#that’s right it’s supposed to be able to battle huh…

[goldensunset]

taking my lizard motorcycle to therapy

[syoounn]

Them trying period pain simulator

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Characters: Chuuya, Dazai, Fyodor, Sigma

Chuuya

Chuuya quirks a brow at your random suggestion. It's an odd question for sure. He blinks, raising his head from the crook of your neck.

“A period pain….Simulator…?” He echoes, confusion lacing his voice. He props himself up on his elbows to look at you a little more directly. “Why on earth would you want me to do that, Doll-“

As soon as you explain the purpose of the simulator, He laid there, relaxed, and let you set up this “pain simulator” thing.

"Fine.. I can take it even the highest level anyway.." He said, sounding cool and not fond of the idea.

Chuuya wasn’t exactly sure of what to expect, but he knew it was going to be bad. He just didn’t know HOW bad.

The moment the simulator turned on, Chuuya inhaled sharply, arching his back with a small groan of pain.

“F—-k-“ He cursed, his hands clenching into fists. The simulated pains weren’t at all gentle whatsoever.

Chuuya groaned again, shifting his body a bit to try and get more comfortable, but in return, the pain only intensified. Chuuya tried his best to muffle his pained noises by pressing his hands over his mouth, keeping his gaze up at the ceiling.

Chuuya then heard you giggling as he raised his head, looking at you. He gave you a look that was simultaneously annoyed but also kind of pitiful.

“Y’think this is funny? I feel like I’m dying, Doll.”

Chuuya let out a sound that was a strange mix between a pained whine and a scoff.

“Not fair,” He grumbles, shifting his body onto his side. “This thing is cranked up t-to 10 in intensity… ain’t ya’ gonna turn it down a bit..?”

"What do you mean? it's only level 4.." You said.

Chuuya froze, his body stiffening up a bit from hearing that. He had thought that the simulator was at the highest level of intensity the whole time, but now that he heard you say that… that made it worse.

“T-this is only f-fucking LEVEL 4?!” He asked, turning his head to look at you with an almost frightened expression.

A few minutes later and Chuuya was already a complete mess. He was clinging to you like a lifeline, his face buried in the crook of your neck, and his arms were wrapped tightly around your body. Chuuya was trying his best to suppress the whimpers and the sniffles of pain that he was letting out. He still had a bit of his stubborn dignity, but he was crumbling quickly, slowly losing the battle against trying to look tough.

"I thought you could do it until the highest level.." you said.

Chuuya groans against your skin,

“H-highest level my a—ass-“ He hissed, his voice shaky and breathless.

Chuuya continued to cling to you, pressing himself against you like a small, clingy puppy. His breathing was slowly returning to normal, but he still was trembling slightly. Perhaps this is the only way to get rid of his "coolness"

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Dazai

Dazai is just clinging to you as he usually does as he tilts his head up at you, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. He’s heard of those things before, though he isn’t exactly sure what it is. He’ll admit he is curious.

“A period pain simulator, huh? What, you wanna see if I can handle worse than you..?” He teases lightly, letting his arms fall from your body as he sits up, turning to face you.

"You think you can handle it?" You questioned.

He gives you a smirk, crossing his arms and nodding.

“Darling, I’m a grown man; I can handle anything life throws at me. I'm not saying I’m not gonna whine and complain while I’m at it, but I’m sure whatever that thing can dish out, I can handle~”

Dazai grins, his words full of confidence. He figures he’s dealt with far worse things in life, so something that’s just supposed to simulate period cramps shouldn’t be THAT bad… Right?

Dazai watches you in silence as you set the simulator up on him, still wearing a smile as he’s sure he’s able to withstand the feeling. But as soon as you turn it on, his entire demeanour changes.

His eyes widen as unexpected pain courses through his body, his jaw clenches at the uncomfortable feeling, and he lets out an exhale that sounds almost like a gasp.

The room filled with Dazai's sound of whimper and groan as you decided to turn it off.. Chuuya lets out a small sigh of relief as you turn off the simulator. He then shoots you a look, his cheeks a little flushed, and he looks rather needy looking.. is this his plan all along..?

You look at him with suspicious look he just smiles. "Ahh..~ I've been in pain.. don't i deserve to have a-..

You then turn on the simulator again. Dazai's eyes widen in surprise as the simulator simulates the cramps again. He lets out another pained groan, his hands clutching at the bed spread as the pain returns.

“Bella- turn it off- ah-“ He groaned, looking up at you through half lidded eyes.

Looks like you’ll have fun torturing him?

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Fyodor

I don't even know how you manage to convince him, and perhaps you can see this other side of him, but anyways... He snickers lightly, seemingly entertained by the idea. A smirk rests on his lips. "You want to see how well I can endure menstrual cramp simulations? How intriguing."

He takes in the sight of the device, his expression neutral, yet his gaze slightly narrowed, as if studying it closely. "I must admit, I am quite interested to see if this simulator will manage to mimic the pain experienced during a woman's menstrual cycle."

"Alright.. I'll start it up, " you said.

A slight wince appears on his face as the simulator begins its work, the first wave of discomfort making itself known. Nevertheless, he remains silent, determined not to let it affect him too, obviously. He does his best to maintain a neutral facade, though his eyes betray a hint of strain.

The simulator's simulated cramps get increasingly more intense with each passing moment, and Fyodor can't help but feel his determination beginning to crack. Sweat beads on his temple, and his pale face flushes with effort.

Yet, he continues to bite back any further sounds of discomfort, refusing to give it the satisfaction. He mutters through clenched teeth, "How much longer...?"

"It's only level 4..." You said.

His eyes widen slightly in surprise, a hint of disbelief flickering in their depths. Level 4? He'd barely endured the first few waves of pain. He grits his teeth and closes his eyes for a moment, drawing in a shaky breath. "How many more levels are there?"

"Like 10 levels.." you said.

Fyodor continues to suffer in silence, his eyes squeezed shut, and his teeth clenched tightly together, stubbornly refusing to give the simulator the satisfaction of breaking his composure. The pain is increasing, getting almost unbearable, and he struggles to keep the sounds of strained gasps from spilling past his lips, struggling to push through the immense discomfort that has taken hold of his body.

"Do you want it to stop..?" you asked.

He opens his mouth to respond, then stops, his pride warring with his sense of self-preservation. Admitting defeat is not exactly his style, but the pain is excruciating and nearly unbearable. After a few moments, he grits out, through clenched teeth, "Tch. Very well. Turn it off."

"How was it?" you asked.

He takes a moment to gather his composure, his breathing still somewhat shaky from the ordeal he'd just endured. He runs a hand through his damp hair and shakes head slightly, trying to clear it. When he finally responds, his voice is slightly strained, and he allows just a hint of pain to creep into it. "Quite... intense. I must admit, it was even worse than I'd imagined."

He exhales slowly and lets his gaze drift over to the device, still feeling the aftereffects of the pain. "You certainly chose quite the... interesting way to spend our time together, my dear."

A sly smile twists his lips. "And here I thought you simply desired to see me squirm in pain."

You then got surprised by that.. he totally caught you. He moves a hand to his stomach, rubbing it in a slow, almost comforting gesture. "However, despite the rather... unpleasant experience, I can not help but feel a sense of respect. You have certainly managed to find a way to surprise me, dear."

He chuckles softly, his voice regaining some of its usual calm. "Still, do not expect me to agree to such a thing again anytime soon. That... experience was not exactly how I'd planned to spend my evening."

He lifts his gaze to meet yours, his smirk turning more cheeky. "Now, if you're in the mood for more pleasurable activities, I would be more than happy to oblige, my dear."

Well, i guess good luck to yourself tonight...

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Sigma

Sigma thought over it for a moment before responding to you.

“You want me to experience what it feels to have a period?” He asked now, looking at you with a pout, but not saying no.

"You don't have to if you don't want.." you said.

He thought over it again and then finally made a decision.

“Okay, fine, I’ll do it. Just for you, though.” He said before he removed the hair from his eyes and then looked at you with a shy and nervous expression.

You then prepared the simulator he sat down properly on the bed, mentally preparing himself for the pain he’s about the experience, not knowing what he’s gotten himself into.

The pain simulator then started to turn on and Sigma started to feel like something is tightening up inside of him, a burning sensation as the pain started to spread all over his abdomen, he gripped his shirt now as pained groans escaped his lips, looking at you again, wondering if this was worth it.

The pain just started to become worse and worse as time went by, Sigma now started to whimper out quietly, the pain growing more unbearable, he felt like crying now because of the pain, he just didn’t know how you could handle it, the pain and the cramps was awful.

You saw Sigma’s expression as you turned it off and felt bad.. as you spoke.

"Are you okay?"

When the simulation was turned off, Sigma just sat there for a moment, taking a few deep breaths before nodding at you.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine..” He said quietly in a shaky voice, still a bit in shock and surprised at how painful it is.

Yes it was unbelievable to him that you actually had to suffer from this every single month, dealing with the pain and the cramps, and yet somehow you can still act like your normal self, it just makes him want to do everything he can to make you feel better whenever you are going through your period, he just wanted to protect you from everything.

He looked back at you, watching the concern in your eyes. He just wanted to comfort you and make you feel better. He wanted to spoil you.

He then opened his arms to you, signalling for you to join him, which you did. He wrapped his arms around you, holding you close in his embrace, pulling you to rest on his chest, nuzzling into you, letting out a quiet sigh as he did so.

As then these few days, you notice Sigma become affectionate and spoil you more, ahh.. he's such a sweetie.

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(Sorry for not updating for a long time! i promise I'll update more soon!!) ( =＾ω＾)

[mossdoesartshit]

extermination day extermination always irritated vaggie. She had developed a major dislike of it upon being dropped into hell for showing mercy, which shouldve kept her in heaven than get her booted out, but she had found the love of her life here, so she couldnt complain. After the battle during the old hotels time, the exterminations had become far more erratic. sometimes theyd be only a month or so away, sometimes over a year. she had no doubts it was entirely because of lute, which she wasnt too fond of, but what could vaggie realistically do, her old sister in arms had always been a bit of a nutcase. besides, she had bigger fish to worry about right now. she and charlie were doing a headcount of people who had been in the hotel that day, (alastor, husk, nifty, the usual people, along with some hopefully quests to be) and there was one person distinctly missing "do i have to go get him?" vaggie asked, exasparated "come on please? he should be somewhere on the upper floors, i saw him walking up before the bell rang loud, besides you always have your weapon on you!" charlie begged, earning agreed mumblings of the others "If Safety Is Your Concern, Trust Me Vaggie, I Will Be Able To Handle Any Possible Nuisances While You're Getting Mister Bleeding Heart Back" alastor piped up, with that sickeningly sweet grin of his. She rolled her eyes, and groaned out a soft "fiine" as she moved to go up the hotel. Thank Fucking Lucifer that he had installed an elevator into the hotel, because boy howdy if vaggie had had to walk up the flight of stairs just to get Adam she would not have even considered it. Eventually, she found him on the roof, watching the carnage. "come on Adam, i know youre probably so fucking hard about all the destruction and shit, but you wont be safe from them killing you" Adam didnt turn to look at vaggie, instead closing his wings around himself as best he could, and "I can still recognize them you know" "huh?" with one wing, adam pointed down to two exterminators "that right there is lyre, ruthless as ever, but she has that methodical work flow, kind of like a dance. i think they partnered her with a newbie, which is good- well. bad, but. good from a combat standpoint- because she'll get good pointers at the end" vaggie looked down at the next group of exterminators that adam pointed to "over there is janatha, still fumbling with her stabs and pierces as ever. shes in a bigger squad, but they always worked well together, even if theyre a bit chaotic" an explosion blew up relatively near them, and adam looked over to it with sluggish movements "must be lute... say vags-" "vaggie." "-vaggie, do you remember flute?" "huh? you mean lutes sister?" "mmhm, lutes always been pretty ruthless, but that can leave her open at the back, flute would have covered her but. i think she was killed a few exterminations ago, the one that weapons dealer got. i think theyve tried to pair her with others but i always see her alone" vaggie stood there stunned "i. didnt think you were telling the truth when you said you recognized me. i thought you'd been bluffing or that lute had told you, given..." "well, thats the view souls have of me i suppose. liar down to a t. but i do recognize all of them. i just regret that my blind rage cost the lives of several of them and... lutes arm" another explosion closer to them alerted vaggie to grab adams shoulder "come on, charlies going to get worried if you keep me standing here, cant have you getting killed now that shes done so much work on you" "whatever you say vaggie" adam said, solemnly looking behind to where theyd spotted lute, before walking with vaggie to the elevator to get to the more bunkered area

[paranoid-rhythm]

「Chaldea Treasure Hunting!」 Oberon Edition (Translation)

Oberon: Time to embark on an unforgettable adventure with this fairy king Oberon!

.....................

Guda: It's a city of steam!

Oberon: Hey, you're a youngster from the 21st century, aren't you? Aren't you supposed to be used to this kind of city? Well then again, I can understand your excitement. 

Even though it's the same consumer civilization as yours, I guess you find that there is a certain allure in this scenery. It's a city that retains its medieval charm while being dominated by a primarily industrial design, I guess being able to imagine such a contradictory world is one of humanity's strengths.

Guda: You're a reliable companion!

Oberon: Well, of course! If it's a request from you, this Fairy King Oberon will fly over to you with all his might! Though well, it did take me a quite a while to change into these clothes, but I hope you forgive me for that. After all, we're going to an adventure! So I have to be stylishly dressed, right? 

Now then, according to this steam observation clock, it seems that the Holy Grail of blessings is somewhere underground. If we find it, we'll gain a lot of QP, right? Time to go all out to repay my debts!

.....................

Oberon: Honestly, stairs of all things? In a city of clockwork? Not even a single transport mechanism?! I guess we'll just have to accept this fact and take the long way down. It'd be much easier if only I could fly, but as you know, my wings are just ornamental. Maybe I should go to Da Vinci and ask her to make a mechanical glider for me. No, maybe a jet pack is saferー...

Guda: Oberon...! Wait!

Oberon: Hmm? Did you say anything? Whoa there! Sorry, sorry, I got distracted. Wait, is our faces kind of close right now? Are you okay? Pfft... Haha... Hahahahaha! Just what kind of expression are you making! Too bad it's dark in here, if I had a camera, I would've taken a snapshot of it! 

Guda: Are you telling me my face looks weird?

Oberon: Whoa, sorry about that. I don't mean anything bad by that. I'm telling the truth. It's just that, it's an expression I've never seen you make before. It’s not the nervousness in battle, it's not the fear of death, it's something child-likeー... no, it's nothing. Saying it out loud just cheapens it. 

Anyway, forget that! Right now, there's only the two of us, alone in this underground passage. It's not like there's a terrifying enemy waiting for us ahead, so let's take it easy and enjoy this uncharted journey together!

The path ahead looks like it's going to get even narrower, so hold my hand, and let's keep moving forward. It's so you won't stray far from me, come on now, give me your hand.

.....................

Oberon: Looks like we've descended quite a bit. Oh! This seems to be the lowest level. All that's left is a straight path from here. Everything’s going smoothly! Hm? 

Huh? What is it? Is it coming from behind us? 

What in the world? This is unexpected! Let's run, Master! 

Just how persistent are these guys! And to top it off, I think there's even more of them now! 

Ah, I see light shining up ahead! Let's keep going!

Huh?! There's no road?! We're gonna fall, Master! Give me your hand!

Guda: Oberon!!!

- The Master and Oberon clung to each other as they fell. -

Oberon: Is this what they call "drowning in schemes and strategies," huh? I didn’t expect the path would collapse. Oh well, I’m used to falling. It’s just that this time, I'm a bit more entangled into something.

.....................

Oberon: Oww... Ah, Master, are you okay? 

It's hard to believe there's so many flowers blooming down here, right? As long as there is life, there will always be flowers blooming somewhere. Water, sunlight, flowers, insects, and greenery, they're all part of the cycle after all.

That's right. I'm the one who left the Holy Grail there. Because I heard that you were going to go on an adventure.

It's all true that I was asked to do this. However, it wasn't as calm as I expected it to be for the Master. Things didn't go as expected, but today is a day of celebration for you, right? What's important isー

Nemo Marine: Captain! I've found Oberon! 

Nemo Marines: We've found him!

Nemo Professor: It's all a farce! Oberon-shi has been persistently rejecting all communication attempts.

Captain Nemo: We've finally connected to you. Oberon, is the Master alright? The communications suddenly cut off when you went underground though. 

Oberon: Oh my, I didn't know about that~! The Master is fine and has successfully retrieved the Holy Grail. It's no problem over here. 

Nemo Engine: Then hurry up and return already! Your scolding will come after that!

Nemo Nurse: Fufu, if you have any injuries, I'll take care of them, so please feel free to come to me.

Captain: Everyone, shut up for a moment! Oberon, Master, it's great that you two are safe. I'd like for you both to take your time and explore the city. And if possible, I'd like for the both of you to take a lot of photos of the scenery for future reference. There's a lot of vehicles in a clockwork city, right? 

Oberon: Of course! Please look forward to the souvenirs we'll get you, Captain! We have to keep Engine happy after all. 

Nemo Engine: I-it's not like I'm interested in motorcycles or anything! W-well, I'll use it as reference for the Penguin Porter's external parts...

Oberon: Okay, then let's focus on that, huh? Well then, see you later in Chaldea!

Nemo Bakery: I’ll bake a warm baguette while waiting for you, okay?

Oberon: Alright, let's go back to the surface and explore the town until the sun sets. Even though it's a town that's messy, oily, and full of shady shops, I'm sure it'll become a wonderful memory. 

After all, exploring an unknown world is an adventure in its own right.

[jpitha]

Between the Black and Grey 67

First / Previous / Next

This time was different.

When Fen awoke in the forest this time, she felt... faint, etherial. It was as if she wasn't all there. At least Ma-ren was nearby, she would know what was going on. "Ma!" Fen shouted. Ma turned her head and her ears flattened at the sight. "Fen? What's happened to you? Why do you look like that?"

"Look like what?" Fen looked down at herself. She was... translucent, nearly see-through. Huh. She remembered hearing how AIs didn't experience this... transition while linking from place to place, and now she was - it still was uncomfortable to think about - mostly operating on AI equipment. It unfortunately made sense that she wasn't all... here. "Um, it's complicated." That was probably the best answer for now. "We don't have a lot of time. You said you didn't talk to Han'iel, did you talk to anyone else?"

Ma shook her head, her earrings jangling. "No, it doesn't work that way here. You really only see people you were close to. I'm able to talk to other people... over on my side of things. All I did was mention to a few people I knew that they should... inspire family and friends they see to work with the Empress of humanity. We can't really direct people, only inspire, recommend, motivate. That kind of thing."

"Han'iel never spoke to you, never planned with you. He - or someone on his team - heard from a relative, or friend, or partner while they linking and that person inspired them to sign on with the scientists who were working with me." Fen stopped and looked at Ma. Now that she was less here, things felt different. Less real, more abstract. She could see Ma, she could see the ground they were on, but things in the distance faded to a blurry mess. She wondered quickly if she disconnected her human body from the system she was running on would she never see Ma again. She pushed that thought down, it was too terrible to think about right now. "If you couldn't plan with people who were... alive, what were you going to do about me and the Nanites?"

Ma's grin was sheepish and surprisingly human. "I... was counting on people to sign on who wanted to overthrow you. If they got close, they would learn about the Nanites and they might come up with a way to defeat them." Her tail flicked and her fur rippled. "I had no real idea on how to do it, but I figured that - properly motivated - someone else might."

Fen made a sour face. "On the one hand Ma, that's a wild assumption to make. That kind of leap is just-" Fen shook her head in disbelief. "On the other hand though, you succeeded. Han'iel has deposed me by building his own nanomachines which are currently battling in my body. I'm in hibernation right now, and partially running on AI servers to keep me alive."

Ma-ren's face looked... odd. She wasn't horrified, she wasn't sad, she was... thoughtful? She peered hard at Fen and reached out to touch her. Fen winced as Ma's hand passed through her. "If you want to see me again," Ma said "You need to get back into your body."

Gord was watching Fen as she came back. "Well? What did you learn?"

"I need to give you some background first." Fen explained what her plan with Ma-ren about defeating the Nanites was and her part of it. Afterwards, a chair appeared, and Fen sat sank down into it. "Ma can't speak to other people when they link. Someone can only interact with family, friends spouses, people they knew really well when they were alive. So, she didn't talk with Han'iel. They can really only inspire folks to do stuff anyway. She basically told people she knew to influence their people to sign on with me."

Gord narrowed his eyes. "How was that going to help you defeat the Nanites?"

Fen threw her head back and stared at the ceiling. "I don't know... I wasn't supposed to know. The Nanites weren't present when I saw Ma when I linked - it was the only time I was free of them - so she said she was going to work on a way to defeat them. She had decided that getting someone to influence some K'laxi to ingratiate themselves to me and work to overthrow me behind the scenes would cause them to come up with a way for them to defeat me and my extension, the Nanites."

While Fen had been explaining things, Chloe had entered and was standing off to the side, listening in. "So, her plan to save you from the Nanites was to... convince a K'laxi to overthrow you?"

"When you say it like that, it doesn't sound great, yes," Fen crossed her arms. Ma is usually a better planner than that, but she did always have a tendency to think everything was just going to work out. "I think Ma assumed that whoever overthrew me would have to defeat my nanites."

"You gotta admit, they're doing that." Gord said.

"You, don't 'gotta admit' anything." Chloe said, "Fen's body is in hibernation and she's running on our equipment. They're not defeated and the whole thing is a mess."

"If I stay on your equipment, and lose my body, I lose the chance of ever seeing Ma - I don't even know what'll happen if I die permanently. If I got back into my body, then I might die as a result of the nanomachine battle and/or the bomb in my body." Fen rubbed her temples with her hands while she spoke. "Speaking of, what are we going to do about that?"

"Honestly Fen, we have no idea." Chloe said. "That thing makes my hair itch. Given what we know about antimatter and it's containment, it's enough to completely destroy Home with a good amount left over. Since your K'laxi scientists made it with some kind of new techniques that make antimatter more viable, it's probably even more powerful."

Fen opened one eye. "Why would that be installed in me? That seems like overkill. If Han'iel wanted to blow me up, there are much smaller and easier ways to do it than to implant a planet cracker into me."

Gord nodded. "Yeah, now you see why we have no idea what we're going to do next." He looked down at his pad. "When you asked us to link somewhere, we linked back to Home - we're in Sol now - and we've started getting messages from all around. Han'iel's nanites don't seem to be infecting people, but there are lots of reports of 'odd' things happening. They seem to be directing their efforts onto the old Builder nanites... and they seem to be winning. In areas of the highest concentration - like High Mars Hyacinth and Regantown - there are reports of "black clouds fighting." Chloe raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

"I don't suppose that if - when - Han'iel's nanites win, they disassemble themselves?" Fen said, hopefully.

"It's possible" Chloe said, "but as of right now, we have no guarantee that's going to happen. You said that Han'iel said he was trying to liberate all K'laxi, so I have to assume he meant 'liberate all K'laxi under my rule' and that means after the Builder nanites are gone, his will take over."

"So we traded one for another." Fen said. "Gord, you learned about the original Builder nanites and developed your anti-nanite gas when you were fighting Melody, right?"

"Yeah, we did." Gord, knowing that he was speaking to a (former) Empress of the empire he and the AIs tried to destroy had the decency to look a little sheepish. "It didn't work as well as we had hoped, and since they were still around we didn't actually destroy them, but I think the theory was sound. It was a gas that was filled with like-" he waved his hand "-code blocks. Like a virus, but for nanotech. It was supposed to command the Builder nanites to disassemble themselves. Being something truly alien though, I guess the Builder nanites were just too different for it to work."

"Han'iel and his team made the new Nanites, would the gas work on them?"

"Almost certainly not." Chloe said. "His nanites will be different - have already shown themselves to be different and so the mechanism to infect them isn't the same."

"But... that's not to say we couldn't rework the gas for Han'iels nanites. Let them take care of the Builder nanites and then we can disseminate the anti-nanite gas to take care of Han'iel's. Hmm" Gord stared off into the middle distance. "It's by no means guaranteed to work, but at least it's not nothing, which is better than we were an hour ago. Nice work Fen!"

"I didn't do anything?"

"Not true! You reminded us about the anti-nanite gas, which lead us down this road. I'm going to sync up to Home and see what I can find. I'm not going to dock for obvious reasons, but there's no reason we can't use their network." Gord disappeared from the visualization.

Chloe had a small smile. "He's always at his best when he has a plan. Thanks Fen. We still don't know what we're going to do about your body, but at least we can probably save the galaxy. It's not nothing." She winked.

Fen chuckled, but the thought lingered at the back of her head. Either die and be with Ma, or stay running in emulation and never get to see her again. It was a hell of a choice. "Chloe?" she said, before Chloe could leave. "Do you think you can save my body? Gord isn't here, so I don't want it sugarcoated. Your real opinion."

"My real opinion? Are you sure?" When Fen nodded she said, "we should have spaced your body the moment we found the bomb and linked across the galaxy. Your body is entirely too dangerous to leave anywhere in-system let alone onboard a ship that I am on. I'm glad you helped Gord come up with direction on how to defeat Han'iel's nanites, but we would have come up with a solution on our own eventually. Once Gord is done with this, he and I are going to have a talk about what to do with you." When she saw Fen's face she said "Remember, you asked." and disappeared from the visualization.

Fen rendered a bed, sat on top, and stayed there, hugging her knees a long time.

[morlock-holmes]

Part of my confusion about "Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria" is that it's really just... not a good term? It doesn't really reflect what it's supposed to, which is the idea that some teenagers essentially take on a trans identity as a sort of social role spurred on by friend groups.

I think that this is likely to be actually true in at least some sense, so I was amazed at how unconvincing the Littman paper which coined the term actually is. The parental narratives advanced in that paper are just unbelievable on their face.

Ever since the gay rights movement I've felt that our vocabulary for talking about this stuff is deliberately incredibly stupid, for reasons I haven't quite been able to suss out.

In the gay rights battles, everybody got together and agreed that there were exactly two possibilities:

Gay people are born that way

Gay people made a choice to be gay

I think this is really dumb because those are really obviously not the only two options, and also because there's lots of biological "born this way" things we still treat or try to eliminate, and lots of choices that are still incredibly important to protect.

But also, like, okay, think about sexual fetishes. Say you have a guy with a cheerleader fetish. Cheerleaders are a contingent social phenomenon; no 12th century Breton had a cheerleader fetish. The possibility of such a fetish arose with the invention of the cheerleader.

But it's just as obvious that people do not choose their fetishes the way that they choose, say, a new car. Nobody says, "After listing out the pros and cons, I felt that having a cheerleader fetish was the best choice, because it combines a little bit of exotic spice while still being mainstream enough that it can't be used as blackmail if people find out about it."

No, one day you just realize that you think cheerleaders are really hot.

I do tend to think that gender identity is, for most people, a lot less immediately set in stone than sexual orientation is. My personal impression is that the vast majority of people start to understand very quickly whether they are attracted to men, women, or both, and that they only tell themselves differently because they fear social censure.

I'm not really convinced that the same is true of gender identity; I think that for an extremely large number of people it does function a bit more like a fetish, in that there are people who encounter the idea for the first time, go, "Huh, yeah that's cool or whatever" and after repeated encounters come to think, "Actually I am really into this."

I'm very, very suspicious of the tendency to then assert that this must inherently, then, be a discovery of something that always existed within the person since birth.

There's also the fact that gender roles exist, and people want to be legible to people around them.

For a lot of people, dressing up as a vampire on Halloween is fun, but dressing up as a vampire to go grocery shopping in June would be deeply embarrassing. Because on Halloween all the people around you understand why you're dressed that way and your dress makes you part of a larger social whole; in June you're going against the grain, marking yourself out from the people around you, probably drawing stares and hidden smiles.

Because sex roles in our society are so set in stone, there is a certain extreme dissatisfaction with not following them, even when allowed to do so.

I can wear chokers and frills and pretty hair ribbons if I want, but the women around me can do that anywhere in the country and have people think of it as normal, as obvious, rather than *a statement*.

Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria, from reading the Littman paper, seems to refer to a parental conviction that their child essentially got the idea to be trans from a peer group who convinced them they were trans despite a lack of gender dysphoria in childhood.

Like I said, the general narrative is really, really hard to believe at face value, for example:

A total of 63.8% of the parents have been called “transphobic” or “bigoted” by their children for one or more reasons, the most common being for: disagreeing with the child about the child’s self-assessment of being transgender (51.2%); recommending that the child take more time to figure out if their feelings of gender dysphoria persist or go away (44.6%); expressing concerns for the child’s future if they take hormones and/or have surgery (40.4%); calling their child by the pronouns they used to use (37.9%); telling the child they thought that hormones or surgery would not help them (37.5%); recommending that their child work on other mental health issues first to determine if they are the cause of the dysphoria (33.3%); calling the child by their birth name (33.3%); or recommending a comprehensive mental health evaluation before starting hormones and/or surgery (20.8%)

So, like, the whole tenor of the paper is that these are basically very liberal parents who are sort of being cut off by their kids for no reason, but like...

This is typical of the general weasel wording used by Littman. Are the third of parents who called their kids by pronouns they used to use going, "She - Oops, he, I'm sorry" one time and getting blasted? Do they claim to be trying but just get it wrong literally every single time? Or do they just flat out refuse to call their child by their preferred pronouns?

When my brother was first entering high school, he joined the Sea Scouts, a division of the Boy Scouts dedicated to learning about sailing. He later entered a maritime college and has had a succession of maritime jobs, which will likely be his career for the rest of his life.

Is that the result of social contagion or was he born that way?

I think the question is obviously both absurd and irrelevant.

[kaymarie-bell]

TWST Book 7 Chapter 6 spoilers and reactions ahead

.

.

You know, through all the updates people have been wondering "where is OB Malleus? is he seeing the dream too? why is he not interfering despite our group being 'awake'? does he even know about all of this?" it might seem crazy what I'm about to say-

This update started with a banger giving us Baul knighting Sebek and giving him an armor that's just like his after fighting off the Silver Owls together

Btw I'm currently on a mission of stealing all the gel in NRC to keep Sebek from putting his hair up again. If you care.

Silver carrying an injured Lilia on his back while Yuu and Grim look after the egg instead of leaving him behind like he asked. I'm ok I'm ok.

Sebek got to show off his UM training. I'm so proud of him 🥹

They killed my hot wife.

Fighting as Meleanor vs The Knight of Dawn felt so sick and twisted knowing what the outcome was.

FUCK THE SENATE. TF YOU MEAN "Filthy bat" "Don't touch Malleus" "get out of the capital and don't show up here again" I'm genuinely upset, what the fuck leave Lilia alone 😭

Maleficia's magic was not helping with hatching the egg, and touch and love is more effective so of course the responsibility falls on Lilia. Huh, who would've thought-

Lilia and the egg communicating. Did y'all see that. Is anyone else being totally normal about it.

Meleanor knew what she was doing when she left her child to Lilia.

Also what do you mean his own grandmother couldn't provide him the love he needed to hatch? 👀

Lilia's numerous travels around the world were all to find something to help hatch the egg. And he got discriminated against by both humans and fae everywhere oh I'm so sick-

Egg!Malleus feeling lonely even before hatching. Lilia being the only one who hears him crying. Lilia running to him despite it being dangerous. 😭

HE DISCOVERED HIS SIGNATURE SPELL WHILE SEARCHING FOR A WAY TO HATCH THE EGG. THE SPELL THAT BEST REFLECTS THE ESSENCE OF HIS SOUL IS THE ONE HE USES FOR BOTH MALLEUS AND SILVER. Shaped like a father fr.

Oh so the egg seems to gain strength only whenever Lilia shows up around it? What a coincidence I wonder what could this mean

Lilia's VA did a phenomenal job. I started ugly crying too. The 200 years were worth it to Lilia 😭😭😭

*Silver voice* I'm sure we were all wondering, "if these dreams are supposed to be happy then why have we seen nothing but pain and suffering so far?" well, it turns out Malleus being born is his happiest moment in life.

not a single thought behind that baby's eyes (he's 1 minute old)

Leona was right he sure *is* a lizard

not the senate suddenly praising Lilia as a hero 😒 I haven't forgotten what y'all said earlier.

Oh shit OB!Malleus is back. I got so caught up in the euphoria of seeing Malleus' birth that for a moment I forgot about overblots.

Malleus has his mom's looks and his dad's voice according to general Lilia

OB!Malleus is absolutely pissed at his grandma and the senate. Good for him.

Malleus offering Lilia a dream where Meleanor and Levan are alive...

If anyone is wondering "how are we supposed to win a battle against OB!Malleus?" the answer is: you don't. We only survive 😔 (for now ig)

Silver is able to secure the entire group in his arms. So normal about it haha.

SON IS BACK.

IDIA IS AWAKE LET'S GO GAMERS LMAO

we have reached 100 chapters. I can't wait to see what Idia's victory strategy is going to be

[magicamicitia]

WARNING: Mentions of suicidal/intrusive thoughts.

Volume One, Chapter Two

“You’re not alone anymore.”

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

Click!

Sunset Shimmer once again woke up to the sound of her alarm clock, and carried on with her morning routine as normal. However, the memories of the previous afternoon refused to leave her thoughts.

She was aware of the existence of magic in other worlds, but… This one wasn’t supposed to be one of them. So what’s up with all of this? Magical girls? Witches? A talking cat-with-bunny-ears freak? It was weirder than anything she’d ever seen in any other world. Apparently, humans like her weren’t supposed to be able to see witches like she did. Sunset figured her background as a magic interdimensional traveller could explain that abnormality.

Whatever this all meant, she hoped Twilight knew what she was doing.

“I have no idea what I’m doing!” Twilight Sparkle skipped nervously around her room.

“Don’t worry!” the small white creature, who referred to itself as ‘Kyubey’, carefully groomed its fur in a corner. “If you ever need any help, you can always ask me.”

Twilight couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

“Yeah, that’s real reassuring. The last time I asked for your help, You-“

Her train of thought was crudely interrupted by a knock at the door.

“Sweetie?” Her mother’s voice called. “Are you okay in there? You’re gonna be late if you don’t come out soon!”

“Shoot! I’d better get going!”

She left her home in a hurry as to avoid being late, despite her family’s attempts to tell her she still had twenty minutes until her usual time of departure. With a half-eaten sandwich in her hands and a trusty Kyubey over her shoulders, she was surely ready for another day as a high school student AND magical girl!

Huh?

Twilight Sparkle suddenly felt a strange weight on her chest. looking down at the soul gem ring on her finger, she noticed it emitted a strange glow.

“What’s all this now?”

“Your soul gem is reacting to magic,” kyubey answered. “There must be a witch nearby! We have to go after it!”

“NOW?! I can’t go after a witch NOW! I couldn’t even finish off the last one, and if I take too long fighting it… I’ll be…”

She gulped, terrified.

“…TARDY!!!”

“Twilight! You’re a magical girl now, the future of humanity relies on you battling witches!”

“I know, I know… But… Like, can’t you do it or something?”

“Unfortunately, there’s nothing I can do about witches in their physicial form. But once you defeat the witch, I can collect its grief seed and make sure it never comes back!”

“Ughhhh!!! Fine, I’ll do it, I’ll do it…”

Her soul gem’s magic led her to a beautiful hedge maze just outside an ancient history museum.

“Wow… this place looks so peaceful. Odd spot for a witch to make its lair.”

“You’re right, Twilight. Usually, witches will try to hatch in locations where they can collect the despair of nearby victims. But this maze is a total ghost town…”

“Well, then that must mean this one doesn’t feel like it needs any extra power, huh?”

“Yes. We’d better get ready; we’re about to enter the labyrinth, quite literally.”

As Twilight moved towards the center of the maze, she could feel reality around her become more and more distorted. But she noticed a strange consistency among the chaos.

“These patterns… these creatures… This is the same witch from yesterday!”

Kyubey backed up against Twilight’s legs, looking for refuge. “Looks like we got real lucky then. If we had decided to fight it then, with a human tagging along, things would have gotten real dangerous.”

Twilight spared no time - casting her magical power, she transformed into her magical girl self and barged through the horde of familiars with her shield. The familiars, however, laughed at her futile attempts. Their torn bodies sewed themselves back together to take on another form.

“P…Principal Celestia…?” Twilight felt an enourmous weight fall onto her shoulders.

“Twilight Sparkle,” said the mirage. “What are you doing here, when you should be at school? You used to be such a good student…”

“U-Used to be? No, no, I still am! In fact, I was on my way back-“

“It’s too late for that now. You’ve already been expelled from Crystal Prep, do you want me to expel you from Canterlot High as well? That won’t look good on your records.”

“No! I wasn’t expelled! Candace just thought it would be better for me if…”

Her legs were shaking.

“I… I’m… You’re not supposed to be here!”

Mustering up her strength, Twilight attacked the illusion of Celestia with everything she had. The familiars, however, simply dissolved themselves while laughing, leaving Twilight to fall to the ground, crying and defeated.

“What’s happening… Why am I… So weak…?”

The laughter around her turned to chants.

“End it!”

“What good is a magical girl who can’t fight a witch?”

“End it!”

“Give up your soul gem and feed us!”

“End it!”

“End it!”

“End it!”

Her vision was starting to get blurry. Why did she accept this awful offer in the first place?! She didn’t have what it took to be a magical girl at all!

Oh,

That’s right…

The reason was…

“Hold on tight, sugarcube!”

From the skies, a mysterious sillhouette came down to Twilight’s aid. Once it landed, she was surprised to see another magical girl, just like her!

Well, maybe her clothes were a little different. Very country. And instead of a shield, this girl took out five mint-condition flintlock muskets from her stylish cowboy hat. With the aim and confidence of a professional, she took down the monsters without missing a single shot. Then, she whipped her hair around, adjusted her hat, and turned to a baffled Twilight on the ground.

She smiled and reached out her hand.

“You alright over there?”

Before she could even say anything, four other girls made their way to Twilight and the mysterious magical girl.

“AJ, no fair! You said this one was mine!” A feisty girl with rainbow-colored hair rushed in first, clearly very upset.

“Oh, darling, please, that was clearly not the witch. You’re making a scene for no reason.” Added a purple-haired girl dressed in gorgeous modern-victorian couture.

“Wait,” said the multicolor girl. “Who’s that one over there?”

“I-I’m… Twilight… Twilight Sparkle…” She clumsily adjusted her glasses and got up.

“Pleasure to meet ya, Twilight.” The girl with the muskets smiled. “Name’s applejack.”

“I’m Rainbow Dash!” the spunky girl added.

“My name is Rarity, but you may call me Miss Rarity if you’re a fan.”

“Oh, I’ve heard your name before! You’re like, a prodigy star of the design world, right?”

“You’re quite right, darling! And those two over there are Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy.”

“W…Woah… So, you’re all magical girls…?”

“ALMOST all of us. Flutter can’t seem to come up with a wish, so we just drag her along as moral support.” Rainbow Dash cut in with a sarcastic tone.

“Rainbow, don’t say that!” Applejack reprimanded. “Don’t you worry, sugarcube. I know how scary it is to fight them mean witches all by yourself, but you’re not alone in this no more. We got your back!”

[kaminocasey]

We Were Golden Part 5

Summary: You get to Cut and Suu's. Tension between you and Hunter starts to rise.

Pairing: Ex!Crosshair x Reader / (Eventual?) Hunter x Reader

Warnings: 18+ MINORS DNI; Smut in a dream (oral f receiving), angst

WC: 4.2K

A/N: Wow, it's been a hot minute since I've updated and I'm so sorry. That season 3 trailer really put my ass in gear, huh? Lol.

We Were Golden Masterlist │ TAGLIST FORM

(pictures from Pinterest)

“Fuck, you’re so pretty…” Crosshair groans softly in your ear as he teases your clit with his slender fingers, with you pushed up against the fresher sink.

Letting out a soft whimper, you catch his lips in a passionate kiss, needing more of him. 

You and Crosshair have been together for three months and within those three months, there hadn’t been a day that the two of you hadn’t found yourselves like this in the fresher, locked away, enjoying each other. In the midst of war and battles, all you could do was cling to these little moments. 

He drops to his knees, latching his perfect lips to your cunt, determined to make you cum harder than the night before and the night before that and so on. 

“Cross-” You gasp, gripping his silver hair tightly, desperately.

“That’s it, Princess.” He praises you, slipping a long, slender finger into you. “Want you to cum on my face just like this.” 

You wake up with tears in your eyes, sitting up to wipe them with your sleeve. When you look up, you find Hunter sitting in his bunk across from yours, watching you. The look on his face is of concern but he’s clearly trying to give you space. 

“You… okay?” He asks you, but you shrug with a sniffle. “You wanna talk about it?”

You shake your head. “Not really.” 

What was there to say? 

You left Crosshair back on Kamino… you’re a terrible partner… how could you live with yourself? He would’ve never done that to you. Right?

“It’s not your fault, you know.” Hunter murmurs across to you, softly. 

He’s always been able to read your mind and usually, it’s endearing. But right now, you’re still slightly resentful of him, even though you really don’t want to be.

“No, I suppose not…” You stare at him.

But he reads your mind again. Your eyes still say It’s yours. Even though you don’t really believe that. 

“I know…” He nods. “I’m sorry…” 

“I know you are.” You sigh. “It’s just… hard.” 

He puts his feet down on the ground and leans forward to you, his forearms resting on his thighs.

“We’re going to get him back, okay? I just had to get the kid out of there.” Hunter murmurs, glancing down the hall at Omega, who’s asleep against Gonky. 

“I get it…” You sit up, your legs resting against his as you lean on your forearms as well. “I really do…”

The two of you are closer now, looking at each other. It’s almost comforting, after sleeping in the empty bunk, missing Crosshair’s presence. But then, you’re hit with the memory that he shot at his own brothers… tried to stop you from getting to safety. This new him… what if it’s permanent?

“I just…” You look down at your hands, clasping them together. “I miss him… and it’s weird… because that person we left behind… was not Crosshair. And I keep thinking… what if we can’t get him back to normal?” 

“We’ll figure it out if it comes to that.” He pats your hand and you place your other hand over his, nodding. “I think Crosshair was sort of right… Maybe I’ve been making bad calls-”

“Stop.” You squeeze his hand, catching his eye so that he looks at you. “You’re doing what you think is best for this squad. I told you a long time ago that I would follow you to the ends of the galaxy, Hunter. You’re a good leader. A great one. And there’s no one else I’d rather follow.”

You don’t miss the way he glances at your lips, but you choose to ignore it. 

“Would you really follow me to the ends of the galaxy?” He smiles, softly.

You roll your eyes, smirking, bumping your knee against his. “You know I would.” 

You hear Echo clearing his throat in the doorway and as you look up at him, you and Hunter separate as if you’ve been caught in some compromising position. 

“What is it?” Hunter asks, standing up. 

“Should I move the kid?” He looks down at Omega behind him. 

“I’ve got her.” Hunter steps over Wrecker’s leg and scoops her up, carrying her to his bunk and laying her down gently.

You ignore the tug in your chest at the gentle action and lean against the wall, crossing your arms.

Hunter steps back into the doorway, looking down at her, chuckling. “It’s a first, isn’t it?” 

“Inspecting every corner of the ship finally tired her out.” Echo smirks. 

“Yeah, she’s curious. I’ll give her that.” Hunter glances at you again.

“Hunter, she’s a child. What are we going to do with her?” Echo whispers with a sigh.

You’d all been through a lot over the last 24 hours, but you can’t help the attachment you’ve already formed with Omega. She deserves better than what she was given on Kamino. You could all give her that… But also, you know that this life that you and the Batch have is incredibly dangerous for a child. Obviously, she needs someone and she’s very clearly already attached to you guys as well. Especially Hunter. 

Hunter looks to you as if you could have all the answers but you just give him an encouraging smile, knowing he’ll make the right decision.

“We are coming up on Saleucami.” Tech announces.

Hunter joins Tech up in the cockpit, leaving you and Echo in the bunk room doorway. Echo gives you a strange look and you raise your eyebrows.

“What?” You ask.

He shrugs, glancing at Hunter, knowing Hunter can hear. You’re sure he’ll bring it up later when you land. 

“You wanna wake her up or you want me to?” Echo asks. 

“I’ve got her.” You start toward Omega but she’s already sitting up, rubbing her eyes.

“Are we there already?” She asks and you can’t help but smile.

“Yeah we are.” You reply.

She immediately bounces up, ready at the hatch, but Hunter pulls her back.

“Whenever we land, I go first, so I can make sure it’s safe, alright?” He asks her, softly.

She nods up at him, her eyes already filled with wonder, as Tech lands the Marauder. Hunter still hasn’t told you who’s on Saleucami that they know, so you’re a little anxious, even though you trust him fully. 

Hunter hits the hatch button and it comes down, the steps ascending with it. He walks down the hatch first with Echo behind him, and then Tech, Wrecker, and you. Omega is the last to exit the ship and when you turn around to tell her to follow close with you, you find her shielding her eyes from the sunlight, clearly having never been used to such light before on Kamino. When she gets used to the light, you watch the wonder fill her eyes once again and your chest tightens.

“Huh? What’s with her?” Wrecker asks, confused.

All of the guys turn to look and watch Omega inhale the fresh air and then step on dirt for the very first time. You just can’t help but smile as she kneels down to the ground to sift it through her fingers. 

“Woah.” Omega looks at it falling from her hand, with wonder. “What is this?”

“That would be dirt.” Tech speaks up and you grin. 

You’ve wondered a few times what it would be like to have kids. Though, you were never fully sure if you wanted them. But looking at Omega experiencing things for the first time, brings you to a realization that maybe one day… it wouldn’t be so bad. 

You and Crosshair had talked about your futures many times, but never about children. Would he ever want them? 

What about Hunter? 

Wow. Where did that come from? You shake your head slightly, trying to clear your head as you look around you. 

Omega lets out a soft gasp. “It’s amazing.”

When she stands up, she giggles and kicks it around a little bit, sending it up into the air around her. You and Hunter smile at each other before looking back down at her as she joins the group. 

You notice Hunter quickly glance up at the sky when some thunder rumbles. 

“Come on. Let’s get moving.” He nods toward some fields. 

As you start walking through the fields, you keep a safe eye on Omega as she finds wonder in every stalk and plant and insect. Her curiosity is a breath of fresh air, honestly. 

When you glance forward, you find Hunter’s eyes on you and you go warm in the face and look up at the sky. Things were so easy a couple days ago. Now everything is so turned around and different. You’re supposed to be able to handle the biggest changes. To adapt. To survive. 

You hear Echo call your name and tell you to watch out. But due to your mind being elsewhere, you don’t comprehend what he’s saying in time and step into an unfortunately deep mud puddle.

“Karking hell…” You groan as you find yourself waist deep in the puddle, which just turns out to actually be a hole in the ground.

Echo and Wrecker immediately burst into laughter. You start to throw an obscene gesture at them but then remember the kid and just settle for a glare instead. With a grumble, you reach for your pack and toss it to Hunter who sets it to the side and starts to reach for your hand. You ignore it and instead crawl your way out. Wrecker ignores your protests and helps you to stand. 

Tech scans you with his data pad. “Nothing seems to be hurt or bruised.”

“Just her ego.” Echo teases.

That time you do throw up your finger, walking ahead of the group, despite not being entirely sure where you’re going. You can practically feel Hunter’s gaze on you now. 

“Anyway, this friend of yours, what’s he doing all the way out here?” Echo asks.

“Hiding. That’s what deserters do.” Tech informs him.

A deserter? 

“Staying off the radar’s not our specialty, but he’s been doing it for years.” Hunter speaks up.

“And you trust a deserter?” Echo seems unsure.

He’s always been a loyal soldier to the Republic. Of course he’d be wary of a deserter. But before you can point out that you’re all technically deserters now, Tech speaks up.

“Why not? We’re all deserters now.” Tech says what’s on your mind and you nod in agreement. 

Hunter speeds up a little bit in front of you, putting up his fist for you all to stop, just as you’re about to point out the trip wire. He even stops Omega as she was about to keep walking. 

“What are we looking at?” Omega looks up at him.

“A booby trap.” Hunter informs her, but Wrecker steps over it.

“Single trip wire.” He chuckles. “That’s cute.”

Just as he says that, he triggers a second trap sending a circle of battle droids pointing guns at Wrecker flying up around him. You quickly pull Omega behind you, like it’s already a reflex to protect her.

“WOAH!” Wrecker lets out a yell and quickly pulls his blaster off his back and shoots down the droids. 

“Easy, Wrecker!” Hunter shouts, trying to get the giant to settle down just as you realize the droids aren’t active.

Thank the Maker. 

“W-was that me?” He asks, confused.

Before anyone can say anything else, you all hear a female voice and then turn to look toward it. 

“What do we have here? More clones who have lost their way.” A pink Twi’lek woman and a man with her are pointing a rifle at your group. 

“It’s been a while fellas.” The man puts his gun down.

You quickly realize the man is a clone and you look to Hunter for some sort of an explanation. How do they know these two people?

“You look like you could use a shower.” The woman smiles at you, eyeing the dried mud.

“Yeah, you got a hole in your field out that way.” You tell them, back behind you.

“Sorry about that, I’ve been meaning to fill it in.” The man tells you as you start walking toward their house. 

When they let you inside, the guys all gather around the table and Hunter starts to introduce you while Omega starts to check everything out. You don’t blame her one bit. This small house has to be intriguing to someone who’s spent their entire life in a Kaminoan facility. This place, which is full of life and warmth, is basically the complete opposite of Kamino. 

“I see a few new faces.” The woman says after getting everyone a drink.

Hunter introduces you, Echo, and Omega and then the two hosts as Cut and Suu. Omega waves up at Suu, politely, and Suu waves back. 

“Pleased to meet you.” She tells you all.

“Ma’am.” Echo nods, politely, and you can’t help but smile. 

When you met Echo back in the 501st, he was quite smooth with the ladies. Since his incident, he’s been more refined and not as outgoing. It was also really hard on him when he learned about his twin, Fives, who was basically joined at his hip. They did everything together. And that included going out and finding women together. They were something, that’s for sure.

Cut looks up suddenly. “Where’s Crosshair?”

The guys all look at you and you get a soft pang in your chest. You and Hunter make eye contact for the first time since before you fell in that mud hole and he sighs. 

“It’s complicated.” Hunter tells Cut, pulling his gaze away from you. 

“Sounds familiar.” Cut smiles, obviously noticing the look between you and Hunter. “Rex told us about the clone troopers turning against the Jedi.” 

Rex?

“You talked to Rex? When?” Echo asks, more eagerly.

Your brain goes back to the 501st. You could never imagine them killing Anakin Skywalker nor his former padawan Ahsoka Tano. Last you’d heard some of the 501st branched off to help her and a group of Mandalorians. You know that yours and Echo’s brains must be on the same wavelength because you both share a look of concern. 

Rex would never hurt either of them. Right?

“Well, he passed through yesterday.” Cut tells Echo.

“Where’d he go?” Echo asks.

“Didn’t ask.” Cut shrugs. “He was going on about some behavioral implant.”

Omega joins the table, next to Hunter. “He must mean the inhibitor chip.”

“The what?” Hunter asks her.

“Inhibitor chips. The Kaminoans implanted them in the clones to modify their behavior.” She tells him. 

You look at all of the guys, confused. Inhibitor chips. So that means if that’s what’s making Crosshair act this way, it can be removed… right?

“Tech, you said the regs were programmed but you never mentioned a chip.” Hunter looks over at Tech.

“How else did you think it worked?” Tech looks up from his data pad.

Suddenly, the front door bursts open and two small children come running in. 

“Mom! Dad!” They yell. “There’s a ship outside!” 

“Shaeeah, Jek!” Wrecker yells, excitedly. “Remember me?”

They both yell “Uncle Wrecker!” as Wrecker scoops them up in a hug. It warms your heart how good Wrecker is with kids. You suppose it’s probably got something to do with the fact that he can be like a big kid himself sometimes. But the fact that they’re calling him “uncle Wrecker” means that they all know these people well. 

The girl, Shaeeah, turns toward Omega. “Who are you?”

Omega suddenly gets shy, peering out from behind Hunter’s chair. 

“Omega.” She tells them. 

“We never see kids around here.” Shaeeah informs her, grabbing her hand. “Come with us.”

The kids start ushering Omega toward the door and Omega looks back at Hunter, as if for reassurance that it’s alright. Hunter gives her the softest smile and a nod to let her know that it’s okay. With that, they drag Omega out to go play and Suu turns toward you.

“I suppose you would like that shower now.” She smiles.

“That would be great.” You smile, gratefully, taking your pack with you.

She grabs you an extra pair of clothes that she said she’d had lying around for a long time and didn’t need anymore and you thank her again as she shows you to the fresher. 

You shred your muddy clothing and hop in the shower, immediately appreciating the warm water. You let it run over your body for a moment before starting to scrub. 

Once the grime is off of you and your hair is clean, you feel instantly better. You get out of the shower, wrapping the towel around you. You put your shampoo and body wash back into your pack kit and pull out your brush, wiping the fog on the mirror down with the towel and then hanging it over the bar on the wall. 

You turn around and look in the mirror, seeing yourself for the first time since throwing up in the fresher back in the barracks on Kamino. You feel like you look different. Maybe it's because you aren’t necessarily who you were the other day anymore. So much has happened in such a small time frame, that would surely change anyone. 

You put the clothes that Suu gave you on, and notice it feels a bit snug. She’s obviously a bit smaller than you. Whatever. If you get uncomfortable, you’ll just borrow from one of the guys. 

As you walk out of the fresher, you see Hunter and Cut by the door. Hunter is in civilian clothing that Cut must have given him. You both just stand there and stare at each other because wow, he looks good with his arms showing. It’s not a sight that many get to see all that often due to the black bodysuits that GAR keep the clones in underneath their armor, and also because of said armor. 

Hunter’s eyes sweep down your body, taking in your form and he has to physically tear his eyes away from you by looking at Cut, who’s of course giving him a knowing look.

“We’re uh… heading into town. To book Cut, Suu, and the kids a shuttle offworld.” He tells you.

You nod. “Alright. Be safe.” 

He smiles, softly. “We will.” 

When they leave, you notice Suu’s eyes on you.

“Uh hi.” You clear your throat, sticking your pack with the rest of the Batch’s. 

“Are you two-?” She smirks as she takes your clothes and throws them in a washer tub.

“Ha. No, absolutely not.” You wave her off and go sit on the couch. 

She joins you on the couch, resting her arm on the back of it, grinning at you. “But you want to.” 

You shake your head, glancing over at the guys who aren’t even paying attention to you. Echo’s keeping an eye on Omega in the doorway. Tech’s nose is buried in his data pad and Wrecker is passed out in the recliner, mouth gaping open and snoring. 

“No. It’s not like that.” You shake your head. “I’m with or… was with… Crosshair.” 

“Oh…” She murmurs. “I apologize. I just saw the way that you two…”

You shrug your shoulders. “Hunter’s my best friend. We look out for each other.” 

“And what happened to Crosshair?” She asks.

That pang in your chest is starting to become familiar and you really don’t care much for it. You realize though that she’s probably asking because she knows him and is genuinely curious. 

“He chose this new… “Empire”. Or I suppose the inhibitor chip did…” You murmur, looking at the rug on the floor. 

“And you still love him.”

“Of course.” 

There’s no question. He may have broken up with you, but you’re still always going to love him. 

“But you have feelings for Hunter.”

It’s not a question that she’s asking. She’s telling you she sees right through your shit. But she’s not being rude about it. You don’t know what to say because what you and Hunter have is something too complicated, yet also easy. 

Complicated for others, easy to the two of you.

You’re sitting in the barracks by the window, watching the ocean rage on angrily, your knees drawn up and your chin resting on them. As always, you’ve never once seen a calm Kaminoan Sea.

You hear the doors slide open and shut and you assume it’s Crosshair come to apologize about your fight you had. Which have been becoming more frequent. And desperate to follow Hunter’s rules about it not affecting the group, you went out for some alone time on the Marauder and Crosshair got offended. 

Which is not only stupid, but also hypocritical because the man loves his alone time, which you’d pointed out and it only escalated things, making him storm out of the Marauder. 

“Hey.” Hunter’s voice is suddenly next to you as he sits in the window with you, but leaning his back on the window.

“Hey.” You look at him.

“Crosshair mentioned you’d had an… argument?” He raises an eyebrow.

You shrug.

“Do you want to talk about it?” He offers.

“What, are you trying to be my therapist?” You quip. 

He chuckles. “Just a friend.”

And that’s what Hunter became. Your best friend. 

After a while, Hunter and Cut finally return and Echo nods for Hunter to follow him outside. Which seems strange to you. Normally Echo isn’t usually shy about saying what’s on his mind in front of people. 

Unfortunately, your curiosity quickly gets the best of you and you decide to follow them once you think they’re far enough away. You watch as they head into the barn and quietly make your way that way so you can at least hear what they’re talking about. Being out of the know doesn’t sit well with you, that’s how you justify it being alright that you’re about to eavesdrop.

“I heard her talking to Suu… even Suu could practically see right through the two of you.” Echo tells Hunter as you lean up against the hale bay by the barn doors.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Look… I’m not saying don’t pursue her… But… give her time to get over Crosshair. We can’t afford any fuck ups right now. If you’re both not focusing-”

Hunter sighs and you can already tell he’s rubbing his hands down his face in exasperation. “I am giving her time, Echo. I’m giving her space. Hell, I’d even give her the entire galaxy if she asked for it. Since when are you so nosy?”

Your chest tightens at Hunter’s serious tone when he says that last part. 

“Since I heard the hurt in her voice, and saw it in her eyes when they brought up Crosshair.” 

Hunter’s apparently not the only one who can read you like a book. But Echo’s right. You need time. It’s not like you can just move on from Crosshair in a day. You spent every single day together for a year.  

“You think I didn’t?” Hunter snips.

Deciding you can’t handle anymore talk about Crosshair, you start to head back to the house but end up tripping over a smaller hale bay, cursing automatically as you fall to the ground. You try to yank yourself up quickly, but are met with two confused clones, staring down at you.

“Uh, hey. Looking for Omega.” You cough. 

Echo snorts and holds out his hand to help you up. “Right.”

You take his hand and Hunter rights you, holding a hand on your shoulder.

“You two should talk.” Echo lets go of your hand and shoots Hunter a look and walks off.

Hunter guides you down to the hay bale, sitting on it next to you, watching Omega as she plays with Shaeeah and Jek. You sit like that in comfortable silence for a little bit. And for a moment, it feels normal again.

“Echo’s right. We should talk.” Hunter murmurs.

“I hate when he’s right.” You sigh. 

He lets out a chuckle and then looks at you. His eyes briefly fall to your lips before settling on your eyes. 

After a moment, he gets back up and starts to pace a little bit. It’s clear that he’s anxious about whatever conversation has to be had between the two of you. He finally stops to look down at you and then looks at the barn and goes into it, knowing you’ll follow him. Because that’s what you and Hunter do, apparently. 

You could ask for the galaxy and he would give it to you, and you would follow him to the ends of it. 

What does that mean?

He turns to look at you, leaning forward on the table. You stand across from him, crossing your arms. 

“Just talk to me, Hunter.” You murmur, softly. “Please…” 

He opens his mouth to speak but Tech’s voice falls over Hunter’s comm requesting both of your presences back at the house. Hunter lets out an annoyed grunt.

“On our way.” Hunter pulls the comm up and talks into it, never breaking eye contact with you.

Whatever the conversation was, it’ll have to be put on hold for now. Which, judging from the way that Hunter’s looking at you, is probably for the best.

TAGS: @rebel-finn @rexandechosandwich @madameminor @dumfanting @corona-one @tecker @ladykatakuri @brynhildrmimi @the-sith-in-the-sky-with-diamond @zoeykallus @maulslittlemeowmeow @littlemousedroid @arctrooper69 @rexxdjarin @padawancat97 @hated-by-me @sleepingsun501 @idledreams @redheadgirl @themcuwriter @ashotofspotchka @sunshinesdaydream @crosshairsimp73 @ariadnes-red-thread @rosmariner @heyitsaloy @starstofillmydream @high-ct5555 @echos-girlfriend @sleepywych @nekotaetae @justanothersadperson93 @aconstructofamind @book-of-baba-fett @chopper-base @palliateclaw @501st-rexster @dead-poolz @nahoney22 @where-is-my-mind-tho @jediknightjana @erishimoon @witching3 @queen-of-many-fandoms @wizardofrozz  @burningfieldof-clover @rebelsriley 

[jadeandroses]

(Apologies to the marine biology student this actually happened to)

pulse failure

(Ao3 version!)

Contrary to popular belief, Miko was not an idiot. For one thing, she could usually tell what people were feeling at any given moment. This extended even to her Autobot companions, even without being able to sense EM fields, or have a sparkbond with them, or really, any of the other technological mumbo jumbo they used to navigate their day to day lives.

She didn’t even need to understand Bumblebee right now to understand his panic.

At the moment, though, she felt like an idiot—mostly because the blame for their current predicament could be partially rested at her feet. But come on. How was she supposed to know the car wash would stop before Bumblebee’s hood could be covered in soap?

But, okay, after getting covered in dust in his last battle, Bumblebee really needed a wash.

And, okay, neither Raf nor Bumblebee wanted to do it themselves—which Miko needed no explanation for other than the fact that it was literally hotter than hell in the streets of Jasper, Nevada. It was the only reason taking him through this place seemed appealing (and was worth the twenty seven dollar entrance fee).

Except.

Now there were a bunch of tall, lanky boys swarming, not necessarily them, but whatever was causing the issue behind them. Bumblebee was audibly freaking out, Raf was in the passenger seat trying to calm him down, and Miko, oddly, was quiet, studying the whole scene from the rearview mirror.

The one girl in the group of employees broke away, at that point. There was only one car in the whole length of the wash, and the moment Miko put that together, she shushed both Raf and Bumblebee, and rolled down his window.

“I am so sorry,” the girl declared.

“It’s fine!”

“The guys are saying it’ll take about ten to twenty minutes. If you’ve got somewhere to be, I have a powerwasher, so I can hose you down and get you a refund.”

Miko turned to Raf. “The ‘Bots say we need to be anywhere?” she asked quietly.

Raf paled. “No, but-”

“Then we’re good,” she declared firmly, before either of the boys could raise an objection. “We’re just coming from school. Honestly, this feels like a break.”

“Oh. That’s good, I guess.” She paused. “Let me know if you change your mind. Can I get you some water, or a popsicle? I know it’s hot around here.”

Raf blinked. “Wait, popsicles? Why?”

“The electrolyte kind. It’s too dang hot to work here without them.”

“Makes sense. I’d like one, if that’s okay.”

“Make it two,” Miko chirped, and the girl tapped two fingers to her visor and scampered off, leaving the two humans and the Autobot alone in the hot car wash.

Fortunately, Bumblebee didn’t say a word until she was gone, and when he did, it was in hushed, subdued chirps.

“‘Bee’s right,” Raf declared, and he sounded worried. “What if the Autobots need us?”

Miko scoffed. “Then we get hosed down and get the heck outta here. I’m sure they’ll understand if we’re a few minutes late.” She tapped Bumblebee’s steering wheel, and added, “You really need this, big guy.”

In response, Bumblebee huffed. Miko didn’t really need a translation for that, but Raf provided one anyway. “He says his paint looks fine.”

“Yeah, all of Team Prime would beg to differ.” She looked up when she noticed movement in the rearview. “Incoming.”

The girl—Morgan, by her name tag—came back with three popsicles; red, blue, and orange. Raf immediately reached for the red, Miko the blue, which left Morgan with the orange, to which she hummed contentedly. Probably because she wasn’t elbow deep in grease, at least.

Miko seized her chance. “What even happened?”

Morgan—who looked about Jack’s age, maybe slightly older—rolled her eyes. “Pulse failure could mean anything, depending on the wash itself, but right now, if I had to guess, I’d say one of the rollers got stuck.”

“Huh.” She paused, and thought about that for a second. “Why?”

She shrugged. “I have no idea, I’ve been here, like, three weeks. Been happening literally every day since I got here, though, and only at this site.”

Miko winced, because she could imagine working retail, and thought that this was probably just as bad. Except worse in some ways, because on top of the angry customers, they had to rely on a non autonomous machine to do their job for them. At least Autobots were largely self reliant.

…but she was curious.

“…can we watch?”

Morgan pursed her lips together. “I mean, I don’t think I can let you out of the car. Safety hazards and what not.”

“Just from here?”

“…sure?”

“Why?” asked Raf, exasperated.

“Because tell me you’ve never been curious about how this works,” Miko shot back, and she leaned her entire body out of the window.

Raf groaned. Miko lost sight of him as she sat down right on Bumblebee’s window, and watched the boys yell at each other about crowbars and come-alongs, and wondered what an air compressor did in this situation. She heard the window roll down, and Raf groan exasperatedly as he also sat down just on Bumblebee’s window, and watch.

“The engineer in ya won out, huh?”

“Shut up,” Raf grumbled, and Miko laughed.

“You’re engineers?” Morgan asked, astounded.

Raf smiled shyly. “I dabble.”

“Shut up, dude, you’re literally a genius. I’m not,” Miko explained. “Just a…general interest in mechanics, I guess.” She cleared her throat. “That’s actually how we got this car.”

“Oh, yeah?”

She waved her hand. “Old dude in a machine shop sold it to us for dirt cheap if we could fix it up. Raf did the plans, I did the heavy lifting, voilà!”

“Good as new,” Morgan praised, even over Bumblebee’s quiet protests. “Ever consider working in a car wash?” She gestured to the boys and the stuck roller, “We could definitely use you when nonsense like this happens.”

“Maybe.” Miko hummed to herself. “Could I bring my friends in here for free?”

Bumblebee stiffened, but Morgan spoke over him with a wild grin, “Officially, no. If you can do it without getting caught, though…”

“Challenge accepted.”

Morgan cackled, and Raf groaned.

It was about that time one of the boys—white shirt now completely stained—stood up from the pit, yelled Morgan’s name, and gave her a thumbs up.

“Well, that didn’t take very long,” she sighed. “Alright. Gotta start the wash now. Still in neutral?”

Bee buzzed in the affirmative, to which Raf gave a thumbs up. Once she was seated with her seatbelt on, Miko yelled, “We’re good!”

“Your windows!” Morgan yelled back.

Fortunately, Bee was already taking care of that, but it wasn’t like they could let her know that.

From then on, the wash went smoothly. The whirring of machinery seemed to soothe Bumblebee’s earlier panic—Miko made a mental note to ask about claustrophobia, but that probably wasn’t it, was it? He was fine after the fact.

The second the wash was over, and the light at the end flashed green, Bumblebee took off. There were vacuums, but they weren’t worth it since it was still the temperature of Unicron’s armpit. They could deal with that later.

Bumblebee’s buzzing snapped Miko out of her thoughts. She cocked her head, and then looked at Raf to translate.

“‘Bee wants to know if you’d seriously get a job here just to help them out.”

Miko shrugged. “Yeah? Nothing stopping me. Besides, I’d be making money.”

Bumblebee buzzed further inquiry, which Raf translated as, “But you’d be stuck in the heat. All day.”

“Worth it.”

What that actually meant was “it would be worth it to help my friends, any way I can”, but she couldn’t be caught dead saying that.

Bumblebee trilled lowly, and Raf giggled—which Miko took as proof that they were probably having a laugh at her expense. It was a good plan, though! It required cunning and good communication, all things she was good at! It wasn’t stupid!

So if she dragged Raf into her arms for it and immediately began to noogie him, it was because he had done it to himself.

[starwarsmum]

Chapter 11 of Introducing: Mousinette! 😁 Getting Angry

 Damian stormed into the batcave, in a foul temper. He glared at Drake, who reddened slightly and made himself busy at the computer again. He took his time changing into his suit in an attempt to calm his rage, but it felt like a losing battle. He stalked over to the team, glaring at anyone who met his eye.

“You're late, Robin,” his father said, a note of concern in his voice, which Damian chose to ignore. “Is everything okay?”

“Tt, I am fine, father. Everyone is late sometimes,” he refused to elaborate, even though he had never been late before, and planned never to be late again. “What is the plan for patrol?”

“Red Hood is with Batgirl, Red Robin with Spoiler, and Robin, you're with Nightwing,” Batman ordered, ignoring the growl that came out of his son. “I'll take Crime Alley tonight, Robin, Nightwing knows your assignment. Stay in touch through Oracle.”

Grayson managed not to say anything until an hour later, which surprised Damian. He had expected to be bombarded with questions as soon as they were alone, but something about his demeanor must have warned him away. But it could only last so long, and Damian’s mood dropped further.

“So…Marinette, huh?”

“Nightwing, no civilian names,” he barked, glaring into the darkness. Grayson came up to him and sat down on the building ledge, swinging his feet slightly.

“C’mon baby bird, I'm just curious. I didn't think cute and bubbly was your type, or hell, that you had a type. You should've seen Red Hood when he heard the news, he was almost catatonic!”

“Tt, none of you should be involved in this aspect of my personal life,” he grumbled. “I do not have a type, Nightwing. She is…unique, and I find I am drawn to her. It appears she feels similarly, and we are exploring this connection. Is that enough for you that we may proceed with patrol?”

“Sorry, Robin, it's just…so new,” Grayson looked contrite, his legs still for a change. “I'm happy for you, you know? If she makes you happy, that's all we want for you, and I'll support you.”

The rest of their patrol passed relatively uneventfully, and they returned to the batcave. Damian changed less quickly this time, allowing the others to get ahead of him. He nodded curtly as they bid him goodnight, but they did not approach him further - except for Gordon. She rolled right up to him and waited patiently as he turned to her.

“I suppose you also have questions,” he said, teeth gritting as he flushed with embarrassment. “Is it too much to hope that you will give me space if I ask nicely?”

“I do, and it is,” she answered curtly. “Marinette is my friend, Damian, I won't see her hurt if I can prevent it. Do you really think it's a good idea to get involved with her, a civilian?”

“And how do you suggest I go about dating? Only date from those with a mask? I have been led to believe that is not how feelings work,” he said drily, trying to cover his discomfort with sarcasm. His feelings for Marinette were new enough that he did not know how to discuss them. 

“Maybe not, but it doesn't have to be Marinette,” Gordon said firmly, keeping her wheelchair directly in his path. “It's great that you're exploring being a real boy, D, but Marinette deserves to experience a real love, a romance, and I think we both know you wouldn't be able to give that to her.”

“It is none of your business,” Damian hissed, fury rising within him. He had known his family would be insufferable about his dating, especially someone as bright and caring as Marinette. What he hadn't expected was to be told he wouldn't be enough for her. The thought settled into a corner of his mind and he deliberately turned away from it. “I will not stand here and allow you to dictate my personal life. If you have a valid concern, email me and I shall respond accordingly.”

He stalked off, hands curled into fists and tension obvious in his shoulders. He managed to avoid everyone else as he reached his room, which he was relieved to find empty, save for his four legged friends. Alfred the Cat looked up at him but didn't move, and Titus remained unmoving in his dog bed.

He collapsed onto his bed and checked the time on his phone. Curiously, he had a new text notification. In spite of his concerns that one of his siblings was messaging to berate him, he opened it. He felt a warm flush spread over him as he read it.

Hey Damian, thanks for a wonderful evening! Let me know what days you're free and we'll arrange that date ❤️ 

He refrained from messaging back immediately, believing that she was a light sleeper, and not wanting to wake her prematurely. But that didn't stop him from falling asleep with a smile on his face, clutching his phone to his chest.

_ _ _

Marinette awoke the following morning to half a dozen or so texts. She gnawed her lip before deciding that coffee was going to be needed before she could face some of them and made her way to her kitchen. As she waited for the coffee, she flicked open her texts to see who had messaged her. Smiling, she opened the one from Damian.

Good morning, I trust you slept well. I enjoyed your company greatly and am free most Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Otherwise, I am available next Wednesday evening. Yours, Damian.

She grinned, a happy flush of warmth filling her. She hadn't been too worried about texting him last night given that they had become sort of friends, but it was nice to have a text to wake up to. She considered her options as she prepared her coffee and took a fortifying sip before responding.

Good morning handsome ;) next Wednesday would work perfectly, did you want to just get dinner or something else? Saturdays are unofficially girls night with Babs, so to avoid problems there, we should probably keep those free. But if you wanted to spar again, Sunday afternoon sounds ideal? <3

Once that was done, she grabbed a bowl for some cereal before facing her other messages. She had two from Chloe, one from Adrien, one from Steph, another from Dick and a final one from Barbara. She groaned, not wanting to confirm that they all knew about her and Damian’s budding relationship.

After firing quick texts to Chloe confirming that she was already working on the commission she had sent through for Kagami's Christmas present and that she would be home for the holiday, and to Adrien to let him know that she was doing fine, she braved the one from Dick. She knew that he would mostly be pleased for them. 

Hey Mari, heard you and lil D were up to mischief yday! Is it wrong to say I'm proud? Seriously tho, if you need any advice, I'm here x

She smiled, feeling the warm glow return. Sure, Barbara may be worried, but Dick just seemed thrilled that his little brother was dating. She sent him a string of heart and tongue-poking-out emojis. She decided to save Barbara's for last and opened Steph's, wondering what she would have to say about the matter.

Hey, heard you got your freak on with the Demon :| thought you had better taste but obviously not #shrug# if this is a hostage sitch, hmu, I'll make him regret it! 

Marinette snorted, deciding that she needn't dignify that with an answer. Steph had joined her for girls night at Barbara's occasionally, and she liked the woman well enough. So whilst she was getting to know her, it wasn't the closest relationship yet. No, the person she was closest to, she was hesitant to talk to about this, because she didn't want to hurt their friendship. Biting the bullet, she opened her last message.

Hey Mari, just checking we're still on for Saturday? I would like to talk about yesterday, but I don't want to push you if you're not ready. Love, Babs

She sighed, making Tikki look up from her breakfast cookie. She knew that Barbara meant well, and that she wanted Marinette to be happy, but she didn't know enough about the whole Barbara/Damian dynamic to say whether she wanted what was best for him. She thought for a few minutes longer, before deciding not to address the topic via text. 

Hey! Of course we're still on for Sat, did you want me to bring dinner, or do you want to order in? I think we should try that new Mexican place near yours, but I'm happy to cook if you want. Love you too <3

She didn't get any replies until she made it to campus. She had a heart emoji back from Dick and a thumbs up from Adrien, both of which made her smile. Her class was due to start in ten minutes so she made a stop at the local coffee joint, wanting to be fully awake for the rest of the day. Because the classes were all in English, she had to work a little harder to concentrate most days, but she was determined not to let it stop her from succeeding.

_ _ _

Damian was also on campus, stressing slightly over Marinette's message. What did she mean by spar? Did she actually want to spar, or was it a coded message, meaning that she wanted some alone time with him? He couldn't fully tell her tone by text and he was starting to stress himself out unduly trying to work it out.

“Morning Dames, ready for our next lecture?” Kent bounced over to him, unfairly chipper for first thing in the day. He gave a slight frown when Damian only grunted back to him. “Okay, even for you that was grumpy. What's up, Mari tell you she wasn't interested?”

“Tt, she said no such thing,” he growled back, glaring a little as the memory of Barbara's complaints came back to him. Kent’s eyebrow rose behind his glasses and Damian huffed and looked away. It only seemed to intrigue the budding reporter more. He pointedly ignored his friend, staring at the message again.

“Okay, if she hasn't shot you down, what's happened? You only ever get this broody about her, don't even try to deny it. I'm only going to keep asking, so you may as well tell me,” Kent added severely, poking Damian's shoulder.

“Tt, fine, but I will then require your help deciphering this message,” he said, before launching into a brief description of the events in the gym the previous day. “And then Marinette and I went on a date, and now she says she would like to ‘spar’ with me on Sunday, before a date on Wednesday. Does she mean she would actually like to spar? Or is she suggesting we take some time alone for- other activities?”

Kent appeared to be speechless, his eyes wide behind his lenses. It took several prompts for him to respond, and he failed to assist with the immediate problem. “Holy crap, no, wait, what? Are you seriously telling me you tried to hook up with Mari last night? What the hell, man?”

“Kent, do not be ridiculous. We became a little carried away by our mutual feelings, after which we went to dinner,” he had chosen to leave out the time spent in her apartment, as it did not seem relevant to the topic at hand. Had it been possible, he would have omitted what had occurred in the gym, but it was the main reason he was conflicted in how to respond. “Time is rather pressing, Kent, she messaged me this morning and will expect a response soon.”

“Right, yeah, okay,” Kent said, still sounding a little stunned. “I mean, why not just ask? Mari doesn't mind you being blunt, does she? Or, maybe you just treat it like a spar? If it's more, you'll find out and won't seem like a creep for expecting more.”

Damian pondered this before pulling the messages up again. He thought carefully about what he wanted the message to say and managed to craft something he was happy with. Then he gave a rare smile to Kent. “Thank you, I think I shall be able to communicate effectively moving forward.”

“Sure, but you know I'm going to have to talk to her, right? No, listen, you're my best friend and I have to make sure she's good enough for you!”

“You have already met Marinette,” Damian said, slightly bemused. “She is the same person she was when you were spending time with her two weeks ago.”

“Except she's not! Two weeks ago she was a cute girl you had a crush on, now you're dating. She needs a shovel talk, and I'm going to give it to her.”

“Why would you talk to her about shovels? No, never mind. Kent, I am telling you not to bother her. My family is already inserting themselves needlessly into these events, I shall not forgive you if you discourage her from continuing.” Damian speared him with a glare, but before they could talk on it more, the lecturer appeared and began.

_ _ _

Lunch was the first chance Marinette had to check her messages again. She knew she was mostly hoping for something from Damian, but was also dreading anything more from his family. She brightened when she saw that he had in fact messaged her back.

I believe dinner will be an enjoyable experience with you, if last night’s meal is a good indication. I agree, Gordon is already somewhat vexed with me so ensuring you do not cancel your plans with her is imperative. In regards to Sunday, I would be happy to spar with you, perhaps we could invite Grayson or Todd as they have adequate capabilities? Unless you are using spar as a euphemism for our other activities, in which case I would much prefer to stay far away from any of my siblings. 

Marinette grinned as she tucked her chin into her oversized hoodie. She had absolutely meant to actually spar, but she liked that he was thinking about kissing her again. She tapped her phone against her chin excitedly, wondering whether she could say that she would be happy with either. Unfortunately, that was when someone flopped into the seat next to her, making her squeak and drop her phone.

“Sup, Pixie, you're looking a little red there,” Jason said, sounding amused. Marinette shot him a grumpy look, picking up her phone and locking it. No need for him to see the exchange of messages between her and Damian. He made a disgusted noise, prodding her opposite shoulder. “Please tell me you're not getting worked up by Demon Spawn of all people.”

“Hi Jason, wow, it's good to see you too!” She said sarcastically, feeling nettled. “Also, it's none of your business if Damian is getting me worked up - unless you'd like to have an in depth discussion about what I find hot about your brother?”

“Ew, gross, that was uncalled for,” Jason said, wrinkling his nose. “Besides, you can't honestly say you find his attitude attractive, that would mean you need a psych eval. I would hate for it to turn out you were criminally insane and get you sent to Arkham.”

“If you're not going to be nice about my feelings, you don't get to talk about them,” she sniffed, now feeling stung. Jason leveled a look at her and she felt her cheeks brighten. “No, if you're going to be mean and rude, you can find someone else to have lunch with, Jason. Babs and Steph are already going all ‘concerned big sisters’ on me, I don't need you being an overprotective jackass too. Honestly, Dick's being the only reasonable one of you lot.”

“Aw, don't be like that Pix, you know I'm just worried about you. You don't know D like the rest of us, we're just trying to make sure you're not rushing into anything. And before you say you're not, please remember that Timmy found you rolling around the gym floor with him,” he said with distaste as she opened her mouth to defend herself.

“Oh my god, it is the only time I have rolled around a gym floor with him, and it is still totally nobody else's business! And of course I don't know him like you do yet, that's why we're going to dinner soon. I would wager I know him pretty well, just in different ways to you.” Marinette started to stand up angrily, grabbing her bags and looking for a table to stalk over to so she could have lunch. She was prevented by Jason gripping her upper arm and she glared at him again.

“Look, Marinette, I get that you think this is a good idea. Really, I can see that you are all aboard the crazy train and riding it to date station. But maybe you should consider that I have more experience than you and can say, without a doubt, that Demon Spawn is not a good match for you. You're too different, I'd sooner expect you to date Jon than him.”

“His name is Damian, and if you cannot be civil about this, we have nothing to talk about,” Marinette hissed at him, shoving his arm, hard. She felt like screaming, righteous fury making her blood simmer. “I get that this is a surprise to you, but if you think I haven't thought about this at length, you're wrong. So until you can apologise to both of us, find someone else to have lunch with.”

She stomped away, hands shaking so much that she could hardly keep a grip on her phone. She walked blindly, no longer hungry and wanting some solitude. So she was both embarrassed and frustrated when she crashed into someone else. She muttered apologies, trying to grab her phone from the floor.

“Marinette, are you okay?” Fantastic, she thought, now Jon's here and, knowing my luck, he's also here to warn doom and gloom. She let out a choked laugh, tugging a hunk of her hair. “Hey, I thought you were supposed to cry after I give you the shovel talk,” he joked, clearly concerned.

“Maybe if most of Damian's family wasn't being a bunch of assholes,” she said bitterly, swiping at her eyes. “Sorry, I don't mean that. It's just all a little overwhelming, and Jason has decided I'm making a mistake and he has to fix it, even though I'm not. And it makes me angry, because Damian's such an amazing guy but he keeps calling him Demon Spawn and I hate it, but nobody seems to be listening-”

“Whoa, okay, slow down, Mari. Clearly the shovel talk isn't necessary, you get it. Do you want me to walk you somewhere? So other people leave you alone, I mean. I can probably get Dames here, if you'd prefer?”

“No, I don't want to see him and tell him that his family are being jerks until I calm down,” she muttered, shoving her phone into her bag. “I'm sorry, I tend to ramble when I'm frustrated or worried. How's your day going?”

He let the conversation slide into small talk, although he still looked concerned. She managed to determinedly fill the air with chatter about their classes and plans for the weekend. She seemed to become more animated, talking about her job and the work she was completing there. 

Eventually she glanced at her phone, and apologised that she would have to leave to get to her next lecture in time. He nodded but walked her to the lecture hall, saying that they needed to plan some time to hang out and get to know each other better. She smiled and agreed, saying that he was more than welcome to join them for her and Damian’s next sparring session.

As he walked away, she took a moment to message Damian.

Yes, I really meant spar! I'm pretty sure we should do a preplanned date before we have any more fun with our ‘other activities’ ;P Dick can come but Jason's on my shit list. I invited Jon, I hope that's okay? Also, I missed you at lunch today, maybe we can get lunch together on Friday when we're both at WE? xox

_ _ _

Barbara was working in the Wayne Manor dining room when Jason stormed in, Dick hot on his heels. She had heard them coming because they had been having a heated conversation but it seemed to be reaching a boiling point.

“I'm not saying sorry for trying to keep her safe,” Jason grumped, dropping into a seat near her. “Hey, Babs, you're on my side with this, right?”

“I refuse to agree with that statement until I know what's going on,” she shot back, not even looking up from her laptop. He began protesting and she waved a hand at him. “No, seriously, I don't know if I'm on your side, because I don't even know what you two are arguing about. If you want me involved in this, catch me up.”

“Jay got into a fight with Mari,” Dick said immediately, behaving just like an older brother who had caught his younger sibling doing something naughty. “Apparently she's mad at him now and said he has to apologise to both her and Damian. What did you even say, Mari’s such a ray of sunshine, she never gets mad without a reason.”

“I told her the freaking truth - she doesn't know Demon Spawn well enough to be hooking up with him! But she's gone off the deep end, won't hear a word against him and about bit my head off for suggesting she might not know everything. I swear, if it's not some form of mind control, she officially needs to see a psychiatrist.”

“Hey, that's not fair,” Dick said, looking slightly outraged. Barbara sighed, removing her glasses to rub her eyes. “I know Damian isn't the easiest person to get along with but everyone who's spoken with her has said that she's happy and seems mentally with it.”

“Except for the fact that she's trying to date Demon Spawn! It's not hard to tell what he's getting out of this, she's funny, smart and gorgeous, but Damian? There's a reason we call him Demon, Dick, and it's not ironic. Is there any way we can get B to drop in on her and run a tox-screen or something?”

“Jason, you know Bruce would never agree,” Barbara interjected, trying to bring some levity to the conversation. She hated it, but she had to admit that she was leaning more to Jason's side of things. He may be hot headed but those he cared about were important to him, and there wasn't much he wouldn't do to keep them safe. “Look, I'm having her over on Saturday and I'll get to the bottom of this. Dick, I know you want Damian to be happy, and to grow, but it can't be at the expense of Marinette.”

“I didn't say it should be!” He shouted, throwing his arms in the air. “No, listen to me, I text her this morning and she seemed perfectly fine. She is an adult, the same age as Damian, and she is interested in him. If Tim hadn't found them in the gym, we wouldn't even know anything about this right now, and they'd be exploring their relationship privately. We should 100% butt out of this.”

“Grayson is correct, you should not be intruding on my relationship with Marinette.” Barbara span around so quickly she nearly overturned her wheelchair. Damian stood in the doorway, anger radiating from him. “Why is it every time I see one of you today, you are attempting to meddle in my love life? It is no-one else's concern whom I spend my time with, and I will be stabbing the next person who speaks about it within my hearing range.”

Silence settled in the room, Dick looking abashed and Jason angry. Barbara was ever more concerned - Damian hadn't legitimately threatened to stab somebody in years, but she didn't doubt that he meant it. Jon stepped past the doorway a moment later, frowning and shaking his head, before following Damian.

“Well, shit, he definitely seems like he's not unhinged,” Jason said into the quiet, his sarcasm grating on Barbara's nerves. “Good luck on Saturday Babs, let us know if you need help staging an intervention. Maybe invite Steph along for support, she doesn't have patrol this week.”

Jason stalked out of the room and then it was just Dick and Barbara, both lost in their own thoughts. Barbara was sure that Dick was angry with her, but she was also annoyed with him for encouraging the teens to rush into things without thinking. She sighed; Dick was a romantic at heart and wanted a fairytale romance for his little brother. He clearly thought Marinette was just that, and would likely try to find ways to push the two together, regularly.

“I know you think I'm being naive, Babs,” Dick said suddenly, interrupting her thoughts. “And you're right that I don't know Marinette very well, but you don't know lil D all that well either. I'm not asking you to, I don't know, endorse the relationship or whatever, I'm just asking you to give them some breathing room, to work it out themselves.”

He walked out before she could respond, leaving her with a lot to think about.

[akkivee]

The Yamada Family's Special Curry: Hypmic Curry Drama Track TL

Jiro: A curry battle huh…? They sure came up with a weird idea this time around…

Ichiro: I also think it’s a strange concept, but I still want to prove we’re the best. Will you two help me out?

Jiro & Saburo: Of course!!

Ichiro: Glad to hear it!

Saburo: We’re used to making curry so I think we should get started immediately!

Ichiro: Ah, about that… *places down a plate* I actually went ahead and made a prototype curry!

Saburo: As expected, Ichi-nii, you prepared something beforehand!

Ichiro: If we’re going to win over everyone, we can’t just use our usual curry. I was hoping you guys could help me perfect the ultimate curry!

Saburo: Then we’ll try the prototype so we can start ameliorating any flaws it may have!!

Jiro: A-Ameli…?? I don’t get what he just said but you can leave its flavour to me!!

Ichiro: Thanks, you two! Then, why don’t you go ahead and give it a taste?

Jiro & Saburo: Absolutely! *eats*

Jiro & Saburo: Mmm??

Jiro: This isn’t the flavour of our usual curry…! Did he really forget the most important part…??

Saburo: It’s greasy and tastes terrible…! I don’t want to say something Ichi-nii made is unpleasant but…!!

Ichiro: So how is it??

Jiro: I-I’ve never had anything like it before…

Saburo: W-what did you put in it?

Ichiro: *starts bringing out ingredients* So for the roux, I decided not to use anything you can buy from the store and made a completely original spice blend! I also used domestic A5 graded black beef and fatty mackerel!

Jiro: Yeah…?

Saburo: I see…

*phone rings*

Ichiro: Sorry, I gotta take this, it’s a work call. …Hello, how may I help you?

Jiro: *downs a glass of water* Hey Saburo, what did Nii-chan do to this curry??

Saburo: How am I supposed to know?? I can only assume he was so focused on beating the competition, failed to give it any rational thought.

Jiro: Damn it…! Even though Nii-chan’s usual curry is already the most delicious…!

Saburo: My thoughts exactly! He didn’t need to use these fancy ingredients, Ichi-nii’s curry is already exquisite…!

Jiro: We gotta bring Nii-chan back to his senses!

Saburo: As loathe as I am to work hand in hand with incompetence, there’s no other way…!

Ichiro: Sorry, guys, I’m back! So, what should I add to improve the curry?

Jiro & Saburo: *nods at each other*

Jiro: Aniki, I’ll give it to you straight. No matter what you add, this ain’t gonna be our curry!

Ichiro: What??

Jiro: I get where you’re coming from, but you shouldered this by yourself without even talking to us… Isn’t that messed up?

Saburo: I feel similarly to Jiro. If we’re going up against the other divisions, shouldn’t our bonds as brothers shine through?

Ichiro: Our bonds as brothers…?

Jiro & Saburo: And so, we should use our usual curry!

Ichiro: But, if we use our usual curry, wouldn’t you be able to tell the roux uses store bought curry and ingredients that were on sale? If we want to beat the others, then—

Jiro: But that’s what makes it our curry!

Saburo: Just like with our rap as the Buster Bros!!!, there wouldn’t be any point to winning if it’s not who we are!

Ichiro: You guys… *eats the curry* …Yeah, you’re right, this isn’t our curry. I understand what you mean!

Jiro & Saburo: …!!

Ichiro: Okay, let’s head out to the store to buy the stuff we usually use in our curry!

Jiro: Yeah! Once we hit up the shopping district, I’ll find the best bargain after a few rounds around the shops!

Saburo: According to my research, the type of roux that’s favoured across multiple age generations would be one that’s a bit sweet and hits the medium range in spiciness!

Ichiro: Thanks! I’m counting on you guys!

Saburo: Oh, there’s one more thing…

Jiro: What? We’re about to head out.

Saburo: No, it’s just, since we’re going to have to sell it, doesn’t that mean we need to come up with a name for our curry? I think the usual naming conventions revolve around the main ingredients used in the product.

Jiro: We got vegetables, fish, meat… If we go off of that, we’ve just got a variety curry.

Ichiro: We don’t even have to worry about that! No matter the ingredients, this is the “Yamada Family’s Special Curry”! And with it, the three of us will beat all the rest!!

[fluffypotatey]

"I collar the beast." "Wukong's fangs have been pulled." I can't believe y'all fr. "I get all the punishment and you get to mope." He was moping because he cares and feels guilty, speaking of, THE BINDING SCENE IS SO MUCH MORE INTENSE HERE WUKONG'S SCREAM THE PANICKED STUMBLING ohoho yes. MK: "It's tense in here." Wukong, two seconds ago: yOU tHINK I wANtED tO bE trAPPED dOWN hErE wiTH yOU. Wukong's tail: *cute pokey pokey* "You got demoted!" Ha, also "Nezhy" Oh my gosh, I don't think I caught this last time but Wukong subtly looks over to Macaque who just nods at him ajksms they were feuding and glooming a second ago but now its all silent communication and understanding in a glance. I'm throwing them off a roof. I'm struggling to hear what Macky says here, but I'm going to subscribe to the subtitles with "he likes acting." It's funnier. Also MK's "best attorney monkeys can buy" gotta love thinking about monkeys needing attorneys and also having money and buying things lol. "A pain crab on Monkey King's head." 😭 "Why is it always like this when you come here." actually love this one more because he's so grumpy and I feel like it has a different, funnier implication than the subtitles. he isn't causing chaos AFTER coming here, it just IS. what does that say about the vibes you bring /j. crying at Macky's face at all times, he is the picture definition of a grumpy cat, and then when getting pushed and the absolutely DONE yell of "Wukoooong!" I can watch a whole netflix series of Macky being fed up with Wukong's antics but getting dragged into them. tricky plan demon huh, that's a quick way to silence them after just talking about someone pulling the strings, especially on you MK. also Macky is SO little creachure with his face hidden like a hermit in that cape. "I don't trust anyone who isn't standing here. Right. Now." SAME MACONDO what a shocking statement from your old buddy. more at 11 only on ShadowPeachNews. The writers KNEW what they were doing. Also AHHHHH *looks at you with my big brown eyes* Fluffy I SWEAR I told myself I wouldn't talk about this again until you were able to answer the asks on my last yapping about this, BUT THEY MADE IT SO MUCH WORSE. Firstly, Macky's *voice* for that line delivery is the most solemn dramatic thing I have seen. He lives and breathes the cinema. AND MK I'm really tossing him over a cliff because he just HAD TO GO "He'd get away, right? He always gets away...right?" UGH TFW YOU'RE SO KNOWN FOR BEING THAT GUY WHO FLEES FROM BATTLE that it's brought up this time not for the *dude really???* but as a plea, an attempt at faith, haha he's always doing that...he did it again right? NO BECAUSE THIS TIME HE STUCK AROUND TO FIGHT. and Wukong's constipated expression there bc ohoho some monkey is for sure thinking about the past.

i am, for one, with you on throwing shadowpeach off a cliff bc they make me so unwell in this episode 🫠

for another:

LI JING WHEN I GET YOU!!!!! HOW DARE YOU CALL WUKONG A BEAT AND PULL HIS FANGS!!!!

also i can’t help but think about why Nezha was even there in the first place. because the one the kings summoned was his dad. Nezha wasn’t supposed to be there and yet he comes along 👀 why? my thought is: to plead the monkeys’ case. he immediately tries to defend them to his father and it seems like it’s been an ongoing argument

like sure he rags on Wukong and hems & hahs at him because like have you met Wukong that cheeky lil shit??? his gremlin energy just shoots to 150% whenever Nezha is near. he can’t help it. it’s his DO NOT PUSH red button that he will absolutely push

and Macky’s “why is it always like this when you’re here” to Wukong has such a divorced energy i love it 😍 he knows Wukong so well and is just resigned to it. every time Macky has had to interact with Heaven, Wukong is always there making a scene (he’s not exempt to helping swk but his point still stands lmao)

Wukong’s pout, my beloved

when your ex says the reason he’s mopey isn’t because you got hurt but because he is in jail with you for something you’ve been blamed for. echoing his “NOT THE GREAT SAGE! HE’S GOTTA DRAG EVERYONE INTO HIS MESS!” comment from the memory scroll 👀

what who said that lol that was weird

god they’re so— squishes them and squishes them and squishes them and squishes them and squishes them and squishes them and squishes them and

[vendetta-if]

craving some angst because i like hurting my own feelings 💀💀 how would sequel MC family (luka, jackal, older brother of sequel MC) react if sequel MC were to fail an assassination and as a consequence end up losing their life?

This is so cruel, especially for Luka 😭😭 This is, of course, assuming your MC has good relationships with all three of them 😰

Also, this might not be fully final for now, but I'm pretty confident I'll end up choosing Konstantin as the sequel MC's big brother's name 😉

I spent too much time writing out a drabble for this ask, but there are just some ideas that immediately made me wanna write something for it 😆 Well, this one's one of them! Enjoy the drabble!

“They dropped their body right in front of the gate. It was dark and we couldn’t really see the people in the car nor the car’s license plate,” the guard informs you nervously. “I’m so sorry, sir.”

But the words feel distant to you. “Leave,” someone commands the guard. Wait, it’s you. You can barely recognize your own choked voice.

There’s a rustle of clothes—the guard bowing, you suppose—before the door opens and closes. Stepping closer to the dining table, where they laid the body, you feel your stomach sinking and the familiar and cold fingers of grief and sorrow closes over your heart once again.

You stand over the drenched body, looking down at your now-dead child. It’s hard to kill a haemokinetic in battle. For every drop of blood leaking out of your body, they can heal the wounds you dealt them.

Except, of course, if you manage to wound them so severely without bleeding yourself, or a killing shot straight through a vital organ. In your child’s case, it’s a clean shot straight through the head. Probably wouldn’t have even felt it… You hope…

A choked sob tears through your throat. Maybe it’s better to cry it all out before Tyoma and Kostya hear of this—

Suddenly, the door is thrown open, jolting you a bit. Snapping your head up, you’re ready to lash out against the intruder, but your gaze softens immediately as you see that it’s your husband and son who walk in.

Kostya lets out a scream of anguish as he quickly runs to the table you’re standing by. He kneels and grabs his siblings cold hand in his, muttering something that you can’t make out. You know how painful it must be for Kostya. Despite his lighthearted teasings, he actually cares so much about his little sibling and always tries his best to protect them.

You feel a familar touch on your arm and you turn to see Tyoma. He looks sad and determined at the same time, but when he lays eyes on your face, his face soften into a concerned one immediately.

Huh, do you look even worse than you thought? You feel numb right now. Must’ve been the shock. In the next few hours, as the realization starts to dawn… Shaking your head, you try to dispel the thought.

You don’t really want to leave this numb spell right now. You don’t want to break down in front of your grieving husband and son. You want to be strong for them, like your father was when your brother died. Become an anchor, a tower that they can lean on in this hurricane.

Once they’re okay, and then you can grieve again. But it seems you can’t. You’re not as strong as your father was and as Tyoma reaches up to cup your cheek gently, the tears start to flow down.

You lean against the comforting touch, bending down as Tyoma brings your head to his chest, and strokes your hair lovingly. You sob against his clothes, “I’m so sorry, Tyoma. I failed my brother, and now I fail all of you again.”

Kostya lifts up his face, his light blue eyes glisten with tears. “What are you talking about, Dad? It’s not your fault.” He shakes his head before looking back at his sibling’s body. “I’m supposed to be the big brother—”

Your dear husband's hold tightens around you. "Stop it. The two of you. It's none of your fault." He cups your cheek gently and raises your head so you look up at him. "Luka, you're a perfect husband and I would never be able to picture being with someone else but you," he says softly.

"Yeah, you're a great dad, Dad," Kostya says, looking down at his dead sibling again. "And I know they also felt the same."

Tyoma nods. "We'll find the ones responsible and we'll have our revenge," he says coldly and Kostya's eyes harden as he snarls.

"Who," he growls out. "I'll hunt them down."

You want revenge as much as they do, but you don't think you can handle it if either your husband or your eldest child got killed because of this endeavour. You've lost too much in this life.

Gripping the front of his hoodie, you plead him, "Please... Just let the lieutenants and their soldiers handle it."

"But, Dad!" Kostya exclaims but quiets down when Tyoma sends him a look. Sometimes, you hate how they can communicate with each other with just a look.

"Okay... Okay," Tyoma reassures you softly. "I'll send them to try poking around to find out who did this."

"I'll reach out to the Aikawas and all our other contacts," Kostya says, promptly standing up and pulling out his phone before stepping out of the room.

"Tyoma..." you say, straightening back to your full height. "I know Kostya... He's gonna try find the ones who did this himself... I can't... I can't lose him or you or anyone. I don't think I'll be able to take it."

Your husband steps closer and lays his head on your left shoulder. You instinctively bring your arms around him. For a moment, the two of you just stand there, drawing comfort from each other's company.

"There's no use trying to stop him," he sighs. "I won't let him get out of my sight, so try not to worry too much, okay? Last thing we'd want is for you to get sick."

He lifts his head and looks up at you with such love and devotion, it manages to soothes the pain racking through your heart slightly.

[radioactivepeasant]

Snippets: Free Day Thursday

Belated Valentines because I had no time on Wednesday lol

(Adopted Dadmas au)

"Move it, junior!" barked a man from Longstump. He all but shouldered Jak aside in the market, headed for the vehicle pit.

Jak glowered at his retreating back and rubbed his arm. "You move it," he grumbled.

Daxter stretched to peer over Jak's head and whistled. "Is it me, or is it crowded in the pit today?"

"It's...pretty crowded," Jak agreed. "What's got them all rattled?"

"Hot sale on sand?" Daxter drawled.

"Bro."

"Yeah yeah, it's everywhere. But it is a hot sale, huh? Huh?"

"Bro." Jak grimaced in disgust.

The ottsel sighed. "No one appreciates my wit."

Rolling his eyes, Jak tossed a tomango from hand to hand before tucking it into his scarf. They passed the forges and the armor shops on Smithy Row, and turned towards the Arena. There weren't supposed to be any trials until later in the afternoon, yet the sounds of combat rang out beyond the steps. Jak took the stairs two at a time and, on a whim, headed for the ring.

Daxter grumbled about the sudden change from shade to blinding sunlight, and pulled the edge of Jak's scarf over his face for relief. Jak shrugged as he stepped onto the floating platform. Instead of letting it take him down to the Arena, he bent his knees, tensed, and sprang.

Fingers caught the edge of one of the support beams, and his momentum launched him up over it, kicking off for more height, to the stone forming the viewing box from which Damas presided over trials. His boot toes caught the most meager of ledges, but it was enough. Before gravity had a chance to wrap its greedy fingers around him, Jak hauled himself up to the next handhold. It was just enough for him to hook his wrist over the edge of the balcony and roll up and onto the platform.

As he'd halfway suspected, his father -- stars, it felt good to be able to say that, even in his head -- had "clocked in" to monitor the battles despite it being off schedule. Damas raised one brow as Jak casually arranged himself into a cross-legged position.

He lifted his tomango in Damas’s direction half in greeting and half in a playful toast.

"Hey," he said cheerfully. Then he bit into the fruit, causing Daxter to leap out of the way of spraying juice.

"Aw yuck!" Daxter shook his ears out and scurried into the shade. "Say it, don't spray it!"

"We have doors, son," Damas remarked, but there was an undercurrent of amusement in his voice.

"Eh." Jak took another bite of the red-orange fruit and spoke around a mouthful of tangy flesh under a surprising sweet peel. "It's too crowded. Same as the garages. What's the deal, Pá? Some kind of relic hunt going on? They get a tip on the stuff for the Forest Site?"

Damas looked at him for a moment as though he wasn't quite certain if Jak was being serious or not. The twitch of his left ear seemed to herald a thought, and he lifted a hand to tug at his upper lip.

"Ah," he said at last, "I sometimes forget that Haven doesn't celebrate Heart Day as Wastelanders do."

"Heart...day?" Jak repeated in confusion.

"It's a courtship ritual," Damas explained, a little awkwardly. "Forgive me if this is...less than detailed. I have not participated in one in an...undisclosed number of years, and I did not think I would need to explain it so soon."

Daxter's ears perked up. "Courtship, you say? Ah-ha! I knew you had to be big ol' softies at heart!"

He rubbed his paws together in anticipation.

"So, juicy details: let's have 'em! My bubbly bar-queen beauty is languishing in Haven without me, and I wanna make an impression when we come back!"

He hopped up onto the arm of the throne and leaned forward eagerly.

"So what is it? Flowers? Chocolates? Chocolate flowers?"

"Metalhead hearts, actually," Damas said bluntly. "The fresher the better. So if you want to do this right, you'll have to wait until you're at the city gates before you carve out the heart you want to give the young spy."

With an almighty squawk of disgust, Daxter tipped off the throne and hit the floor.

He lay there for a few seconds, winded, then raised an index finger.

"Methinks," he said, "this advice was meant for Jak. Not me."

Damas nodded sagely. "He's not wrong you know, Jak, this applies to you, too."

Jak wiped sticky fingers on his scarf and stared blankly at his father.

Don't say it, don't say it, please don't say it- he silently pleaded.

"You know-"

Noooooo-

"The young mechanic could probably make use of a metalhead heart, don't you think, son?" Damas asked. Only the twinkle in his eye gave away his mischief. "The aorta makes for a very effective wire insulator."

Jak flushed as red as a tomango. "I-! It's, it's not like that, we're-! We're friends!"

A smirk spread across the king’s face, the smile of a hunter spotting weakness.

"Oh, of course. Friends. My mistake. Tell me, how goes her research?"

He leaned back and his smile grew as Jak launched into an animated description of Keira's search for the catacombs. As if he didn't know his boy was spending at least an hour every few nights talking with the sage's daughter -- poor girl -- on his talk-box.

"-gonna have to make more drones, of course, because that nutcase Veger's force fields fried some. If I could just find one of her old Scout Flies, I know that would work better, but I'd have to rob the museum to get one and we have a lifetime ban from it anyway and-"

"You have a lifetime ban," Daxter corrected, "I'm not the one who punched a tour guide for misattributing the origin of Scout Flies and keeping our a-grav zoomer behind glass-"

"It's not theirs!" Jak fumed, "Keira built that! It's hers! And maybe kind of mine, because I'm the one who drives!"

He looked up and caught the twinkle in his father's eyes.

Belatedly, he realized that he wasn't helping his case. Damas was grinning at him like the cabbit that got the canegret. Rot it all.

With a groan of defeat, Jak put his head into one hand. "....are there any whose parts you can use in anti-grav stuff?"

Damas tilted his head back and hummed thoughtfully. "Off the top of my head? Ginsus and Metalbats, but we don't have those out here. Their wings were never strong enough to carry them over the ocean. Metaljackets are an option -- in fact, we've been getting reports from Seem that there may be a hive of them in the sealed levels of the Temple. I can deal with that later."

Daxter cringed. "Least it's not spiders," he offered. "If there's metalhead spiders in there, you're gonna have to burn the place to the ground and fake your death. It's the only way to be sure."

"Dax really hates spiders," Jak agreed. He blinked and snapped his fingers. "Hey, what about those blue scout metalheads that hang around the forest? Y'know, I've seen them a lot, but they've never attacked us?"

Damas leaned forward with interest. "Grunt dragons! I haven't seen one in years! It's funny that they should have a name like "dragon" and yet be completely harmless. I actually rode on one as a boy once. My parents were furious."

Daxter looked quickly from Jak to Damas and back again. He saw the moment the idea took hold. Eyes narrowed, he turned back to Damas.

"Whatever happens now," he warned, "I just want you to know that you brought this on yourself."

[isatswap]

(spoilers for isat (in stars and time), full game (technically its like act 3 but also no))

(also death cw)

Siffrin Hangout

TTOS version of the Loop hangout from ISAT

Siffrin: Hi, starlight.

Loop: "So."

Siffrin: So?....

Loop: "Got any theories about the loops I'm stuck in?"

Siffrin: Why would I? You're the one named Loop, you should know more, hahaha!

(Siffrin snickers quietly.)

(This bit is getting old. But what can you do about it.)

Siffrin: Hehe. I'll see what I can do, though. What's your question?

Loop: "Do you know anything that would help?"

Siffrin: That is too broad, starlight. Siffrin: I don't know anything you wouldn't know, as I said before.

Loop: "How can that be?"

(Siffrin just raises his brow.)

Loop: "Aren't you here to help me?" Loop: "Why don't you know more about the loops you're supposed to help me with?..."

Siffrin: ... Siffrin: Heh-

Loop: "Don't 'hehehe' me, Siffrin."

Siffrin: Fine. Siffrin: I don't know how to answer that, starlight. Siffrin: You should be grateful you're not alone in this prison, you know. Siffrin: With how you react to things, you would be absolutely miserable alone.

Loop: "..."

Siffrin: Okaaay, fine, I won't just sit here and do nothing. Siffrin: Let's summarise what we know about the loops. Maybe we will find something out!

(You sigh, and nod.)

(Nothing better to do, you suppose.)

Siffrin: So. Siffrin: You're stuck in a timeloop for reasons currently unknown. Siffrin: It starts in Dormont when you wake up, and seem to end when you talk with King.

Loop: "Unless I perish or touch a Tear."

Siffrin: Mhm. Getting frozen is kind of like dying. Siffrin: ...Unless it is in battle. What's up with that?

Loop: (Wait huh? Isn't it because...) "I thought the Tears work differently from time freezing skills?..."

Siffrin: Well, you're the one getting frozen, so you should know. Kind of a weird distinction, but whatever. Siffrin: So, you loop when something stops you from advancing in some way... Siffrin: ... Siffrin: I wonder if other things count as "stopping you from advancing".

Loop: "Like what?"

Siffrin: ...Hm..... Siffrin: What if we would lop your legs off? Would that make you loop? Can't crawl up the whole House, you know.

Loop: (UM.) "We are NOT testing that."

Siffrin: Awww. Would be fun to see you try. But understandable.

(What does THAT mean???)

(But it is interesting, though.)

(What makes the loop actually loop?)

Siffrin: I've mentioned talking to King before. Maybe that somehow counts as something that stops you from advancing?

(Hm....)

(....stops you from advancing where?)

(What goal does that obstruct?)

(Is there something that happens when you talk to him which makes a certain goal impossible to accomplish?)

(...)

Siffrin: ... Siffrin: As you've found out, all this might be the work of Time Craft, a power which should be impossible to wield... Siffrin: But you and The Scary Lady are somehow able to manipulate it.

Loop: (But...) "Is it really manipulating if I can't control it? Sometimes it feels like it wields me instead."

Siffrin: But you can control it, in some capacity. You can choose the place where you loop back to. Except for after the King talk, that always sends you straight to Dormont. Siffrin: And even ignoring that, avoiding death and looping back in time can already count as manipulating Time Craft.

Loop: (But, if Time Craft is too dangerous to even use...) "How did I get that power?"

Siffrin: And how can you relinquish it? Siffrin: Those are very good questions, starlight. But not ones we can answer yet. Siffrin: ... Siffrin: I do wonder about the limitations of your powers, still. Siffrin: I feel like finding out what exactly makes you loop can help you find out quite a lot.

Siffrin: Stardust, we have been talking for a while, so maybe not right now, but... Siffrin: I would like you to hang out with me, when you have time.

Loop: (Huh?) "Hang out?"

Siffrin: I need to test something. And to show you something very important. Siffrin: And also... Siffrin: We never really spent time together, starlight! I'm booored here! Suf-frin, even!

(Siffrin does his usual laugh, but this one seems to have some painful undertones.)

Siffrin: Heh... but I do want to hang out, though. We haven't ever really spoken like people that know eachother, you know?

(That's true... But still weird.)

Siffrin: You can do it later, I'm not in a rush. Siffrin: This might take a while. More than the rest of the day, probably. Siffrin: You probably have something else to do this loop, so I'll wait until you have time. Siffrin: M'kay?

(A theory Siffrin would like to test about the loops? Well that's useful, at least.)

(You should talk to them when you have time.)

Siffrin: Good. I'll be right here, starlight. Siffrin: In the meanwhile... Siffrin: How can I help you on this loop?

Loop: (...)

"We can hang out now."

"What should I do now?"

"Let's talk about something."

"I had a question about..."

"Nah, nothing."

Siffin: Ah. Siffrin: Our theory hangout. Siffrin: Which we can't actually do right now. Not the time for it. Siffrin: How abooout.... early morning tomorrow? After all the Clocktower stuff.

Loop: (Wait....) "You want me to sneak out?"

Siffrin: Yep. And spend a loop with me instead.

(But....)

(You always go to the House, after the Clockower.)

(If you're not there, what will they do without you? What would they think--)

Siffrin: Does it really matter what they think? Siffrin: They won't know after this loop anyway.

Loop: (...)

"It does matter."

"...Guess it doesn't."

Siffrin: Yeah. it does. But nonetheless, that what we have to do.

(Siffrin looks down, with a bit of sadness in his expression.)

Siffrin: You can opt out, still. But I think this is important to do, even if it will require you to abandon your party once.

(Is he that desperate to hang out with you? Or is the theory actually important?....)

Loop: (...)

"I'll come."

"I'll pass, sorry."

(Siffrin finally gets his gaze back onto you.)

Siffrin: Good. I will see you soon, then, I guess.

(You nod.)

(...)

(You spend the night with everyone, like usual.)

(Early in the morning, while everyone else is still sleeping, you quietly slip away and head for the Favor Tree...)

(...But you can't see Siffrin anywhere.)

Siffrin: Up here, dummy.

(Huh? "Up he--")

(Oh. Right. He lives in the crown.)

(You look up.)

(Yep, there he is, waving at you.)

Siffrin: Come up and join me, starlight.

(How?...)

Siffrin: ...Just climb the tree. I know you can.

(You sigh and climb up. Siffrin helps you up slightly.)

Siffrin: Ahh.... Siffrin: Isn't it beautiful, starlight? We are so high up!

(Sure are.)

(You can see the House from up here.)

(...)

(Everyone else will be in the House soon....)

(You try not to think about it.)

Siffrin: Thank you for coming, though. Really. Siffrin: But, it will take some time. And in the end... Siffrin: Well. You know how it goes.

Loop: "Sure do."

Siffrin: ... Siffrin: Hm. Siffrin: For such an important meeting, I sure have forgotten to actually prepare anything to talk about. Siffrin: How did I screw this up as well?...

(?)

Siffrin: A-anyway... Hm... Siffrin: Tell me about yourself , starlight! That should be a good topic.

Loop: (Really?) "...I'd rather not."

Siffrin: Hmmmmm? And why is that?

Loop: "Don't you already know me?"

Siffrin: Hm?

Loop: "It just feels like it." Loop: "You know too much about me." Loop: "You know my name, you know how i think..." Loop: "You knew me before we even met, didn't you?"

Siffrin: ... Siffrin: Kind of.

Loop: (Kind of?) "Do I know you?"

Siffrin: No, not at all. You haven't even met me once before this. Siffrin: It's not your memory failing you, this time. Siffrin: When we first met under the Favor Tree, that was... That was the first time we've ever seen each other.

(Is that so?)

Loop: "Is that why you're helping me?" Loop: "Because you know me?"

Siffrin: ... Siffrin: No, not at all. Siffrin: I am kind of forced to help you, actually. Siffrin: ...That sounded like I don't like helping you, didn't it? Siffrin: I'm honestly trying to help you, starlight. I hope you believe me when I say that. And don't think I'm the cause of your suffering or something like that. Siffrin: ...do you believe me?

Loop: (...)

"...I do believe you."

"..."

Siffrin: ... Siffrin: Hm. That was a surprise. Siffrin: I... wouldn't believe myself, to be honest. Siffrin: Maybe time has made me more jaded than you are. Siffrin: ...Whether you actually believe me or not, I will help you. Siffrin: So you can escape this loop.

Loop: "...So you believe it's possible?" Loop: "For me to escape?"

Siffrin: ...Out of all things, that is the one I am most sure of. Siffrin: You can escape. I can as well.

Siffrin: I know how it feels, you know. Siffrin: Being stuck somewhere. With no hope of escaping. Siffrin: Forced to relive the same events over and over. Siffrin: And when things seem to be better, and the exit is in sight.... Siffrin: Having all of it taken away in a blink of an eye.

Siffrin: Hahaha. Look at me, babbling. Siffrin: Don't pay attention to me. I am.... fine.

(Siffrin looks at the House in the distance.)

(...)

Loop: (...) "What about you? Tell me about yourself?"

Siffrin: .... Siffrin: Nah, I'd rather not, hehe.

(Siffrin gives you a wink with his single eye.)

(Despite yourself, you laugh.)

(You hear Siffrin quietly snickering, as well.)

Siffrin: ...heh... Siffrin: Say, starlight, that reminds me... Siffrin: Can't believe you tried to fish 11 times! You know nothing lives there anymore, right?

(Hey...)

(You and Siffrin animatedly talk about the different things you've done during the loops....)

(It's nice. To be able talk about them with someone.)

(You talk and talk until the sun has risen high above you in the sky....)

Siffrin: ...

(Siffrin's face suddenly get a lot more serious than usual.)

Siffrin: Ah. It should happen soon, now.

Loop: (?) "What will?"

Siffrin: What happens almost every time. The thing I have a theory about.

(...?)

(You raise your finger to ask, and then...)

<There is a bright flash of light coming from the top of the House.>

(NGH!.....)

(You've heard a horrible sound.)

(Your head...)

(You saw... something.)

(Siffrin seems to.... hug themselves under their cloak?....)

Siffrin: Thank you... for hanging out with me... Siffrin: Sorry it's gonna end like this....

(What?...)

(Siffrin diverts his eyes from the House.)

Siffrin: I hoped it wouldn't happen this time. Siffrin: See that light? Siffrin: It's from the Scary Lady's floor. Siffrin: I see it every time you try to fight her. Siffrin: Her opening attack.

(Scary Lady's opening attack?...)

(How long have you been talking to Siffrin?)

(Who was the Scary Lady attacking?)

(Who was she...)

(...)

(The Scary Lady doesn't attack, or really do anything at all, until you reach her.)

(She would only attack if... if someone...)

Siffrin: I can feel it. Every time.

(Siffrin got quieter.)

Siffrin: I know what it does. It makes you see something. Siffrin: A future so terrible, it's enough to bring anyone to their knees.

(...)

(You you can't even hear him anymore.)

(Your friends)

(They were against the Scary Lady just now)

(You know the way to avoid it, you learned how, but)

(but)

(but)

(You hear a sharp inhale.)

(You look at Siffrin--)

(Siffrin is looking at you, trying to breathe.)

(In their single eye, you can see despair.)

(Unimaginable terror.)

(Despite him saying nothing, you can almost hear Siffrin say...)

("Please. Just get it. So we can stop this.")

("Don't you understand?")

("DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND WHO SHE ATTACKED JUST NOW?")

(Tears stars falling from Siffrin's eye. He can barely breathe in, just to say one thing....)

Siffrin: don't you?....

(He hides his face, holding his head.)

(You start screaming.)

(IT'S BECAUSE YOU WEREN'T THERE!!!)

(THEY DIED, BECAUSE YOU WEREN'T THERE!!!)

(THEY ARE GONE!!! BECAUSE YOU WEREN'T!!! THERE!!!)

(BECAUSE YOU WEREN'T THERE)

(THEY ARE GONE, BECAUSE OF YOU)

(THEY ARE GONE)

(BECAUSE OF YOU BECAUSE OF YOU BECAUSE OF YOU BECAUSE OF YOU BECAUSE OF YOU BECAUSE OF YOU BECAUSE OF YOU BECAUSE OF YOU BECAUSE OF YOU BECAUSE OF YOU BECAUSE OF YOU BECAUSE OF Y

<Loopback.>

(You stumble and fall to your knees.)

(You breathe, harshly, in, and out.)

(...No you don't.)

(You can't take a breath)

(You can't)

Siffrin: Hey.

(Can't)

Siffrin: HEY!

(You look up.)

(Siffrin is standing over you.)

(He sits down.)

Siffrin: Breathe with me.

(Siffrin breathes in, and out, slowly.)

(You try to follow suit.)

(You two do it until your breath stabilises.)

Siffrin: ...Let's go under the Tree. I don't want to be seen by accident.

(You nod, and you both go to your usual spot.)

(After a minute of silence, you finally gather the strength to speak.)

Loop: "...Why?"

Siffrin: ...

(Siffrin does't answer.)

(They don't even look at you.)

Loop: "Did you know this would happen?!"

Siffrin: ... Siffrin: I knew you would loop. I hoped the attack wouldn't happen, but it most certainly would have.

Loop: "What was it for, then? Just to make me suffer?"

Siffrin: ... Siffrin: Of course not. I like myself enough to not do that just to make you feel pain. Siffrin: It was to reveal another aspect of your loops.

(Loops?)

(How did that have to do with anything?!)

Siffrin: ...I hoped you would notice yourself. Siffrin: Why did you loop back just now?

Loop: (Huh?) "Because the Lady won, duh."

Siffrin: Why would the Lady winning make you loop? You don't loop back the second you lose the battle against her, right?

Loop: (Don't you?) "I kinda do, though?"

Siffrin: Incorrect, starlight. Siffrin: You loop when you die.

Loop: "Wait-- No, it takes a bit--"

Siffrin: You loop when you die. The fact that the Scary Lady wins is largely irrelevant. Siffrin: But you didn't die just now. Siffrin: So why did you loop?

Loop: "But--"

Siffrin: Same with King. You don't die when you talk to him, I'm pretty sure. Why would you loop, then? Siffrin: Both of these causes seem important to figure out, starlight.

(...)

(He is right.)

(There have been other times you've looped back without dying as well.)

(But... What could be the reason...?)

Siffrin: ... Siffrin: The hang out part wasn't just to kill time.

(Siffrin smirks a bit, but immediately returns to his slightly serious demeanor.)

Siffrin: I didn't talk about all I wanted, but this is also good. It was nice chatting with someone, for once.

(You just look at them.)

Siffrin: ... Siffrin: Oh, right. Sorry for putting you through this. It's not out of malice or anything like that. Siffrin: And it's OK if you don't forgive me.

(You stay silent.)

Siffrin: ...Well... This is all we can find out about the loops, for now. Siffrin: But you can find out more about the Scary Lady, actually. Siffrin: I could help you next loop. Not now. We both need.... rest. Siffrin: ...I'll be seeing you, I guess.

(You lightly nod and walk away, not saying a word.)