#this has been a transformers psa

[pluralsword]

just a psa everybody the 'orange robot' who clearly is also purple in Transformers One is not Rung, her name is Lancer :3 she goes all the way back to The Search For Alpha Trion episode of Sunbow G1 Season 2 in 1985 as one of the Female Autobot (more recently known in other instances as the Shield of Solus) guerrillas working with Elita against Shockwave (read about the nod the movie makes to this here) and has appeared sporadically after that. She and Greenlight would finally get named in the early 2010s in Timelines as Autobot archaeologists, and the two would be warrior pilot gals in love with each other in IDW1/IDW2005 who debuted flirting in Windblade Volume II #7 in 2015 on scout duty for their warship unconscious Titan home, Carcer, not involved in the Great War. Greenlight would go on to date Arcee in IDW2/IDW2019 as a xenobiologist and help raise Gauge, and Arcee/Greenlight was also a thing in the My Little Pony crossover Magic of Cybertron, whereas Lancer was an engineer on the miraculous Winged Moon that made energon out of the literal time-space of the universe in IDW2 which would later become the refuge of the Autobots.

We totally understand why the mixup happened Lancer hasn't exactly been on television in 39 years and has only had one official toy ever (people have made customs of the idw1 version of her from cw swindle) but we do really recommend that people learn about her she's cool as heck, there's some good fanfic out there about her (and not just ones we've written!), she has a curious and flirtatious demeanor and can also be stern and pensive

here's some other images of her regarding recent appearances

(as you can see, we customized her and greenlight from cw swindle and cw brawl using parts you used to be able to get on shapeways, dunno if you can on cults3d)

it's really funny because before Timelines, Lancer's Ao3 tag name was simply "Orange Female Autobot"

she's clearly visible in the barracks for a few seconds during Optimus's speech rallying the miners

[unlikelypandahologram]

Hot take: "Love the Way You Hate Me" by Like a Storm is a Megop song

i am almost...genuinely shocked i haven't seen this song on ANY megop playlist i've ever seen on here because. have you heard the fucking lyrics. this is a megop song from megatron's POV so hard it hurts

yeah this all sounds in-character so far. but there's MORE

i don't think optimus would call megatron a freak specifically but calling each other insane and afraid definitely sounds like a conversation they've had at least once in [insert whatever continuity you want here]. also, love how "take another shot at me" can be taken literally lmao

this is just megs dissing the fuck out of both prime and the primacy. then we hit the crown jewel of this thing

UH?? HELLO?? if these lyrics don't sum up the ENTIRE basis of megatron's character across the whole franchise then absolutely NOTHING does, holy shit

and it closes out with megatron going on (and on and on and on) about how much he loves it when optimus fucking hates him. truly and perfectly iconic <3

[inkfamy]

📣 Your attention please

Ratchet sitting on Jazz's knee. That is all

[tsuki-here]

Okay so @maja-cherub made some Beast Machine Rattrap posts, and I've also been wanting to write a proper essay about the episode "The Weak Component" for a while now [and recently was ranting to a mutual about it like a week ago, so it's still fresh in my mind. So yeah, shout out to @j-starchaser for letting me rant about it and also for being the beta reader/editor for this essay], so here we are. Long text post beneath the cut, and of course Beast Machine spoilers-

To begin with, I enjoyed watching Beast Machines, despite the fact that yes, it has its share of flaws. Also, Rattrap is my favorite character in both Beast Wars and Beast Machines, so some bias might come through. But I've watched some YouTube essays talking about the full Beast Machines series, as well as text posts/comments by others that say they feel The Weak Component is the worst or one of the worst episodes of the series because of the way Rattrap acts/the actions he takes throughout the episode. [AKA, he's out of character]. So I just wanted to give my view on that and the episode in general.

For me personally, The Weak Component is one of, if not, my favorite episode of Beast Machines. I've only watched the series from start to finish once, but have gone back to watch that episode somewhere around 5-10 times, including once again to refresh my memory on some dialogue for this analysis. Of course, this is a matter of personal preference, and everyone is entitled to their own likes and dislikes. A large portion of why I like the episode so much is because of the amount of Rattrap screen time and focus. So, there's some of the bias I mentioned haha.

As for the argument that Rattrap is out of character, I both agree and disagree to an extent. Yes, in this episode Rattrap does things that he never did or would have done in Beast Wars. However, this is a situation that never happened in Beast Wars. The events and situations in this episode are not something we've seen Rattrap deal with before, and are clearly shown to be very stressful, as well as mentally and emotionally taxing for him. I'll go through the episode, breaking down the individual stress factors and his reactions to them.

To begin with a base line: Before this episode even takes place, there's already a number of stress-inducing factors at play. The Maximals’ entire situation seems completely hopeless. The little group of Optimus, Cheetor, Blackarachnia, Nightscream, and Rattrap against Megatron, his three vehicon generals, and the entire population of Cybertron (the latter made into mindless drones to obey Megatron). They're in an extremely unfair, dangerous, and practically hopeless fight with the entire fate of their home on their shoulders. On top of that, Rattrap can't transform. In beast mode, he has no real weapons to fight with, and has to make do with what his animal form is capable of. Meanwhile, everyone else can transform and has weapons/powers. We know from both Beast Wars and The Weak Component that protecting his friends is something extremely important to Rattrap. So, to be in such an outnumbered and dangerous predicament, to be unable to fight alongside the other Maximals and help them in the way he wants to, and had been capable of before, is immensely frustrating and upsetting to him. He went so far as to take 'transformation enhancers' to try and force his body into doing what he desperately wanted it to be able to do. Furthermore, they still haven't even figured out what's happened to Rhinox or Silverbolt, and Rhinox especially was clearly important to Rattrap, so him still being missing is likely also weighing on him.

Now, episode 6 happens. Rattrap is out on a mission with Cheetor and Nightscream. They didn't seem to want to bring Rattrap with them to begin with since they thought he was likely to just get in the way. And each time Rattrap tries to help or contribute in some way, he's scolded and told to knock it off. The other two even come up with a plan together that they completely leave Rattrap out of the loop on, and then are angry with him when he interferes under the belief that Cheetor was in danger, which ruins the plan, and gets Cheetor hurt by accident. Worse, after messing up the plan he hadn't been informed of in the first place, he finds out that his transformed mode has no weaponry, so he can't even clean up the unintentional mess.

When returning to the base, Cheetor and Nightscream talk down to Rattrap the whole time, and don't seem to care about his attempts at explaining himself. It had been an important moment to him, as it was the first time he had managed to transform to robot mode at will, and it was because he saw Cheetor in what he perceived as danger. The strong desire he felt to protect those dear to him was the motivation he'd been missing. Before, he'd been selfishly concerned about not transforming for his own wants, but he put that aside and was fully focused on only wanting to save Cheetor.

But neither of the other two really try to understand him, and harshly tell him that he shouldn't have bothered helping, since he made things worse. He's crushed that his friends aren't happy for him being able to transform at last, and aren't appreciative of how his only desire and intention had been to help.

He's then seen talking to the unconscious Optimus about how useless he feels, describing himself as a lemon. Though he doesn't seem angry with Optimus, knowing that there was no intention on his end for things to turn out the way they had, but he still blames him to an extent for being the one to convince them all to let the Oracle upgrade their bodies, only to feel that he's been remade broken and much weaker than he'd been before.

In his talking to himself, he transforms, as if to show what he's been turned into. At that exact moment Cheetor, Nightscream, and Blackarachnia walk in and immediately start snapping at him for potentially giving Megatron the chance to lock on to his signal and track them to their base. Cheetor even goes as far as physically tackling him to the ground and yelling at him. Though this does give Rattrap the chance to realize that he had accidentally downloaded Megatron's vital stats during the mission, and that he is very vulnerable and weakened at the moment. He suggests that now is the time to attack, but is quickly told “no” by Cheetor, who insists that they must remain at the base to protect Optimus until he's recovered.

Then they leave Rattrap, only to go to a different room to talk about him behind his back. He listens in on the conversation, hearing how they all think that he's not contributing anything and needs to be looked after. Nightscream even goes as far as suggesting they 'cut him loose'. Considering the position they're in, with Megatron having an entire army searching for them at all times, and all of them knowing that Rattrap cannot defend himself, this is essentially Nightscream suggesting that they should exile Rattrap and leave him to die. [To which thankfully Cheetor at least has the sense to get angry and reject that idea immediately.] Tired of the treatment he's getting and of being seen as a dead weight to the team, Rattrap leaves to try and resolve the problem by himself.

During this time, he's being subjected to even more new stresses piling on top of each other. Now he's able to transform, only to find out that all his struggles were seemingly for nothing. He thinks he's no more capable of helping than when he was stuck as a rat. All of his friends are treating him awfully and being completely unsupportive of the issues he's going through. They’re talking behind his back, have no faith in him, and one of them is even advocating for kicking him out entirely.

Rattrap then comes up with a plan to solve the issue himself. He goes to Megatron with a deal: give me weapons and in exchange, I'll protect you until morning while you recover. When Megatron then points out that he can just kill Rattrap while he's there alone, Rattrap counters that he will just send a distress signal to the other Maximals. But Megatron calls the bluff, and says he knows he wouldn't have come to him if he had anywhere else to turn to, and Rattrap does genuinely feel that way. He doesn't feel that he can rely on the other Maximals to help him, and has no choice but to turn to Megatron instead. He is so disillusioned with the other Maximals, that he throws away the device that would have sent the distress signal, believing that it won't be of any use to him. He feels so uncared for that he doesn't think the others would bother coming to help him if he called.

And Megatron tries to take advantage of this, by offering Rattrap to work with him instead, as a vehicon. Of course, Rattrap declines, but Megatron pushes it. He gives Rattrap a powerful weapon suit, and tells him how he would make such a good ally on his side, while the Maximals clearly don't want him anymore.

Rattrap had no intention of betraying the Maximals with this deal. He only said that he'd protect him because he was certain that no one was going to leave the base anyway. Rattrap was promising to protect Megatron from a threat he knew wasn't coming, certain that he wouldn't have to fight the others.

However, Megatron's blatant emotional manipulation does seem to cause Rattrap even more doubts. He's successfully calling out all of Rattrap's insecurities, telling him all of the things he knows he’s already thinking in his vulnerable state. He tells him how the other Maximals don't care or appreciate him, or how Optimus has fed him nothing but lies and false promises of power that he could never deliver on when he convinced them to have their bodies reformatted.

Then things only spiral further out of control when Cheetor, Nightscream, and Blackarachnia show up under the belief Megatron is holding Rattrap against his will and he needs saving. Rattrap is clearly upset and anxious about them being there, as he's now placed into a horrible lose/lose situation.

He can break his deal with Megatron, and they will be attacked and not permitted to leave unharmed. They are in Megatron's headquarters, without a plan, and without Optimus. They can be easily overrun by vehicons if they try to fight there. And if they just try to run, Rattrap would be forfeiting the weapon suit, and would be going back to just being a dead weight again who can't contribute and needs constant protection.

Or if he keeps his word and protects Megatron, especially with him guilt tripping Rattrap that it's morally wrong to attack an injured and defenseless opponent, Rattrap will be betraying his friends. Even if he tries to explain his reasoning afterwards, there's a good chance they'll exile him anyways and won’t give him any chance to explain himself.

Then the Maximals also start accusing him of being a traitor, saying how they never should have trusted him, and that he's sold them out for weapons. He doesn't want to openly admit in front of Megatron that the deal had been intended as a scam, and tries to subtly tell them that they need to leave.

But Nightscream disregards everything, and tries to attack Megatron anyways. Rattrap has no time to think of what to do, so in his panic and confusion, he fires at Nightscream. This only escalates the situation, with the Maximals attacking him more, and him defending himself as well as trying to drive them away. Rattrap is also clearly reaching his mental breaking point. He starts accusing them back of never believing in him, that Nightscream advocated for cutting him loose, how they were now the ones ruining his plan. But despite how angry and hurt he is, after all of the things that had been said, he gives them a heartbroken look and pleads 'don't make me do this'. After all, he still does see them as his friends, or at least he really wants to believe that they are still friends. He desperately wants them to trust his word and walk away so he wouldn’t have to hurt them. 

They ignore his warning though, and Cheetor attacks him again, further proving their lack of trust and faith. Megatron uses this as an opportunity to continue pointing out how they hate and pity Rattrap, how they don't want him around anymore and how Optimus lied to him. He also repeats how, unlike Optimus, he himself has delivered the power that he had promised to Rattrap, manipulating him into trying to think that he can only trust and rely on Megatron now. And it almost works, until Optimus arrives and finally shows Rattrap real support and faith, shaming the others for their lack of belief in their friend. Unfortunately, none of them can be bothered to apologize for their treatment of Rattrap. [I’d like to hope that they apologized off screen, but it would have been nice to actually see it.]

The Weak Component is an episode about Rattrap going through severe self esteem issues, only to receive no support from his supposed friends, and then being pushed into a rapid downward spiral by the compounding stress and pain until he's forced into a corner and reaches his breaking point.

One can argue that he's out of character, sure. I can understand why some people might view it that way. But as I stated at the beginning, we don't see Rattrap go through any of these issues in Beast Wars. He doesn't go through a long period of feeling useless to the team, he doesn't lose faith in his friends, he never feels the need to make a deal with Megatron. The closest we get is the episode where he pretends to be a traitor and to become a Predacon, but he and Optimus were both in on it. They had to make it believable to the others to ensure it worked, and Rattrap knew Optimus had his back to explain things afterwards. He never had to actually hurt his friends for any reason. 

The argument I do most agree with is that Rattrap could have just killed Megatron the instant he got the mech suit. He could have solved things then, sure, but by that point Megatron was already actively manipulating him and guilt tripping him with the whole 'you can't kill me while I'm too weak to defend myself' thing. Sure, maybe Beast Wars Rattrap would have just shot him anyways, but there's still the manipulation to account for, and possibly the fear that the rest of Megatron's vehicons would have shown up and overwhelmed him while he was there alone. And of course Megatron also convinced him that calling his friends would be useless.

And even if he can be considered out of character in this episode, sometimes stress does that to people. I can personally attest that I'm usually a very calm, reasonable person, and I have a very long fuse. I don't get angered easily by things, and even if I do get angry, I can keep myself from snapping at people. But when I get stressed, anxious, and overwhelmed, I have less control over my temper, and might get upset or angry over seemingly small things because it was just the final straw. I think that's the case for most people; everyone has their mental limits. In Rattrap's case, he has a bunch of highly stressful and hurtful things happening to him, and he finally lashes out. Honestly with the temper he's been shown to have at times, I'm surprised it took so long for him to lash out verbally.

The same argument can be made aboutCheetor. That his treatment of Rattrap was out of character, especially after everything they had been through together. But Cheetor was also acting out of stress because of the situation as a whole and the additional pressure of leadership while Optimus was out of commission.

To conclude this whole thing, I'd just like to say that yes, I enjoy the episode and think there are valid reasons behind the choices Rattrap makes, and that it actually fits his character if you take everything he's going through into consideration. It’s very difficult for him to think clearly, or make the choices he would have made under normal circumstances. I also really enjoy episodes/arcs that force my favorite fictional guys into brand new situations that push them to their limits and even to their breaking point. I don't think his arc was resolved in the greatest fashion though, considering no one apologizes at the end of the episode, no one brings up the things that were said to each other. And, as far as I remember, Rattrap never shows any further struggles adjusting to his new body or role. Optimus just gives him a pep talk at the end of the episode and all his grievances, self esteem issues, etc. are all just solved I guess. There's things that definitely could be done better and I would have done differently personally, but I still like the episode for what it is.

[Also side note! I just also wanted to say that I love the visual direction of the episode with the intense red and black color scheme throughout the whole confrontation scene. You'll see more of my appreciation for it below. And also Scott McNeil's voice acting for the episode is so good! Rattrap is often treated as a comedic character, so I really appreciate the darker tone of Beast Machines. Rattrap gets some very serious and emotional line delivery, especially in this episode. When he said the lines "I ain't nobody’s charity case" and "I ain't afraid of nothing", I got goosebumps. It’s really emotional, and his anger and pain really hit you. Scott's performance really enhances the whole episode for me.]

So yeah, I've been wanting to break this whole thing down for a while because Rattrap has been consuming my brain for months, and I also think about The Weak Component a lot. So much so I started an animatic like 5 months or so ago about the episode [though completely contrary to my point that Rattrap never wanted to hurt or betray them, it's an au of what if he joined Megatron's side], so I'm hoping finally getting to talk about this more will be the motivation I need to finish it. Anyways, here's a couple frames I had on hand that are part of it, and I also posted a short video a while back showing a run animation for it. So yeah, enjoy these in the meantime until I can make myself finish the full video. ^-^

[woonderfullie]

Quasi-Kuro related ramblings about the demons under the cut

(most of it is in the tags)

Demons as catalysts for change and upheaval, or at least ardent advocates for it, using their presence to tip the scales

Could demons be summoned with less for less, through sacrifices that don't involve bloodshed but still have the power to drastically alter the course of one's life?

[blujayonthewing]

[LAYS ON THE FUCKING FLOOR] MY MOM LEFT THE GRAVY AND BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP SHE MADE YESTERDAY JUST OUT ON THE STOVETOP OVERNIGHT AND ALL DAY TODAY AND THEN TRIED TO FEED IT TO US

[swedishghostvoice28789]

Reblogging for all AO3 users to see.

WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS

WHO IS USING THIS

AN APP??? THEY HAVE A FUNCTIONING WEBSITE

THE LAST FUNCTIONING WEBSITE

[seafoamsol]

Hey, different post than usual, but this is just a PSA for people who may follow or have purchased anything from @/kagebros, or are looking to join any of the zines run by them @/allsparkzines. They have a history (and present) of tracing for profit.

I don’t think this one requires an overlay. It’s a trace of the yolopark bumblebee shockwave model kit promotional image, as a “sketch”.

Which they changed, once people noticed it! Changed most of it. They traced a different promotional image for the gun, which remained largely the same, even in the final piece (right).

Their matching Optimus Prime poster is a trace of the still from a [ Paramount promo video ], 36 seconds in.

There are several other examples that I can’t fit into this post without making it overly long, but if you have purchased or have been gifted anything from them, there is a chance it has been traced.

Regarding tracing as a tool:

Go hogwild! Trace all you want! Tracing is a very useful tool for learning shapes and forms, but like any other tool, it’s only useful if you use it correctly. The ultimate goal of tracing is to understand. It’s training wheels. Just don’t hide and lie about it, because as soon as you do, it becomes plagiarism.

Even within the finished versions of the Shockwave poster, it’s still clear where parts have been traced or copied without understanding. It’s a shame, because transformers as a franchise having so many toys makes it very easy to make references!

Here's an example of how I use them:

Luckily for me, the Cybertron toys and models are more or less exactly the same. I don't own the toys, so I have two images from a [ toy reviewer ] on top. Many angles to help me understand exactly what's happening. Granted, I could just ask my friend who does own the toy for him in the same pose, but tracing over that directly would make it too stiff and it wouldn't mesh with my style.

TL;DR: Kage traces, blindly and without disclosure, for profit.

[airxn]

Protecting Yourself from Fetish Mining.

The rise in fetish mining anons has become horrifically rampant over the past year in RPC. Unfortunately, many folks have fallen victim to them due to the nature of fetish miners. The purpose of this PSA is to aid in spotting fetish mining anons within the Tumblr RPC.

Before I continue, please proceed with caution as this topic is adult themed but is a PSA for everyone. I will not go into detail about any fetishes. To learn more about general fetish mining, and what to look out for, check out this detailed PSA by BeckiiCruel, and this PSA about fetish mining within the art community by BluSilurus.

What is Fetish Mining?

Fetish mining, within the Tumblr RPC, is the soliciting of fetish content through Tumblr's inbox via anonymous asks. These asks are sent without the receiver knowing their true purpose and without their informed consent.

People are allowed to have fetishes, but fetish miners thrive off their victims being unassuming and unable to give informed consent. Fetish mining is a nonconsensual fetish and exploits their victims into giving them fetish content.

What to Look For.

Fetish miners within the Tumblr RPC use the anonymous inbox feature to conceal their identity, evade accountability for their actions, and come off as nonthreatening. They'll most likely come off as playful and exploit the fun in receiving anonymous asks within the RPC.

Fetish miners prefer targeting SFW blogs over NSFW ones. Why? Fetish miners want to claim their asks are not of fetishistic nature and to deny the receiver consent. They rely on plausible deniability in order to continue sending asks to their victims.

Please note that anything can be a fetish. Fetish mining asks will appear as innocent as possible to trick unassuming victims into giving them fetish content. They can also be super subtle or extremely obvious. Here are a few behaviors and examples of what to look for:

– Persistent or fixated on the same topic, action, request, or question over an over again. – Pressuring the receiver to answer the ask/s in a playful manner. – Pulling or stomping on a muse's tail, limb, hair, etc. – Putting your muse in a scenario where they're stuck in something. – Transforming your muse into an object, creature, or adding new features. – Cloning a muse repeatedly over several asks. – Feeding a muse over several asks. – Tickling a muse over several asks. – Fixating on muse's underwear, shoes, or other specific garments. – Wanting a scenario of a muse's scent or smell in detail. – Any kind of bathroom talk, including the discussion of diapers, the sender wetting themselves, discussion of any bodily fluid, and so forth. – Giving a muse a kind of potion, magic etc, that will force the muse into their desired effect ( changing their size, making them pregnant, expanding or shrinking certain body parts, laughing fits, the muse becomes lustful, or anything listed above, etc. ). – Super detailed scenarios featuring any of the listed topics that is without any plotting or context. – And much more as anything can be a fetish.

All instances above have been reported in the RPC throughout the years. Here is a Google document with current records given by victims. Please take a look to see real examples of fetish mining. You are free to submit your own instances if you have the victims consent. Instructions on how to do so are in the document.

How to Protect Yourself.

If an ask feels off to you, trust your gut. You do not need to answer every ask that comes into your inbox. If you're still uncertain check with trusted friends, or cross check the Google document listed above. Block any anon that makes you feel off, uneasy, or unsafe. Set your own boundaries, but be warned, fetish miners will not respect them if you leave them unblocked.

If you feel you must answer the ask, take a screenshot, block the anon, and then put the screenshot and your answer in a seperate post. Remember anons must be a member of the tumblr community. Unless they have another account, blocking them will keep you safe from further fetish mining attempts.

If you think someone is being fetish mined please reach out to them and inform them. Victims rarely realize they're nonconsensually playing into someone's fetish. Victims should not be shamed or told they should know better. Stay vigilant and stay safe. Look out for your fellow rper if you see anything that could be fetish mining.

[faegoddessog]

Feyd's Gom Jabbar

DUNE 2: Missing Scene (my own take)

Summary: Lady Margot Fenring is on a Bene Gesserit mission: test and preserve the genetics of the Na-Baron Feyd Rautha Harkonnen. She is well aware of his deranged pleasures of choice. Armed with her Pain Box, Gom Jabbar, her Voice and her substantial wiles and wits, she delves into Feyd's world. She is unprepared, however, for her own reaction to his... attentions.

WARNINGS!! EXPLICITLY MATURE CONTENT, 18+, NOT for the faint of heart, this is a dark story for a dark character.

This is a hard turn from my usual writings, so reader beware. This is NOT Austin... this is Feyd. He is sadistic, uncaring, aggressive and ambitious.

⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

⚠️⚠️Warnings: hickeys, biting to draw blood, minor blood play, pain, sadism, beating with a belt, restraint, degradation, pussy spanking, breeding, implied prior abuse of a child, vocal manipulation and control, hard PIV, choking, mentions of knife play⚠️⚠️

⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️

A/N: It is unclear if Feyd is 17 Geidi Prime years or Standard Galactic years. (1 SG or earth year = 2.6 GP years) So take this story as you will as far as age goes. I am a DUNE fan and have tried to layer world tidbits into this story.

PSA: This fictional depiction of BDSM is brutal and inspired by the characters from DUNE part 2. It is not meant to misconstrue BDSM or it's community or defame the rightful owners of the DUNE franchise. This is just pure S&M fantasy/fun. Before you play in ANY kinky way please garner consent, please discuss the scene, please set up safe words and please remember your aftercare. Safe, Sane, and Consensual my loves!

@austinbutlerslovers, @elvismylove04

Feyd’s GomJabbar

He is kneeling in front of her, though he does not know how he got here. His hand is in a box and his keen senses feel the sharp needle point at his neck. 

Lady Fenring is sitting on the bench at the foot of the bed. She is saying something about seeing if he is human through pain. The corner of his lip curls and he blows a short breath through his nose. 

‘Pain,’ he thinks to himself, ‘does this woman think I don't know pain just because I am na-Baron? I knew how to deal with pain before I was 10 standard years old.’

She sees his smirk at the idea of pain. Most, when the test is sprung on them, drop immediately into panic, even if they try not to show it. 

“You are not afraid?” she can’t help but ask. 

“Pft, there is nothing here to fear,” and he nods his face toward the box. 

She closes her eyes, turning on the nerve pain inducers with her Bene Gesserit Prana Nervature abilities. 

When she opens them, he is staring at her with cold, snake-like eyes. His lips, not set in grim acceptance, but lightly closed, amused, waiting. 

An itching, a burning, these are nothing to Feyd. Then the pain shoots like lighting through his fingers and palm, radiating out the back of his long fingered hand. 

As the pain increases, his eyes close and his naked forehead scrunches together.  The most sensual of moans rumbles in his chest. His plush lips twitch and his head tilts to the side. 

The only way to survive the kind of upbringing he had, was to delve into the pain, transform it into pleasure. 

His other hand is on her knee, kneading creeping incrementally up her thigh. His lips part as a breathy ‘oh’ leaves his lips. His head drops back as his eyelids flutter. 

“Yes,” he breathes out as though her lips were wrapped around his cock. 

She realizes with a jolt, it’s like foreplay for him. Curious, she increases the pain past where she should.  

His abs contract, and he moans as his eyes fling open to stare at hers. The predator she sees in those dark orbs internally shocks her. But her training has been far too thorough to show it. 

“Remove your hand, human.” she says in a metered tone, releasing the pain from him. 

“I need one of those,” he says in a low voice. 

“You wouldn't be able to use it if you did,” she counters.

He slides his hand from the box, not even bothering to look at it. Using it instead to wrap around the back of her neck. His other hand immediately runs up her thigh to her hip. He pulls her lips to his in a demanding kiss. He is so aroused he is about to press himself upon her. All he can think is how he wants to fuck her bloody. 

His desire was unexpected. There was no protocol for this kind of behavior. But the way his lips moved on hers, steady, exacting and completely in control. She finds herself drawn to him, despite his playboy reputation.

“{{Stop, remove your clothes}}” Having registered him in the hallway to draw him to her room, she knew exactly what pitch of Voice to use to control him. 

She uses the subtle ways, the ones that just seem a suggestion to the target and they still know what they are doing, even if they don’t really have a choice. 

His taut muscles relax, he stands and immediately divests himself of his outer Kurta, then belt, tunic and trousers. He stands in front of her naked. The alabaster skin was expected, indicative of living under the black sun of Giedi Prime. But his sculpted physique is magnificently breathtaking. He looks as if he was chiseled from the very bones of the planet.  His wide, muscled shoulders and chest rising and falling as he breathes deep. The V of his torso is echoed in the V of his waist, drawing her eyes down to his lengthy cockstand. Erect, willing, waiting.  He is stunning. It’s not always that a Sister is sent on this kind of mission and gets such a gorgeous specimen. She is going to enjoy this far more than she expected.

She leans back on the foot of the bed. The graceful arc of her hand pulls the diaphanous black  dress back, revealing the long slit up the front. Her bare legs are long and supple. They open to reveal a bald pussy, already wet and waiting for him. 

Her Ovulation Ritual completed, her eggs wait, ready to receive. In the AfterRite, she will consciously dispel any male zygotes and select the most vigorous female to be implanted, to carry the formidable genetics of this specimen. 

She releases her voice-hold on him. Wondering what he’ll do. 

Feyd looks her over as though she were a meal and he likes to play with his food. He doesn't just stick his dick in her like some hormone driven youth, he has a certain twisted honor about him.  He inhales her scent, her pheromones calculated specifically for him, now that she has kissed him and sampled his genetics. He growls, animalistic and predatory.  

“You are truly beautiful, Lady. I’m going to enjoy having my way with you. I’m going to watch that pale skin welt maybe even bleed before I fuck you,” as he speaks, he kneels down on one knee, a hidden hand reaching for the belt atop his pile of clothes. 

Lady Margot doesn't flinch at his words. Pain training is the first thing she mastered in the Bene Gesserit school.  Her eyes flash in desire at him. A little pain, a little blood spilled; this is a small price for the extraction of his genes. 

He leans in and  puts his mouth on her creamy inner thigh.  Licking with that long tongue, sucking her flesh hard into his mouth. He lifts her legs, knees bent wide to her torso. Her cunt open and wide to him. He licks and sucks, and licks and sucks. His long fingers gripping her thigh.  He is methodical, leaving a neat row of oval bruises like garters around her inner thighs. 

The  repetitive lick, suck, twinge of his work starts to lull her body into false expectation. Her mind knows better, it will get worse. And truth be told, she kind of hopes it does. She is curious to see if the rumors are true. 

Her pussy is dripping, the scent intoxicating to him, although missing the sharp scent of fear he usually likes. He delights in breaking in new slaves in the pleasure wing. Their dread smells and tastes so delicious. He smiles up at her, a monster in sexy clothing. He nestles his face back into the soft flesh of her inner thigh and bites hard. The sharpened black canines drawing blood.

She yelps at his harsh bite, but keeps herself exposed to him.

His long tongue extends, the tip dragging a line of dark red  up her leg.  He pulls back, watching the liquid worm it’s way down and drip off her. His cock twitches in response.  He repeats on her other side. She moans above him as his teeth sink into her silky flesh.

She, like him, must be a student of the beauty of pain and pleasure, he decides. This must be why she sought him out. Well, he will give her a night she will never forget, something Count Fenring, the eunuch, could never do. 

Her blood, nearly black in the light of his dark planet, stains his chin, he makes no move to wipe it off. Seeing his heightened arousal, she directs her body's response to the wound. Tells her platelets to back off and she lets her blood continue to drip, drip, drip. 

His belt, previously draped over his bent knee, is now folded in two in his fist. He licks the blood from his lips as a deviant smile spreads on his chiseled features. She truly is a gorgeous creature, and creatures should be domesticated. Broken. 

She waits for the blow that is sure to come. 

He holds the black strap between his two hands, and in an obviously familiar motion, snaps the leather onto her thigh. Not experimentally, not to see how she reacts, he knows exactly what he is doing. 

She yelps again, then moans, transforming her pain into pleasure, as she was taught. Her legs stay open to him. 

“Oh, you like that, don’t you pet,” He hits her again on the other thigh, ”Don’t you!” he snarls when she doesn't respond, hitting her harder.

“Yes” is all she breathes. To her surprise, she finds herself believing it. 

“Oh wouldn’t it be fun to keep you,” his snake-like voice slithers over her. “Imagine it, my personal highborn pain whore, secreted away in my chambers. I’d strap you, beat you,  every night. Decorating your body somewhere new, before I fucked every orifice you have. I’d use your blood to jerk off and make you sleep in pools of blood and cum.” As he casually talks, he is  beating her with the strap of his belt. Punishing her bite wounds, spattering little droplets of blood onto her thighs, her pussy, his forearm and fist.

“But you are Lady Fenring, wife to the right hand of the Emperor himself. You’d be missed.” He  pushes his lips out in a mock pout. “So I suppose I’ll have to settle for this.” 

Then he does it, brings the belt down hard on her pussy. With no warning, she gasps and her body coils, trying to protect her exposed and dripping vulva.  She should have been prepared for it, she immediately thinks. She has been letting herself dip too far into his sadistic scene. This scene where the only safe word lies in her use of the Voice and her wits. She must pay attention to the mission.

“Heh heh heh,” his smile is lopsided, psychotic. His eyes narrow predatorily. He saw that spike of fear, he smelled it. He is beginning to get somewhere now. 

“Now, now,” he jerks her legs apart, ”open up, I’m not done, Lady.” 

The crack of his belt on her pussy resounds in her ears, pain burning like lightning.  This time she is ready for it and keeps her body still. Once, twice, three times more he cracks her most sensitive of skin. She winces by the end. His black-toothed smile wide, enjoying her willing anguish.

“Now, Lady-pet, do you want this?” his hand is on his cock, leaving dark red-black streaks up and down his shaft. 

She nods.  She finds, when she allows herself to look into her own desire, that despite the pain, despite the fact that it’s what she came here for,  that she does want it. She wants to feel him in her, and not just for her mission, but for herself. She looks up at him,  giving him the exact parting of her lips, the exact mix of desire and fear in her eyes, the exact tilt of her head to make him want her, to need to be inside her. 

Sex, pain and desire, she knew now, would be the way to truly control him. How easy it would be to make him her pet, to bind him to her as she probed his deepest subconscious, planting the safeguarding phrases she was ordered to do. Easy to make him hers.  She would call him to her with the promise of tortuous pleasure that only they could give one another.  There were rumors that the Baron’s plans included Feyd on the throne. What a thing would that be, fucking the Emperor when she needed it, when she wanted it. Secretly controlling him with her whispered words in his ear while he was his most vulnerable, post orgasm. He could be her path to true power. 

His tongue runs along the black line inside his lip, considering how he wanted to fuck her.  He grabs her hands,  the belt cinching down around  them. He yanks her to her feet, the lace dress covering her. He drags her around the bed, throwing her down onto her back. He lashes the belt to the convenient D-ring sunk into the headboard, anchoring her arms above her head. Giedi Prime was harsh, but convenient for the truly depraved, even in the guest wing.  He doesn't bother with the bodice of her gown, though he thought ripping it off her might be a good way to scare her further. 

But no, he is only interested in the blood on her legs, in the warm wetness of her pussy. He doesn't like breasts, they remind him of his hated mother. He tilts his head, like a wolf, looking at her half naked form. She truly is a gorgeous creature.  Creatures should be domesticated. Broken. 

She lets him bind her, albeit haphazardly. She allows it, noting he is far too aroused to do it properly. Besides, she knows she can get out of it with a word. 

“Now, Lady,” his voice is like sandpaper smooth yet harsh at the same time, “I’m gonna fuck you harder than you’ve ever been fucked.”  

The words seep into her, she libidinously opens her legs, staring at him, willing him to sink his cock into her.  Her pussy is open, waiting, wet, and not just from her mind/body control. She startled by how much she is actually turned on by this beautifully dangerous beast of a man.  This must be why they sent her, something the Reverend Mother saw in her, that made her perfect for this mission. 

He steps away, fumbling in his pants pocket and produces a personal poison snooper. It’s about a handspan long and cylindrical. He reaches down, pulling her lips apart, straining her skin. She moans as the sensations shoot to her core. 

“Can’t be too safe,” he says to her.  He activates the wand and shoves it inside her, moving it roughly around. He’s lived his whole life in House Harkonnen, he knows better than to just trust a willing woman. He himself has used Rossak or Elacca microneedles to ensure his victories in the gladiatorial arena.  He is struck with the idea of installing one in the thigh of one of his uncle’s slave boys. Now that he is the proclaimed heir, it is only right that he should attempt to assassinate the Baron. A deadly smile spreads on his lips at the thought. The poison snooper beeps twice, finding nothing. He tosses it back on his pile of clothes.

He swipes the blood, still dripping but slower now,  across her labia with his hand, brings it to his mouth and licks it off his palm. The coppery taste of her blood mixing with the saltiness of her juices. He is no longer able to stand it, she is like the perfect fuck toy. The way she takes what he gives her. He knows he can’t treat her fully like he does his pleasure slaves, making shallow cuts high on their white bodies, so that the blood drips down onto their naked skin as he fucks them. She is a lady and a guest, afterall. In all honesty, the blood was a risk, but it was his birthday, he could get away with it.

He spreads her again with the fingers on one hand, guiding his beautiful, huge cock just barely into her. He watches her lips part for him, stretch around him. He loves the sight of himself plunging over and over, dominating the flesh. 

“If you were my pet, I’d put a ring through this little jewel,” he pinches her clit lightly between thumb and forefinger, “with a long chain. I would lead you around with it.  Pull on it and watch your face,” he squeezes cruelly, “do that.” 

Her eyes widen and her mouth drops open. Pain and pleasure rocket to her core. Her pussy grips the head of his cock, closing tight. He thrusts into her deep and hard, ramming her open again. 

{{{“Listen Feyd,”}}} She slithers into his mind with the strongest Voice, trapping him.   His eyes glaze over, his hips slow, fingers still, waiting for her orders.  She whispers the spell of binding, the spell that plants the Bene Gesserit control over him deep into his subconscious, should they need it, should she need it. She smiles as she adds her own twist, embedding in him a deep desire for her that would activate with a word spoken from her lips. It’s only fitting, she decides, since it is her blood, her pussy on his cock, that is sealing this witchery.

{{“Fuck me, Feyd,}} She  slowly lessens her intense hold on his mind. He resumes thrusting. 

{{“My clit”}}, his thumb scrapes at her clit. 

She is so full, so turned on. She has actually never used the Voice in sex before. The power is intoxicating. His fingers are rough on her clit, but it’s what she wants, what she needs right now. He feels so fucking good inside her over and over. 

His cock is pumping in and out of her, his own pure pleasure plain on his face. A lifetime of programming dropping away in his tranced state, as though he had taken Semuta and was hearing the sweet music. He was feeling the simple, timeless ecstasy, probably for the first time in his life. It strikes her, that without the twist of cunning in his mouth; the narrow calculating eyes; the constant state of awareness of a potential poisoned blade at his back, he was unequivocally beautiful.  What a man he would have been, had he been born into a different House. Revered instead of feared. A jewel to be coveted and honored. No doubt, with his natural intelligence, would have already been promised to one of the Emperor's daughters, if not to Princess Irulan herself.   His child would be stunning and they would never let him know she existed, lest he twist her. 

His face begins to contort in rapture, she can sense his passion rising, his hips speeding up.

{{“Don’t you cum, Feyd.}} He immediately falls back into measured thrusts. 

{{”That’s it, fuck me, rub my clit,  make me cum on that strong cock,”}} he works her clit between his fingers and his beautiful cock in her cunt.

It is so good, pushing her higher. Then she is seething, her pussy wildly contracting as he keeps plowing into her. Her eyes blink, her mouth hangs open before a throat ripping scream issues forth.  She jerks, hips thrashing under him. Her hands are pulling at the restraints she never even thought to make him remove.

The tambor of her scream breaks the hold over him as she cums.  He blinks, fingers digging automatically into her hips. He sees his cock in her, sees her writhing. He is unsure what happened in the past few minutes, Has be been fucking her? Did she use her witches powers on him. Surely not, she is still tied up. She would have made him remove those. No, he just got lost in pleasure, too lost. He growls in distaste, he is always under control.  His fingers tighten on her thighs and he feels the hard edge of the Pain Box secreted in the folds of her dress. He needs to refocus himself. 

He fishes out the box from the fabric, laying it on her belly. 

She frowns, panting from her pleasure,  not comprehending what he means to do, she won’t use it on herself, she can’t. She remembers her own Gom Jabbar. She vowed never again. Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam was notoriously… thorough with the Box. 

She shouldn’t be surprised when he shoves his hand in the Box. 

“Do it,” is all he growls. 

She shakes her head but uses her mental powers to turn on the pain, just a little. 

“Ahhhhh” he tosses his head back like before, his voice box protruding from the front of his throat.  His hips move slowly, pushing himself in and out of her. Her blood on the front of his hips spurs him on. 

“More,” he moans. 

She obliges, her pussy still spasming as he fucks her harder.

As the pain ramps up in the Box he roars, staring right into her face. She is captivated by him. His hips snap hard against her. 

{{“Cum Feyd, cum in my quivering slit”}} her pitch is a little less than perfect. 

He pounds into her, hard, harder, harder still. Truthfully, she starts to cum on his cock once more, losing her mental grip on the Pain Box. 

He yanks his hand out. The Box clatters to the floor. He grabs her by the throat. True fear flashes in her eyes, her orgasm stalled. Without access to the Voice, she is at his nonexistent mercy. His hand is wrapped tight on the sides of her neck, cutting off the blood flow to her brain. How could she have let it get this far? His eyes are dark glittering jewels, staring directly into hers. Her fear is exactly what he wanted, what he needed to push him to the point of no return. 

“No hexes from you, filthy pain slut of a witch whore,” he seethes, “you’ll take what I give you, take my magnificent fucking cock you dirty, dirty gorgeous highborn fuck toy.” All the venom from his twisted mind spews from his mouth. He fucks her relentlessly, now pursuing his release with single minded intent. 

Her orgasm is laced with fear but builds quickly with the decreased oxygen to her brain. It erupts as he grips harder on her throat. Her whole body shakes under him, her pussy contracting in undulating waves on his thickness. 

“Aaarrrrrghhhh! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!” he pushes in impossibly deep, his cockhead erupting agasint her cervix, his seed boiling from him. His eyelids, his arms, his hips; all tremble violently as he unloads, raging into her. 

He stares into her pin-point pupils, panting. He won’t say it, but she was magnificent. The best fucking plaything he’d had in a long time. 

His grip on her throat is the last to loosen.  The blackness playing at the edge of her vision. Quickly, she amps up her oxygen intake to compensate.  

He smiles at the dark bruises already blooming on her long, graceful neck. 

He climbs off her, making no move to release her bonds. His long cock still half hard, muscled body rippling and shimmering with sweat. Fuck he really was unrivaled in the glory of his body. 

He casually  picks up the black pile of clothes, not deigning to put them on. He is na-Baron. He will have his slaves dress him.  He stands at the foot of the bed, surveying his handiwork:  the tight pattern of oval bruises on her thighs, the blood smeared across her legs and pussy, the trail of his cum left by his withdrawal from her slit, the handprint ringing her neck, the red welts on her white skin, the equally red marks on her wrists.  God he wanted her again and again, wishing he was in his own chamber, his own instruments of pain and pleasure to hand. He would have made this night last forever. 

“Know this, Lady Fenring,” Feyd hisses demonically, “you and your tight witch’s cunt will never be the same. No man will ever match me in your whore pussy. Ever. You’ll be back, begging to be my forever plaything.” He walks to the door, pauses and says over his shoulder. “Oh and keep the belt, as a token of my… esteem. “ 

He walks out, stark naked, with nary a look back. 

He doesn’t see the cunning smile unfold on her face, nor hear the low chuckle in her throat. 

Mission accomplished. 

[abibliophobiaa]

Hi Luna! I hope you're feeling better! I hope you don't mind me asking, but I was wondering if you know what happened to Emmy's (upsidedownwithsteve)'s blog? I was away all day yesterday and when I went to read one of her fics last night, it asked me for a password? If you don't feel comfortable answering this, I totally understand. I would also be happy to come off anon to chat directly if that makes more sense. Anyway, can't wait for the final part of RWYLM and I hope you feel better soon! Xx

She actually just posted something over on AO3, for anyone who was looking and searching (I saw a few people asking yesterday alone). I posted it down below.

It’s unfortunate that people on here are just so nasty. And it’s honestly why you’re seeing the fandom continue to shrink. I don’t really understand what people’s goals are. Other than being mean for the sake of being mean.

You curate your own space, and when you run all the writers off this site, what fandom experience are you going to have left? Think about it.

It makes me not even want to be on this site anymore (I’ve already been limiting my time on, which I’m sure many have noticed). And I’m sure I’m not the only one on here feeling this way as well.

I’d just say check on your favorite authors, because it definitely hurts when one (like Emmy and many others at this point) that we all love gets quite literally run off the site. And I’m sure it also prompts some to reevaluate whether or not this is a safe or fun space anymore.

Especially when this is someone (Emmy) who has always been kind to those around her (myself included), and is running her own business and pregnant. She should be ENJOYING this season, and some people just have literally no sense of decorum or common decency.

Remember that WE ARE ALL HUMANS ON HERE.

KINDNESS is free.

Just some food for thought. 🤍

[lamardeuse]

lol actual comment on the big buddie gif post

Oh honey, you must be new. We've had nearly six decades of character A and character B never fucking in canon and we have had the time of our lives making them fall in love, fuck, live together, open a little coffee shop together, die together, and everything in between. And you know what? We'll keep going for another six decades.

Your ship does not have to go canon for you to write, draw, vid, needlepoint or sing about whatever you want them to do. They belong to you, to all of us. That's what fandom is. Making our own fun regardless of what the "official" text says. That's why it's called transformative work.

Oh, and shitting on someone else because they like something you don't is a dick move. This has been today's fandom PSA.

[fandomssaremysoul]

I have decided to make a MHA, Izuku Midoriya centric, fanfiction 101 recommendations, list.

I am but a basic bitch of nerds, but I have opinions and I WILL share them bc I'm incapable of shutting the fuck up.

Anyway this is a list of fic I think any person who reads fanfiction, is a BNHA fan and likes Izuku Midoriya, should read.

(is it actually an excuse to find ppl who like the same shit i do? Maybe.)

So, this list will contain fics that are completed ONLY.

There are a lot of MHA staples that aren't finished yet, and they will get a post of their own.

🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩

Alright disclaimers, PSA, whatever, ALWAYS and I fuckin mean ALWAYS, read the tags and trigger warnings bc I won't lie, some might get a bit dark.

🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩

1. Complicated Creation - Elemental

Easily one of the best fics I've ever read. Great world building based on the Ghibli movie Spirited away. We love to see it. The writing and plot are both breath-taking.

It has quirkless Izuku, spirits, dragons, healing and a sprinkle of a classic trope in the MHA fandom, Dadzawa.

2. Hero Class Civil Warfare - RogueDruid

If you have been in the fandom space for at least a couple of months and have been reading fics, you have, 100% heard of RogueDruid. He has, hands down, some of the most captivating work in the whole of the internet. One of the classics, is HCCW. It has inspired a lot of other fics, which had gone the class War route (hmu if u want reccs). Incredibly well done, the EFFORT that went into this had to be astounding. There isn't a single miss.

Without spoiling too much, the class 1 A and 1 B, have a final exam. The exam in this world, is a war between villain and heros. Izuku is put into the position of the leader of the villains, the Kingpin while his rival, the Paragon, is none other than Katsuki Bakugou. We get a mastermind Izuku, characters from 1 B, that I personally never cared much for, before reading this fic and more.

3. Mastermind: Strategist for Hire by Clouds

Staying in the villain Izuku waters, I present Mastermind. A part of a series called For the want of a nail, that follows different universes in which Izuku stays quirkless. Mastermind is a personal favourite. It's the second installment of the series and has an ongoing sequel. (The series includes Viridian: the green guide, Deku? I think he's some pro, Chet Code: support strategist and two more, which aren't completed yet).

Here, Izuku stays quirkless as he loses any hope left for the hero society. He, unfortunately for the world, is stupidly smart and easily gained a fearsome reputation, for being the best strategist for hire for villains. After realizing the world sucks and he, in fact, doesn't, Izuku becomes a villain the likes héroes have never seen before.

4. The Mystery of Student No.18 by cloud_nine_and_three_quarters

Another author, that has me by the scruff of my goddamm neck. Went for my throat every fuckin time. I will name the other fics later but lemme tell you about this one.

It's the second fic in the list, that has Izuku with OFA. This time though, Izuku stayed true to his self-sacrificing roots and got himself into a coma. While in his lovely sleeping beauty-esk state, OFA keeps giving him energy and thus an once of a lifetime opportunity to become a ghost. Yes you heard that right. He becomes a ghost and lightly haunts his class. The fic is golden, funny and just a little bit sad.

The other three fics, just as good as this one are Canary, Why are we here again? and Displacement.

5. Yesterday upon the stair by PitvViperOfDoom

Keeping with the ghost theme, we have the one and only YUTS. Again, world building is of the charts great. A great quirk and awesome themes with unexpected turns and plots. The gist is, Izuku can see ghosts. This story is one of the rare ones where Nana Shimura (my beloved) plays a bigger role than usual. Definitely chdck out the additional parts of the series though at that point it goes slightly into more crack waters but it's still incredible.

6. [Content] by Teobot

Taking a sharp turn into morally grey vigilante route, we get this great first part of an incredible ongoing series. There are two parts done and the wait is always worth it.

7. Assignment: Personality Swap by BelleAmant

First I wanted to recc their vigilante Izuku fic (Vigil, Ante and their vigilante antics) but I must admit, while a classic, it hasn't been as impactful to the fandom as Personality Swap has been. Both with its incredible humor, bit of angst and quirk fuckery the whole series has been nothing but hits.

8. Another form of power by Jade_Tatsu

Veering directly back into villain Izuku, this one was a breath of fresh air. I once got tired of villain Izuku that was either forced to be a villain or was just a vigilante but darker, so I went on a search and found this. The series All for power, is a 4 part ENTIRELY COMPLETED series, about politician villain Izuku. The first part is told mostly through the eyes of Kurogiri and I swear, it's my favorite of the all.

9. How Seven (7) Dead Heroes Stopped Being Bored by ScottishSunshine

Crack inspired, but more All for one focused that Izuku, but still most things happen because of the Midoriya family so it counts. It's good and fun and an interesting read especially of you're fond of Dad for one.

10. Prodigal by writerllofllworlds

And for the end, let's get our hearts crushed just a little.

An angst filled suspected traitor AU. In my humble opinion, very few have ever truly succeeded in writing a traitor AU, nearly as good as this one. I like it in most part because Izuku goes through hell and back, and I just am like that. It's epic.

Was this list an exuse to talk about fics I like? Yes. But do i feel like everyone who like BNHA should read these?

Abso - fuckin-lutley

I consider it a crime if you don't. Also pls do add your own opinions and if you want more reccs, ask in the comments or dm me or whatever floats your boat Besties.

Kiki the nerd, signing off

[faranae]

Rant incoming (OTW/AO3 funding)

Pardon the ramble, this has been going on for months (years technically) but I saw a post again today shared by someone moderately influential and it's a "straw that broke the camel's back" thing. I'll probably pop it later.

It hurts to see how vitriolic folks can be when it comes to the OTW's (Organization for Transformative Works) fundraising. The OTW is more than just a "fanfiction host". The work they do and have done, not just with AO3 but also their other projects and occasional legal advocacy, is important to some people.

Is the OTW perfect? No. Are they struggling for funds? Also no. But these "righteous" PSAs implying the OTW is super wealthy and donations are just throwing money into a fire are misleading at best and positively reek of semi-malicious intent at worst.

So why would anyone rage so hard and write PSAs over which harmless causes other people spend their disposable income in support of?

[tinfoil hat below the cut]

Could it be partly caused by the small (but vocal) fandom-adjacent cliques that astroturf to sabotage the OTW's public image at every opportunity because they're Big Mad that AO3 fights to preserve content they don't like?

Do you really believe that if they win re: the big-nope taboos they'll abandon efforts to sour the other topics they hate? For example, LGBTQ+ content (emphasis on the T, gotta protect them kids /s) has been targeted by these same groups--over literal decades of fandom history--as have works and content created by and for victims of various abuses.

[/tinfoil]

I do not personally support the aforementioned big-nope taboos, but censorship in fandom is a slippery slope that we have fallen down before and I do not want to see that happen again.

I'm NOT saying everyone complaining about the OTW/AO3 fundraising is campaigning for or agrees with the TERFs/bigots et al who seed this shit into our communities, far from it. I am saying it is painfully obvious when a post is blindly parroting their rhetoric (which has often been carefully trimmed and presented in a way that appeals to them).

Next time you see a post hating on something (anything, really) out of nowhere, take a second to think about where they are getting their info, and whether or not that source is credible. For fuck's sake, I've even seen fake screenshots of the OTW's website tweaked just enough to "prove" their points. It's childish.

"But they have a couple million in net assets! They're not allowed to have savings!! They're a nonprofit!!!"

No, no, no. Perfect example of the "parroting" I mentioned earlier. Net assets are not cash. That is the value of everything in and owned by the OTW combined minus their debts/liabilities, not how much they have in the bank.

The OTW is pretty transparent about how much it brings in and where the money goes; They have to do this by law to maintain their nonprofit status. Hell, they'll even toss you the numbers if that's your schtick.

Again, not perfect, but nowhere near as greed-riddled as has been implied by so many posts on my dash over the past couple months. I think I'm more just upset at seeing people I know and respect falling for it hook line and sinker. It makes me angry to think about the people I love being manipulated by folks who seem to be allies, but who are simply waiting for permission to destroy us next.

/endrant

[painted-flag]

After the events of September 11, 2001, countless flights were rerouted out of the United States for fear of safety. Many of those flights were rerouted to the next best place for safety – Canada. One particular town, Gander in Newfoundland, had 38 commercial flights sent to them. Despite the town having a population of 10,000, they found themselves dealing with almost 7,000 people landing in their area, nearly doubling their population. There were not enough rooms in the hotels of Gander and surrounding areas to temporarily house all of these people. 

So, Newfoundlanders did what Newfoundlanders do and opened their arms – and houses – to those who needed it. Gander residents and surrounding areas worked quickly to lend out food, clothing, cars, and spaces in their homes. Schools, churches, and community halls were transformed into temporary housing. Local TV ran PSAs with the phrase “lend a hand, do what you can.” 

It would be disingenuous, as a Canadian and the ideals that have been instilled in me, to not lend a hand and do what I can when people need it. Now, Canada is far from perfect. We have many issues, especially when it comes to affordable housing and available jobs. We too face an uncomfortable rise in the cult of personality concerning our conservative party. 

However, the very real reality of Trump’s presidency puts already at-risk groups in further danger; POC, LGBTQ+, and women. I have seen other Canadians express similar sentiments online; while it may not be the best here, we have open spots at our tables for those who need them. 

This is not meant to further scare Americans or frighten them into leaving, but many may not be able to afford or have the capability to go to further places and Canada is the closest they can go. Our Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly has spoken about plans being made in the event that the United States faces a far-right authoritarian shift, including the possibility of waves of refugees. Today, we live in a world where the absurd has become reality and the common has become hate. 

I am urging others from around the world that if you are able: “lend a hand, do what you can.”

Here is the official Canadian Government’s website for immigration. Here is the Canadian Immigration Law Firms step-by-step guide for U.S. citizens wishing to become permanent residents.

My heart goes out to all of you <3 

And in case there is anyone on my page who thinks for even a second to excuse Republicans for their egregious behaviour, I will say with my full chest, may you fucking rot and get off my page. I'd sooner take a bullet than welcome you into my home.

[runwayrunway]

No. 15 - PSA (Pacific Southwest Airlines)

Thank you to @lobstersinmyhouse for requesting PSA! And, in all honesty, this is exactly my feelings too. Pack it up, post over.

...okay, no. I am going to write a post, but I make no secret of loving PSA's airplanes. After all, one is even my icon.

image: Piergiuliano Chesi

There was never an airline like it before PSA sprang up in 1949, and there has never been an airline like it since. Decades after its demise I still feel a real sense of grief about the fact that it's gone. Pacific Southwest Airlines hasn't existed for longer than its entire time in operation and it mostly only operated in a single state, but it remains one of the most beloved airlines ever to exist. I'm certainly far from immune to catching their smile. So I'm very, very excited to cover the iconic grinningbirds, one of the best-known airline liveries of all time even 40 years after the regional carrier which wore it ceased existing.

PSA officially stands for Pacific Southwest Airlines. Unofficially, it was the Poor Sailor's Airline. According to a button they put out, it was this.

image: psa-history.org

But really, it can stand for anything you want. I think it stands for Pretty Smiling Airplanes.

You see, PSA's marketing leaned into the fun and casual as much as it was possible for an airline to do. They called themselves "The World's Friendliest Airline". Their branding was all bright, colorful, delightful. One aspect of it is particularly well known.

image: Piergiuliano Chesi

The name "grinningbird" is literal. PSA's fleet was lovingly painted with massive smiles directly under their noses. Their advertisements encouraged people to "catch our smile" across the state of California.

A preserved DC-3 in original Pacific Southwest livery

PSA was started as a single leased DC-3 hopping from San Diego to Oakland. Apparently their ticket office was literally a refitted military surplus latrine where they weighed passenger baggage on a bathroom scale. When they expanded with DC-4s they painted rectangles around the windows to make them look more like DC-6s. This was in 1955. And then, by the early 60s, they were taking off.

A pre-smile PSA Electra. The L-188 Electra is, of course, my favorite jet plane. image: Jon Proctor

It was in the 60s that their planes stopped saying 'Pacific Southwest Airlines' and started just being PSA, and it was in the 60s when they caught their smiles. This was the point when PSA became PSA, transforming from just another intrastate airline in the pre-deregulation era to a turning point in aviation history.

a 1972 promotional button image: psa-history.org

While the smiley faces are the most significant historical fact about PSA, also notable is the fact that they were the first low-cost carrier in history. Although PSA's routes were limited to Southern California, they charged $9.99 for a ticket other airlines would charge $13.50 or $22.05 for - and keep in mind that in today's money that's a difference of hundreds of dollars. Free of federal fare taxes and operating frequently, PSA grew at an intense pace with its new fleet of Lockheed L-188 Electras.

I love the L-188 Electra (not to be confused with the earlier L-10 Electra best known for Amelia Earhart reasons). Although Lockheed has long since moved over to exclusively making weapons for killing people, back when they were in the civil airliner market they made the most incredible planes which somehow ended up commercially flopping time after time. The Electra, for instance, was all but killed immediately by two early crashes caused by a sneaky design flaw. These were fixed, but the type's reputation had already been sullied. (Interestingly, similar early design flaws with far less prompt responses failed to kill either the DC-6 or the DC-10, despite the latter causing the deadliest crash in history at the time and the former having had the serious potential to give us a timeline where the President of the United States was killed because his presidential transport had a design flaw which encouraged going up in flames midair.) Ironically, the Electra is actually an insanely reliable and sturdy plane, and the example pictured is still in service as an air tanker under the registration C-GZCF, still doing her thing at just 63 years young. (Another Electra in Air Spray's fleet is a similar age but also survived being bisected across the belly by her own detached propeller, and she literally flew two days ago. These planes are on a level only shared with Nokia cell phones, especially for their size.)

That paragraph became about the Lockheed L-188 Electra. I did not mean for it to be, but I am leaving it in, because I love this plane. Looks great with the smile, too. The roundness of the nose gives the distinct appearance of something like a teddy bear snout.

From this point things only grew quicker. PSA continued to be PSA, acquiring more aircraft to fly more passengers. They did expand routes eventually, and once the 1978 Deregulation Act allowed they flew to some other states and even Mexico. Despite this, they remained an icon in their home state, and are often called "the unofficial flag carrier of California".

PSA stewardesses. I can't find an original source for either of these pictures, which have been widely spread without context or credit - although significant effort has been made to archive PSA's promotional content, a lot of it is, sadly, free-floating orphaned bits.

PSA's stewardesses wore bright pink and orange uniforms of miniskirts, hot pants, and go-go boots. They were encouraged to joke around with passengers, and so were the pilots. Other airlines at the time were still only slowly losing the unapproachable aura they had cultivated of stiff, sterile luxury and gravitas. PSA would get you where you needed to go without any fuss and they'd charge you half as much for it. And they weren't sloppy, either. Despite their low fares, PSA was incredibly safe, having one fatal accident in a span of time where American Airlines had 16, and even though nostalgia is obviously a factor I've only ever heard glowingly positive accounts of PSA, its service, and its staff.

image: Bill Larkins

PSA's fleet was...eclectic. Though they operated a few very popular models, like the Boeing 727 and McDonnell Douglas MD-80 series, a lot of their offerings were somewhat uncommon. The plane in my profile picture is one of their two L-1011 TriStars, another of Lockheed's underappreciated airliners and by far the most advanced wide-body aircraft of its time. PSA was unique in that it operated a jumbo jet, their "Mother Grinningbird", on a route that was not just domestic, but intrastate. They also apparently operated a single Bell 206 helicopter, which I can find no additional clarification on. Lastly, they flew one of the oddest airliners ever built in both function and appearance, the British Aerospace 146.

Just your regular high-wing jet. No thrust reversers necessary. Western-made but rocking the Il-76 wing anhedral. Super quiet because the powerplants are based off what you'd put on a helicopter. Seats less people than a 737-200 - six-across layout for maximum discomfort - and flies exclusively puddle jumps...yeah, I think four sounds like the right number of engines. image: Ted Quackenbush

Across all these planes, they found a livery that worked and they kept going with it. The reason this post is so long is to give context to just how important this livery is. The grinningbirds were what started low-cost carriers, paving the way for the silly names of jetBlue airplanes in a future its founders couldn't even have imagined. The shift to approachability over prestige in airline marketing was PSA's lasting gift to aviation, as were the low fares and the knowledge that a 'budget' airline didn't have to be dodgy or unpleasant - they just had to charge less than TWA and Western.

image: Piergiuliano Chesi

PSA's colorscheme was incredibly vibrant. The red and orange colors feel warm and tropical, complementing the California sunshine in which these planes spent their time. Earlier liveries also had a shocking hot pink shade above both, though it was eventually painted over due to issues with paint fading - I think the livery is vastly improved with its presence, but I suppose needs must. Despite the airline serving commuters more than vacationers it puts one in mind of things like beaches and ice cream stands - warm, high-energy things. The sorts of things one might smile about, if they like those things. I hate those things, but these planes make me like the idea of them, because they're just so darn happy to take me there!

The design of the fuselage is incredibly bold despite not using much more paint than any other airline of the day. While the striking colors definitely contribute to the overall look being more than the sum of its parts, I think there's also a few bits of clever design that really elevate the design of the plane.

The tail has a design almost like an inverse hockey-stick. Instead of following the cheatlines for maximum sleekness it chooses to diverge from it, creating a sharp angle that keeps the aerodynamic feeling while feeling fresh from similar designs of the time. By having the thin line from the tail trailing down towards the fuselage it prevents the block of empty space on a regular hockey-stick livery, where the forward portion of the empennage is fully unpainted, and creates a feeling of continuous color and excitement while keeping some staccato punch.

Similarly subtle yet effective are the stripes themselves. They aren't of an equal width - rather, the red stripe is thinner than the orange one, and in planes with the additional pink stripe this one is even wider. It feels a lot more dynamic than simple even-width stripes, feeling almost as if you can see the colors start to mix into each other. The 'mixing' feeling is helped by the fact that the cheatlines wrap under the nose instead of simply ending where they meet. The small painted white line under the main colored ones, above the unpainted metal of the underbelly, creates basically an extra two stripes for the price of one despite being so subtle many people probably didn't notice it.

On its own, the design of the bodies of PSA planes is already good, but it practically ceases to matter when you get to the face.

The way the top line of color wraps around the back of the cockpit windows makes it look almost like the plane is wearing sunglasses. And then there's the little painted black nose and, of course, the huge ear-to-ear grin. I don't really know what else to say about this because it's all been said time and time again.

I genuinely don't know how else to express it. PSA's livery was gorgeous and it was perfect for PSA. In all honesty, I don't think it's possible to improve it at all. My one slight criticism is that the actual PSA wordmark, though designed well, is a bit small and out of the way, but to be totally honest it's barely necessary. You see the smile and you know exactly who that plane is flying for.

PSA gets a PSA+.

So what happened to PSA, if they were so successful? Did an economic shift catch them off-guard? Did some demographic evolution rob them of their old customer-base? Did a change of management result in a new owner running the airline into the ground? Did it have anything to do with the fact that the one time they were involved in an accident it spent eight months as the deadliest crash in US history?

Nope. They got bought out by USAir because they wanted more routes on the West Coast.

Yeah. That's the story. Neither a bang nor a whimper. They left one morning and didn't come back. That was the end of PSA, the first-ever low-cost carrier, California's most beloved airline, and one of the best-designed liveries in airline history if not the very best.

There is, however, one final twist. USAir eventually was sucked into the gaping maw of American Airlines. With this merger American Airlines also inherited the rights to PSA's IP. In classic fashion, they created a wholly-owned subsidiary by the name of PSA Airlines, just to make sure nobody else could get the trademark.

Under the iron fist of first US Airways (USAir's eventual rebrand) and later American Airlines, we were allowed one last grinningbird - an Airbus A319-100 registered N742PS. It's strange, seeing the PSA livery on a model of airplane they never operated. It's a rare example of the design on airframes that have that rather distinct 'default' modern empennage, all sharp and tall with no t-tail or third engine. The implementation could take some notes and the colors look bizarrely plastic, but I will never stop loving her no matter how much they take from her. How could I not, with that smile?

Unfortunately, in April of this year she was re-painted to a standard American Airlines livery. Although the Allegheny and Piedmont heritage liveries were removed at the same time, I almost don't even notice their absence because of the loss of our very last holdout from a much more colorful time and place. Part of me feels a sort of ripping-the-bandaid-off relief at it. American Airlines shouldn't get to parade around the skin of a much better livery worn by a much better airline. That isn't theirs; they didn't earn it. And there's no way to rebuild PSA now that times have changed and the industry is unrecognizable from the days when a ticket from San Diego to Burbank cost $9.99. All the same, the loss of yet another smile hurts. There's no way it wouldn't. And at the end of the day it makes me feel a little dead inside just imagining the mindset of the American Airlines executive who walked by her in the hangar and instead of smiling back gave the order to paint her white. And that day, the sky got a little less colorful and a lot sadder.

Maybe, in a strange sense, the way it happened is better. Nobody ran PSA into the ground. They did not cause some sort of reputation-ruining accident through willful negligence. Their customer service did not decline until they were widely grumbled about. They didn't die infamous for poor safety and loose morals like Pan Am, or splitting at the seams and betraying their reputation like Chalk's Ocean Airways. No, I don't think an organic shriveled going-under would have held any more dignity than this. I think the ending PSA got is as graceful as the ending to something like PSA could be. There is no end to the glory days which forces itself into our memories. There is no decline. No sunset to fly off into. There is a loss to mourn, but no accompanying moment to curse. Lost at sea, ship never found, nothing to imply a terrible fate; all we know is the poor sailors aren't here anymore.

Maybe it's not universally known to people who aren't interested in subjects that bring them close to it, but to those of us who love planes PSA is truly special. Its quiet apotheosis has made it synonymous with the very best an airline could be. The joy of a time where a regular person could finally afford their first plane ticket and be greeted by colorful people who talk to them like friends, where even the planes are smiling, is encoded into the DNA of PSA's remnants, into every anecdote told by an aging former stewardess and into every Polaroid taken of one of those smiling planes parked on a sunny California tarmac. It was there, and then it was a distant echo of warm breezes and idle chatter that feels almost close enough to reach out and touch. PSA never died. One day it was flying passengers to their destinations, planes smiling their same smiles. The next day it was fond memory, already graduated to the distant sunny shores of nostalgia.