#there's nothing that shooter should be protected from

[madigoround]

💜

[weepylucifer]

fic where people do try to assassinate vincent, multiple times even, but he has actual divine protection so he always gets out of it unscathed. fun!

the miracles start out subtle. someone takes a shot at vincent with a sniper rifle from across a busy square, at one of the pope's public appearances. the bullet bounces off of... seemingly nothing. in the ensuing rush to find the shooter and get all the people to safety, vincent has a single moment to kneel down and pick up the bullet, squashed out of shape as if it had hit a massive impenetrable wall. vincent has known bullets. this is odd, he thinks.

the next time, a pure white dove sweeps from the sky and catches the shot. the time after that, a man suddenly screams in pain and drops to his knees, a knife falling out of his hand - no one ever even touched him. the time after that, a whole flock of perfectly wrought white doves converge on the attacker, fluttering and pecking and scratching, claws and beaks doing far more damage than a few pigeons should be able to do. by the time a shiv vanishes from a person's hand in a flash of blinding holy light, vincent gets the feeling that someone up there is growing a bit disgruntled with all this

[jespy-wespy]

The sexualization and mischaracterization of queer (relation)ships: Arcane edition

In a relationship between 2 people of the same gender one does not need to present more masculine/feminine than the other. They do not need to fit into the category of one being purely dominant over the other. This is something I think Arcane has done really well. But just because the show did good, does not mean the fans will.

Something I have noticed within fan art+fiction is the feminization and weakness of Caitlyn. I scroll through Tumblr and pass image and image of Caitvi art where Vi is hugging Caitlyn, taking the lead, being the "dominant one". Vi has her arms, very large, with defined muscles, wrapped around Caitlyn's skinny ones, which have no muscle definition. Caitlyn is drawn with softer, more femmine features, given a shorter stature than Vi, and is usually pictured in the purple camisole she wore once.

This is simply not who either of them are.

In Arcane, Caitlyn is defined by being a powerful sharp shooter. Later by being a ruthless cop, a brutal dictator, and a powerful warrior, even with out a gun. We see her training with Ambessa, while not holding the same level of skill, Caitlyn is able to physically hold her own. Caitlyn has never been shown as weak. She has never been someone to need or ask for protection. She can barely if ever be considered a femme, if people really feel the need to stick some meaningless sub title on her.

Vi is very emotional, she feels deeply. Even though she is this tough pit fighter, she holds a heavy heart, and this is shown throughout Arcane. Vi, repeatedly through the show, has been vulnerable in front of Caitlyn, both physically and emotionally. We see her cry out for her sister, injured, and in need of help through multiple acts and I believe that should make more of an impression on fans.

Sadly it is not surprising fans have taken this approach to their ship. The need for one lesbian to be more masculine than the other is something that people cannot seem to get out of their head. Caitlyn has certainly taken the brunt of the mischaracterization, since she is the one interpreted as "more femmine".

These misinterpretations of their characters are based in misogyny, homophobia, and sexualization. Plenty of the people doing this simply cannot conceptualize a relationship where the characters are not some form of man and woman. Lesbians can never just be 2 women, they have always been expected to present themselves as "almost straight". This form of mischaracterization is typically done by straight people who often don't realize they are contributing to a harmful stereotype.

Sexualization comes into play because girls liking girls simply cannot be talked about without somebody bringing up sex. Lesbianism is not inherently sexual, but is inherently sexualized. This type is (obviously) from mostly men who see lesbians as nothing more than a way to get off, though its not only from them.

Queer relationships are often sexualized within the community by pushing strict top/bottom and dom/sub standards onto characters and even real people. Similar to how some people can't comprehend a relationship that isn't of the opposite genders, some people can't imagine a relationship where the sexual roles aren't just as strict. These expectations are also rooted in misogyny and is mostly just the progression of gender roles into other aspects of queer relationships. Vi is usually pushed as the top, as the dominant one, simply because she is also perceived as the man. In real life, gay relationships and sex aren't about who is going to be doing the work, but instead about mutual love and mutual doing.

I wanted to also bring up Jayce and Viktor in this post but a lot of their perceived dynamic isn't simply just gender roles. The mischaracterization of their ship lies heavily in the fact of Victor being disabled and therefore "the weak one". Viktor being oppressed in their world while people ignore how their perception of Jayce is altered by the fact that he is an oppressed minority in ours. I just don't think I can apply their ship to only the issues I brought up previously and instead, they need their own discussion.

I will also specify, there is nothing wrong with seeing Caitlyn as the bottom in their relationship, there is nothing wrong with wanting to draw Vi with bigger muscles than what she has in the show. It's simply important to understand that this expectation and wanting of them is not an original thought, and is often caused by the misogyny that has seeped into every part of our world without our knowledge, including the brains of queer people.

[writersblockworks]

Deadlock x female!reader

Stiff part 1

Y/A/N- your agent name

Part 1 Part 2

Also guys I need Deadlock I need her so bad she’s so fucking fine LOOK

Contains: smut implications towards the end, MDNI

This is my first guys I’m sorry if I did something wrong

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Training at 9 in the morning is not how you’d typically be spending your Saturday. Hell if Brimstone hadn’t ordered a mandatory training you would be asleep, enjoying your coffee, maybe even playing a video game with Phoenix, but that was unlikely since you knew he would also be asleep. Getting up on time wasnt the hard part, no you could wake up whenever you wanted to. It helps that you wanted to see someone.

Deadlock joined to protocol not too long ago, it had been what a few months now? You were so excited to make a new friend, but Deadlock was a serious person, she seemed to always brush you off. You told Skye you wanted to get to know her so you guys went on a hike. When you would talk to her she could give you dead end answers. Like when you asked her how she was liking it here, she just said it was fine, then went to talking to Skye. When you invite her to hang out, she always declines, asking if you guys should really be doing that. So what if we just want to go out sometimes, it’s not like we aren’t allowed to.

Now, it was 9 am, and you were sparing with the Norwegian woman. Brim said to partner up with someone you don’t partner up with, and you two immediately made eye contact. While you two didn’t hate each other, you guys weren’t friends. You worked together on missions, and nothing more. Still, you wish it was more, you wish you got to hear her laugh. She’s stiff, like a cake you forget to store properly.

“Alright, everyone here has shown that while you guys are great shooters. You need to work on hand to hand combat. We don’t need a repeat of last mission.” Viper said, she looking at you, but she was talking about you. You could feel everyone’s eyes dart to you, shame filled your body.

Last mission was rough, it was you, Yuro, Deadlock, Harbor, and Fade. You eventually found yourself out of amo and luckly so was the Omega you. So you guys wrestled each other to the ground, trying to pin each other down and grab your knife. You needed to take care of this yourself, if one of the others came to try to help you, they might shoot you on accident.

Omega you had more training in hand to hand combat than you did, she got on top of you and tossed your knife to the side. In turn, you managed to hit the knife out of her hands, it bounced on the ground. It was a lucky shot, you caught her off guard and hit her hand, it wasn’t far from you two, it was in reach of both of you. You used your remaining strength to buck her off you. While they try to pull themself up, you try to stand up and grab the knife. You almost grabbed the knife when omega you grabbed your arm and twisted it backwards. You let out a scream as the pins you to the ground. This revive wasn’t going to be fun. As they grabbed the knife, you accepted your fate. You heard the familiar sound, and as soon as it happens, the omega you got shot in the head.

She falls to the ground, allowing you to get up. You see a prowler in front of you, you look to your left to see Deadlock with her gun pointed at where the other you was. Fade and Deadlock make their way to you.

“Thanks, I thought I was done for.” You mumble.

“Well you wouldn’t have been in that mess if you just listened to me.” Deadlock scoffed.

“I was out of amo, if I had came with you guys I most likely would have died.”

“I would have protected you. You’re lucky she was out of amo.” She said, raising her voice with every word that came out of her mouth. You felt your face flush. She would have protected you? The thought of her standing in front of you to make sure you weren’t hurt made you face flush hotter. No, you are just on the same team, she would have protected anyone here if they needed it.

“There’s no need to bicker, A/N is safe, that’s all we should be focusing on.” Harbor said,you didn’t hear him approach. But now, he placed himself beside you and took a look at your arm. Yuro made his way to you guys, he took a look at your arm.

“It’s just out of place you can easily snap it back.” Yoru said, moving between you and Harbor, pushing him back. Little did Yoru know, it was not snapped out of place,

“Yoru no, you’re not a medic and that’s a bad idea.” Harbor stated. Yoru didn’t listen.

“Yoru back up.” Deadlock said in a deep tone. She spoke loudly and clearly, but Yoru ignored her.

“All you gotta do is snap it back.” He scoffed. He grabbed your arm.

“Yoru stop please!” You begged.

“One, two, three!” He yelled before a wave of pain rushed though your body, you let out a scream. Deadlock shoved him to the ground and pulled you into her. While she was yelling at Yoru all you could think about was how even after a hard battle, she could still smell good. Maybe it was weird to think that, maybe it was weird to think of a warm fire when she pulled you close to her, maybe it was weird how close she pulled you to her, so what if it was weird you noticed her heart beating faster, and it doesn’t matter that when I looked up at her, I saw a beautiful woman.

“I think you’re actually stupid.” Fade said to Yoru.

Back to now.

“We will also be holding first aid classes, which are mandatory as well. To start us off this morning, you are to take down your opponent. The only rules are to not injure each other, no weapons, and no abilities.” Viper added. You looked at Yuro, and he was actually ashamed. You never thought you would see that. You look back to the woman across from you, she wore a black tank top and grey sweatpants. You feel your heart pounding, you hated how when you looked at her, all you could crave is her touch. That warm feeling you felt with her. The ride back to HQ being the only thing you wanted again, when you were almost out of it she just played with your hair. Calling Sage to be ready to treat you, and how she was telling her how Yoru made it worse. You were so caught up in your thoughts that you never heard them blow the whistle to signal start. And before you new it, Deadlock pinned you to the ground. She leaned down to you.

“You have to pay attention darling.” She whispered in your ear. You felt your face heat up. You didn’t know what to do. All you reall could do was look into those icy blue eyes. They reminded me of the camping trip in the Arctic my family used to go on. We’re we really there to study? Yes, but that never stopped you or your siblings from playing with the penguins.

“Are you ladies doing alright?” Brimstone asked. Deadlock turned a bright red and got off of you.

“Just giving her some tips.” She replied looking at you. That look made what ever you were feeling intensify. Brimstone nodded and turned slowly. He went to go check on other people.

“Giving me tips?” You ask

“I’ll give you a tip, every time I knock you down” she said. Was she flirting? I mean that look said she was flirting, but she had the same tone she always used with you. You felt your face burn.

Second time around you were able to dodge her for a while, you even went to tackle her sometimes. If you tackled her you should say something but every time you looked at her you words failed you. Before you knew it, she pined you again. Lucky the mat you two were on was soft. But you still hit the ground with a thud. With that thud you led out a grunt.

“I’m sorry, I didnt mean to hurt you.” She whispered. This time you could hear some emotion in her voice, this was sincere.

“Where my tip?” You ask her. She smiled and leaned into you and whispered

“Keep you’re eyes on me.” She said.

“I could do that all day.” You muttered under your breath. She smiled and got off of you. Holding out her hand for you to grab. You take her hand and she pulls you up.

This time instead of dazing at her or thinking to much. You pay attention to her movements, her feet placement were important. She slightly jumps when she comes at you, so dodging becomes easier. And everytime she pins you down she becomes more bold. The eventually pined me down for the fifth time.

“Come on, you’re not trying. I’ve seen you fight. You fight like hell. Unless you like it when I pin you down.” She whispered. You shrugged, but she was right, you were going softer. You liked it when she pined you down and mounted you.

“Want me to try harder sweetheart?” You asked. She blushed, a new shade of red. She got off of you, and you sat up. This time you’d pin her down, before you stood up she grabbed your shoulder. Now you couldn’t get up, she was holding you down.

“Pin me down.” She said, then she got up.

“Let’s try again.” You said, she nodded. Instead of being distracted or purposefully losing, you easily overpower her. Pure force, you actually didn’t know where it came from. But you found yourself sitting on her. You mounted her, and won a round.

“Any tips for me?” She asks you, you think for a moment. She’s perfect, from her looks to her form.

“No, everything you do is perfect.” I whisper. She just smiles.

After the whole day of training, you talk to her more and more. You two never changed partners. The whole day you actually didn’t mind training, you two not only flirted, but you learned more about her. By the end of the day you two were a sweaty mess.

You found yourself talking to Yoru, and the unexpected happened. He apologized,

“Okay who’s holding the gun to your head.” You laugh.

“No, I’m sorry. No one’s making me do this. I let my ego get the best of me.” He said.

“I need to tell someone about this.”

“Do not tell anyone. I said I was sorry, you are okay now, therefore we can move on.” He said. Well it’s a start. He quickly walked away to Harbor. Alright so Harbor made him, either way it’s a start. You turn to walk to your room when Deadlock stops you.

“Where are you going?” She asks you.

“My room, I need a shower. Look at me.” You chuckle.

“Come with me, I need to talk to you.” She says. Before you can say anything she grabs your hand and drags you behind her, not that you needed to be dragged. If she said to follow her, you’d follow her anywhere. After some walking you got to her room.

You get into her room. It’s dark, but she hadn’t been in her room since this morning. Her bed was un made, even in the dark to could tell her room was very clean. You heard the door shut behind you.

“Are you going to tu-“ you start, but she pushed you to the wall. While she pushed you to the wall, she places her hand behind your head. You two are silent for a moment, both of you wanting to take in this moment. Even with the lights off, you can make out all her features. Maybe it was because she was so close, maybe you memorized every feature on her face. She inched closed to your face, you felt her hot breath, she started to breathe heavier.

“I don’t know what changed today, I can’t ignore these feelings anymore.” She whispered before gently placing her lips onto yours. You’re shocked, for a moment you’re frozen. You’ve been wanting this, ever since she came here. Now that it’s happening, you’re frozen. She pulled away. Then put her arms down and backed away.

“Iselin..”

“No.. I’m sorry. I should have asked, I don’t know what came over me but I-“ she said, you could tell she was panicking. You felt so bad. You grabbed her and pulled her close to you. You turned her around and pinned her on the wall. Not hesitating to crash your lips to hers. It took her a second to kiss you back, but once she did. You guys couldn’t get enough of each other, and quickly you started to feel her. You put your hand up her shirt, and in turn she puts her hand down your pants. You let out a soft moan. You two pulled away for a moment.

“I’ve wanted this for so long, I’ve wanted you for too long.” You whispered.

“Ive been wanting you since I walked in that door. What if they judge us for being together?” She’s asks

“No one will say anything, KJ and Raze have been dating for a while first. Everyone was fine with them.” You say. She smiles.

“Are we going to dinner?” She asks.

“After we have some fun” you say before pulling off your shirt.

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Hey guys I would NEVER write smut Im a good woman and I would N E V E R.

Let me know if you guys want me to write them fucking because I will, very willingly but only if you guys want it.

Guys I would NEVER

(Please one like and I’ll do it, or note idc I’ll do it for one)

I read the Bible every day I am a woman’s of god

(One, just one and I will write lesbian sex PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE)

Edit: part two is up pookies

[luthordamnvers]

Hell was the journey (but it brought me heaven)

Chapter 9 - Cottage

"I hope you don't mind that I brought us here.” Kara mumbled with a breath of relief when Lena finally woke up, opening her gorgeous green-blue eyes. “We kept saying we would come and something always came up.“ Kara smiled, and then clarified, “We are in the cottage your mom left you." Kara kissed Lena’s hand, clutched in hers. "I needed to get you out of the city. I couldn't bear it if something happened to you. I think I would tear this world apart." “What happened?” Lena groggily questioned.  “He put a bomb in your car,” Kara explained in a low voice. And before Lena could ask, she added, “I got Frank out, remember? He’s okay, nothing but a few scratches, nothing to worry about. You lost consciousness after the blast, we were too close to it. Alex ordered an entire retreat. Everyone is in a safe house. Except for J’onn and Brainy.” Lena covered her face with her free hand, a thoughtful, yet miserable expression on her face, “How long was I out?” “You woke up after the ordeal pretty soon. Alex looked you over and decided to sedate you so you would rest. That was a little over 16 hours ago.”  “So, you decided to fly me to Ireland?” Lena asked, and Kara could tell she was trying to lighten up the mood. “No, I couldn’t fly with unconscious, precious cargo, over the Atlantic.” She replied, trying to smile. She kissed Lena’s knuckles and continued, “I was a little too on edge for that. I used the portal watch.” “My knight in shining armor…” Lena teased in a mumble. “This is my fault.” Kara confessed, in an equally low voice.  “I don’t think it is, Kara. It was me who antagonized John Kiley.” Lena didn’t even try to sit down, which made Kara worry a bit, because she knew how stubborn her girlfriend was. “Maybe you should have let the shooter hit the target.” “Don’t joke about that…” Kara said between gritted teeth. “It’s not funny. I put you in this situation too, and I don’t know how to protect you. How to protect our family.”

Continue Reading on AO3 || From the start

[webslinger-holland]

The Sergeant's Senator | Chapter 7

Summary: The day of the vote has finally arrived. As the senator prepares her departure to the senate, the assassin makes one final attempt which ends up causing more destruction than anticipated.

Warning: language, suggestive sexual content, assassination attempt, weapons used (guns and bombs), sniper/shooter/assassin mentioned, characters getting shot at, blood lose and major bodily injuries, slight language, somebody dying

Pairing: Hunter x Fem!Reader Senator

Type: Short Series

Word Count: 4.4k words

Series Masterlist

An agreement had been reached the following morning. Despite their growing feelings for one another, the sergeant and senator came to realize that they could never truly be together. Should it come out that they were a thing, they'd both be demoted from their positions and the sergeant would be decommissioned. Therefore, they decided the sever the connection altogether. And it was the most painful thing either of them had to do.

For whatever time they had left working together, they created boundaries with one another to prevent feelings from developing any further. The distance between the two was bound to cause a deeper longing to reunite. But they knew this couldn't happen and their time was running out.

In the morning, Senator Rayna made the decision to fill out the application form for a new escort. Signing her name had never been so difficult in her life and sending the form off to the guard only caused tears to well in the corners of her eyes.

There was no point in putting it off, especially since Echo knew about it and it would have only been a matter of time before the others found out. As the leader of the group, Hunter ended up breaking the news to them when they arrived that day. He explained that the senator sent in the paperwork and that they should be receiving new orders any day now.

The Bad Batch took the news with mixed emotions. While they missed being in action on the field, there was something simple about protecting a senator in a busy city. It seemed like Crosshair was the only one who was the most pleased with the news, muttering a "finally" under his breath.

The Senator of Coruscant had been standing near the back of the room, listening to the entire conversation with her head hanging low. Her heart never ached so badly then it did in that moment. She tried keeping the tears back.

The memories of their night spend together weighed heavy on her mind, wishing more than ever that she'd be able to have that again with him. Though it was highly unlikely.

After breaking the news, Hunter's eyes drifted up to gaze at the senator from across the room. Only Y/n was quick to look away in order to avoid any more unnecessary pain. He wanted nothing more than to reach out to her, to touch her arm and reassure her that everything was going to be alright even if they weren't there. But he just couldn't do it.

What drew Hunter out of his thoughts was when Echo went up to approach him. He saw the conflict behind his eyes and in his demeanor. He brought a reassuring hand to his shoulder.

"That couldn't have been an easy conversation for you two," Echo noted with a sense of concern in his voice.

"No," Hunter hung his head low. He pushed the pain in his heart away. "It wasn't."

"You really did care about her, didn't you?" Echo wondered. He tilted his head to the side slightly.

"Still do," Hunter acknowledged painfully with a shrug of the shoulders. "Just...can't do anything about it now."

With some hesitation, Echo nodded his head as if to say he understood where he was coming from. He gave his shoulder a couple pats, reassuring him that he'd get over this eventually. But Hunter wondered if he truly could.

Near the back of the room, Crosshair managed to sneak his way over to stand right beside the senator. He leaned back against the wall and cross his arms over his chest. His eyes briefly glanced up at Hunter from across the room, curious to what Echo was talking to him about. He struck up his own conversation.

"He looks miserable," Crosshair grunted. He pulled a single toothpick out of his box, popping it into his mouth to naw on. "Makes you wonder what kinds of things were said between you two yesterday."

"It was a private conversation," Y/n said sourly. She wore an evident frown on her face. "What was said is meant to stay private."

"It doesn't matter anyways," Crosshair shrugged off. "Because we'll be shipped off soon. And everything will go back to normal like how it always should have been."

His words sounded like they were laced with fire. The senator turned her body to face him, staring up at him with a slight look of shock on her face.

"You've never liked me," Senator Rayna pointed out. "From the moment you got here, I could only see the contempt behind your eyes."

"I don't just dislike you," Crosshair pushed off the wall to face her. He leaned down to be eye level and pushed himself forward slightly. With narrowed eyes, Crosshair spat out how he truly felt: "I despise you."

Upon hearing those words, Senator Rayna's face only dropped. A massive wave of newfound hurt sought to drown her and consumed her entire body. She felt the tears gathering in her eyes, which she tried to hide because she knew it would only bring him satisfaction.

"W-What have I ever d-done to you?" Y/n said through her tears.

"It's not what you did to me. It's what you did to him," Crosshair acknowledged. He tipped his head to gesture to his oldest brother from across the room. She turned her head to look towards the sergeant. "You made him weak and soft," Crosshair scowled.

The sniper took a step towards her, which only caused her to stumble over her own feet as she put distance between them. He towered over her to intimidate her. She hated to admit that it was working.

"If anything happens to you, I wouldn't give a damn because that would mean we'd finally be rid of you. Leaving this place will be the best thing to happen for this squad," Crosshair spat down at her.

"Crosshair," Hunter's voice called from across the room.

Neither of them turned their heads to address him, but they knew he was looking directly at them.

"That's enough," Hunter scolded.

For a brief moment, Crosshair and Y/n had forgotten about Hunter's enhanced senses, particularly his hearing. Their entire exchange hadn't gone unheard. He heard every word of hatred that came from his brother and he resented him for it.

Because the senator didn't deserve to be treated that way and if his brother had a problem with how he was acting, then he should have confronted him instead.

"We should get going. I don't want the senator to miss the vote," Hunter announced.

The senator didn't care about the speech she had given a week prior, the vote that was about to happen, or even the results that she worked so hard for. Her mind had been completely captivated by her sergeant that she couldn't have.

Without wanting to cause any further arguments, the Bad Batch proceeded to follow the senator out of her office. They followed directly behind her and would escort her to the vote. However, Crosshair and Hunter lingered behind for a brief moment until the room was completely empty.

In that moment, Hunter sent his brother a glaring look of disapproval and complete anger. His hands had subconsciously clenched into tight fists at his sides. He looked away and started heading towards the door of the office, but right as he met the threshold, Crosshair finally broke the silence.

"You fucked her, didn't you?" Crosshair's tone didn't seem to waver.

Upon hearing those words, Hunter stopped short in his steps. His shoulders began to tense up and his hands remained clenched. It was getting harder to him to not blow up. He didn't say anything at first.

His silence was enough of an answer.

"That's why this has been so hard for you. You got attached," Crosshair pointed out.

Slowly, Crosshair went to approach his the doorway in which his brother stood. He let out a small scoff, quickly glancing him up and down.

"Didn't think you had it in you. Hope you left her feeling satisfied," Crosshair spoke with venom in his tone. He threw another toothpick into his mouth before wordlessly making his exit. The sergeant was left alone in the room, but the weight of his guilt was ever present.

The hired hitman felt a single bead of sweat sliding down the side of his face as he hid behind one of the pillars in the sniper's nest. He clutched a small device in his hands, hanging his thumb over a solid red button. He waited for the perfect moment.

Unbeknownst to the Bad Batch, there were three hidden bombs scattered around the landing platform that they just walked out on. One of the bombs was hidden right underneath the airspeeder and had been activated a couple minutes ago. Any electronic frequencies from the bomb would remain hidden since it was attached to a vehicle that also emitted frequencies. The other two bombs were yet to be activated.

The sniper was careful to peer around the pillar; his gaze fell on the small group walking across the platform and heading directly towards the airspeeder. He pressed the single red button which activated the countdown from one of the other bombs.

In that exact moment, Hunter froze in his place. He held up his hand to stop the rest of the group. His eyes seemed to narrow in slight confusion as his hearing focused on the little faint beeping sound coming from the opposite side of the platform. He looked over his shoulder, settling his sights on the entrance of the building they just came from. He felt the frequencies radiating heavily from one specific area.

"What is it, Hunter?" Echo inquired.

"There is a bomb nearby," Hunter whispered under his breath.

"A bomb?" Wrecker repeated just a little too loud. He quickly looked around as if he magically spot it. He raised his own blaster a little higher. "Where is it? I'll take it out."

"Not your brightest plan," Crosshair said while rolling his eyes.

"We must calculate our steps," Tech pointed out. "Any certain movement could trigger it."

"Wait for my signal," Hunter order. He began to make his way through the group, heading back towards the center of the platform.

"Hunter," Y/n called after him. "I don't like this."

"Don't worry," Hunter reassured her with a small smile. "If anything happens, Tech will stay to protect you."

"Alright," Y/n agreed. "Just be careful."

With some hesitation, Hunter started walking back towards the entrance of the building. He had retrieved his own blaster from his holster and now held it up. He peered through the scope in hopes of spotting something. He waved his hand to signal the other members to follow him.

Now Wrecker, Echo, and Crosshair began moving towards the center of the platform with their own weapons raised. They scouted the peaks in the tower, searching for any sign of the sniper. Back near the airspeeder, Tech made sure to stand relatively close to the senator in case anything happened. He held his blaster in front of him.

Kneeling down, Hunter spotted the small beeping device that was tucked behind one of the pillars. He felt a tight knot forming in his stomach at the mere sight of an active bomb in front of him. He quickly called for Wrecker to disarm it.

Slowly, Hunter forced himself to rise to his feet so that Wrecker was able to get into position. He spun around on the heels of his feet in order to face the senator. He gave a single wave of the hand as if to say they had the situation handled.

Suddenly, Hunter could feel his heart dropping so fast in the pit of his stomach as his eyes landed on the same beeping device hidden underneath the speeder. He broke into a run, urging them to get down. But it was much too late for that.

The device had detonated, which sparked an explosion of destructive fire that consumed everything. There was a loud and echoing boom that caused ears to start ringing in pain. The shockwave that came from the explosion only pushed the others back to the ground. The bright red, yellow, and orange flames only grew as more fuel was added from the airspeeder. Cracks had begun to form on the platform and black smoke surrounded them.

Just as the device had detonated, Hunter had lost sight of the two people standing in front of the speeder. Their bodies disappearing in the midst of flame and smoke. Before he knew it, Hunter was lying on the ground having been thrown back from the blast. He rolled onto his side.

The sergeant groaned in slight pain. He held his arm up to shield his visor from the blinding flames. He did manage to find his footing as he stood on two shaky feet. He quickly turned around to find his other brothers behind him which brought a wave of relief over him. But that also didn't last long because the other two bombs detonated a second later.

The Bad Batch was knocked down from the force of the blast and debris falling around them. The pillars from the building caved from the destructive explosion, crumbling down and striking the platform with such force that it made deeper cracks. More clouds of black smoke swept around their bodies and the ash began fluttering through the air. The world disappeared underneath the veil of darkness, claiming the conscious mind of the sergeant.

The dust had failed to settle anytime soon. With the fire still burning steadily, a thick aroma of black smoke consumed the area. The platform could be heard groaning in pain because the supports holding it up had been compromised. It was only a matter of time before parts of the platform began to give way.

On the sidelines, Tech had to take a moment to gather himself. He had only just come to a second ago. Squeezing his eyes shut tightly, Tech tried to ignore the painful ache that consumed his entire body. His armor had done its job of protecting him from the explosion, but it had still grown hot to the touch from the flames.

Rolling onto his back, Tech's eyes drifted to the bright blue sky above him. He pushed himself into a sitting position, finally turning to address some of his surroundings. There was a small explosion on his left, which caused him to wince roughly and cower behind his arm.

"D-Does anyone copy?" Tech spoke into his communication system, silently praying that someone would hear his message. "I-I r-repeat: does anyone copy?"

The line remained silent much to his dismay.

Forcing himself to stand, Tech tried to use his helmet to scan the area in search for any remaining lifeforms. His visor illuminated the form of a red body underneath some heavy debris not too far away from him. He quickly made his way over to the body, mindfully avoiding the cracks below him.

Upon closer inspection, Tech had recognized the figure belonging to that of the senator. He knelt down beside her unconscious form, desperately searching for a way to lift the heavy debris off her body. Though Tech didn't ignore the fact that the side of her head was dripping with blood, having sustained a traumatic head injury. Right now, Tech just needed to get her out of there.

"If anyone can hear me, the senator is down. I repeat: the senator is down." Tech announced through the communication line though it came through super spotty to the others. As the other squad members came to their senses, the words 'senator' and 'down' were coming through their helmets.

Despite his efforts, Tech was unable to lift the cement debris by himself. He tried a couple times; He pulled and pushed with all of his might to move the huge chuck of pillar, but he wasn't the muscle of the group.

All of the sudden, Tech was able to hear a familiar groaning coming from the cloud of smoke beside him. The familiar figure of the biggest group member appeared to pierce through the smoke. He slowly trudged towards his brother while holding his arm and limping slightly.

"Wrecker!" Tech exclaimed. "I've never been more happy to see you."

"Yeah," Wrecker groaned in slight pain as he approached his brother. "Good to see you too, Tech."

The platform shook slightly under the added weight to that specific area. In response, Tech's eyes fell onto a large crack developing on the ground near them. He realized that the platform was beginning to fall away. He looked up at his brother with wide eyes.

"Watch your step," Tech ordered strategically. "This place could give away at any second."

With a firm nod, Wrecker made sure to watch his steps carefully and maneuvered his way over to them both. He quickly found a sturdy place to stand. He bent his knees and took hold of the debris.

"I'll lift. You pull her out," Wrecker explained. He counted down from three before lifting the heavy piece of cement upwards a couple inches. It was just enough space for his brother to pull the senator out.

Once the senator was secure, Wrecker slowly lowered the pillar back down onto the platform while being careful not to destroy the ground. He knelt down beside them just as Tech began scanning the senator with his data pad.

"How bad is she?" Wrecker inquired with a sad look in his eyes.

"Bad," Tech said blatantly. He typed something into his data pad. "She is suffering from severe internal bleeding and will likely succumb to her injuries if she does not receive immediate medical attention soon."

"We need to get to the Marauder," Wrecker realized.

In another part of the platform, Echo felt like he was reliving what he gone through years ago. The familiar aches and pains were almost too much for his body since he had been close to the explosion. He struggled to compose himself, standing to his feet slowly and shakily. He let out a low groan.

In a brief moment of panic, Echo turned his head to the left and to the right in a desperate attempt of locating the others. He called their names a few times, but failed to receive a response from them. He brought his hand up the the ventilator of his helmet, coughing slightly as he ingested smoke that failed to filter.

"I-If anyone..." Tech's voice cracked through the comms. Echo quickly pressed his finger against the side of his helmet to hear the message more clearly. "Sen-n--nator--d-do-own. M-M-Mauad--now," Tech called.

The only thing going through Echo's mind was how he needed to get to the Marauder. He quickly broke off into a sprint back towards the building with every intention of retrieving the ship from one of the other platforms. He shielded himself from the burning flames and rising smoke, risking it all for the mission.

"I'm o-on...my...way," Echo's voice spoke through the weak communication line.

Upon hearing the broken message, Tech and Wrecker breathed a small sigh of relief. They could rest easy for a moment knowing that help was on it's way and that another one of their brothers was alive. They glanced at each other before redirecting their attention back to helping the senator.

"Senator?" Tech spoke softly while gazing down at her. "Can you hear me? We need you to wake up."

But she hadn't moved.

All the while, Wrecker watched his brother's hands work quickly and skillfully. He had a handful of gauzes and serums from his pack. Pulling out his data pad again, Tech pressed a button which imitated a blue scan over her entire body. He didn't like the look of what showed up on the screen.

"Brain activity is dangerously low," Tech commented more to himself than anyone.

"W-What does that mean?" Wrecker worried.

"She's dying, Wrecker." Tech replied.

Without hesitation, Tech removed his helmet and tossed it to the side. He proceeded to take off his gloves next. His gaze shuffled down to the large gaping wound on the side of the senator's abdomen. The blood was seeping out of her body at a rapid pace. And Tech didn't know if he could slow it down.

"Wrecker," Tech called. He pointed to the leaking wound on her side. "I need you to apply pressure right here. Don't let up. It will slow the bleeding."

Carefully, Wrecker's large hands hovered over the spot. It took him a second before he finally gave into the internal conflict. He pressed his hands into the fresh wound in hopes of stopping the blood from flowing so quickly. He tried to ignore the way the blood seeped over his fingers. And he had to look away in fear of losing his stomach to the sight of gore.

In the midst of chaos, Hunter was slow to come back to his senses. His body was screaming in pain from the mere force of the blast. He shifted his hands underneath himself, pushing his upper body upwards slightly. His muscles shook as he did so; a small groan escaping past his filtered helmet.

With some difficulty, Hunter was able to get to his feet. He desperately searched for the others, but he couldn't see anything beyond the smoke and debris surrounding him. His senses failed him as well because he couldn't seem to pick up their all-too familiar smell. He called for them over the comms, but it seemed like his helmet was busted.

All of the sudden, a blaster shot came out of nowhere and lodged itself in the back of his right shoulder. The proximity of the shot caused him to stumble forward onto his knees. He grabbed his shoulder in pain, hissing at the sharp pain. He just barely managed to glance over his shoulder to spot the assailant walking through the black clouds of smoke with a blaster raised in his hand.

"I must admit: it hasn't been easy trying to take my target down. You're one hell of a soldier," the mysterious assassin spoke with a deep cynical voice behind his mask. He took a couple more steps forward until he was standing right above the clone.

"What do you want...a medal?" Hunter groaned in slight agony. He gripped his shoulder a little tighter in hopes that it would relieve some of the pain.

"Oh, I don't care about you." He knelt down in front of him, pointing the blaster directly at his face. "I only care about killing the senator and getting paid. I'm looking forward to cashing those credits in."

The assailant was taunting him. The anger and rage began to boil within the sergeant's veins, threatening to break loose at any moment. He held a stoic face, but was biting his tongue until he tasted his own blood. He wanted nothing more than to punch that stupid helmet off the guy's face.

All of the sudden, another random blaster bolt had whizzed through the air. The blaster shot smacked into the center of the assassins chest, sending him flying backwards until he was laying flat against the platform. The sergeant scrambled into a sitting position, shifting to glance over his shoulder. His eyes landed on the familiar sharpshoot pointing his rifle at the body.

For a brief moment, Hunter had never been more relieved to see his brother despite the risk he had taken in shooting the assassin down. He tried to rise to his feet while still holding onto his shoulder. However, Crosshair had joined his side and grabbed his arm. He helped him rise to his feet, double checking to make sure his oldest brother was alright.

"T-Thanks," Hunter said. He looked at his youngest brother with a small hint of pride in his eyes.

"Don't mention it," Crosshair scolded him with a serious look behind his eyes. "I mean it."

Together, Hunter and Crosshair made their way over to the suffering body of the assailant that was still laying on the ground. As they drew closer, Hunter was the first to step forward and kneel down in front of him. He pressed the bottom on the side of mysterious man's helmet, activating the trigger to retract the facemark.

What they both saw was shocking. It was a clone.

However, he wasn't wearing the typical clone armor; this style was coated in black and the mask had dark green eyes. They weren't even sure what generation of clone he would have been. His tactics were far from a regular clone. But he wore the face that millions of clones shared. This was something else, something new.

"This...complicates things," Hunter noted. He furrowed his eyebrows in slight confusion. They stood tall above him. "You're just a reg. Why are you trying to kill the senator?"

The clone assassin only let out a crazed laugh, which caused a few steams of blood to escape the corners of his mouth. His body was starting to succumb to his injuries, growing weaker with each passing moment. He looked up at the two enhanced clones, shaking his head slightly.

"L-Like I said, I was just doing a job to get paid."

"Who hired you?" Hunter demanded an answer.

"I'll never tell you," the assassin hissed. "You'll have to shoot me de--"

But the man was never able to finish that sentence because the sharpshooter had shot him once more to silence him forever. He silently strapped his rifle onto his back, turning to walk away and ignoring the look his brother was sending him.

At the given moment, Hunter was overwhelmed with a million different emotions. He wore a shocked expression on his face, not believing what his brother just pulled off. Not only that, but he was also incredibly taken back by the fact that he shot a clone without hesitation. He watched his figure retreat, but he called after him.

"What the hell were you thinking? Shooting a brother like that," Hunter gestured to the motionless body behind him.

"He's not a brother," Crosshair shrugged his shoulders. "He's just another reg. They're disposable."

"We didn't know anything about this clone. What his motives were, where he came from, or why he was trying to kill the senator," Hunter listed off. "He deserved to stand a fair trial," Hunter argued.

Upon hearing this, Crosshair stopped in the middle of his tracks. He threw a brief glance over his shoulder with a taunting smirk gracing his lips. He huffed.

"Starting to sound like your little girlfriend," Crosshair mocked.

"That's enough, Crosshair. You shouldn't have done what you did. You crossed a line," Hunter said through gritted teeth. His hands began to clench at his sides.

"You know...you should be thanking me," Crosshair replied. He was now turned to face his brother head on. "The threat is gone. Your girlfriend is safe. And we can finally leave this place. We completed the mission."

"You killed a clone," Hunter ignored him.

"I completed the mission," Crosshair corrected. The two brothers stared at each other with dangerously narrowed eyes, waiting for the other one to break first. But a familiar voice pulled them out of their internal war.

"H-Hunter...H--Hunter," Echo's voice broke through the communication system. "Come in. D-Do you read me?"

"I hear you, Echo." Hunter spoke while pressing the side of his helmet.

"I-I'm bringing the Marauder around now," Echo explained. The line was starting to get a little clearer and crispy as he spoke. "Tech says we need to get the senator out of here as soon as possible. She doesn't have a lot of time."

"Copy that," Hunter nodded. "We are on our way."

The ship was able to round the side of the building. The wind blasting from the engines was enough to push the clouds of black smoke away from the platform momentarily, providing a clear direction for where the others were on the opposite side. The ship was descending until it hovered right by the edge of the platform.

With great precision, Crosshair and Hunter began to make their way towards the group of others. They avoided the cracks in the ground, coming up beside their fellow brothers. The sergeant took a moment to stare down at the senator's motionless body, surveying her injuries carefully.

Though Tech was still working on bandaging up some of her wounds, Wrecker was still keeping his hands pressed against the gaping hole on her side. He made sure to avoid his sergeant's gaze, feeling a bit helpless in their failed attempt to protect her from harm. The sharpshooter was the only one brave enough to look directly at the sergeant with an all-knowing look in his eyes.

It was like Crosshair was saying it all over again to Hunter. Don't get too attached. Because this is what he'll get.

CHAPTER EIGHT HERE

Taglist:

@justhavingsomefun1 @totally-not-your-babe @jedipoodoo @gyllord @roam-rs @totallyunidentified @redheadgirl @mrcaptainrex @whore-of-many-hot-men @graciexmarvel @qweenrogerina @arcsimper5 @queenofspades6 @cadihyo @jediknightjana @elthoughtzos @lokigirlszendaya @sleepycreativewriter @moonwrecked @ravenclawbitch426 @waytoooldforthis78 @left-in-the-motel-bar @fic-force-99 @ayyyy-le-simp

THE SERIES IS ALMOST OVER! HOPE YOU'VE ENJOYED IT SO FAR.

[gophergal]

I know fuck all about tf2 except for character names. Most I got is you and a few other mutuals posts, and they're 10/10. How does the game..... work exactly? Like is there plot? Is it first person shooter sort of thing? Is there a tf1?

I could google it but that's not nearly as fun

OH BOY GET READY FOR THE B I G R AM B L E

WHAT THE FUCK IS TF2?

It's a team based first person shooter published by Valve (of portal and half life fame) in 2007 with nine classes to choose from, each with strengths countered by other classes (for example, the Spy is often a counter against the Sniper and Engineer. Respectively, by picking off the Sniper with a quick, stealthy backstab or by destroying the Engineer's machines). The game has been free to play since 2009 (i think. grain of salt please), and has a healthy playerbase to this day, aside from the bots. But not every tf2 fan actually plays the game. I play sometimes, but mostly just rotate the characters in my brain like a microwave burrito.

It is ALSO, however, a multimedia franchise. Aside from the game, which shows off worldbuilding and characterization through the environment and character dialogue (as well as the update announcement flyers on the official blog), there are also animated shorts and comics created by Valve that further flesh out the world and characters of TF2. Frankly, I think you should give the Meet The Team shorts a go if nothing else. They're iconic. It's hard to pick favorites, but I'm partial to Meet the Medic (obviously), Meet the Engineer (which I can quote verbatim), and Meet the Sniper.

Broadly, the world and aesthetics of TF2 are based on 60's/70's cold war thrillers and spy movies. Think James Bond and the Manchurian Candidate. These impeccable vibes are then wrapped neatly in a cartoony artstyle that wasn't common at the time (and arguably still isn't. I'm pretending that fortnight doesnt exist, as is custom). On a related note, the soundtrack FUCKS SEVERELY. Like. They just DO. They have influence from Jazz, Funk, and miltary marching songs, with more specific influences for individual characters (ex: country western for engineer, polka for medic, and bagpipes for demoman)

An important thing to note is that every class is a play on some stereotype from the movies that inspired the vibes:

Heavy Weapons Guy is a husky ruskie and a man of few words, but he has hidden depths. He's a family man, most importantly, and has been supporting and protecting his mother and younger sisters since his father was killed when he was a teenager. He has a close bond with the Medic and speaks highly of the Engineer ("Engineer is credit to team!"). In a debatably canon piece of dialogue from TellTale's Poker Night At The Inventory, he is revealed to have a PhD in Russian Literature.

Engineer is a texan with 11 PhDs in hard science. He exudes southern hospitality and seems like the most sane man on the team. He also takes great joy in the death and destruction his weapons cause, and ALSO helps the Medic in performing deeply unethical experiments that go against the laws of nature for curiosity sake. He's the third in a line of engineers, btw, and his grandfather basically conquered death. Which isn't super relevant, but I feel is a good lead in to some of the wackier elements of this world I would like to mention.

And every character is like this to some degree. Some more so than others- Soldier is basically just "how american can a man be before it starts impacting his mental health" and Pyro is unknown in terms of nationality, gender, and background

TF2 has a plot by the way! Yes, there is a reason for these many dudes in funny hats to be fighting. They are fighting over gravel. Yeah. So, these two brothers are fighting over land willed to them by their father (who died in the 1890's) which is largely useless aside from having a lot of gravel. Their names are Redmond and Blutarch Mann, and they're the ceos of their own corporations. Reliable Excavation & Demolitions (RED) and Builder's League United (BLU) respectively. They each hired mercenaries to fight a proxy war for them with the goal of owning it all. All the while, a third party, The Administrator, has been playing both sides of the Gravel War to keep it going as long as possible. Why? It's a mystery...

RAPID FIRE TF2 WORLDBUILDING BULLSHITTERY BE UPON YE:

(most of this is just stupid shit that was made up for Pure Random Funny HaHa and has very little bearing on the plot, but tells you a LOT about the tone of the franchise)

Rocket Jumping (that is, shooting a rocket propelled grenade at your feet and crouch-jumping at the same time to launch yourself into the air) was a technique pioneered by Shakespearicles, the STRONGEST POET TO EVER LIVE. He also invented the concept of a Second Floor in a building

Btw, stairs were not invented when the second floor was invented. I want you to take a wild guess how people got to the second floor before stairs were invented. (hint: it involves explosives)

Stairs were invented by Abraham Lincoln. He died due to rocket jumping up said stairs which caused him to accelerate rapidly into a wall. He was also the first Pyro in the 1890s.

New Zealand sank below the ocean sometime in the 40's. By which I mean it was intentionally sank because a Jor-el knockoff believed that the world was ending and that going underwater was the only way to save the nation.

CisMpreg exists. This fact is Medic's fault.

OK But What About Team Fortress 1?

So, its. Not complicated but it's not exactly simple. Quick answer, the original TF game has nothing to do with TF2. Team Fortress was originally a mod for the game Quake and has the same basic gameplay premise as it's successors (team based FPS with 9 classes) and quite a few maps have actually been remade for TF2. It was released in 1996, so, as TF2 was taking A Very Long Time to complete, Valve released a sort of... updated version that was meant to hold fans over. It uses the half life 2 engine, I believe, and was released in 1999. It is called Team Fortress Classic and it's only a LITTLE confusing to research I swear.

TFC takes place in the same universe as TF2, but in the 1930's instead of the 60's. Ignore the scifi/modern looking tech. Don't worry about it. This has no bearing on TFC, really, because it was only confirmed in one of the comics released in 2014. The TFC team matters to the comic plot, but is otherwise kinda just. there. Like, they only exist in the Mann Co No More story line and otherwise just exist.

Fun fact: TFC (the game) was updated to change the ingame class models to more accurately represent the appearance given to them in the comics.

For example, look at the glow up given to the TFC Medic! (original on the left, updated on the right)

In Conclusion:

I will be surprised anyone actually reads all of this, but that is my rambling summary of what in the fuck TF2 is. To be fair, the game is richly detailed but also kinda sparse at the same time. Its all vibes and interpretation my dude. Honestly I think what has made TF2 so popular and long lasting (lore wise) is related to what early FNAF games had going on

[alex31624]

Duck Comic Reading Club Week 21: Paperinik New Adventures: Shooting Star

Jojo… this is the last PK review I was missing. Finally, I catched the Club.

And we have another winner this week. If Xadhoom is here, you know is going to be a good one.

We started this story with Xadhoom attacking a lone Evron ship, but it was a trap. The Evronians shot her with energy blast so big that was seen even on Earth.

Of course, that won't defeat Xadhoom. She destroyed the base, but the damage was done.

Fortunately, she was able to get herself to Earth.

Hey! HDL existence acknowledge! And they're not in Africa or with Grandma Duck or in Dimension X. Good.

Anyway, Uno called Donald and told him about the unexpected visitor on the Ducklair Tower roof.

I never want to see the "we're not friends" crap that Fountains of the Moon tried to pull off.

Uno and Donald hide her on one of the floors, and Donald asked her to stay indoors for a while. But Xadhoom can't stay still for too long.

We later have some punks trying to rob a store, but they got blasted.

Now, the comic tried to play this as a mysterious being was the one behind this. But is a blast, and Xadhoom is in town. Is her, we all know is her.

Is like when Two made his first appearance, and all the comic played with the idea of Uno malfunctioning, which would have work if not because Two was in the cover.

Anyway, a couple of agents show up, agent Gamma and agent Delta, from the PBI. Their presence isn't appreciate by the police that complain with the one and only Mary Ann Flagstarr. Good to see her.

Well, what PK can't do with mystery, it surely can with action.

This page gives danger and speed. Amazing work.

Flagstarr arrived at the scene, with PK follow her son. Flagstarr decided that PK should investigate the case.

PK, is Xadhoom. The blast energy shooter alien that's in your tower.

Well, PK did went for Xadhoom to patrol the streets. Then, the revelation. We knew it was Xadhoom, but now we found out that she's seeing everybody as an Evronian. Now, that's a twist.

Xadhoom blasted everyone in sight, including agents Delta and Gamma, and PK. Looks like the Evronian attack had an effect on her brain and now she's allucinating.

Flagstarr arrived at the scene and talks to PK about the situation. He lied to protect his friend, as he should.

Later, he and Uno made a plan to help Xadhoom. They're going to attract her to an abandoned factory and cure her. Yeah, let's keep things simple.

But Flagstarr found PK location tracking his vehicule. He shouldn't be too friendly with the government, just saying.

Xadhoom arrived and she attacked immediately. Flagstar asked for reinforces but they were trapped by Gamma and Delta. Turns out they're former agents and now they look to make some money selling weird stuff.

The duo shoot Xadhoom with alien weapons, but that was part of the plan. The blast from those weapons were what Xadhoom needed to recover her sanity.

Uno sometimes remind me at Kira, everything goes according to the plan.

Xadhoom leaves, and PK explain nothing to Flagstarr.

Now, is time to say goodbye.

Man, no alien girl can resist Donald.

This was a good issue, you can't go wrong with Xadhoom.

I was about to said that we're up to day with the PK reviews, but the club announced the one for this week, and with the two Carl Barks' stories, only 3 to go. Almost there.

[aamy2100982]

My thoughts on All New Venom #3, maybe the last time I'll make a long post about this comic, because I follow it mostly because of Dylan. Spoiler Alert!!

☆ So we went back to where we left off.

The laser goes right through Venom so it's NOT Luke Cage. Got it, let's move on.

☆ The symbiote has two new powers. They can create weapons based on his web shooters and their webs are fire retainers.

It is also now even more resistant to sonic waves, which is great and very convenient so that the symbiote does not detach itself from its host while they are in a fight.

Nothing very interesting happens with the Villains in this comic, so let's keep talking about the suspects so I can quickly jump to talking about Dylan.

☆ So it's not Madam Masque either

I was suspicious of her because she hasn't appeared since issue #1. The suspects left are Robbie and Rick. All my guesses have been wrong so far, so I'm betting on Robbie, but it may be Rick, who knows.

It could also be Robbie just because Madame wasn't really looking to fight them, but Venom apparently has her seen as a permanently bad person.

And from the little or nothing I know about Robbie's lore, I know he has a beef with Madame over the death of his son.

☆ With all that, we move on to what's important.

Symby FINALLY acting like a protective parent, sort of

Plus we finally have some fangs. I'm trying to get used to the teeth but I can't, it just doesn't feel right.

☆ Finally! Confrontation! ask for your child support, Dylan!

☆ I find it strange how Symby is so evasive about who it's host is with Dylan.

I understand that it's a mystery to the reader, but I don't understand why it's so important that Dylan doesn't know. Especially because the symbiote wants to hug him and tell him that it loves him and cares for him and it feels weird that whoever is hugging and producing the words with its vocal cords is a random man that Dylan doesn't know and not his father (Eddie).

I understand that Symby doesn't want Dylan involved in... whatever they're doing. But it kind of bothers me how evasive he is about something that should be important for your son to know.

☆ About this

Number one, fuck you Flash. I know MJ was probably your best option to leave Dylan in charge, but MJ is also a person who has a boyfriend who is still in the throes of losing their former fake children, so he's(and she's) mentally unfit to take care of a new child, plus they're both anti-symbiotes, which is literally half of the living matter Dylan is made of and they're beings he relates to normally because they're literally his family.

Second, where is my precious baby kitty Sleeper? He hasn't appeared in the entire comic so far, and there's not even a glimpse of where he might be, if he's even okay, if he's even busy at all, is he looking for Eddie? Did he abandon Dylan too?

Third, the way this is said, it sounds to me like Symby talked to Flash to decide who Dylan would stay with. So Flash and Symby talked before this? Does Flash know who Symby's host is?

☆ It's funny how Dylan has no respect for any adult.

but it's sad that he's jealous that all the rest of his friends are having a good time while he's in this whole mess, specifically emotional.

My poor boy has a complicated birth story with his mother, he lived in an abusive home, but perhaps the most stable one he ever had with his grandfather, Carl, and now he has two irresponsible parents who don't even have control of their own lives.

☆ The worst thing is that I want to feel happy for this display of affection

but I just don't care. I think this is just so wrong

I've really been wanting to get into this comic. I don't hate the idea of ​​a new host, I just feel like it wasn't the right time. It feels so bad that Dylan is having a hard time and the only one who is comforting him is one of his parents, and that underneath the cloak Symby there is a complete stranger who has no connection or attachment to Dylan.

I just can't feel happy about this interaction, I feel nothing. I hate All New Venom, I hate that all the issues are so short, absolutely nothing has happened in this comic, I'm not even that into this "mysterious host" plot, I just want it all to be over and for Eddie to reunite with his Other, find Sleeper and go live in a house and be a happy family again. With sometimes fun adventures as Anti heroes, both Venom Eddie and Venom Dylan, Dylan discovering more of his powers and abilities, maybe learning to transform without the need for another symbiote bonded to him, Sleeper finally having some relevance instead of just being Dylan's babysitter.

I swear I hate everything Al Ewing has done with Venom comics these past few years, it's given me absolutely nothing, nothing! All of Venom 2021 was so irrelevant, the only thing you need to know about it is that Eddie and Flash are no longer symbiotes and Symby is now yellow. Plus other things like Normie, Liz and other characters now have symbiotes and Dylan is friends with Bren and Normie. Anything else relevant? I don't know, not that I know of or care about.

It hurts me so much that I don't feel attached to this. But Symby is also a terrible father (Eddie is not far behind). They ignored Dylan's existence and hid him from Eddie, they acted like an idiot when Eddie wanted to stop being a rascal and wanted to spend more time taking care of Dylan, it has abandoned Dylan so many times (like 6 times to be exact) and now for some reason they acts like they actually cares about Dylan, when they would rather hide from him and keep pretending he doesn't exist.

Because there's no reason why Symby and it's host couldn't make some arrangement to visit Dylan from time to time, and also, tell Dylan who the host Symby is with right now. Maybe not include him in whatever they're doing, but just be there, you know?

I can only attribute these attitudes to Symby being a symbiote and they have no real attachment to their children, probably all he knows about parental love were things he learned from Eddie. I guess they're trying to improve to be better for Dylan, but even now I feel like their relationship just doesn't work.

I still have those panels from Venom 2021 engraved in my mind where Symby saves Dylan because it's something "Eddie would do" and when Dylan told Symby that when he saw them, he only expected to see Eddie

Even here Dylan makes a similar comment

I feel like every time Al Ewing takes a step in Symby and Dylan's relationship, he automatically takes four steps back and brings us right back to where we were when this all started in 2018 and we discovered the horrors of Symby putting an unconsented baby in Anne's womb and not telling Eddie about it.

It all feels so wrong and I don't like it. I hate it, I hate everything about this comic, it's one stupid thing after another.

I swear to god. I remember stopping reading Venom when I got into the mess of 2021 because I was so fed up with whatever Al Ewing was doing and now it's happening to me again. I don't want to read this

I'll keep an eye on what happens in this comic, but I swear to god, I can't feel a shred of interest in this. I'm going to check in with Eddie Brock: Carnage, see if that makes me any happier.

☆ Also, fuck you Paul, I hope he and Dylan don't have a development where Dylan ends up loving Paul and becomes a father figure to him, because I'm going to cut my own jugular in a public bathroom.

Because MJ was there I thought this comic was going to have Jackpot as a co-hero, but they've done absolutely nothing besides argue and make me hate them more.

[archoneddzs15]

Super Famicom - Xak: The Art of Visual Stage

Title: Xak: The Art of Visual Stage / ザーク

Developer: Micro Cabin / Tokai Engineering

Publisher: Sunsoft

Release date: 26 February 1993

Catalogue Code: SHVC-XK-JPN

Genre: RPG

Xak: The Art of Visual Stage is an action RPG developed by Micro Cabin in 1993. Although the PC-Engine games, Xak 1 and its direct sequel, Xak 2 were very well regarded, the Super Famicom port that came after was incomplete, only covering about 1/2 of the PC Engine version (Xak 1-2 by Riot/Telenet), as Xak 2 for the PC Engine was never ported to the SFC. This knowledge, along with a subsequent playthrough of the game will likely leave players wondering "What if..."

You will notice some similarities with the Ys games (minus Ys 3) from the 8 and 16-bit era, the closest resemblance being Ys 5. If you imagine a hybrid of these two SNES games: Ys 5 with more basic graphics and Lagoon with a longer sword, you would not be too far off from how this game plays. Like the Ys games, you can stand still to recover HP, making the game a great deal easier than it would have otherwise been but also creating a lot of situations where you will be standing around, waiting for several moments. Go and get a snack or stretch, etc. as you wait!

However, there is a pretty crazy difficulty spike towards the end of the game with the fire dragon boss which plays more like a shooter. This was innovative and I can give the developers credit for trying something new as a lot of boss battles in action RPGs, especially at the time, were incredibly similar to game mechanics that, often, did not differentiate from the well-defined norm. I liked the idea, but this was an unfair change of pace for gamers who are not used to that genre of games and this tidbit should be considered by anyone thinking of trying this title out as the possibility exists of not being able to pass this juncture and that could lead to 4 or 5 wasted hours. Up until that point, I found the game to be very easy. This particular battle, which is unforgiving, and everything after was quite tough, including a pretty annoying maze in the last dungeon.

As far as the inventory, it is very basic. For equipment, you will get 6 different types of swords, armor, and shields, each one slightly increasing in power and defense. "Items" is another portion of the menu and there is a total of 32 limited by the fact that half of those, 16, are key items that you will only use once. Out of those 32 items, 5 more are various magic scrolls that I never actually used or found any use for, personally. There are a few items you will get a lot of use out of, however such as the protect ring, gauntlets, life mantle, and flame mantle.

Xak takes place in a fantasy setting and the story, largely, seemed like an afterthought to the developers with the typical cliches and RPG conventions of the time. The background of the game is about a war between the gods and demons of the world. After this war, the world was divided into three parts: Humans, faeries, and demons with the expected animosity you would get from such segregation. Of course, the demons, being demons, were especially secluded from the other 2/3rds. As you have likely guessed, the major issue in this game occurs when some demons have found a way out of their world and into the other two. More or less, it is up to Latok, the main character, to solve this issue. Latok will come across about a dozen key, though generic, NPCs that will help him along the way. You've seen these character tropes in other games, and they offer nothing unique in Xak.

Graphically, the game is boring, especially regarding environments and dungeons but sprites look a little better. Sadly, the bosses, the enemies that should be the most imposing, fail to impress except for the aforementioned Fire Dragon.

The music is largely forgettable bordering on elevator music. You will tolerate it for the duration in which you are exposed to it but won't remember it the second you move away from it. Not only is the music uninspiring, but it sounds outdated by about five years, sounding like it belongs on the NES. For me, the soundtrack sounded like a poor man's version of Ys 4 for the SFC.

Xak is a decent, though largely unimpressive game, mostly suitable for fans of 16-bit action RPGs. This game is very short, about 6 or 7 hours, and will provide some enjoyable moments for fans of the genre but can be ignored by more casual RPG fans. Still, those who play this are likely to wonder something along the lines of "What if this game has been released 100% complete, as a proper port of both Xak 1 and 2 from the PC Engine." Indeed, had this port gotten a little more care from the developers, it could have reached pretty decent cult status among retro gamers.

[vlad-theimplier]

WIP Wednesday: Custos Custodium

In which Malik and the Collective have much less of a plan than they realize, and it falls to Jensen to pull together the front half. See how badly a mission can go at !

“You think you could pull a trigger on someone?”

“Jesus, Jensen. Maybe in self-defense. Do I have to?”

“Just assessing our resources. What about a stun gun?”

“That I could do. Basically laser tag, right?”

“Well, one time in ten thousand, they break their skull going down. Or you find out they had a heart condition. But the modern stuff is pretty damn safe. C’mon.” He led her back to the entryway and handed her the Zap from the thigh holster hanging on a peg. Argento would have to forgive him for not bringing Malik to a real instructor—the plan coalescing in his hindbrain might need two shooters, and he’d think better with his mind on something else anyway. “Finger off the trigger. Crash course time.”

She took it in cautious fingers and almost fumbled it. “Is there a safety?”

He walked her to the TV and stood behind her, obscurely touched to see her so uncertain for a change. “Don’t worry about that yet. Point it down the hall, right over that bedside table—there’s two feet of brick behind it, and stingers don’t penetrate anyway. Good. Okay, now hold it in your right hand only, but keep your trigger finger along the side.”

She shifted her grip, and he nodded approvingly. “See that gap between your fingers on the left side? Wrap your left hand around that, but don’t cross your thumbs. Side-by-side—perfect. Squeeze and push the muzzle toward your target.”

“I don’t have a target.”

“Fair enough.” He walked down the hallway and stood in the bedroom doorway, then patted his chest. “Right here,” he called. “It’s a stun round, and my dermal armor will shed the pulse anyway. You’re basically shooting beanbags at me.”

Malik’s eyebrows climbed to her hairline. “You want me to shoot you?” “Pretend I’m Pritchard. No, wait, pretend you’re Pritchard.”

She gave him a strained smile. “Okay, so I’m pushing the muzzle at you. Great. Fine. This isn’t weird at all.”

“Now you’re ready to shoot, so now you can touch the trigger. Feel the little catch at the front of it? That’s the safety on this gun. Wiggle it with your finger. Don’t move the trigger itself, just the safety.”

“Um… yeah, okay, I feel it. Jeez, this is like learning to hover all over again.”

“I bet. Relax your shoulders.”

“I’m not—oh, I guess I am. Okay. Relaxed.”

“More. Pull ’em down. Good. Now stare at my chest, breathe out, and pull the trigger.”

“Well, one of those is—fine. Okay. Here it comes.” She exhaled. There was a snap, and the stun round took him in the shoulder, crackling in vain against his skin.

Malik yelped. “You okay?”

“Barely felt it. Now leave your right hand on the weapon, but let go with your left. Grab the slide—the top part—and pull it back, then release. Watch your fingers.” He listened for the click-click of oiled metal; the caseless stun ammo had nothing to eject.

“Hand back on the weapon and push it at my chest. Fire again when you’re ready, as you breathe out.” A snap. She stifled the yelp down to a sort of mmp noise. The dart caromed off the doorframe by his right knee.

“Sorry! Wait, should I be apologizing for not shooting you?”

“Yes. Rack the slide and try again. Right in the chest. Center mass.” Snap. “Ow.”

“Sorry sorry sorry!”

“It’s fine. Should’ve protected myself.” He shifted his hands to cross in front of his crotch. “I’ll live. Again.”

Click-click. Snap. “Good. A little high, but it would’ve taken down anyone not wearing armor. Again.”

Click-click. Snap. “You over-corrected a little. Don’t think about compensating—just aim. Hell, pretend I’m Lee Hong.”

Click-click. Snap. “Aha. That did it. Perfect. Now, rack the slide again.” Click-click. “Pull the trigger.” Click. “You will observe nothing happened. Your magazine is dry. Above your left thumb is a button. Push it.” Click. Thump.

He walked back to her and picked up the empty magazine. “This gets reloaded and shoved back in. Then you have to pull back the slide again to put a round in the chamber, ready to fire. Got it?”

“Yeah. I think.”

“Listen. You’ll have a couple of spare magazines. You even using this thing at all is Plan… E, I think. Just don't want you shooting yourself with it accidentally.”

“Plan E?”

“A is no one notices us at all until it’s too late. B through D are variations on me beating people up while you fly us out. Still need to figure out how to power it up once we’re in. You ready to go?”

“Well, I haven’t opened my suitcase.”

“That’s a yes. I want to get to Nice today, check out the lay of the land. We’ll drive, in case we need wheels while we’re there, and it’s a ways.” He reloaded the stun gun magazine and grabbed two more, then took the weapon from her and reconfigured the straps for waist wear. “Belt this on.”

“Suits me. If I never deal with that airport security again, it’ll be too soon,” she grumbled as she belted on the Zap. She was wearing a rust-colored tee-shirt with a picture of a carabiner on it over tight, light-grey jeans—he wondered whether she’d matched the colors of her old Sarif flight suit consciously, for luck—and the holster jutted out from her hip. Without prompting, she dug a canvas jacket out of her suitcase to cover it up. The magazines weighed down the pockets, but it would have to do.

Malik made another cup of tea while he hastily packed toiletries, a few changes of clothes, and his tactical vest. The long guns went in his duffel as well. He covered the Destrier’s shoulder holster with the lightweight gabardine trench he’d blown most of his second paycheck on, instead of the heavy leather. The really expensive part, and the thing that had gotten him curious looks from the tailor, had been adding the magnetized openings at the elbows for his blades. He’d skipped the Typhoon ports—he never planned to use the damn thing again, and if he had to, it would be for something important enough he could sacrifice his sleeves. He was still overdressed for June anywhere near the Mediterranean, but not flagrantly so.

“Hell, Jensen, nice coat,” she said as they headed out the door. “Haven’t seen this one before. It’s charcoal, right, not black? This is personal growth, for you.”

He growled at her.

[papirouge]

I just had a conversation with a self titled conservative who firmly believes that anyone liberal is a sheep and that electing any republican means their guns are protected. He was pro life too so I asked why he cares about guns over kids lives at schools if he’s also pro life but he just kept repeating that more guns in schools would stop violence and that kids don’t deserve anything once they’re born. They just had to be born because birth rates.

I asked him if he considered school shootings super late term abortions. It’s still killing a child after all. He got frustrated and said he didn’t care about school shootings because liberals are dictators who want to take away all guns and put us under communism. I mean… I wouldn’t mind if all guns were destroyed if that meant kids can safely go to schools.. but really, it felt like talking to a wall because he would never critically think k about what he’s saying. It was all the same thing. So I guess this scrote of a man doesn’t really care about babies or kids.

He also firmly believes in Israel should nuke Palestine because all of Palestine is hamas and anyone protesting for Palestinians should be arrested. I bought a black keffiyeh from a Palestinian store to show support and wore it in my hair but I guess he didn’t notice that either.

These people feel like empty husks honestly when talking to them. Repeating what they hear, get angry about nothing to feel anger then shut down when confronted. It’s like those people aren’t really connected to anything? Or maybe that was a demon in disguise? Idk. There are a lot of those spiritual awakening people online talking about how the spiritual veil is thinning fast

It's so funny to see conservative seethe against "Christian sheep" when then turn around and act like Trump or Musk were the Messiah and doing the most ridiculous hoops to defend their dumb stunts. If Musk was actually smart he would create a cult bc there's so much potential in all those blue checkmarks who complained about not being fairly paid yet still simping for him SMH

And TBH every pro gun conservative should shut the fuck up after what happened to Trump lmao None of them been able to stop that assassination with their guns, yet they're really trying to make us believe that more guns in school will make a change. They're so delusional...

I think pro gun nutcases and abortionists have in common that they'd rather address the symptoms rather than the cause.

"We need more abortion" > why don't we establish a system where women don't need to resort to abortions?

"we need more guns (in schools)" > Why don't you address the causes that pushteens to shoot up entire schools? By making guns access easier, it also means more instable/mentally ill people will access to them and do the worst use of them. That's the snake biting its own tail.

I can't be the only one to have noticed how uncomfortable anti woke conservative pro guns get whenever the shooter is "identified" as liberal (trans, etc.). They cope by literally admitting there's a need for gun control (only for liberals though) OR will blame mental illness. But like I just said, by easying the access to guns for everyone unchecked, more mentally ill people will access to them. They're so full of shit LOL

I genuinely believe all the people who worship Trump or Musk are spiritually blind. It's like they got struck by a curse vanishing their discernment. I get such weird vibes from Musk.... it's crazy how the same people who worship him were seething against Bill Gates... for the very same things!! (transhumanist agenda, population control because yes, campaigning somd push for more babies is ALSO a spectrum of population control, etc). Dude had the potential to be the ace rocket space billionaire guy but fumbled the sympathy bag when he started accusing divers (sent to save kids stuck in that cave in south Asia) of being pedophile - unprovoked.

No comment on Trump. I believe the woman who said God let him win because Hillary was worse, but that this time around, Harris will win because America didn't learn her lesson, is more sinful than ever, and because Trump is basically a POS. Harris will hurt America (Obama is pulling the string behind the curtains btw) but God basically said that's what this country deserved lol

I don't particularly like Harris, but NGL I can't wait to see the meltdown of Conservatives once Trump loses and start sperging coping conspiracies lol nah, God is done with yall. End of the story.

[nodynasty4us]

One of the things is Trump's apparent threat against journalists. Here are the details:

[Trump] also joked about shooters targeting reporters covering his event, the Pennsylvania Capital-Star reported. He pointed to protective glass covering him on two sides and noted a press section was on another side of him. “To get me, someone would have to shoot through the fake news,” Trump said. “And I don’t mind that so much.” In a statement that seemed to contradict the plain meaning of Trump’s remark, campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung denied Trump was encouraging violence against reporters. “The President’s statement about protective glass placement has nothing to do with the Media being harmed, or anything else,” Cheung wrote. “It was about threats against him that were spurred on by dangerous rhetoric from Democrats. In fact, President Trump was stating that the Media was in danger, in that they were protecting him and, therefore, were in great danger themselves, and should have had a glass protective shield, also. There can be no other interpretation of what was said. He was actually looking out for their welfare, far more than his own!”

[redswaberkez]

ok so its been more than a month since my graphic screen is arrived and bein used almost every day for 6-12 hours its time to do a lil review under the cut

(obligatory warning for longreads my english is a crap and yada yada) my bby boaris (kabanchik) cintiq 16'. (old one from 2020) I bought the tablet for a loot of reasons, Very Reasonable ones and not so reasonable too LMAO. Earned money with blood and sweat (literally💥) ANYWAY. Tablet's size is perfect for my needs, not way too small, not way too big, the screen workspace is the same with my old laptop (give or take few mm) This cintiq isnt from manufactor, its used before tablet from someone else in 'from the assembly line' condition. As soon as tab arrived i immediately ordered a ptotective film to prevent the appearance of The Hole. You what im talking about.

I was afraid that it would be extremely inconvenient for me to work with it and that the purchase would generally be unsuccessful, because before ONCE IN MY LIFE 7 yrs ago i had an experience w cintiq 24' and it wasnt really comfortable then. AND i had always used a regular plain tablet. BUT NOOOPE everything is PERFECT and i love it.

PROS!! - brain loves to see what u are actually drawing. Its easier to control every single move and stroke therefore it drastically buffs your skill. The progress of it development i mean. U have to get used to it. the tablet itself wont give u a 'make my skill insane button' u have to WORK ON IT obviously. (says the one who've been stuck in cps for a month straight OUGH) - it works as another monitor. so u can do whatever u wish using two of them. or u can just buy random tablet screen and use it as a SINGLE monitor lmaooo. -doesnt overheat (my main display overheats noticeably thank god i dont need to place my arm over it). -uses one single thicc cable which divides into three at the end (usb hdmi and power cables) - thin, from 1cm to 1,5cm +-, wheights somewhere 1,5kgs, has small stand legs which gives it ahh +- 30 degrees tilt angle. U can travel with the tablet but it needs pc or laptop to be connected with. -i havent seen its guts but i bet the circuits are...fine... i hope so.. at least if it wont overheat then the circuits wont burn down.. makes sense.. yeah.... -I also didnt notice any problems with drivers or connection for this month. u just turn ur pc on and ready to go.

CONS. - ur neck is bout to die if u gonna work like me cuz its tilt is only 30 degs (u can buy a normal stand tho. or a monitor bracket and stop torturing urself). SHRIMP POSTURE CHEEEECK. - it doesn't have buttons like my tablet had. Its a taste preference honestly. for someone its a pros for me its a cons. EASILY COUNTERS BY it might seem crazy what im bout to say A KEYBOARD. you just need to get used to it. again. - should i even mention the price? ofc its a con. since mine is a former usage one it was a lil cheaper than usually. but I knew what I was buying ((WACOM)) so i aint complaining now. - small really small con: sometimes cps wont react to pen button clicks but ig its even a program problem than tablets (easily counters by pressing space button one time). its really just a biiit annoying and nothing special. It works great all of the time. - THE PEN TIP WEARS OFF WITH FIRST COSMIC VELOCITY. ig its affected by protective film (its matte). counters by TITAN PEN TIP (plus now its a weapon if u are brave enough) -due to its protective matte film there is a small insignificant diffs between two screens but its not really this big. At least between mine displays. Diff btw my old laptop screen colors and tablet is fucking HUGE (lap is a 12 yrs old veteran have some respect🙄) - OK OK OK LAST LITTLE NIGGLE. Since I play shooters like valorant and...cs.. and move my hand powerfully across the table, I HAD to look for *that very specific place* for the tablet so that everything would be perRRRFECT by millimeters (ocd moment)

notable mention that takes a special place in my heart

wait while we talk to your displays 😥😥😥😥 omg..... cried....died.... my sons...

thats all i can say for now

[notafraidofredyellowandblue]

Thank you so much for taking the time for your long reply on Schneider. You are absolutely right, and it really helps. Till is my favorite, can’t help it, but there are some things he has done that I didn’t like at all, either, and with some distance it either wasn’t as bad m or I just got used to it and ignored it. I guess I do the same with my friends, the older I get. I don’t take the stuff I don’t like so seriously anymore. I should so the same with the people I admire from afar but don’t really know.

So thank you so much for your input! And yes, I would definitely be interested in your take regarding the Schneider statement! ♥️

Hi, i think you're right, it helps that with age you know that not everything is just good or bad with nothing in between, nowadays on social media, if a person does or says one thing that others don't like, that seems to get targetted and everything else forgotten *or* completely ignored because it doesn't fit the favored narrative 🌺

While i'm happy to share my thoughts on Schneider's post, let me first share some of my pet peeves about others (or in general), because like i said in the previous post, all of them have done or said things that weren't my thing at the time or that temporarily or permanently changed the way i viewed them, just to avoid that i get a new anon response calling me a hater again 🌺

For Richard (yes, let's start there 😊) i really don't like how he is in his personal relationships, how all his girlfriends are almost carbon copies of eachother and how easily he switches from one to the other (polyamorous? Maybe, but 'sexual butterfly' i think is more fitting). As that is his personal life i usually don't comment on it, but i cringe when fans call him 'their perfect husband' 😊 Also (yes, there's more) that he almost broke up the band with his Mutter-era-mania and his feeling of being the one who was right and should have his way. What redeemed him for me is that in hindsight he completely owned up to everything that happened and took full responsibility (even recently in interviews). What i love about Richard, i've said it before, is not that i think he's perfect, but that he has his flaws and deals with them, always trying to improve himself (and imo he has improved a lot, as shown on stage the past years).

Another example is an actor i used to follow, watched all his movies, but who, as it turns out, is a big gun-enthusiast. And i happen to not like guns (rifles, shooters, whatever). I understand that in some parts of the world they are necessary to protect yourself from bears or lions or whatever, and i do enjoy watching weaponry as a sport in the olympics, how skilled the shooters are, but as a hobby? or thinking it's normal that kids can hold a gun? Nope, not my thing. That is a really big turn off for me, and i still have loads of dvd's with films of the actor, but never watch them anymore.

Okay, to Schneider's post (and again, please unfollow and/or block if you don't like my view)

- Was i surprised he posted it when he did? Yes.

- If i were Rammstein management, would i have advised him to post it? Probably not, but it seemed to hit Schneider pretty hard, we know now that Richard had to write in a statement on events that happened in 2019, i wouldn't be surprised if the others had to as well, so i can imagine that was a gutpunch, so maybe i would have gone with "sleep about it another night, read it again in the morning, and if you're sure..."

- Can i see how people feel it throws Till under the bus? Yes, i do (interestingly, Schneider was in the Mutter era also the most vocal in putting all the blame on Richard, where Paul f.i. also acknowledged that he himself was part of the problem. Eventually Richard acknowledged he was to blame (see above))

but....

his statement confirmed a lot for me that i sensed was happening for the last few years, since let's say 2019. Till creating his own bubble, having his own entourage (who imho indulge Till's tendency to selfdestruct), travelling with them, things happening that didn't seem to be 'the Rammstein way' but more extreme, the separate afterparties, the invites to Row0, there were so many pictures and side stories the last few tours (2019/2022) that to me it was there in plain sight, but in the fandom that was always shot down as 'not true', 'you don't know what you're talking about', 'you are a hater' or examples given of years earlier as 'proof' that Till would never do things like that. Well, not years earlier okay, but lately? Things have changed, Schneider's post confirmed it.

Also, the post is still up. And it is liked by many people close to the band, Schneider's wife (okay, maybe that's a given), Flake's wife, who also reposted it on her own page thanking Schneider for the post, but also Jens Koch, Olaf Heine, Jörn Heitmann, Tobias Ortman, David Geslbauer (and Sven Heibig on Flake's wife's post): People who have worked with the band in recent years, some currently on tour. Liking on social media ofcourse doesn't say a lot, some people like something without even reading it, but with the content so impactful, and the post still up, they could easily remove their like, but they didn't. For me it confirmed that this wasn't just a spur of the moment thing from Schneider, this was well thought out and heartfelt.

Do i personally feel Schneider throws Till under a bus? No, what for me makes the difference is that he writes at the end of the statement "All of us, all six. We stick together." Schneider is willing to work through it and improve things. And in those last lines, i read that the rest of the band are too, including, i sincerely hope, Till himself. From what we see on tour since the post, i have a feeling that the working through has started...in the six men marriage 🌺

just my 2 cts 🌺

[whump-me]

Protector: Chapter 21

Chapter 21 of Protector, a novella-length whump story about a ruthless superpowered assassin trained from childhood to kill, and the brother determined to save him from himself.

Masterpost | the Mind Games universe | Read the complete novel on Patreon

---

A soft light slowly roused Bryce from the darkness that had swallowed him. Softness and warmth cradled his body. He might have thought he was in heaven, if not for the pain that threatened to tear his chest apart with every breath.

He tried to open his eyes, to see more than the faint light filtering through his eyelids. He tried to move, to twitch a single finger. He tried to scream. But his eyelids felt gummed shut. His body sank into the softness around him as if held down by hundred-pound weights. And he didn’t have the strength to let out more than a faint whimper.

“I still think we should have taken him to a hospital.” The voice was familiar. It made him feel instantly comforted, even though it took him a few sluggish seconds to recognize the voice as Teddy’s.

He recognized Sonia’s voice more easily. “He’s practically got a whole hospital’s worth of supplies in here. And if we keep him here, no one will ask questions.”

“Are you really sure it’s safer here?” Teddy asked doubtfully. “This is where the shooter found us first, after all. The window is still broken, so it’s kind of hard to forget.”

“If they want to find us, they’ll either find us here, or at the hospital when the staff reports the gunshot wound,” Sonia said tersely. “If the shooter does come after us, at least we’ll only have them to deal with, instead of them plus the police.”

“You don’t have to worry about the shooter anymore.” The shaky voice made Bryce’s eyes fly open, his fatigue forgotten.

Zach stood in the doorway of the spare room, leaning against the doorjamb like it was all that was holding him up. He looked paler than he had when he had been lying unconscious in this very bed. His skin was streaked with blood. His shirt was soaked through with it, his pants smeared with dark streaks of it. The iron tang of it drifted into the room. He clutched his side with one hand, and curled sideways around his newest wound like a parenthesis.

Sonia’s gaze and Teddy’s flew to Zach. Teddy took a step backward, Sonia a protective step forward.

“You’re alive,” Teddy said, half question and half hesitant exclamation, like he wasn’t sure how he was supposed to feel about this revelation.

Sonia was more blunt. “Did you lead them here?”

“There’s no one to lead here. Not anymore.” Zach’s voice was as wan as his face. Bryce wanted to leap from the bed and catch him before he collapsed. But moving was out of the question for him just now.

“Can you be sure of that?” Sonia’s lips were a thin, skeptical line.

Zach gave a short, weak nod. “I’m sure. I took care of the problem.” His eyes were cold. The brother Bryce remembered had never had eyes that cold. Nor could he have described killing so nonchalantly. And Bryce was sure that was what Zach meant.

Sonia still didn’t look convinced. “You’re the one they’re after,” she said. “It’s not like I want them to find you… but if they track you here, we all die.”

“He’s hurt,” Teddy said. “And he can’t go to a hospital any more than Bryce can.” He glanced down at the floor. Bryce followed his gaze and saw a chaotic pile of medical supplies Teddy and Sonia must have pulled out from under the bed. “We should help him. It’s what Bryce would have wanted.”

“Don’t talk like he’s dead,” Sonia snapped. “He could still make it.”

Bryce wanted to tell them he had no intention of dying, thank you very much. But he only had the strength for a few words, and he had to make them count. “Take care of Zach,” he rasped.

Teddy and Sonia both spun to face him. Beyond them, Zach stared down at him, eyes wide.

“You’re alive!” Teddy exclaimed, and this time there was nothing ambiguous in the words.

“You’re alive,” Sonia echoed. Her lips curved upward in a rare smile.

“You’re alive.” Zach’s own echo came in a thready whisper. He swayed on his feet. “I’m glad you’re…” His head sagged against the doorjamb. His eyelids fluttered.

“Don’t stand there gawking at me,” Bryce urged, jerking his chin toward Zach. “Help him!”

Neither of them dared to argue with a man who had just escaped death. They ran to Zach and caught him, one to either side. They swung his arms over their shoulders and walked him into the room.

Bryce held his breath, clenched his teeth, and tried to shift his leaden body to one side. The effort sent a supernova of pain through his chest. He might have screamed, if he had only had the energy for it.

But he shifted himself another fraction of an inch, and another, and another, until there was enough room beside him for Zach to lie.

“Put him next to me,” he said through gritted teeth.

Sonia’s sharp eyes swept over Zach. “We’ll need to clean his new wounds,” she said. “One of us will have to stitch them shut.” She eyed Teddy. “After what happened when we had to do that for Bryce, I’m guessing that’s going to be me.”

“Unless you want me hitting the floor again,” Teddy confirmed.

“We should change the bandages on his old wounds, too,” Sonia continued. “Will need to make sure we have enough gauze and—”

Her words cut off as Zach sagged sharply onto Teddy’s shoulder. His eyelids drooped.

“I think we should lie him down first,” Teddy grunted, struggling to support Zach’s weight.

Together, Sonia and Teddy pulled back the blankets and lay Zach next to Bryce. There was just enough room for both of them to lie side by side. The mattress shifted under Zach’s weight.

Once, when Bryce had been seven and Zach had been three, Zach had crept into Bryce’s bed in the middle of the night during a thunderstorm. Bryce had almost told his brother to get lost. He didn’t want to share a bed with a sweaty, crying toddler. It was bad enough that Zach clung to him every minute he wasn’t in school.

Then he had looked into Zach’s liquid, fear-filled eyes, and he knew he couldn’t turn him away. He took Zach’s chubby hand in his, and squeezed until Zach’s trembling stopped. “It’s okay,” he had whispered over the rumble of thunder. “I’m here. I’ll always be here.”

Bryce’s hand, heavy with fatigue, inched across the mattress until it found Zach’s. Zach’s fingers were as cold as a corpse. But after a few seconds, he gave Bryce’s hand a tiny squeeze.

Bryce’s eyes drifted shut. He tried to force them open again. He tried to stay awake for Zach. But Zach had Sonia and Teddy looking after him, murmuring to each other as they sliced off Zach’s clothes and dabbed his wounds with something that made Zach hiss in pain.

Zach squeezed Bryce’s hand harder. Bryce floated in warmth and softness and the knowledge that his brother was safe.

He didn’t realize he had fallen asleep again until Zach’s quiet voice pulled him up from the depths. “I did it,” Zach was saying. “I was the one to protect you. Finally.”

Bryce applied his eyes open. Sonia and Teddy were gone. So was the daylight outside.

“It’s not… a competition,” Bryce rasped.

“I know,” said Zach. “I understand now.” He squeezed Bryce’s hand. “But I’m still glad I got to do it.”

There was no happiness in his voice, though. He sounded tired, and in pain… but mostly, he sounded sad.

“What did you do?” Bryce asked, even though he already had an idea.

“The operative who was after me is gone,” Zach said. His voice was unreadable. “I killed him myself. You’re safe for now. All of you. And as soon as I’m feeling better, I’ll find a way to keep us all safe from PERI permanently.”

Bryce tried to prop himself up on one arm so he could look Zach in the eye, but his body was still heavy, and the movement threatened to tear his chest in two. He gave up, collapsing to the pillow with a gasp. “You don’t have to do that. You’ve done more than enough. I’ll take care of the rest.”

“This is my world,” said Zach. “It’s what I do. So let me do it.”

“Where’s the body?” Bryce asked.

“In the woods,” said Zach. “I know where. I can give your friends instructions for how to make sure he’ll never be found.”

Did Zach’s voice tremble slightly at that? Bryce twisted his head sharply toward him. Zach was staring fixedly up at the ceiling. Bryce squeezed his hand. Zach didn’t squeeze back.

“I can plant evidence to suggest that Loren—the shooter—and I ran away together,” he said. “To someplace far away from here. Australia, maybe.”

Bryce was silent for a moment as he chewed over Zach’s idea, as he tried to imagine how and why it would work. “You two were… involved?” he asked.

It was a slight consolation that he probably would have felt this awkward asking his little brother about his love life under any circumstances.

Zach didn’t speak. He didn’t look at him. But after a few long seconds, he gave Bryce’s hand a faint squeeze.

“I’m sorry,” said Bryce.

“Don’t expect something from me that I can’t give,” said Zach, still staring at the ceiling.

“What do you mean?”

“It hurts, what I had to do,” said Zach. “Of course it hurts. But it also feels normal. Like he was another target. Another mission completed. I’m so used to death. I don’t know how to make it feel like anything else. So don’t expect me to grieve the way the brother you remembered would have. Don’t expect me to fall apart.” His eyes darted briefly toward Bryce before turning back to the ceiling directly above him. “Don’t act like I’m broken for that.”

Bryce’s chest tightened. The pain there had nothing to do with his wound. “I’ll figure out a way to fix what that place did to your head,” he promised. “No matter how long it takes.”

Zach shook his head. “This is who I am now,” he said, with heat in his voice despite his weakness. “I’m not a kid anymore. I grew up. Sure, I grew up under weird circumstances, but so do a lot of people.”

He turned his head to look Bryce directly in the eye.

“For better or worse, this is who I am,” he said. “I don’t plan to ever go back to PERI, but I’m still a PERI operative in all the ways that count. I’m a killer. I’m the man who saved my brother’s life.”

The last words hung in the air for an eternity before Zach spoke again.

“I know I’m not the brother you’ve been trying to save all this time,” he said. “Can you accept the brother you’ve got?”

When Bryce studied the man next to him, he saw echoes of the child he had known. But he also saw a stranger. If he had passed Zach on the street, without knowing who he was, he might not have recognized him.

But wasn’t it the same when he looked in the mirror? He could see his sixteen-year-old self, sure, if he looked into his eyes deeply enough—and used his imagination liberally. But the boy he had been probably wouldn’t recognize the man he was now.

And he couldn’t even say Zach was the only one irreparably changed by what had happened. Who might he have been if Zach had never disappeared? He would never know.

He squeezed Zach’s hand.

“I have my brother back,” he said. “That’s all I ever wanted. And I can’t wait to get to know who you are now, and catch up on everything we missed.” He often Zach a faint smile. “Thank you for saving me.”

Zach didn’t answer. A wave of relief rushed through his body, strong enough for Bryce to feel. His eyelids drifted shut. Mere moments later, his breath took on the even rhythms of sleep.

Bryce let his own heavy eyelids close. He kept his hand wrapped around his brother’s.

---

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