he rasped out. God he was hit everywhere, he might as well end up drowning in his own blood.

“Glad to see you’re still breathing”, the voice spoke again, and a woman showed up from the furthest corner, dressed in brown jeans and a bloody button-up.

“Who are you”?, Chris asked again, his voice mimicking pathetically a whine. She certainly wasn't with the police.

“That doesn’t matter now though, does it”?, the woman said and a gun appeared along with her. Chris reached instinctively for his own weapon, despite his being way too weak to even aim.

“Don’t worry, I’m here to help. The cops will arrive any minute now, we have to go”.

“Fuck off”.

“I will. With you. Put the gun down, before I cut your hand off”.

The woman knelt beside him, softly taking the weapon from him, and put it in her own pocket.

“My car’s outside. I’ll bring it in in two minute’s time. Don’t die, Irishman”.

“Fuck off and leave me alone, will ya”?

“Save your strength”, the stranger said and then she left him alone again, fighting to breathe because his chest felt heavy, and the blood was sipping through his veins on the floor.

He wanted it to end, to stop the suffering ‘cause it was all futile anyway, but she had taken his gun.

I only wanted a fucking beer and a nice dinner!, he complained silently, face scrunched in despair, but the sound of car tracks made him jolt upright. His loud groan covered the sound of the engine.

“The cops are on their way, we have to hurry”, the woman said and knelt behind him this time, pulling him upright despite his sounds of pain.

“Help me or I’ll empty your own gun on you, you bastard. Get up”! The woman poked him on the shoulder and the pain helped him stand, somehow.

Only half-conscious, almost too far gone to hear anything but his own heartbeat, he was thrown in the backseat of a black car.

“Frank. We left Frank here”, he murmured suddenly as the vehicle began to move. “I’d promised I’d take him home”.

“You’re not going home Chris, so….there’s very little you can do”.

“Who the fuck do you work for”?

“At the moment, your own good. And my name is Amara. Stay awake Chris. It’s for the best, I promise”.

“Fuck you and your promises”, he murmured under his breath, but he didn’t faint anyway. The dull, intense ache ran through his body keeping him grounded to reality.

After a short drive, the woman pulled over, and sat with him on the backseat.

“We’re getting close to the end of your hour and a half, Chris”, Amara murmured, opening a first-aid kit.

“Really now? A nurse? Can’t I go to hospital”?

“Dead or captive you won’t be of any use for us”.

“Who is ‘us’”?

“Take a deep breath”, Amara warned him and a moment later she removed the jacket off of his shoulders, ripping his shirt apart.

“Damn it”, she whispered on seeing the bullet wounds. She quickly pressed cotton soaked in rubbing alcohol on his shoulder, his arm, his ribs. Amara then cleaned the wounds with water, and covered them tightly in bandages. Chris tried to avoid her harsh treatment, but the woman pinned him against the backseat with her weight.

“Lay back. Lay back, now”, she said coldly, and after Chris obliged proceeding to take off his boots, his trousers following.

“Fucking hell”, Chris hissed, as the hard material scraped his wound.

“This is what happens when you go buy guns, pal”, Amara said, repeating the exact same process, not a tiny bit more gentle. The car’s seat was slippery from his sweat, but Chriss was proud enough not to make a sound. Or try to, at least. It’s not easy when you’ve been shot in three places.

Amara threw a heavy blanket on him, to keep him somehow warm, and Chris layed down during their pleasant ride. The road was bumpy, full of sudden turns and dips, and he then, more than ever, wished he could’ve stayed with Frank, and Stevo. Dead, calm, and still.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t bring painkillers with me, I’ll give you as soon as we get home”, Amara said in a haste, after a loud yelp escaped him.

Chris was fighting to keep breathing-should be the easiest of all his fights, and yet, there he was, begging her to open the window, craving some fresh air after all the dust.

“Don’t worry, everything will ease in a while”, Amara whispered as soon as they reached their destination. Wrapping Chris with the blanket, she helped him out of the car, and into a small house, but Chris collapsed on the first step of the yard’s starecase.

“Wait a minute…I need to-...catch my breath”, he uttered, making her heart clench on her chest.

“We have to get inside before the neighbors see us. It’s just four steps”.

“Wait a minute…wait”, he insisted but Amara pulled him up, ignorant to his loud groans.

Chris was too far gone to notice anything of his surroundings, but the bright light of a lamp made his eyes burn, so he didn’t make any effort to open them. He was splayed on a chair. He heard water running on a sink, and moments later, a hand came to hold his jaw high.

Amara held the cup for him as he drunk clumsily, spilling half of the water on himself.

“It’s okay, don’t worry”, Amara whispered, bringing a bottle to his lips. “Drink”, she said softly. “It’s whiskey. Irish”.

Chris half-opened his eyes, finding comfort in the burning tickle of the alcohol. He drank as much as he could bear, and the weight on his head lifted up immediately.

“You’re okay, eh Chris”?, Amara asked, holding his face between her hands. She pushed some stray hair behind his ear, looking at him in the eyes. “You’re gonna lay in bed real soon-just don’t go find Frank”.

“You bitch…”, Chris muttered but his whole body froze as Amara appeared with new bandages, needles, thread and pliers.

“You didn’t think I’d leave them inside of you, did you”?

Not today, please not today, Chris wanted to beg her but he kept his lips tightly pressed together as Amara freed his shoulder from the bandage.

She cleaned her hands with the alcohol, and put on gloves before picking up the surgical pliers.

“You’re lucky”, she said examining the wound. “It’s shallow. It will hurt like hell nonetheless”, she muttered and pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket, which she tied around his head.

“Just tell me if you can’t breathe, hm”?, she mocked him, shoving the handkerchief onto his mouth.

She picked up those damn pliers again, and with clenched teeth, began to pick on his wound, trying to get the bullet out. Her left hand instinctively grabbed his right as he fought to get her off of him. Amara found the bullet quickly and dropped in on the glass with a relieved sight and pushed the gag down.

“Wait….ahh….wait”, Chris begged, his face wet with unwanted tears, but Amara pushed the thread on the needle.

“Better finish quickly”, she said, gagged him and stitched his wound with practiced ease.

Chris growled, moaned, clenched and unclenched all of his muscles during the next two hours of Amara tending to him. The wound on his ribs was particularly bad, leaving him almost unconscious after a loud moan which not even the gag managed to suppress.

“It’s okay, we’re done, that’s it”, Amara assured him with a broken voice, almost apologetic for all the pain she had caused him. His head hung back, chest falling and rising slowly. Every breath Chris took came out as a groan, louder each time as he completely lost control of himself.

Amara tilted his head forward, for him to drink some more water, wrapped him in a clean blanket, and carried him to the bedroom which luckily was close.

Chris had passed out and so no snarky comment came out of him when they entered the bedroom, which Amara had turned into essentially a hospital room.

She let him fall on the soft mattress before transferring some blood to him. The piercing of the needle against her skin made her wince, but she had the blood type, compatible with all others, and the whole job was arranged only a few hours before terrorists and gun dealers met. She had to shed her own blood for him if she wanted the plan to succeed, the killings to stop.

Just as the precious red liquid started running through the tubule Chris flattered his eyes half-open, drawing in a shaky breath.

Amara didn’t take her eyes off the needle and the tubule once, hyper-focused on the blood transfer. Chris let out a whine instead of a groan once she removed the needle from his skin.

“Shut up, what are you, a fucking dog”?, Amara said harshly, clinging to the effort of believing her own false pretence.

“You still have…my gun in your pocket…”, Chris struggled, “so stop wasting…your fucking blood…and-and kill me”.

“The only thing I’m gonna use this gun for, pal, is wake you up”, she answered poking on his bad leg. Chris yelped, with a moan that faded into a long whine but Amara bit her lip.

Struggling to keep her own emotions under control, she wiped gently on the tear running down his left cheek. Her eyes suddenly narrowed in worry, and she put a thermometer into his mouth, only to find him burning with fever.

“Damn it Chris, Vern was right”, she muttered, and rushed to bring him an aspirin. “It’s not gonna do anything for the pain, but it will help with the fever. I hope”.

“I want a smoke”, Chris said, mouth almost completely closed.

“Yeah, and then go fuck yourself, no”?

Chris made an effort to open his eyes in her direction, but she only sat beside him on the bed, brushing her fingers over his batted face.

“Sleep. Sleep, you need it”.

Chris shook his head forcefully.

“Sleep, you’ll be fine”.

His eyes danced around the room, taking on the last thing he’d see of the world.

“I cleaned your wounds. The fever will subside. Sleep now, and if you’re early, you might see the sun rise in the morning”.

He’s not going to die, she thought to herself, taking in the pieces left of him. The night was almost as still as him, only the distant sounds of a lost kitten, or the chipping of the nightbirds echoing in the world.

The world. Her world, the place she’d come to call home, a small, empty apartment in the middle of nowhere. So far away from New York, or her family, or anything she’d ever known as a kid, really. She couldn’t remember what day it was, but she did have the vague feeling that Zoey’s birthday was close.

32, she smiled. A mature, successful woman-had she lived past 24. They wanted M16s, and not A40s, these are not good enough to kill people, they need the best. She missed her sister more than even her old self, the one that would never poke a man in his wound. Or swear on him for groaning in pain.-You’re being sentimental! Cut it off, now! He is a terrorist. Not a fucking kid.

It was Chris’s soft growls that pulled her out of her thoughts. She snapped her eyes on him, only to find him shaking uncontrollably, still asleep. His muscles tensed and relaxed, and the spasms tied his limbs together, made him ache to the bone.

Tired though she was, she knelt beside him, one hand on his temple and the other resting heavily on his abdomen, trying to steady him.

“Hey Chris”, she whispered so as to figure if he was awake, but she got no answer. “Relax Chrissy, relax. It’s just the fever rising, nothing more”.

Her hand started brushing on his hair, then under his wet eyes, then down her own cheeks because she couldn’t take it anymore. Chris was not groaning, he was crying, desperately and softly, sobbing beneath her touch unbeknownst to him.

There was nothing she could do but wait-or so she told herself, so she sat back on her chair, eyes on the moon outside the window. When his whines and moans became unbearable, she covered her ears, praying for the night to end.

She was doing the right thing, she knew it. They had to be stopped, in order for the killings to stop, in order for people to live happily and-

The muscle of the gun pressed against her thigh as Chris’s sobs continued to echo in the room.

“A terrorist. Nothing more”, she whispered to herself and finally closed her eyes.

@look-at-the-soul , hope you like it!!

If you read, please interact, it would be like the best thing ever, comments, or corrections in my grammar, or anything else!

[feistymassacre]

TW for self harm

◇°×._____________// It didn't work. All their hard work, their research, their sweat and more so their tears - it all went to waste.

First, the robots failed since there were no SOULs to put in them, and then a hybridization experiment they tried failed horribly.

Nothing worked.

Moray hid from Martlet and Clover in shame. Shame for failing. Shame for being nothing.

And shame for the dust leaking out of their arms, mixed with the tears that never stopped.

They couldn't take it. Why? Why couldn't they save them? Why did they have to die? Why couldn't they get them back?

Why, no matter how hard they try, do they fuck up everything?

Goddamnit, they were the Excellence in Feisty - why were they such a failure?

Nothing worked.

Nothing ever worked when it came to Moray. If it did, someone else did it for them.

They couldn't even take care of themself.

They felt like a baby.

A baby that had claws and fangs sharp enough to rip their skin apart and deal the damage they deserved to endure for being such a burden, so useless to this world.

This wasn't true. They were useful for compassion, for care, for the thought that is so much more powerful than they realize. For the love they held for Martlet and for Clover. The letter didn't matter, the deaths weren't their fault, and no Monster was able to bring another back from the dead anyway.

But in their mind, one crack in their fragile image was enough for a death sentence.

◇ * ◇ + ◇ . ◇ × ◇ ° ◇

They had passed out while crying and hiding earlier.

When they realized it, they were laying on a bed in the hospital.

They sat up and sprang out of the bed, their arms heavy with bandaging and still aching.

They groaned in pain and turned to the doctor.

`` Where are Martlet and Clover? ``

The doctor replied, `` They told me to tell you to meet with them at Oasis Valley. ``

Immediately they rushed as fast as they could there.

When they arrived Martlet slapped them.

`` WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!? `` She screamed, on the verge of tears. `` WHY WOULD YOU DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT!? ``

Clover pushed Martlet away and stood in front of Moray, shielding them. Then they turned around and hugged them, also crying.

Moray then realized the impact of what they'd done.

Martlet knelt next to them, face flooded with hot tears. `` Please... please Moray, never do this again... no matter what happens to you or what you do... I don't think I can stand to clean all that dust again... ``

◇ * ◇ + ◇ . ◇ × ◇ ° ◇

That night Moray couldn't sleep. No matter how hard they tried.

Their arms were heavy. They itched and they burned beyond relief. They looked at the bandages and cream on the counter for when the bandages had to be replaced.

The doctors told Martlet that they barely made it in time. Any longer and they would've died.

Their SOUL felt heavy. It twisted and it burned.

What would their mom think? She was supposed to visit soon.

What would Ceroba think, had she been alive?

What would Ace, Ed, and Mooch think?

They were crying again. \\_________.+*◇

dividers by @ v6que

[poppytuft]

saw a post abt car guy mike and it made my brain crazy because car guy mike is one of if not my favorite college st hcs in which mike had such a beautiful lovely car in hawkins that he begged and pleaded for for his birthday and of course, its the wheelers, so he got it. and its like a good expensive cool car (girl idk shit abt 80s cars just run with me here) but when he went to college his parents sprung on him that he couldnt bring it with him because HOLLY needed a car and something to learn to drive in and he bitched and moaned about why couldnt NANCY give holly HER car and they said no you bitch nancy needs her car in new york. give holly the car. we payed for the damn thing and we need a second car here goddamnit. and he had a tearful delirious goodbye with the dumb thing before he moved and when he comes home he is REUNITED! AT LONG LAST! but he still needed something to drive at SCHOOL so he saved up and found a beat up piece of shit fuck ass toyota corolla or something (that im sure, again, the wheelers helped pay for because karen felt bad or whatever) and hes SO FUCKING MAD about it like absolutely fuming that he went from the HIGHEST HIGH to the LOWEST LOW and to cope he treats the thing like its his BABY and its the most disgusting horrible vehicle in the world everyone eats in the back seat and the previous owner stained the front seats with something weird and gross and sometimes you have to bang on the radio to get it to work and sometimes you have to stick your hand out the front window to flick the windshield wipers to get them to actually go. but hes SO STUCK ON TREATING IT LIKE SOMETHING PRECIOUS like "no guys seriously this is my fucking car you have to be nice to it. im not joking i PAYED FOR IT you have to be fucking clean in my fucking car shes my everything" and max mayfield is sitting in the passenger seat like "yeahhh man okay. anyway lucas just spilled his DQ blizzard in the back seat trying to prove to dustin that it would actually stay in the cup and not go everywhere if he turned it upside down so now dustin and your car are both covered in ice cream. also some got on the windows somehow" and he goes "you fucking WHAT"

[toxic-potions-productions]

Being freed (SBP au)

"I was such a fool. I never should've taken this path in my life. I was selfish. Blinded by jealousy & rage. I'm sorry, Yoriichi. For hating you my entire life when I had no reason to. I'm sorry Yushiro & Taro. For not staying there when you said I should've while this takes effect. I'm sorry........I'm so sorry, Astaroth. For being such a terrible father. That's why I ran off. I need to be there for her. I don't want her to be killed. My precious little girl.....I just can't lose her again."

"*Huff* *Huff*.......Gkhhh.......!!"

"This is not a world worth saving. Tragedy & sadness will never truly disappear. But, even so. It's a place she still tries to protect. I've never been prouder of her. That is why I keep fighting. I have gotten this far, I can't turn back now. Strength means nothing to me anymore. Being Uppermoon one means nothing to me anymore. Muzan means nothing to me anymore. The only thing that means something to me.....is being with the ones I love. My brother, my daughter.......My new family. Tamayo......Yushiro......Taro.......Yoriichi.......Astaroth.......I'm so sorry. I realize everything now. I understand everything now. I remember everything now. Even the things I wanted to forget. & I will never make the same mistake again. I want back what's left of my humanity. I want to be freed from that vile demon I used to call my master. I want........I want to be with everyone. & live the life I never should've taken for granted."

"*Huff* ............" "Michikatsu........"

"!!.......Mother....."

*BADUMP!*

"GAAAAAHH!! AAAGH......!"

"I am no longer just Kokushibo."

"I am........Michikatsu Tsugikuni!" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yes, I took some inspo from a KNY manga panel, sue me (That yellow text is supposed to be his mom Akeno, BTW)

I can't believe I'm just now learning how to do Koku's kimono patterns right. I told ya'll I draw better digitally! Just.....goddamnit XDDDDDDDD

So, this right here is one of the most crucial parts of this au. This entire au is essentially another version of the manga, but oh fucking well Kokushibo later in the SBP au story becomes the same kind of demon Tamayo is, & while the process is taking effect, he loses the upper one kanji & his upper & lower eye pairs blend into his mark. He remembers his human name, but still just prefers Kokushibo more as a force of habit rather than just a simple new name. Michikatsu isn't exactly all that dead to him, to put it simply 🤷🏻‍♀️

The eye mark idea is something I can't take credit for, though. It was originally by my boy @sharp-shiny-things, so definitely check him out & tell him I sent you ;)

[gumnut-logic]

Five times Alan discovered a secret and one time he kept one (Part Five)

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

Half of this was written on Thursday and then work interrupted me, but I finally sat down and tackled it today.

Many thanks as always to @onereyofstarlight for being the amazing support she is ::hugs her tight::

Also to all of you who have left amazing comments and notes on this fic ::hugs you ever sooo tight:: You are all ever so kind to me. Thank you ever so much for all your support. I hope the story ends up worth it :D

This one is all about big brothers, history, and the one man who plagues them all. I hope you enjoy it.

-o-o-o-

It had been a long day. Alan left Gordon sleeping in Two’s infirmary and went to check on his big brothers.

They had made sure Gordon was okay and left Alan to keep him company before disappearing. Unusual in the world according to big brothers enough to have Alan concerned.

Gords was okay. Just a few cuts to his arms that had required some stitches. Virgil had done the deed while Scott finished up with the danger zone. Hopefully his language had been better with the emergency services than it had been with their brothers since they discovered this was yet another Hood initiated disaster.

Alan had never quite seen his big brother so livid. The Hood had escaped GDF custody yet again, this time dropping a building in Manhattan to reach the gold stashed beneath it.

Hundreds of people were injured and killed in the process.

Scott furious and blistering towards the GDF, Aunt Val, and anyone else who got in his way.

Alan couldn’t help but agree.

Of course, it was Virgil and John who kept them on the straight and narrow. Not that he or any of his brothers would let the asshole affect their job performance.

But when Scott had come across the bastard mid-rescue, a load of gold behind him on an antigrav trolley, it was Dad over comms who held him back.

They had a moral code and they were going to stick with it. Eos managed to infiltrate the trolley’s mechanism and foil the Hood’s plan, but thanks to the need of the rescue and the ineptness of the GDF, the criminal had yet again escaped justice.

Barely.

Gordon had stepped into his path.

Alan wasn’t sure he should be happy that his brother hadn’t been able to stop the man or not. If Scott was livid then Gordon was the temperature of a newborn star. He hated the Hood with a fire born from so much injury.

But as always, the rescue came first and, there in amongst the rubble of a bank his fish brother had to make the choice for good.

So the Hood escaped, the GDF were as useless as always, and Gordon came back with two young children under his bleeding arms.

His curse words were even more colourful than Scott’s.

So, in summary, the day had been shit itself.

Alan was tired and questioning what was right and wrong yet again because of that asshole.

Approaching Two’s cockpit, he could hear the yelling through the bulkhead.

He was too tired for this.

He let himself sink back against the wall and closed his eyes.

“How many times do we have to do this?! How many more have to die before the GDF wakes up to itself?”

“Son...”

Alan blinked. He still wasn’t used to hearing his father’s deep voice. It was like he was in a dream. He knew his father was back on Tracy Island and his presence was simply a hologram sprouting from Two’s dash, but the power in that voice. Dad was alive and Alan was going to revel in every second of it.

“Dad, hasn’t he done enough?!”

“Scott we can’t be judge and jury.”

“Goddamnit, I know that! But do we have to continue to be his victim? He could have killed Gordon today…again!”

“Gordon will be okay, Scott. He handled himself well.” Virgil’s calm and deep voice was a balm.

“He shouldn’t have to! That is not our job. International Rescue saves people. We shouldn’t have to defend ourselves to do that. We cover the GDF’s asses enough already!”

If there was a deep end, his big brother had definitely fallen off it. Scott hated it when his brothers were hurt. Gordon might be fine but Scott obviously wasn’t.

But then Gordy was asleep and on pain medication. Alan suspected that once conscious, Gordon was going to be as bad or even worse than Scott.

It was definitely a military thing.

And as if to prove it, Scott was still going. “Hasn’t he hurt us enough?!” There was a desperation in his brother’s voice that Alan hadn’t heard since before they rescued Dad.

Dad had been relief itself to Scott’s nerves. His return had restored the natural order according to his big brother.

Dad, of course, wasn’t the man who had been taken from them oh so long ago. He had challenges, both medical and mental, much had been taken from him. But he was there with Scott, backup in those moments when his big brother was overwhelmed by all the demands of his position in life.

There for Tracy Industries and there for International Rescue, particularly in moments like these. It was almost as if the voice in his brother’s head that asked ‘what would Dad do?’ finally had some answers.

“Scott, breathe.”

“Dad…” There was a tone of pleading in his voice.

“When you get home, we can talk. You’re twenty minutes out. It has been a very long day. You require rest. I will speak to the GDF. Sit down before you fall down.” A pause full of grumbling. “Virgil?”

A tired sigh. “FAB.”

Whatever Virgil was agreeing to, it was obvious that it was more than just flying home.

Eos had Thunderbird One, Virgil having dragged their big brother onto Two, likely to keep him out of trouble and under observation. There had been several moments during that rescue that could have easily seen any one of them in a hospital or worse. While Scott got angry, Virgil tended to grab all his family members where he could keep an eye on them. His gentle brother wasn’t one for violence, but Alan had witnessed several expressions on the man’s face today that could have landed Two on the Hood’s head without hesitation.

It was clear that Virgil was barely hanging back and that was not a good sign for anyone.

As for Alan, he was beyond anger and well into hurt. The Hood had been haunting their lives as long as he could remember.

He was just tired.

“Virgil, he doesn’t know.” Scott’s voice had lost its anger and shifted into desperation. “He wasn’t here.”

“He doesn’t need to know.”

Scott’s exhausted groan said everything. “How many more times, Virg?” His voice had suddenly lost all its power, as if his brother had finally reached the end of a long, long tether. “Mom, Ohana, Dad, Gordon, each of us at one time or another. Gaat just doesn’t give up.”

“Neither do we.” Virgil’s rumble was equally as quiet.

“So, we go on like this forever, just waiting to see who dies first?”

“Scott.” Virgil’s voice had so much love in it, Alan’s heart clenched. “Crossing that line drops us to his level. The man is broken. Please don’t break yourself.”

There was almost a soft wail of frustration just as Alan felt the subtle shift of Two switching from manual to auto pilot. The scuffle of specialised silicone leather on deck plates as bodies moved beyond the hatchway.

Alan reached up to unlatch the door. He wanted nothing more than to burst through the door and hug his big brother. But he stopped himself.

There was a realm that little brothers could not enter. It was a space inhabited by the two eldest and sometimes John, where decisions were made and secrets kept for the wellbeing of the family.

Alan resented it. But he also respected it. As he grew older, he realised that this was a space his big brothers needed. Once Mom had died, their three eldest had been forced into adulthood far too early. He could see that now, even at seventeen.

Scott had been sixteen when they lost their mother and Dad has disappeared into grief. Alan didn’t remember those times.

But he did remember being held by his big brothers. They were the ones who picked him up when he fell over, the ones who attended the special events at school, the ones who were there for as long as he could remember.

Things weren’t perfect, they never could be, but he knew his brothers had tried…for him. Even Gordon who had been only six that fateful day on that mountain.

And when Dad disappeared…

There were no words loud enough to make it through the door anymore. Just the soft rumble of Virgil’s voice unintelligible at its soft volume.

Alan stared at the green metal of the door, Scott’s plea bouncing around his head.

‘Mom, Ohana, Dad, Gordon…’

Three of the most important moments in Alan’s life. Of course, he didn’t remember Mom or Kayo’s mom, but god did he remember Dad. He closed his eyes.

Gordon.

Alan knew Kyrano believed Gaat had been responsible for his wife’s death, and that Dad’s ‘death’ had been the last straw.

Did Scott think the Hood was involved in all the tragedies in their family’s life?

Alan bit his lip.

Big brothers had big secrets.

He wondered if Gordon had come to the same conclusion. There had been no mention of the Hood’s involvement with the hydrofoil. But then he was definitely involved with Gordon nearly dying at the bottom of the ocean…twice. The last time had been so close.

Alan’s throat closed up again.

Was that one man responsible for all of it?

No wonder Scott was ready to do something drastic. Gordon couldn’t know. It wasn’t possible. Gordon would have gone ballistic so long ago…

How had Scott kept himself in check? He had actually saved the man on multiple occasions. Grandma had definitely helped with that. Maybe the part of Dad Scott kept close to his heart. Maybe Virgil.

John? Did their middle brother know? John knew everything, didn’t he?

Then why was the Hood still in existence?

Did their moral code run that deep?

Did his own?

He suddenly wanted to be anywhere but here. The thought of his big brothers finding him eavesdropping…

On soft feet, he slipped away, heading back to where they thought they had left him, beside Gordon.

Thoughts spinning in his head.

-o-o-o-

TBC

[themculibrary]

Aliens Masterlist

Adventures in Bodyswapping (ao3) - celeste9 phil/darcy T, 6k

Summary: Darcy thought the takeaway was clear - don't mess with Asgardian tech when you don't know what it does.

alien fruit (ao3) - zauberer_sirin phil/skye M, 5k

Summary: Daisy and Coulson finally catch a break in space. Problem is, their hosts assume a lot of things about their relationship.

Aliens, Anniversaries, and Other Things Clint is Awesome At (ao3) - Noxnthea bucky/clint T, 4k

Summary: Clint is distracted. 

Which isn’t abnormal, per se; it’s just incredibly inconvenient at this particular moment in time, as his distraction causes him to nearly fall to his death at the base of a Manhattan skyscraper. 

So again, not abnormal. 

“Goddamnit, Hawkeye, how’s it I spend half my time saving your ass instead of the city?”

Just incredibly inconvenient.

All the Best Trouble (ao3) - Mireille loki/tony E, 53k

Summary: While the rest of the Revengers are busy elsewhere, Thor sends Loki and Tony on what looks to be a routine trading mission. Unfortunately, they weren't adequately informed about some of the local customs, and what they thought was strictly a formality--Tony having to register as Loki's "bondservant" for the duration of their visit--turns out to be much more complicated.

Dereliktion (ao3) - AMidnightDreary loki/tony E, 203k

Summary: When the second prince buys him as his personal pleasure slave, Tony is quite certain that he's fucked. It goes both better and worse than he expects.

Drive It Like You Stole It: A Bodyswap (ao3) - AggressiveWhenStartled steve/bucky E, 28k

Summary: Steve had gone fully red-faced with pedantic altar-boy fury. “Did your computer forget how to Google translate?” he bellowed, sticking his head up and over. Bucky yanked him down again. “What are you even trying to say?”

Bucky tried to shake the sparkles off the grenade he had been planning on lobbing over the divider. “It sounded like Latin to me,” he said reasonably, pursing his lips and frowning at the explosive. It dripped a sparkle, and a puff of purple smoke curled up where it hit the concrete.

“That’s because you spent Sunday school flirting with Sarah Cunningham,” Steve accused, bobbing back up to throw his shield and ducking back down to dodge a shining ball of blue light. “You wouldn’t know Latin if it came up and kissed you on your ugly mug.”

“I’d sure know it if Sarah Cunningham did, though.” Bucky grinned, struck by the memory. “That gal really knew what she was doing.”

Easy to Blur (ao3) - foxxcub clint/phil E, 3k

Summary: The threat had been contained. The alien-of-the-week had been taken down, and there were zero casualties. Everything had gone rather smoothly, if Phil did say so himself.

Save the part where he apparently had inadvertently gotten tagged by the alien’s heat gun.

And by heat, they didn’t just mean temperature.

Empathic Responses (ao3) - waterbird13 bucky/tony E, 137k

Summary: In a world that still considers alphas the protectors, betas the every-day masses to fill out the ranks, and omegas as homemakers and glorified objects, Tony Stark is born. Tony is born an omega in a world where that means he’s a homemaker, a provider, with limited opportunities and a lack of autonomy. Tony says fuck that, no matter what the rest of the world is telling him. As the Rogues return, Tony is left dealing with the world coming down around his ears. The Accords, Aliens, and, of course, the alpha who somehow just moved into his life.

Legal Alien (ao3) - WhisperingDarkness T, 3k

Summary: Normal people didn't have to worry about this sort of thing when they go on a holiday. They worry about things like losing their luggage, catching a cab or something similar. Not alien invasions. Harry, however, had never been normal. Then again, neither were these guys. One-shot.

Me and You (is who the future belongs to) (ao3) - melonbutterfly loki/tony T, 29k

Summary: Tony is in for quite a culture shock when he leaves for Jötunheimr to meet his soulmate for the first time, especially since what little he knows of the place is hearsay passed on through Æsir, who aren't exactly neutral on the subject. But he wouldn't be Tony Stark if he didn't roll with it.

Possession (ao3) - Oudemia loki/steve M, 44k

Summary: Odin appears on Earth two years after the Chitauri attack, with a rather unusual offer. Either one of the Avengers must accept Loki as their slave as a continuation of his punishment, or he will be returned to his prison in Asgard for an eternity of pain and torture. Steve, being Steve, has a problem with this.

Say Goodbye to Yesterday (ao3) - melonbutterfly loki/tony, jane/thor E, 111k

Summary: The day after the invasion Tony wakes up and his tower is intact again; everything is exactly the way it was before this whole mess went down. It doesn’t take him long to catch up but he can’t figure out why he’s in a time loop – so he does what anyone would: fuck things up while trying to find a way to fix this. Somewhere along the way, his priorities change and suddenly he finds himself involved neck-deep in Norse family drama, along with some other stuff.

Sin in Silence (ao3) - orphan_account loki/tony E, 87k

Summary: When someone from the far end of the galaxy shows an interest in Tony's competencies, he is taken by force one night. On his journey he meets a stranger under less than stellar circumstances who may turn out to be not as strange as he would like.

Someone to Love (ao3) - blue_jack steve/tony, pepper/tony, clint/natasha M, 47k

Summary: Tony doesn’t give much thought to Steve when they go their separate ways. They’d had a job to do, and they’d done it and done it well, but Steve is a ball of anger and issues and sadness that he really wants no part of right now. He doesn’t dislike the guy, and they’ve worked out most of the tension between them, but he has enough of his own baggage to recognize a lost cause when he sees it, and Steve? Needs a lot of work.

[tarmac-rat]

WIP (Last) Wednesday

Tagged by @ghostoffuturespast

Hey y'all! I'm taking a hot little mental break from intense internet usage, partially work motivated and partially because my head just isn't feelin' all that zesty at the moment. I'm probably going to just take it easy for a little while so I promise I'm not ignoring anyone but I just really need a break from being online for a bit and spring-clean my head.

That also extends to a few tag games and I WILL be getting to those when I have a brain that doesn't feel like concrete slurry lol.

Not tagging anyone this round, hope y'all'll forgive me for that because you know how much I love reading shit, but please give it a whirl if you want!

From Chapter 18 of Rain in the Desert. Trying something a little different literarily in the one scene where I think it could possibly fit:

“For fuck’s sake, Alt, you had one job— one goddamn job— and you fucked it up!” the fury in Johnny’s voice could’ve burned this whole place down to ashes. He’s facing the AI fully now, chromed and ‘ganic hands both clenched in shaking fists, as though he’s debating when to stop throwing barbs and start throwing punches. ““Promised the kid a new life and what, all the sudden she’s just a goner? You fucking lied!?” “I could not know the situation until I ran a thorough and precise diagnosis.” “Well, run it again!” “The data is conclusive—” “Run. It. Again.” The world has closed in. Suddenly, V is aware of everything around her. The errant pixels floating on the air. The streams of data writhing beneath her fingers. The empty synthetic pulse of this coded Netscape pounding in her ears as it presses down on her.  The fact that she can’t feel her heartbeat. How had she not noticed that she can’t feel her heartbeat? “All testing conducted before and after the engram creation procedure has drawn the same results. Were V’s engram to be reuploaded back into her form, the body would remain stable for several weeks. But soon, it would begin to degenerate. Muscle tissue will atrophy. Neurons will attack neurons. Cellular growth will stall, then break down entirely, poisoning the host’s internal systems until they fail, one by one.”  “Get to the point, goddamnit! In human terms!” “Under these conditions, the body would survive for about six months. Perhaps somewhat more. Then it will die, and she along with it.” Everything is spinning. V can’t breathe, can’t focus, can hardly make sense of her own thoughts anymore. She wants to speak but all her words are hooks in the back of her throat, sinking deeper into flesh the more she tries to force them out. In the midst of the roiling chaos inside of her, V eyes have dropped to the tips of her steel-toed boots, red stark against the blue below them. And if she dares to look long and hard enough, she can see something flickering there. Faint lines of code, perfect rows of data hidden beneath the surface, pulled along her form like blood pulled through a vein. “Bullshit! Everything you just said has been bullshit! We get you into Mikoshi, you save her life— that was the fuckin’ deal, Alt! Fix this!” “There is nothing I can do. The Relic’s nanites have irreversibly altered the host organism in order to accommodate the construct stored within. From this point forward, the body will see V as an intruder.” “But it’s her body!” “No. It is yours.”  Six months.  That’s all she gets from this. Six more painful, agonizing, soul-shredding months of life in a mutinous body, and then she’s gone.  Just like that. Everything they’d done. Everyone they’d killed. Every bloodied and battered and broken step that brought them here. Every. Last. One. For nothing. Unless she lets him slide into her skin. It’s tailored for him now. It won’t reject him. He would survive.  Live on. A life for a life. She swore she’d take a bullet for him.  He swore he’d take it first. One body, two people, and the fool’s pact they made in a tiny motel room at the end of the world. It all comes cycling back.  Like it always does.  Like it always will. “—you understand?” It’s a few seconds before V realizes that Alt’s question had been directed towards her. “I…” she stammers, then trails off, her voice sputtering off into nothingness.  She can’t stop staring at her boots. “Do you understand?” V shakes her head. “G-g-gimme a minute,” she finally forces out, “I ne..I-I need to think.” “You must make a—” “I said, give me one fucking minute!” V snarls. A long lull follows that. Then, she hears Alt’s detached voice echoing out; “Very well.”