#welcome to the badlands series

[themerriweathermage]

Rules of the Baron's Court

Summary: Wanting someone to be there for him the way Sunny is to his sister, Bren agrees to open up a Baron's Court for his hand

Pairing(s): Gen, Sunny X Nix, Quinn X Bren (It's Complicated)

POV: 1st Person POV (Bren), 3rd Person (Gen)

Warnings: Angst, Quinn being a toxic POS (but what else is new)

Co-creator: @i-drink-and-i-write-fics

Divider Credit: firefly-graphics

Not even a few days had passed for us to get settled back home when Lydia came into the office and presented me with a book I wasn’t familiar with.

“What’s this?” I asked.

“Rules of the Baron’s Court.” She tapped the faded gold embossing on the hardcover. I raised an eyebrow slightly, waiting for her to elaborate. “You mentioned to me once that you’d give anything to have a man like Sunny, the way Sunny is to Nix. Someone to help you rule the barony.”

“Yes, I can recall the rest of that conversation as well. Specifically, the part about needing a man like Sunny, but wanting a man like Quinn.” I retorted.

“So arrange a baron’s court.” I opened the book, thumbing through the pages and skimming the chapters.

“A court... of suitors?”

“Open it up to all the baronies, to be fair.”

“I’m not sure I follow.” I murmured.

“The court is a game of skill. But courting the baron is serious, and with the title of Lord of Nost Bronadui on the line, there are rules that a suitor must follow, for one.”

“And for two?”

“I suggest you make yourself familiar with your new reading material. And of course as the Baron, you’re welcome to make your own house rules.” I grumbled quietly at her, taking the book and settling down on the couch.

She came back a few hours later to find me still engrossed and jotting down notes.

“I take it you like it?”

“I... know this is better than letting my impulsivity run wild.” I replied. “Where did you get the book?”

“I don’t think there’s a soul in the Chau family who’s married for love. This is how it was once done, but I think most of their marriages are arranged these days.” Lydia replied. 

“I pity the person that does get an arranged marriage with Juliet Chau.” I muttered.

“And I pity her.” Lydia remarked back. I raised an eyebrow slightly. “I wanted children, but Quinn didn’t give a rat’s ass about children. Chau will be expected to carry on the line, whether by her will or not.”

“Ugh.” I shivered. “Not a fate I’d wish on my worst enemy.” Lydia sat down on the edge of the couch.

“So what are your thoughts?” I closed the book, setting it aside and sitting up to go over my notes.

“I like the basic rules. Open up the court to all the baronies, Broadmore, Chau, Quinn’s included. Let them offer up suitors, and show off their exports. That way it’s fair across all territories. Our first court can be a night court.”

“A dinner party?”

“Something of the sorts. And I... well I expect everyone to be in no less than their best.” I replied. “The barons can show off their exports; I won’t deny them that, but I want suitors to bring a gift themselves, something personal. It’ll be their ticket into the event, so to speak.”

“And the ones that think they’re the gods’ gift to men?” Lydia teased.

“You have my explicit permission to deny them at the front door.” 

“He’s not a smart man, Bren.”

“I guess I’d better start praying that he wises up then.” I replied. “I have a list of things in a general vicinity that I like, but I’m not encouraging explicit hint dropping either. And if anyone puts a toe out of line, I’m sending them home, baron or not.”

“So, fancy dress, a set of manners, and a tailored gift? I think I can work out some polite invitations that capture that.” Lydia sighed softly, taking my notes.

“Do be sure that Waldo gets an invitation with information that he can disseminate to the rest of the barony.” I added. “We all know that invitation won’t ever leave Quinn’s desk.”

“It sounds to me like you’re saying Quinn’s not the baron.” She stated but it was still a question. I snorted.

“He is baron in title only, like Chau. Arrogant enough to think he still has mastery of his own empire, and stupid enough not to realize that it’s already been poached from under him.” She raised an eyebrow. “Waldo took the oath. I knew before Gideon’s. There is a reckoning coming for Quinn.”

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t my favorite Regent come knocking on my door.” Waldo teased, opening the door and seeing Lydia standing there. “To what do I owe the occasion?” Lydia simply smiled and handed him a fancy invitation sealed with the wax crest of House Enduring. “Fancy. Not a social call then, I take it?”

“A sort of social call. The invitation is for you and for you to provide to the rest of the barony.” Lydia took a seat when Waldo gestured for her to come in.

“I don’t suppose there’s one on Quinn’s desk too, is there?” Lydia shrugged.

“I don’t know. I couldn’t be assed to deliver it to him.”

“Given you’re here to hand-deliver this to me, I take it you’re out there hand-delivering these to all the barons?” Waldo asked. “Just not to Quinn.” 

“Our staff will still deliver it one way or another. They can just deliver it a day or two late.” Waldo raised an eyebrow, opening the invitation.

“My oh my. Bren is hosting a baron’s court?”

“He’s... he’s lonely, Waldo. Can you fault him for wanting something like Sunny and Nix have?”

“I don’t fault him for wanting companionship; I just know he has proclivities towards Quinn.”

“And now you know why the invitation will be a day late getting to him.” Lydia replied.

“Ah, alright, you’re not just here for the invitation. Spit it out, Lydia.”

“Bren knows about the coup.”

“Yeah.” Waldo wasn’t surprised. “Considering he all but called me Baron before he went to Gideon’s.”

“And he still went to Gideon’s, with that knowledge?”

“Bren got Quinn out of the barony for a few days, while I looked for a capable Regent among the Clippers.”

“Does he...”

“Does he know? Kid’s smart. Sure, he might have been holding out real hope for Quinn, but he knew what I was doing behind his back, sure enough.” Waldo replied. 

“Well,” Lydia sighed and stood. “I have a few more stops to make and you have a barony to attend to.”

I looked out the window, letting out a long sigh, watching our staff run my errands.

“Quite the sigh.” Nix murmured. “Are you going to tell me what happened out there beyond the Wall that’s got you planning this?” She held up the invitation. “Not that Lydia didn’t run it by me first and get my approval, but...”

“But Quinn?” I asked. “He’ll never be someone for me like Sunny is to you. Much as both their pasts might be written in blood, there is a goodness in Sunny that Quinn doesn’t have.”

“But could you ever love someone else?”

“I... I don’t know.” I finally replied. “I found answers out there, not the ones I wanted or the ones I expected. And I found family out there, family in Lydia, which I suppose is why I’m so much more willing to take a step back and--”

“Listen? You?” Nix teased.

“Let her help.” I finished, giving Nix a look. “I am tired, Nix, and I know that tiredness comes from chasing Quinn down. I love him so much it hurts, that the thought of letting him go is unfathomable, but I can’t... I can’t live like this. If he wants a relationship, his so-called prize, and he wants to work for it? I won’t turn him down. But I can’t keep giving and giving with nothing in return.” 

“I read the rules of the court.” Nix started. “And noted that suitors without a gift will be turned away at the door.”

“Yes,” I sighed. “Yes, you have my permission to throw him out.”

“Am I allowed to use force if he retaliates to being told no?”

“If he storms the gates like the raging bull he is, just let him pass. I’ll throw him out myself. Maybe that will be a rude enough awakening for him that this isn’t a game to me.”

“And if it isn’t?” I couldn’t look her in the eyes or entirely keep the warble out of my voice next I spoke.

“Well that’s Fate, I guess.”

[i-drink-and-i-write-fics]

Visions & Prophecies

Visions & Prophecies - Nix x Sunny

Summary: Bren and Lydia return to the Dragon Barony. But Nix worries about where her brother’s love for Quinn could take them. And the Badlands.

Co-Creator - @themerriweathermage​

Meraxes didn’t come home with Sunny and Lydia. And considering they weren’t covered in ash, I knew she didn’t burn Quinn to the ground. Pity.

But I also knew that Meraxes not being home meant Bren wasn’t. I had given her strict instructions not to let Bren out of her sight. Which meant only one thing. He had stayed in the Armadillo territory to speak to Waldo.

I wasn’t given the chance to find this out. As Sunny and Lydia walked up the stairs to the mansion, I could see they had a guest with them. The two parted so I could see the man with hair almost as red as flames walk up the steps. Lydia stopped at my side and turned towards the man.

“Baroness, this is Sebastian. He was my former guard back in Quinn’s territory.”

I nodded my head. “I thought he looked familiar. Welcome, Sebastian. I’m Nix. May I ask what brought you to my door?”

“Your brother extended an invitation.”

Of course. We trusted Lydia so anyone she trusted, Bren would want to get the measure of. Lydia didn’t really need her own guard here, not with Meraxes on the lands. So it made me wonder what position Bren saw him fit for.

“Well, for the most part, my brother has good judgment when inviting people into our barony,” no one missed the double meaning of my statement. “Come inside and take a tour. Dinner will be ready shortly.”

At those words, Sunny got a huge smile on his face. “Roast?”

“Duck this time. And those rolls you love.”

He bent down to give me a kiss. “The perfect way to return home. Let me clean up and I’ll be down to help.”

After Sunny left, I turned towards Lydia. She sighed and only said one phrase:

“He tried.”

I nodded my head and Lydia left as well, leaving me with our guest. “Sarah, could you have a guest room prepared? Lydia’s old guard, Sebastian will be staying with us for now.”

“Yes, Baroness.”

I jerked my head back towards the kitchen, “care for a drink?”

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. “You keep booze in the kitchen?”

“Not normally, but I like to have a glass or two when I’m cooking. It’s a damn good scotch from Rojas.”

He perked up at my words. “You were cooking?”

“Yes, though the idea seems to surprise you.”

“Sunny told me you were in charge of the military here in the barony.”

I laughed as we entered the room, the smell of roast duck growing stronger. “Yes, I am. But my first love was cooking. No need to stop that now. Especially, since I use it to lessen my stress levels.”

Sebastian took the offered glass, measuring me as I walked around the island to finish pureeing the potatoes. “So, you’re the woman who was able to tame Sunny. It makes so much sense now.”

Now it was my turn to raise an eyebrow. “Tame Sunny? You make him seem like a wild animal.”

“No, I guess he’s not. That would be more,” he cleared his throat, “other men.”

I snorted at that. “I prefer the phrase ‘rabid bear’, in regards to other men . But seriously, you make it seem as if Sunny wasn’t-”

“Human? In some ways, he wasn’t. Becoming a regent - especially Quinn’s regent - requires you to let go of pieces of your humanity. Sunny was no different in that regard. We all figured it would take a lot to make Sunny break his loyalty. Waldo knew it would be a woman, but we all suspected it would be someone…”

He seemed embarrassed to continue so I finished the thought for him. “Softer? The exact opposite of him?”

“Um, well…”

“It’s ok. Between overseeing the Clippers, being a dragon rider, and what I did to Quinn’s poppies, it’s easy to see how others could either be afraid of me or think me too rough. Bren and I each had our fair share of trauma before we came to the Badlands, and it molded us in different ways. It made Bren the diplomat - as you saw at the Summit - and it made me-”

“The Dragon Lady?”

“More so a fighter. I didn’t become the dragon rider until after Bren took this barony. And that is a confusing story on its own. One we may share at a later date.”

Just then, Sunny came in with Sarah right behind him. I wondered where Lydia could be but I caught a look from Sunny that told me she was still digesting part of the Summit. I would have to go to her later to find out what was on her mind.

Sunny stopped by my side, grabbed my hand, and couldn’t meet my eyes. “I’m sorry I couldn’t bring Bren home. I wanted to use Meraxes, but-”

For him to be this vulnerable in front of others told me just how upset he was at failing me. I pulled him into a hug. “He clearly needed to talk to Waldo. Meraxes is still with him. He will be safe.”

He held me a moment longer before turning to help make the salad. I poured him a glass and handed to him silently. The kitchen was quiet as Sunny, Sarah, and I worked on dinner while Sebastian looked on, drinking. As I pulled the duck out, I paused, tilting my head slightly towards the sky.

“Bren is home.”

“How-” but Sebastian didn’t finish his sentence before Meraxes’ roar announced her arrival.

“She was instructed not to leave his side.”

As I left the room, I heard Sunny quietly speak to Sebastian.

“There is no way to explain the bond. We just go with it.”

In the hall, I watched Bren practically drag himself inside. He looked beyond drained and I knew the magic was taking a toll on him. How much longer until it killed him?

He looked up at me and I knew the Summit had been both a success and a failure. But what surprised me, was the fear in Bren’s eyes. Something had happened out there.

I moved aside so Sarah could take him to his room and give him food that would work with his stomach better than what I was cooking. And instead of heading back to the kitchen, I went to the office.

Where I found Lydia sitting at her desk, but not working. She looked…distraught.

“I’m guessing the Summit went smoothly,” my voice dripped with sarcasm.

Lydia sighed. “He took Bren’s plans. Whether or not he uses them…”

“Is neither here nor there. His days are numbered.”

“You always thought this was a useless plan.”

I sighed. “Not so much useless as, well, I was going to say futile but that’s basically the same thing. No, I don’t want innocent people suffering. But I think it would be far faster and more beneficial to rid them of their baron completely.”

Lydia nodded her head. “We all believe that. But Bren-”

“I know. He has a soft spot for that asshat.”

“It’s more than that. He…he saw something. I thought it was a nightmare, but it seems to be more than that.”

“Visions,” I breathed. “He had a vision.”

Lydia looked up at me from behind her desk. “Do- do you get visions?”

“Not in the way that Bren does. His magic and mine are different.”

“You have magic?”

I gave a small smile. “How else would you explain the bond with Meraxes? As for visions, I know of a type of magic I could use. Not sure if I would see exactly what Bren had, but it may give me a clue.”

“Would you…”

“No, I won’t do it here or now. I’ll check on Bren first. And then, I’ll take Meraxes somewhere safe to see if it’s possible for me to conduct this type of magic.”

But Bren was locked away in his room, only allowing Lydia and Veil see him. Whatever rattled him clearly involved me so it looked like I would be conducting this spell sooner than I had anticipated.

I gave Lydia instructions on what to do until I returned, hoping to only be gone one night. After packing a small bag, I found Sunny in the parlor with Sebastian. While he was engaged in the conversation, I could see he was worried. And it all flooded to the surface once he laid eyes on me.

“Nix,” he lept out of his chair and gently grabbed my upper arms. “You didn’t come to dinner.”

I knew what he was really asking, so I spoke to him in Dothraki. “Whatever Bren saw, it has shaken him to the point he won’t speak to me.”

He responded in kind. “What will you do?”

“Head to the mountain town. Our gifts came from those same mountains and they have always made Bren uneasy. I may find my answer there.”

“I should come with you.”

I shook my head. “We have a visitor that is sworn to no one. Lydia may trust him, but even still. With Bren in this state, you and Lydia are in charge of the barony in my stead. I will return by dawn.”

He took my hand and kissed the ring I had made. “Till then.”

I heard him quietly explain the language to Sebastian as I left the manor, heading to my dragon that knew to wait by the gate. She waited patiently as I packed a compartment and then climb up her wing.

Once at the encampment, I gave her instructions to return to the barony and fetch Sunny if at any time I seemed I was in trouble. Meraxes grumbled but seemed to agree.

I walked through the city Lydia had built for Bren, marveling at how quickly people had put up permanent fixtures. It wouldn’t have mattered if we had wanted this to be temporary; the people had spoken otherwise.

There was something about this mountain range that called to me. Ever since I found Meraxes, I came here long before Bren had the train up and running. But now, with the city, it didn’t seem as private. But still, I felt the call. So where better to try this spell?

Yeah, the odds of it working were very slim. The only magic I possessed was whatever linked Meraxes to me. But it couldn’t hurt to try.

At the edge of the encampment, I built a firepit and pulled out a lighter.

The first place I went, after I saw the visions, was to the Armadillo territory. I landed Meraxes right outside the gates to the Fort and didn’t even bother giving Quinn a glance as I marched to the barracks. I didn’t even bother taking my helmet off. But Quinn’s ego wouldn’t allow anyone to ignore him. Even someone he hated.

“Hey!”

I walked right through the gates and past him.

Which he didn’t take well. He grabbed my arm. Hard.

“Don’t think you can ignore me. This isn’t your fucking barony.”

I looked at his hand and then up at his face. “Is this how you want to die? Attempting to make me give a fuck about your opinion?”

Meraxes growled and slowly put her head through the gate.

“Is this how you wish to destroy your brother?” Quinn countered. “By having us both die in a fiery blaze?”

“Only one of us would die.”

His grip tightened. “I have no intention of letting go.”

“Oh, I know. But out of the two of us, who is dressed in fireproof clothing?”

Quinn stopped and took in my look, seeing that I was in my flight suit. “This outfit…”

“Meraxes could bathe us in fire right this instant, and only one of us would walk away.” I leaned in. “Fire cannot kill a dragon.”

My words shook him to the core and he dropped his hand.

“And one more thing: the next time you lay a hand on me will be the last time you have hands.”

Meraxes roared in agreement. Quinn dropped to the ground, covering his ears at the close proximity of the noise while my helmet protected me. I stepped over him and continued to Waldo’s barrack.

“I thought I told you not to come back until you sorted yourself out!” Waldo growled as he turned towards the door. “Oh. Well, this is unexpected.”

I closed the door before pulling off my helmet. “By your anger, you either got into another fight with Quinn, or Bren’s visit after the summit went swimmingly.”

Waldo scowled. “Your brother needs his heart removed. Figuratively speaking.”

“If we did that…who do you think would keep me in check?” I took a seat at his table. “I have a dragon, Waldo. Do you know how easy it would be to burn down every barony and take it all? Turn it all over to the Cogs? Just me and Meraxes could probably do it in a month. If I had truly loyal warriors with me, less than that. I hate this place. I hate the baronies. I hate the divide. I hate the class system and the violence. And I fucking hate the game.”

“Then why do you stay?”

“You know why. It’s the same reason why you haven’t killed Quinn.”

“Are you actually here to plead Quinn’s case on Bren’s behalf?”

I snorted. “Sure, just as soon as I sprout my own wings. I came to…change the future.”

Waldo raised an eyebrow. “So Bren told you his visions?”

“No. I- I asked for help from a deity. One that wasn’t from this world. I saw what he saw and Bren’s right, we can’t let that happen. Even if I could get on Meraxes fast enough to try to outrun my brother’s new form, he and I will both lose our other halves. And if I go Targaryen…”

“So what? You just want me to keep serving that moron?!”

“Oh, for fuck sake Waldo! Did you hit your head and forget who the fuck I am?! We’re not idiots. We know Quinn’s time is limited. When you take the barony, I only want one thing. I want him exiled.”

“That’s what I plan-”

“Beyond the Badlands,” I interrupted.

Waldo’s jaw dropped slightly.

“We can’t kill him because of what it will do to Bren. But I can’t have him roaming freely all over the Badlands, either to make a pact with Juliet or Broadmore or try to weasel his way into my barony by playing to Bren’s sympathy. I want him gone.”

Waldo stared at me for several minutes. “You’re a cold-hearted bitch.”

“You say that as if I didn’t know.”

“Banishment beyond the wall. You may as well kill Quinn. It’d be quicker.”

“As much as I would rather lick a sandpaper-covered cactus that admit this, you and I both know it would take a lot to kill Quinn once he gets out of his own damn way. He could easily survive beyond the wall.”

“And make his way back here.”

“And if - and this is a huge if - he manages to do that, all that time starving and surviving may actually put things into perspective.”

“Or make you and I his main targets.”

“Then we’ll at least know you can’t change the future if that happens.”

I didn’t tell Bren where I had gone or what Waldo had promised me. I don’t even know if he knew I had left. Yeah, I had been gone almost two days, but the summit had clearly taken a lot out of Bren. 

Still, part of me expected to see Bren’s face when I opened the office door. Only to find Lydia sitting at my desk.

“Forgive me, Baroness. Your chair is more comfortable than mine.”

I smiled. “No forgiveness needed. I’ve had chronic pain in regard to my knees and lower back for as long as I can remember. Sunny had that specially made for me. I can always have another made for you if you wish.”

“No, thank you. I do love my chair. I just…”

I could see it in her eyes and finished her sentence. “Needed a soft spot after kneeling by Bren’s bed?”

Lydia sighed. “May I ask you a question, Nix?”

“Of course. Any time you need, anything you wish to know, you can ask.”

“Bren…Bren was very weak on the travel home. And he…”

I could see her hesitate so I took the seat next to her. The one that only Sunny ever occupied. I gently reached out and took her hand.

“Whatever happened out there, I know you and Sunny did what you could to keep Quinn at bay so Bren wouldn’t be tempted. I won’t fault you if he was able to sneak past everyone.”

Lydia gave a tired smirk. “He couldn’t sneak past Meraxes. Quinn tried his best to cut through our Clippers, only to be met with a metal wing.”

I snorted. “What a moron. What did you want to ask me?”

Lydia sighed again. “When he was in and out of consciousness, he…he called me mom.”

Well, this was not the direction I thought this conversion would go. “And you want to know why?”

She nodded her head.

It was my turn to sigh. “As you know, Bren and I aren’t really siblings. But I do know about his life before…” I cleared my throat. “It’s not surprising he would call you mom. I have no doubt you remind him of all the good things his mom stood for. All the ways she would guide and support him. You are our regent, but also-”

I stopped when I realized what I was about to say. Lydia raised her eyebrows.

“But also?”

I rubbed my hand over my mouth. “Ah hell. But also, you are very much like a mom to us.”

Her eyes got wide. “Nix?”

“Ah hell,” I muttered again. “For Bren, you’re all the positive memories he has of his mother. For me…you’re what I wish my mom was. The mom I needed growing up.”

Now her eyes were watering. “Oh, Nix. I- I never knew.”

I lowered my eyes. “No one outside of Bren and Sunny knows. I- I don’t find much point in talking about my past. Not if I need to keep myself together to run this barony. Someone needs to be strong for Bren.”

“But who is strong for you?”

I looked up at her sheepishly. “You and Sunny. You help keep Bren and me from doing anything too stupid…by Badlands standards anyway. I know Bren wants to be strong for me, but he has so much going on as it is. I never want to add to his plate.”

"Then you will get overloaded."

"I was the oldest in my family. It's my job to protect."

She smiled and stood up, holding out her arms. I stood and embraced her.

“Then let me protect you. Nix, I am happy to be your surrogate mother. You and Bren.”

“Thank you, Lydia.”

Tagging Crew:

Everyone

@multifanworld​

@blackgaladriel​

@liadamerondjarin​

[lostinaflashforward]

Le notizie della settimana di cinema e TV!

[0zzysaurus]

IF NO ONE WILL SEND YOU DAD SON ASKS I WILL!!!

I was wondering about like the junkion culture? Or I guess more the necessity? To know how to repair things from literal junk. Like they repair themselves and the items they find and even build themselves from scraps so clearly it's a skill. Is that something g1 wreck would teach his son too? Like i think repairing stuff together or just learning tactile skills like that together is always rly sweet hehe

Also does tfa wreckgar end up on earth like in the animated series? Cos if he does I'm curious as to how he got there

YAYAY

Oh G1 Wreck would absolutely train TFA Wreck in every single skill he knows, repairing, scavenging, and fighting too — I like to think that the face markings are a symbol of leadership and also combat prowess, so if he wants to pass those traits down then training from day one is a given. Or maybe not from day one. There’s gotta be a few weeks of just holding him and teaching him to walk and talk.

Everything is brand new to TFA Wreck’s processor, so he’s constantly asking questions about what they’re doing, why they’re doing it, what all the different pieces of scrap components do and where it all comes from. He ends up inheriting his dad’s encyclopaedic knowledge of the storage halls after a while, and if you ask him where you can find the LEDs or some copper wires he’ll grab your servo and run you over to exactly where it is.

I can totally imagine there being a sort of coming-of-age ritual for younger Junkions where they have to defeat their mentor in combat, so the two of them train for months and months out in the badlands, and each day TFA Wreck gets better and better at fighting, and when the day finally comes where they fight for real G1 Wreck has literally never been happier to have his limbs knocked off his body. He’s just so proud of his boy!!!

And about Earth, I had an idea for one of the fics I was mulling over where Junk gets destroyed in some huge cataclysm. G1 Wreck is off-planet on boring diplomat adventures with Rodimus, so he survives, and TFA Wreck is somehow able to escape in time via the abandoned Space Bridge (love a bit of deep Junk lore. Did you know the planet is the result of a failed space bridge waste disposal project? Well now you do ^^) and he ends up on Earth, or some other nearby planet. Both of them, of course, are assuming the other is either missing/out of reach or dead.

It wouldn’t be a Joey headcanon without some miserable shit in there. TFA Wreck does not take this displacement situation well at all and his processor just freaks out on him. The only way he can cope with the loss in the moment is to just think about the first thing his dad ever said to him — which, when repeated in the presence of the people who find him, sure does sound like an introduction of his own, doesn’t it?

In a related vein, I don’t actually know what to call TFA Wreck in this AU, because I can’t imagine G1 Wreck-Gar would just straight up give his son his own name. Or maybe he would. I guess it is a TV trope to just have the son be called ‘Junior’ or whatever lol, but G1 Wreck is a British robot in my heart and we don’t call our kids ‘Junior’ over here. Any suggestions would be welcomed ^^

[kalevalakryze]

A Galaxy Far, Far Away

Fandom: Star Wars - All Media Types, Ahsoka Series Pairings: Shin Hati/Sabine Wren Characters: Shin Hati, Sabine Wren, Ahsoka Tano, Huyang, Peridea Bandits, Noti Warnings: Violence, Blood, Betrayal, Near Death Experiences, Collapse, Force Bond(?) Notes: For Whumptober Day  8 Alternate Prompt Prompt: Betrayal Word Count: 2,823 AO3 Link: Here!

Shin did not speak the same languages as the Nomad Bandits, yet when she came to their camp and announced herself, it was in welcome. The warmest welcome they could hope to receive after… everything. They’d supplied everything she needed to travel alongside them, things even her own… Baylan, had provided once, the first time the world had spat her back out on their own. A tent, a bedroll, materials to make her own fire, and a bowcaster to hunt with, including the minimal training it would take to fire the primitive weapon.

She had to grow used to the rancid taste of howlers and Noti after their hunts, had to coerce her own Howler to take what he could get; the planet’s resources were scarce, it was a graveyard, after all. 

It wasn’t long before Shin had found herself in an odd sense of leadership with the bandits, the chief looked to her often enough on their hunt for the Noti, as the Force seemed to be consistently pulling her towards it.

The true hunt did not start until the Bandit chief was found deceased among the remains of a Noti camp, lightsaber burns seared through his flesh and a blaster burn slotted into the visor of his helmet; The body was too decayed for them to tell how long it had been, with the wildlife eating him up over the days and the rains washing away much other evidence. Shin had watched the Chimera fly into the atmosphere, had breathed a sigh of relief at the knowledge that the Togruta, Mandalorian, and scruffy Jedi were long gone; and yet… Shin had seen Ahsoka kill Marrok, the burns on what was left of the chief’s flesh would have been an exact match to the ones on Marrok, in the seconds she’d seen the smoldering remains, before he had disappeared into nothingness.

That was the day the hunt began for Shin; Hunting Sabine Wren was her purpose, it was all they knew, the last normal they had, and the last mission her Master had given her before he’d… changed. 

The Force seemed to be in agreement with the lonesome apprentice, guiding her across the badlands of Peridea in the tracks of the Noti and Jedi, staying just enough behind to stay off their radar. Shin had closed herself off from the force just enough that the pull had felt like basic instinct; convincing herself that abruptly cutting herself off was necessary to keep the blues of the predatory Togruta off of her, to stop the Mandalorian from looking at her again. 

The months passed in an exhilarating whirlwind for the young wolf; The Mandalorian’s Hero Complex often had her falling behind the pack to keep up with lagging Noti, giving Shin ample opportunity to attack; reminding them of their only remaining purpose on the graveyard planet. 

The night’s hunt hadn’t gone much differently than the others Shin had fallen short on in the last month, returning to camp with less ‘soldiers’ than she’d left with, and waning on their short supply of medical materials to keep the few that did survive alive longer. 

The tension in the camp had become palpable, even for the wolf who couldn’t understand, feeling the hostility rise had her on edge more and more, bringing her into seclusion even from the nomads who’d taken her in. When the betrayal came, Shin hadn’t been surprised. 

They came for her in the late hours of the night, with the moon high in the sky and weapons at the ready; without the force, and without her saber seeing action in months, they had quickly overwhelmed her. At least, as a jagged blade pierced her stomach and the ground rushed up to meet her, she had a view of the sky.

Shin had to wonder if their home was visible from here, the home where Baylan had promised to never leave, where their routine had never been broken, and where they could always sleep securely, knowing that even in their most suspicious lodgings, they were safe. 

Picking a random constellation, Shin thought of home. Her living situation had changed many times over the months, yet her home had only changed once. When she left the apprentice of Ahsoka Tano in a situation similar to her own, when fate had entwined her course so intimately with the Mandalorian, that even she could not disillusion herself of the reality. 

In what Shin thought would be their last few agonizing moments, they opened themselves up to the force one last time. Muscles convulsed at the electricity that coursed through their veins, forcing her body from its relaxed state, filling her with the need to move. 

Her body was on fire as she shoved herself up and out of the dirt, away from the pool of blood that had seeped from her wounds, away from the corpse of the handful of bandits she’d managed to drop on her scramble from her tent. Each step forward hurt more than the last, but the force persisted, and so did she. 

Blood dribbled past their lips, parted with each rattling, wheezing breath, boots dragging in the dirt as she walked. When a cold, wet nose brushed against her arm from the tear in her tunic, her hand reached out to bury in the howler’s fur. 

Fenrir whined as he pushed into Shin, winding himself around her until the blonde was collapsing into his side, staining his fur with her blood. Everything started to fade, then, as the wind caught in her hair and the steady thuds of his paws on the earth begged her to sleep, even as the force echoed out, seeming to beg of her just one more minute. 

The Howler released a series of urgent barks as his gait slowed, paws tapping against stone as he came to his destination. The snap-hiss of lightsabers activating and the rush of Noti slamming themselves in their crawls was enough to have Shin fighting to open her eyes; she hadn’t come face to face with Sabine in weeks; Maybe the force and Fenrir both knew how she’d wanted to die, and they would grant her this last mercy.

Shin dropped bonelessly from the beast’s back, crumpling in the dirt; the force did not offer the energy to continue as the onset of rigor mortis tried to take hold of her muscles, as if she truly had died when that bladed staff went through her skin, and her brain was coming up with something peaceful to soothe her as she joined the force. 

The last thing she saw before her eyes shut was the green of Sabine Wren’s lightsaber, and dark hair pulled back, out of her face, purple still clinging to frayed ends, and the enticing look of fear on her face. 

There was no expectation to ever open their eyes again, no stream of consciousness to cling to, but… there was no force, no fulfillment of the cosmic purpose Baylan had preached to them growing up; Another one of his lies?

Warmth ebbed back into her body slowly one day, bleeding into her hands as her world was reignited; it hurt like everything else they could remember, overwhelming in a way that made them wish to hide in their Master’s safety, to block out the vastness of life around them and focus on what they could feel; except… 

The fabric on her hands was soft, her gloves were gone, and slender fingers were brushing down the side of her face, the rough, gentle slide of the pad of someone’s thumb caressing over her furrowed brows as they tried to ease what had been another round of muscle spasms in the sickness that had followed healing Shin’s injuries

Shin could not speak or move to give any indication of their growing wakefulness, but they could hear the ambient noises of camplife around them, people (Bandits? No… The Noti…?) going about their nights on the other side of the canvas material. “How is she?” The smooth timber of the Togruta’s voice met her ears, though it did not ignite fear like she was used to; serving more as a reminder of her life, that the thud of her heart in her broken chest was a beacon that she had another chance. 

The other person sighed, fingers sliding down Shin’s face; she wished she could lean with it, follow the safety offered blindly; the first home they’d felt in so long. The hand settled on her shoulder next. “Better? I think. Looks like the nightmares stopped for now,” 

The rush in her blood was indescribable, like someone was pumping liquid nitrogen and an ignited fuel source into her veins. Sabine Wren did not end her, Shin could not decide how this made her feel. 

“Mmm,” The Togruta hummed, footsteps echoing through the Bandit’s bones as she closed the gap, chair creaking as she settled into it. “You can’t move, can you?” “ ‘soka, she’s not gonna be able to answer you,” Sabine argued on her behalf, confusion in her tone as she shifted in the chair. 

“Mmm, maybe not yet,” Shin bristled at the woman’s reply; how was she supposed to answer? The force didn’t offer her it’s aid anymore, she’d had a stroke of luck before- 

Her finger twitched as a large hand settled on her arm, fear igniting goosebumps across her skin as the woman squeezed, too gentle, too kind after everything. 

“The force works in many ways, even when you believe you may not deserve the connection, it never truly leaves you.” Sabine’s weight shifted awkwardly beside her; Shin wished to see the way she knew the Mandalorian’s eyes would roll; Behind her eyelids, Shin was greeted with an image.

Sabine Wren, knees pressing into the thin mattress of a cot, one hand pulling at a string on her pants as her other hand adjusted the blanket covering Shin’s shoulders. They could see themselves from this third perspective, a husk of the person they’d been stepping onto this planet. They had cut their hair dozens of times over the months to combat the sweat, heat, and lack of proper shampoo, dirty blonde hair clung desperately to the dark brown that had come to replace it; someone had brushed their hair and washed the grease out, and the tuft on the back that they hadn’t been able to reach properly had even been fixed. 

Blankets covered their body, startling small on the cot. The host of the image moved, giving her a nice view of Sabine’s startled expression as the blankets were shifted away from their body, giving them access to see; a promise that they had been cared for. The clothes they had been supplied with were too big, though the wraps of bandages offered the clearance to keep the baggy pants in place. The dressings were clean, either she’d been here long enough that her wounds had healed enough to no longer risk random spurts of ripped abrasions, or someone had changed them shortly before consciousness found her again.

“What are you…?” Sabine trailed off, reaching to cover Shin back up protectively, Shin could feel the smugness from the Togruta as the view was closed off once more. “Jetti Osik?”

“You’ll get there when you’re ready,” Ahsoka promised, reaching to tuck the side of the blanket under Shin’s arm. “And Shin will move when she’s ready; there is no need to rush healing.” 

The next time Shin woke, it was to fist her fingers into a warm fabric that had been draped over her, pulling her from her slumber. Instinctively, the blonde started to turn, rolling onto their side as their knees shifted closer to their chest, trapping their body heat under the many layers that had been placed over them in her sleep.

“Is that going to mess with her injuries?” She could hear Sabine grumble, seemingly on the other side of the room. The fabric was comfortable, warm, and it smelled nicer than anything else on this blasted planet. Shin tucked the material up closer to her nose. 

“It will be fine,” Ahsoka promised, close enough to surprise the younger woman.

Silver blue eyes blinked open slowly as the Togruta settled into the bench. The firelight across the tent was painfully bright, as was the view of the moon coming in from the hole cut into the tent to urge the smoke outside. The Mandalorian was knelt in front of the flames, adding tinder to the blaze. Ahsoka’s lips twitched. “Good morning,”

Shin stayed still; they’d read some time ago that Togruta’s were predators, and that some predators, simply freezing, would keep a person from their sights. Their heart thudded in their chest as they stared at Ahsoka, who seemed to be growing more amused by the minute. “Sabine, do you have that canteen on you?”

“Yeah, here-” There was a quiet rustle before Sabine stepped into their field of view. “Shit, hey; you’re awake,” Sabine seemed relieved, breathing out a soft sigh as she twisted the top of the small canteen. 

Sabine was the one to help Shin sit up, going as slow as they needed to adjust to the aching pain in her abdomen from the aftermath of her wounds. Fighting to unwind their hands was exhausting, but the Mandalorian stepped in once again to save the day, raising the canteen to Shin's lips and guiding their head back. 

There was a desperation and exhaustion as they drank, uncaring about embarrassment, though with the nagging feeling of undeserving having them forcing their head back before they were ready, nose twitching as Sabine idly brushed away a stray drop of water as it ran down her face. 

Finally forcing their hands free of the blankets and what they came to realize was a white dyed cloak, Shin managed to reach and take the canteen herself, hands shaking from underuse as they wrapped their fingers around the metal. Their gloves were gone, and the scars all across her hands were poking out sorely, skin clinging to bone, raised white and purple tissue a stark contrast to the dark dirt clinging to the canteen. 

“Why am I here?” They questioned after several terse moments of silence. Staring into the darkness of the canteen and the drops of water clinging to the mouth. 

“You needed help,” Sabine stated matter-of-factly, moving to stand beside Ahsoka, leaning into the Jedi’s chair and crossing her arms over her chest. Already, The Mandalorian seemed to be rearing up for a fight, one Shin had every intention of delivering, despite the exhaustion that seemed to weigh down on her bones. 

“What matters,” Ahsoka was quick to butt in, her elbow pressing into Sabine’s hip sharply. “Is that the Force was not ready for you, and now you are here;”

“You don’t think the Force wanted you to kill me?” Shin spat sourly, nose twitching as Sabine moved to shift the pillows at their back as their shoulders began to droop.

“I think it’s useless to fight about this when you can’t even keep yourself up; just let us help you for fucks sake,” Sabine snipped, placing a firm hand on Shin’s shoulder and guiding the bandit’s body to lay back again, taking the canteen from weak hands. 

“You’re more than welcome to leave, if you wish,” Ahsoka offered, facial marking quirking up. Shin bit back her retort, sighing in defeat; They didn’t kill her, she was very much alive, and she was stuck that way, it seemed, at least until she had enough energy to at least keep herself sitting up long enough and awake enough to think up proper responses when the Mandalorian got under her skin. 

Turning her head from the Jedi, Shin stared off at the blankets covering her legs, hand knit, with designs of loth-cas, loth-wolves, firebirds, and rebellion emblems emblazoned with care in the thick fabric. Shin said nothing as they watched her, only narrowing her eyes with the more time that passed. 

Eventually, Ahsoka stood, hand falling heavy on Shin’s shoulder as she passed. “Give it some time, your body needs to heal, and you need to offer your mind time as well; I can and will help you, so long as you let us.”

Later, as Sabine and Ahsoka regathered in the tent with bowls of real food, Shin scarfing down properly cooked meat ravenously as the two Jedi conversed between themselves, the Bandit allowed herself just a moment of selfish thought; the bandits didn’t want her, her Master didn’t want her, she didn’t want herself… but Ahsoka and Sabine both, despite everything, were making moves like they wanted her…

It was… nice, to feel wanted. 

[breezypunk]

Welcome to my blog! Here you can find all the things I post about (and I post a lot, it's a blessing but mostly a curse). You've been warned.

I'm a 20 something year old whose addicted to caffeine and cyberpunk 2077. You will find mostly CP77 content on this blog, but I also post Good Omens, which is my comfort show. We also shit post here. You get a little bit of everything when you come to my page. (You're sure to leave with a chronic case of whiplash).

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TAGS: OC's

Here are the links to all my tags. Starting from my most used and beloved tags.

My Cyberpunk 2077 OC, Vaughn Leblanc. He is as precious to me as precious comes, he's all over my page, he is my number one, my main squeeze, my kiddo. ♥

2. My Cyberpunk 2077 OC, Maggie Borden. My best girl, and while I do have a few Fem V's running around NC, Maggie will always have my heart.

3. My Cyberpunk 2077 OC, Layn AKA Mercy. Originally created for mod refit purposes, she quickly grew on me and I've loved her dearly since. She's also the only OC who can put up with Johnny Silverhand, and also put him in his place.

4. My Cyberpunk 2077 OC, JV AKA Jared V. I wanted another male OC, and JV kind of appeared in my lap and I fell in love instantly. He's around, lurking in the shadows a lot, but he's there. ;)

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TAGS: Ships

My Cyberpunk 2077 Ship, otp: Golden Hues. Originally called "disaster boyfriends" and for good reason. I refuse to tag that old ship name xD and don't you go looking for it either. Romantic partners, Goro Takemura & my OC Vaughn Leblanc. Running the Badlands together like the coolest nomads you ever did see. (My ship heavily leans Nomad Goro, with some occasional downtime in the city). My #1 ship, and my most cherished ship yet. They own my heart entirely. ♥

2. My Cyberpunk 2077 Ship, otp: Rebels With A Cause. Romantic partners, Johnny Silverhand & my OC Mercy. I don't have a whole lot in their ship tag right now, hoping to change that soon with my growing love for Johnny. These two are insane (affectionate).

3. My Cyberpunk 2077 Ship, otp: Knives Out. A fairly new ship involving Patricia from Maelstrom & my OC, Maggie Borden. Also not many photos, but they will be appearing more often very soon ^_^ These two can be seen around Northside, probably covered in blood, probably carrying at least 2 knives on them at all times. Opposites also couldn't attract anymore than with these two.

TAGS: Mods

Here you can find the link to my google drive where all my mods lie peacefully. These are way older, mainly replacer mods, some decor/prop stuff. The google drive is no longer being updated as I don't make replacer mods anymore, but it's there in case you want to go snooping ;p

Here is the link to my nexus page, where all my current mods are, up and active and partying away.

Lastly, in collaboration with Anrui, my modding partner, all of our mods can be found here. I've linked our atelier, there you can find everything we've made so far. Plenty more will be added :)

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COMMISSION INFO:

Screenshot commissions are open indefinitely. Here you can find the info that will tell you everything you need to know, including example shots, just so you have an idea of what my style is and if you're interested. :)

Examples: (Full size on google doc).

More misc. tags under the cut ♥

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TAGS: AU's

I've made a few AU's involving Vaughn & Goro. I've had so much fun making them, and more may be coming. But here are my favorites.

Zombie AU: Fallout 2077

Corpo AU: Omerta/Vampire AU

Street kid AU: Dreamer

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TAGS: Picrews & Tag Games

Picrews

Tag Games

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TAG: Random Moments Series

A small series of short photosets consisting of Vaughn and Goro's daily lives and how it brings them closer together. ♥

Random Moments tag

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Tag: Photostories

I'm a huge whore for photostories, I make a lot, it gives me joy and it puts my creativity to the test. Some are short, some are long, but they all have special meaning to me. I'm super proud of all of these and I can't wait to completely fill this tag up.

Tag: Breezy's Photostories (note: I made more than what is tagged, sometimes I forget to tag it with this, oops..)

If I left out anything I will be sure to edit. I just really wanted to properly make this post, mainly for me, but for anyone else who might be interested.

[troveofcmuses]

 Hello, welcome to Troveofcmuses!!!

My name is Feyre (she/her, 30+, pst). A selective independent multimuse that contains muses from A Song of Ice and Fire, House of the Dragon, A Court of Thorns and Roses, Throne of Glass, Bridgerton, Grishaverse, TVD, The Originals, Sanditon, Twilight, Zodiac Academy, Into the Badlands, & Greek Mythology/Touch of Darkness. I also have two OCs from Harry Potter & ASOIAF/HOTD. Side note: I do not support JK Rowling!

Activity: Blog activity is low, but I am here working on stuff when I am able.

I am still working on my carrd (slow due to working on three). So in the meantime, my muses are listed below. If you have any questions, just reach out and ask--I would be happy to answer anything. For now, the only rules that need to be followed are: reblog from the source, no harassing for replies, and messages need to be on Discord. I will block people who break these rules...

places to find me: @brideofcdragons || @reclusiveduke

Sadly, I don't have a carrd yet, and most likely won't. This is a list of my muses, with some background.

ASOIAF: Jon Snow (book only; bisexual. fc: Timothee Chalamet) || Jorah Mormont ( book & show | Fc: Iain Glen; younger version Sam Heughan) || Missandei (books & show) || Robb Stark (show and book; bisexual) ||

HOTD: Rhaenyra Targaryen (book and show; bisexual) || Shiera Seastar (fc: Diane Kruger) ||

Bridgerton: Daphne Bridgerton (book & show) || Eloise Bridgerton (book & show; bisexual) || Kate Sharma/ Sheffield (book & show) || Lady Danbury (book & show) || Violet Bridgerton (book & show) || King George III (book & show) || Queen Charlotte (book & show) || Gareth St. Clair (book; fc: Henry Golding) ||

Grishaverse: Alina Starkov (book & show) || Inej Ghafa (book & show) ||Tolya Yul-Bataar (book & show) || (note: I have not read all of Shadow & Bone--I am on book 2. I also just started Six of Crows--a lot of background will be from the show and my own creation).

TVD: Stefan Salvatore (book & show) || Katherine Pierce (book & show; bisexual) || Bonnie Bennett (book & show)

The Originals: Elijah Mikaelson || Rebekah Mikaelson (bisexual) ||

Twilight: Alice Cullen (book & movie; bisexual) || Edward Cullen (book & movie; fc: Robert Pattinson or Douglas Booth depending on preference, regency era: Corey Mylchreest) || Bella Swan ( book & movie; fc: Abigail Cowen) ||Carlisle Cullen ( book & movie; fc: Matt Lanter) || Esme Cullen (book & movie; fc: Rachel Brosnahan) ||

ACOTAR: Nesta Archeron (fc: Imogen Poots) || Feyre Archeron (fc: Danielle Rose Russell) || Rhysand (fc: Toni Mahfud) || Cassian (fc Can Yaman) ||

Throne of Glass: Manon Blackbeak (fc: Nyane Lebajoa; bisexual) || Dorian Havilliard (Evans Nikopoulos) ||

Sanditon: Charlotte Heywood (book & show) || Alexander Colbourne (show) || Sidney Parker (book & show)

Greek Mythology/Touch of Darkness series: Persephone Rosi (fc: Holliday Grainger) || Hecate (fc: Olivia Cheng; bisexual) ||

The Witcher: Yennefer of Vengerberg (book, show, & videogame; bisexual) || Cirilla of Cintra/ Ciri (book, show, & videogame; bisexual) ||

Fourth Wing: Violet Sorrengail (fc: Kaya Scodelario) || Xaden Riorson (fc: Thomas Doherty) ||

Harry Potter/Hogwarts Legacy: Narcissa Black Malfoy (book & show; fc: Young Narcissa—Emilia Schule. Older Narcissa —Helen McCrory. ||

Wednesday: Wednesday Addams (bisexual)

Original Characters: Leyton Mormont (asoiaf/got; fc: Leo Suter. Background: Son of Jorah Mormont & Lynesse Hightower; sellsword). ||

Message me if you want more details about certain muses.

Drafts: ✨asks: ✨

[osarina]

aaaa miss carina!! (i hope i used that right, is it alright?) i adore badlands! i always saw your posts come my way but iiii… was just very shy of interacting with you, but oh gosh, i adore your series! it’s like this perfect concoction and oh the writing and the characterization and the details! i’m so in love, it’s not a joke anymore.

umm, that’s all!! i just really, really love the way you write, it inspires me to jot down my ideas (and hope they’re coherent) while i read your works again!! hope you have a lovely day/night/afternoon!! will be going back to my shell now aaa this was so weird im so sorry-

hellooooooo miss lia!!! (it's perfectly alright! hehe i hope its ok i hit you back with it :D) PLSSS don't be shy!! i love talking to ppl, i am the biggest yapper in the world if u give me an opportunity to talk i will NOT shut up HAHAH

but THANK YOU im blushing n kicking my feet right now and it literally makes me so warm to hear that it's inspiring you to jot down your own ideas - if u ever decide to post them, definitely tag me!! (◕‿◕)♡ i hope you also have a lovely day!! and don't worry PLS this wasn't weird at all i thought it was so sweet, ur welcome here any time <3333

[kyleknight]

How to Make Friends: A Guide By Joe Hills with A Variable Success Rate

This is heavily inspired by Maple's Red vs Blue/Hermitcraft AU, which has utterly captivated me. If you're unfamiliar with Red vs Blue, it's a space opera series loosely set in the world of Halo, about a collection of dumb idiot troopers who get into hijinks and shenanigans. Maple's AU sort of follows RvB canon, but it also sort of doesn't. So I'm playing loose with it and just writing whatever's funny.

wordcount: 4563 warnings: violence, character death, discussions of war brief summary: Joe Hills arrives at Blue base, meets his teammates Bdubs and Scar, and befriends a tank. And perhaps a small incident happens. ao3 link

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There’s no way to properly begin a story that involves many, many people with many, many different life experiences. Initiating events can only really be fully understood and realized in hindsight, with the subsequent actions and consequences to give the proper context required. And even then, background information is required. Who are these people, what are the circumstances they come from? Why is there a war, and why does it have to involve so many people who just want to live their lives in peace?

But Joe thinks that his slight mishap on the first week at this outpost is perhaps a good place to start.

He doesn’t have a whole lot of company on the cramped ship that flies him at a faster-than-light speed across the universe out to the base. The ship itself is on routine autopilot, giving the impression that the mysterious and distant “Command” can’t be bothered to spend the human resources to assign the ship a pilot. But they sure can waste a whole lot of resources on energy and fuel shipping one person all the way out to a little planet that Joe has never even heard of.

The planet itself is simply identified by a string of letters and numbers, which seems like a shame. It’s probably a perfectly nice place— shame it’s the setting for at least a part of this war. (Not that it seems like any planet in this part of the universe is untouched by the war.) 

Joe tries to get a good look at the planet as the ship approaches, but the most he can see is a rather large expanse of what could be badlands and perhaps prairie or savannah. Not a whole lot of green. It’s hard to tell from space, and the window shutters close as they get closer to the planet. 

Once the ship lands, the doors open, and Joe is finally able to leave, he’s greeted by a pair of people in blue-colored armor, similar to Joe’s. The shorter of the two is a light cobalt while the taller is something between teal and aquamarine. Only the aqua one has his helmet off, and he smiles sunnily at Joe. He has a friendly looking face, but Joe thinks he should take some time to make any conclusions about his character.

“Well, hello there,” the aqua guy says. “You’re the new recruit?”

“I suppose so,” Joe says. He would call his attendance the result of involuntary conscription, but that’s not necessarily something he needs to burden his new acquaintances with. “It’s nice to meet you. My name is Joe Hills. I’m from Nashville, Tennessee.”

“What— you’re all the way from Earth?” the cobalt guy says. “No way. I thought it wasn’t suitable for life anymore.”

“Well, to my knowledge, I was still alive when I left, but I can’t say anything about what may have transpired for the other inhabitants afterwards,” Joe says. 

“That’s amazing,” the aqua guy says. “You can call me Scar, by the way. That’s Bdubs. Welcome to Blue base!”

“Blue base,” Joe repeats, a little quietly. That offers a surface-level explanation for the ocean-blue armor he was given after a sparse three weeks of “training” during which he actively did his best to underperform at everything in the hopes of being discharged. No good, since at the end of the three weeks, he was handed this armor and promptly shoved into a waiting ship with only a clipped explanation that he was being deployed to a place called “Blood Gulch.”

Jokingly, Joe says, “Is there a Red base too?”

“Yeah, the Reds are at the other end of the canyon,” Scar says, nodding his head to his right. His voice drops to a whisper. “They’re kind of silly, but don’t get too close to them, cause they’re seriously trigger-happy.” His voice lifts again. “But that shouldn’t matter, because Command said they were sending us a tank! And I can see it right there!”

Without any more preamble, he dashes past Joe, past the crates of equipment and supplies that have already been unloaded by the gently whirring mechanical arms of the ship, and straight up to the main thing that had been taking up the majority of the space on the transport ship.

A tank.

Joe had kind of hoped that it wouldn’t be getting off at the same stop as him.

“Hey— Scar— you’re not getting in that thing first—” Bdubs shouts, chasing after Scar. 

But as the two of them start scuffling to determine who will get to the tank first, there’s a mechanized activation sound from the tank.

Joe tilts his head. That’s odd. It never did that on the whole way here. Could it be solar-powered?

“Hello,” comes a surprisingly soft masculine British-sounding voice. “Thank you for activating the N808-V Main Battle Tank. You may call me Oli. Please standby as I run diagnostics.”

Oh, the tank has a name. And a voice. That’s kind of nice. Joe wishes it could have been active on the way here. It would have been pleasant to have someone else to talk to.

Bdubs groans. “Of course we can’t just use it right away. Hey, tank, can you skip the diagnostics and start working right away instead?”

“Rescheduling diagnostics,” Oli says.

“Hey, wait, diagrostics might be important,” Scar says. “Oli, you can keep doing your diabolics.”

“Restarting diagnostics,” Oli says.

“Stop that!” Bdubs snaps. “I want to drive that tank right NOW and blow something up!”

“Well, so do I, but it’d be safer to cab-ilirate it first,” Scar says. “Joe thinks so too, right?”

Joe pauses to consider his answer, and in that moment, Oli speaks up again. 

“Initiating restart mode. Please standby. This may take a few minutes.”

Bdubs throws his hands in the air. “I swear, if you guys have ruined it already…”

“He’s a brand new tank, just give him some time,” Joe says, walking closer to the tank as the large war machine hums at a quieter volume. Joe recognizes that he is making a rather presumptuous assumption here— he should ask Oli what his preferences are when he reboots himself. “We should probably just let him do his thing first.”

“In the meantime,” Scar says, turning his attention back to Joe. “We can show you around the base!”

“Sure,” Joe says. He glances at the walls of the canyon, stretching high on either side. The sedimentary layers are quite pretty, and he hopes he’ll get some time to check out the stratigraphy a little later. Just because he’s stuck out here for the foreseeable future doesn’t mean he has to dislike the actual landscape. While there might not be a lot of green life, there’s certainly got to be arid-adapted life instead. Could be interesting.

That is, if the skirmishes haven’t destroyed it or chased it all away.

The base isn’t terribly big. Scar shows him to a room that apparently used to belong to a man named Cub, who was their commanding officer until he died not too long ago. Not from fighting, Scar assures him, just an unfortunate accident. The space is nice and roomy, although it would be a lot more mentally soothing if it had a window. However, Joe can imagine there are a few reasons why that wouldn’t be recommended in this situation. The dust, for one.

There’s also a general common area, an armory, a kitchen, a large storage room, and a bathroom. Conspicuously, there is no dedicated place for medical treatment, nor are there any sort of recreational facilities. And, as Joe walks through the base, listening to Scar’s long-winded and elaborate explanations, there doesn’t seem to be anyone besides the three of them stationed here.

Joe is not sure whether to be glad or worried about that. The fact that the base only seems to be big enough for maybe a maximum of six people is certainly an indicator that… maybe this just isn’t a very important outpost.

Maybe Joe actually succeeded in his efforts to make himself a completely useless soldier, in a way.

After the tour, Scar and Joe work together to move some of the supplies into the base, starting with the food supplies, as Scar seems eager to see if they got “anything good.” Bdubs is noticeably absent from the kitchen stocking, as well as lunch, and Scar tells him it’s not a big deal. The three of them gather again after lunch to move the rest of the supplies into the base, which takes a few hours.

The sun is starting to sink below the horizon as the three of them approach Oli once again. The tank has restarted himself by now, if the lights are any indicator.

“Hey, Oli?” Joe says. “How’s it going?”

“Diagnostics check at thirty one percent,” Oli reports. “Estimated time of completion: six hours, twenty minutes.”

“Oh, yeah, SURE,” Bdubs gripes. “So we won’t even be able to use it until tomorrow.”

Joe glances back in the direction that Scar had pointed in earlier. “Do you think it’s alright to leave him out here all night?”

Scar shrugs. “He’s a tank, I’m sure he can protect himself.”

“I am equipped with 700 millimeter steel-alloy armor, as well as an AI-directed recognition system,” Oli reports. “As for offensive capabilities, I have a 50 millimeter wide plasma turret. I can also run people over with my big heavy treads.”

Bdubs seems startled. Scar leans forwards, clearly delighted.

Joe meanwhile, is intrigued. “You’re an AI?” he asks. “They put AIs in tanks?”

“While I do not possess the capabilities of a smart AI, I am certainly capable of keeping myself in working order,” Oli says. “Starting by making sure my systems are fully functional, so if you’ll excuse me, I still have another seven hours of diagnostics to run.”

“I thought you said it was six hours,” Bdubs says.

“I think I’ll take my time, actually,” Oli says, actually sounding huffy about it. “Don’t you have something better to do than bother me?”

Oh, he has a personality. Joe likes him. He’s pretty sure he likes Scar and Bdubs too, but he really likes Oli. 

They unanimously decide to leave Oli for the evening. Once again, Bdubs doesn’t join Scar and Joe for dinner, but he joins them in the common area as they’re winding down and getting ready for bed. There isn’t much in the way of leisure opportunities, but there are some books, board games, a deck of playing cards, a few thousand-piece puzzles, and a pile of sketchbooks that both Bdubs and Scar spend a considerable amount of time drawing in as the evening progresses. 

Joe has guessed by now that whatever threat the “Reds” pose, it’s certainly not enough that they need someone standing guard all night. That’s just fine by Joe. He takes the deck of cards and plays solitaire while occasionally looking at the very nice drawing that Bdubs is making in his book.

The next morning, Joe heads over to Oli first thing, even before breakfast. His internal clock isn’t aligned with this planet’s day cycle yet, so the sun isn’t even up when he steps outside. But he can’t sleep any longer, and he’d like to take a bit of a morning walk and hopefully strike up a conversation with Oli.

The tank is still humming that steady sound.

“Good morning, Oli! Hey, I don’t want to assume anything about you or your identity,” Joe starts off. “We’re both new here, and I want to make sure you feel that your boundaries are properly respected.”

“Well, that’s very kind of you,” Oli says. “I am just a tank though, so I’m not sure how you could be misidentifying that. I’ve never been anything else, to my knowledge.”

“Would you want to be something else?” Joe asks.

“Hm,” Oli says. “That’s something to think about. I’m quite fine as a tank, I think, but I suppose I wouldn’t turn down the opportunity to become, say, a helicarrier or something else that could fly.”

“I can see the appeal in that,” Joe says. “Flying does give you certain extra freedoms.”

“What about you?” Oli says. “Would you want to be something else? A tank perhaps?”

“Since I asked the question to you, I guess it would be rude of me not to have an answer,” Joe says. “Let me think… There are a lot of things it would be interesting to be. I don’t think I would limit myself to just living things either. I’d like to be something that wouldn’t be caught up in a space war. Or something that could stop it.”

“Oh, now that’s a heavy topic,” Oli says.

“Is it weird hearing that, as a tank?” Joe asks.

“Hm. I don’t know. Just because I was made for war doesn’t mean I’ve participated in it yet,” Oli says. “My fundamental processes are all designed for combat and typically being an unstoppable force of violence. But you’ve put me in a quandary here.” 

“Sorry about that.”

“No need to apologize. It’s all about considering your identity, as you said,” Oli says cheerfully. “I do think I’d at least like to try out my components while I continue to think that over. Not against anyone, of course.”

“How would you try them out?” Joe asks. He looks around again at their surroundings, barely lit in the pre-dawn. The canyon isn’t small, but he doesn’t think there’s a whole lot of space that could be used for whatever tests Oli might want to run next. 

“Well, I suppose I could just run the tutorial program,” Oli says. “That probably won’t hurt, and it’ll give us a more practical idea of how it feels to be a battle tank.”

“Mind if I join you for that?” Joe says. “Like I said, we’re both new, so this could give us both an opportunity to get to know each other a little better. I could tell you a little about where I’m from after you’re done with the tutorial.”

“That sounds lovely,” Oli says. “Of course you can join me! Just climb into the seat right there and I’ll activate the program.”

It starts out very nice, all things considered. Unfortunately, it’s already very warm, even this early in the day, and the radiant heat from Oli’s mechanisms only adds to the temperature. Joe finds himself regretting putting on his full armor, but he still hasn’t seen those “Reds” yet, and he doesn’t want to take any chances just in case there are potentially dangerous arid-adapted animals lurking around in the dusty canyon. 

The tutorial program starts out with driving. The number of pedals and buttons is alarming, but Oli assures him that Joe will get the hang of it eventually. So he tries to follow the prompts. Forwards, backwards, turn right, turn left, rotate in place. It’s a lot more complicated than driving a car, and obviously has the potential for creating a lot more hazards.

It’s at this point that things start to go a little wrong. 

Oli insists that Joe continue to drive straight, shifting to different speed settings. They’re driving deeper into the canyon, further in the direction that Scar had said the “Reds” are based. And in the distance, Joe catches sight of another structure— nearly identical to the Blue base. He doesn’t get much of a chance to examine it, because then Oli gets stuck on a large boulder and it takes Joe a while to get him unstuck. 

“Now that you’ve mastered driving, we can move on to some of the safety features,” Oli says brightly. 

“I wouldn’t say I’ve mastered driving a tank yet,” Joe says. “You’re an AI, though, wouldn’t you be able to drive yourself?”

“Oh, sure I can,” Oli says. “But this is standard for training uncertified recruits. Actually— were you certified in tank operations?”

“I don’t think I gave them the opportunity to certify me in anything,” Joe confesses. “I was trying to get them to kick me out, and it didn’t really work.”

“Sorry to hear that,” Oli says. “Now, the first safety feature you’ll be learning is the anti-locking brakes.”

“That’s sensible enough,” Joe says. 

The sun is starting to come up, which paints the canyon in a rather beautiful light. Oranges, yellows, and stunning shades of rich sandy tan come alight as the day begins. Joe does take notice of quite a few shrubs and stocky trees, doggedly surviving even in these conditions. Oli takes care to avoid hitting any of them, which is nice as well.

He thinks he might see some movement down at what he’s assuming is the Red base, but every time he tries to look, Oli turns in a different direction. 

“The driver visibility isn’t the best, I’ve come to notice,” Joe says as Oli finishes his explanation of the child-safety-locking rear passenger door. 

“Well, I can’t do much about that,” Oli says. 

“Can you see what’s going on?” Joe says. “I thought I saw something going on at the other end of the canyon. Not the place where we came from.”

“Oh, well I’ve seen a guy in orange armor and a guy in maroon armor driving an armored jeep towards us,” Oli says. “But I think I shook them off when we drove around that big rock formation a few minutes ago.”

Joe twists around in the seat, but he can barely see anything besides what’s directly in front of him. “Do you think those are the Reds?”

“Could be,” Oli says. “Do you want to engage in battle?”

“No, there’s no reason for that,” Joe says quickly. “It’s only my first full day here, I don’t want to hurt anybody.”

“Oh,” Oli sounds disappointed. “Weapons were next on the tutorial program, but if you want, we can skip it. I can respect that, for you, my friend.”

“Thank you,” Joe says. 

And it’s at this point that things start to go a little more badly. As Oli delves into an explanation about the more interesting parts of his mechanical engineering design, Joe hears something he’d rather hoped he wouldn’t hear so soon. Gunfire. Automatic gunfire. It’s nearby, but after a moment he determines that the shooting probably isn’t directed towards him and Oli.

“What’s that coming from?” Oli says. 

“You’d probably know better than me,” Joe says. “I can’t see anything.”

“Could be from those guys we saw earlier,” Oli says. “Think they’re doing target practice?”

The sound hasn’t ceased at all. “Well, anything could be possible,” Joe says, even though he’s not feeling especially positive about it. 

“Should we go to see what’s going on?” Oli says.

“If you want to,” Joe says. If it looks dangerous or scary, he will certainly suggest that they reschedule the tutorial for another day, but Oli sounds like he wants to check it out. Joe supposes that he can’t fault a tank for wanting to at least check out what might be a battle. It would be his intended ideal form of stimulation.

But Joe will do his very best to abstain from participating. Maybe he can attempt to talk things out.

They soon catch sight of a bulky armored jeep parked somewhere in the middle of the canyon. A person in orange armor is in the driver’s seat, while a person in maroon armor is standing on the back, directing a large automatic cannon to shoot endlessly at an already-battered rock formation sticking out of the ground. As Joe and Oli get a little closer, Joe gasps when he sees two blue-armored people standing huddled behind the rocks.

“That’s Scar and Bdubs!” he says. “When did they get out here?”

“Looks like a battle,” Oli says. He sounds a little too eager. “Shall I eliminate the threat?”

Joe winces. “I don’t think we’d need to perpetuate the violence,” he says. Scar and Bdubs are both visibly standing, so they should still be alright. Probably. “Maybe we can just fire a few times to scare them off. You’re a tank, after all, and they only have a jeep.”

“I’ll light up the array that has all of my weapons capabilities,” Oli says. 

Joe looks down at the rows of illuminated buttons. “Which one is the least lethal?”

“I’d reckon all of them are pretty lethal,” Oli admits. “It’s what I was made for, after all. You can always aim just to the side of their jeep so you don’t hurt them. Or if you’re feeling good about your aim, you can take out their cannon.”

“How do you aim?” Joe says, keeping his hands very far away from the buttons for now, even though Oli is continuing on with his advance. 

“That’s in the tutorial!” Oli says cheerfully.

“But we didn’t finish the tutorial!” Joe says. 

The people in the jeep have definitely noticed them now. They’ve stopped shooting at the rock and seem to be arguing with each other. The maroon one has abandoned the cannon for the time being.

“They’ve stopped,” Oli says, sounding disappointed. “Can I still shoot at them, Joe?”

“I can’t actually stop you from doing things,” Joe says. “You’re an AI and you have a certain level of autonomy despite being an unwilling participant in a war.”

“Well, sure you can stop me, there’s a manual override,” Oli says.

“What? Where is that?”

“That’s the last segment of the tutorial.”

“That’s not exactly helpful,” Joe says. He examines the buttons and levers in front of him, very aware that he’s running out of time. Oli had mentioned an energy shield earlier, but Joe didn’t really pay attention to how strong or durable it is, and he doesn’t want to test it out like this. 

There is a rather prominent joystick, so Joe experimentally moves that. Oli’s big turret moves. 

“Okay, that’s a start,” Joe says. He squints through the curved metal bars covering the hatch. “Huh. I can’t really tell what I’m pointing at. Oli, I’m not about to hit anyone, am I?”

“Only one way to find out,” Oli says. 

Perhaps. But Joe figures that if he pushes the joystick all the way to one direction, he’s more likely to hit one of the canyon walls than he is to hit a person. He does that, giving it a few seconds to be more sure that Oli’s turret is far pointed away from actual people.

“Okay,” Joe says, looking at the buttons once more. “Now… if I was designing a tank, where would I put the button for the least damaging attack? Oli, you don’t have any idea which one of these will fire the weakest beam?”

“Well, no. I could activate the tutorial mode again,” Oli offers.

“We don’t have time for that,” Joe says. The maroon guy has jumped back up onto the back of the jeep and is now pointing the turret at them. They really don’t have time for this. Joe pushes the first button.

“Firing main cannon,” Oli reports happily. The tank shudders with almighty force as an intense beam of energy blasts out of the turret. It hits the canyon wall, making an instant crater and causing chunks of rock to fall noisily onto the ground. 

The orange and maroon people are definitely spooked, but they haven’t run away yet. Joe carefully makes a small adjustment to the joystick and fires again.

Another crater, slightly closer to the people but still a safe distance away. Better, but the orange and maroon guys still haven’t left. Meanwhile, Joe notices that Bdubs has left the cover of the rock and is waving at him. He hopes he’s going to be careful.

Another adjustment, but Joe unintentionally makes a small mistake. He doesn’t think he can really be blamed for it. This is a high stress situation and he’s very ill-equipped to be operating this kind of machinery, even with Oli’s questionable help. 

Either he presses a different button by mistake, or there’s some kind of trigger activated after pressing that particular button three times. Joe has no way of knowing for sure.

“Initiating auto-fire mode,” Oli says. “Acquiring targets.”

“Oli, no!” Joe says. “We don’t want to hurt anyone!” He looks at the buttons, thinking desperately about which button or switch might be able to turn it off.

The one relief is that the orange and maroon guys have jumped out of the jeep and are running back towards what Joe guessed earlier is the Red base. When Oli auto-locks onto the jeep and fires several shots in succession to blow it to smithereens, there’s luckily nobody there.

But then, Oli says, “Acquiring new target.”

His turret adjusts. And in the span of a few seconds, Joe watches as, one moment, Bdubs is standing beside the rock, waving at him. And then in the next moment, there’s a small crater and a smoking pile of cobalt armor.

“Oh no,” Joe says.

“Oops,” Oli says. “Deactivating auto-fire mode.”

Good thing too, because Scar emerges from behind the rock and crouches down next to Bdubs. Joe opens the grated hatch of the tank and climbs out shakily.

“Scar,” he calls out as he drops to the ground and runs towards his teammates. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean it!”

Scar pulls off his helmet as Joe approaches. He doesn’t look angry, though, he just looks shocked. 

“Is he still alive?” Joe asks, panting with exertion as soon as he’s close enough.

“Huh?” Scar says. “Oh, no, he’s definitely dead. He just said he hated all of us and died right away. Hey, do you think that’s a curse?”

“I don’t know… maybe?” Joe says. He kneels down next to Bdubs and examines the smoking debris. There’s no blood, which seems a bit odd, but maybe it got vaporized in the blast. “Gosh. I’m sorry, I don’t know any first aid. Um. Not that I think it would help at this point.”

“Well, that’s alright,” Scar says. He leans back with a sigh. “Do you know how to do last rites and all that? Bdubs was the one who handled that when Cub died a few weeks ago.”

“Uh, I’ve never done it before, but I guess I could give it a try,” Joe says. He wonders idly if they’re still in shock and that’s why there hasn’t really been an outburst of emotion over this. He just killed Bdubs, and Scar doesn’t seem to be badly affected by this. 

“By the way,” Scar says. “Why didn’t you say you knew how to drive a tank?”

“I don’t,” Joe says. “Oli was teaching me.”

“Oh,” Scar says. “Huh. When we didn’t find you this morning, we went out to look. Ran into Joel and Jimmy— those two Reds— and they started trying to kill us, cause that’s usually what they do.” He laughs.

“I’m sorry I got Bdubs killed,” Joe says, looking back at the corpse of the man he only knew for half a day.

Scar shrugs. “It happens. No point in holding it against you. We can request a two week period of mourning, though, and Command might send us some condolence gifts. Last time we got fresh fruit and the milkshake machine.”

Joe gives Scar a questioning look. “You don’t seem too upset by this,” he says.

Scar just smiles. “Oh, you’ll see soon enough.”

[themerriweathermage]

Wrath and Ruin (4 Part Series)

Summary: In the wake of Nix's engagement party, Bren realizes that something is drastically wrong. He tries to hide it for as long as he can but that plan doesn't work in his favor, and ultimately he leaves the Badlands to get away from it all.

Pairing(s): Gen, Background Sunny X Nix, It's Complicated (Quinn X Bren), Mention of Lydia X Quinn

POV: 1st Person POV (Bren)

Warnings: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Mention of Animal Abuse

Co-creator: @i-drink-and-i-write-fics

Divider Credit: firefly-graphics

Chapter One: Valiant

Chapter Two: Quinn

Chapter Three: Flight East

Chapter Four: Silvanus

[i-drink-and-i-write-fics]

The Magical Worlds

Welcome to the Badlands Series

Summary: After Bren's return, Nix gets shocking information that pushes her to figure out the types of magic that are weaving their stories. She gets an unexpected answer and more questions.

Co-Creator: @themerriweathermage

Things were certainly different after Bren came home. It was clear that his bond with Lydia was closer, almost child and mother in nature. Which was good in my opinion. He needed a positive parental figure in his life. 

He also seemed calmer, as if his magic wasn’t weighing him down anymore. Or, at least not as much as it had before. My knowledge of druid magic was less than zero so I had no idea if the trip was really all he needed or if he found a healthier way to express that power.

The longer we were here in the Badlands, the less I understood. Which was unacceptable to me. Two different types of magic was brought into this world when Bren and I took over Jacobee’s old barony. But there was another type of magic already established here according to Bren. It just hadn’t reared its ugly head yet.

I decided the best course of action was to find anyone with books on the Badlands. The first thing I did was get a map of the Badlands and an old map of the US to compare and try to figure out for once exactly where we were. Once I had locations down, the information from the books would make sense. 

It took most of the day and my entire desk, but I was soon able to figure out where the Dragon Barony lay: Texas. Roughly, anyway. In fact, the very mountains we found Meraxes were the mountains that bordered Mexico. Making the estate close to where Austin once stood. I did the best math I could and found that Rojas territory was mostly New Mexico with Chau’s being parts of Northern Arizona, parts of Utah, and parts of Colorado. I wish I had looked at this map before the spontaneous trip a few months back. We were practically in Chau’s backyard when I proposed to Sunny. 

I then moved the other direction and figured Quinn’s property was mostly Louisiana with parts in Arkansas. Would explain his shitty accent. It was no doubt a mix of a Southern accent, Creole, and an aristocratic twist he tried to add. 

Lydia came in at that moment and cleared her throat when I didn’t turn around at the sound of the door opening. “Nix?”

I looked up from my desk and raised an eyebrow at the sheet of paper in Lydia’s hand. “Is that wedding stuff?”

“Yes and no.”

“Well, that’s not concerning or anything.”

“Not your wedding, anyway.”

I blinked at her. “Bren’s not engaged or I would have Quinn’s nuts in a jar on my desk.”

Lydia balked at the image. “No, thankfully. Well, not yet. I convinced Bren to hold court.”

“Hold…court…” my brain could only link those words to one world I knew. “Lydia, we’re barons, not kings.”

Lydia smiled. “Not that kind of court. Here.”

She held out the sheet, and I carefully took it from her. It was an invitation meant to be sent to all the baronies, calling for them to submit a suitor for Bren’s hand. It was a courtship court. 

“Ah. And you actually got Bren to agree to this?”

“He’s lonely, Nix. He did what he did to free Sunny for you, but now…”

I let out a long sigh. “Yeah, I know. You do realize this means that asshat is allowed an entry. I really don’t want that man stepping foot in our barony.”

“Unfortunately, it’s the rules for court. But, a separate invite is being sent to Waldo and Quinn’s…”

“Will get lost in the mail?” I asked, hopefully.

“Only for a day or two.” She chuckled at the face I made. “Speaking of invites…”

“I know, I know. I’m having two different sets made. One for our allies, and one for those who will not be allowed to attend.”

“Oh? May I see this one?”

I pulled open a drawer and pulled out the mock-up I had for our enemies.  

To Whom It May Concern:

During the month of October, House Enduring will be conducting the wedding ceremony of Baroness Phoenix and her soon-to-be Lord husband Sunny. If you have received this notification, you have not been invited. 

If you choose to step foot on Dragon Barony lands during this month, you will be burned alive by Meraxes.

No trial.

No conclave.

Straight to execution.

And if anyone has an issue with that, Baroness Phoenix will take your barony with Fire and Blood.

Good day. 

The Dragon Lords of House Enduring.

Lydia raised an eyebrow at this. “Does Bren know?”

“Not yet. I wanted to wait to see how he was after his trip with you out East.”

Lydia smiled and finally sat across from me. “It went well. Bren found his deity.”

I nearly fell into my chair. “He WHAT?!”

“That was my reaction. You will have to get the full story from Bren, but from what I understand, he can control his powers better without it draining him.”

A deity. An actual deity. What the fresh fuck was going on?

“Nix?”

If Bren’s deity was real, did that mean others were as well? There were so many from the world Meraxes came from. 

“Nix?!”

Did this mean they were real, too? Could I communicate with them?

“Nix!”

I jumped at Lydia’s voice, having completely forgotten she was in the room with me. “Sorry, Lydia. My mind went elsewhere.”

“Does it have anything to do with this?” She tapped at the map on my desk.

“Kinda. I wanted to figure out how the portals worked.”

“Portals?”

“Yes, as in plural. The one that brought Bren and me here, the one that brought Meraxes out of my story, the one that brought me Dark Sister, and the one that gave Bren his powers. I’m barely familiar with portal stories, only reading one that was widely published. And while the basics are the same, everything else is wildly different so I’m flying blind in a way.”

“I will be honest, there are times I forget you and Bren weren’t raised here. Especially in the moments I see you as my children.”

I smiled at this. “Funny, considering I’m probably close enough in age to be your sister rather than your daughter. But I still see you as a mom, regardless.”

She laughed. “True, your face does hide at times your age.”

We were quiet for a moment as she looked over my map and all the notes I made. “Do you think you’ll find answers?”

“I think I have been, in a way. Not direct answers, but it’s hard to ignore what I’ve seen.”

“And if you find the portals?”

“I think there’s a better chance of me approving of Quinn for Bren. If these portals are still around, they are what’s feeding mine and Bren’s magic. But there will be no more transporting. Of people, anyway. I’m fully convinced that window has come and gone.”

“Does that make you sad?”

“In a way. There are people I miss. And my dog.”

“You had a dog?”

I smiled and tried not to tear up. “Yeah. A tiny dog that followed me everywhere. I had a small dog because I lived in a small place. If I got a dog again, I would probably aim for something bigger. Something that could chew through certain barons.”

“Isn’t that what Meraxes is for?”

“Yes, but a dog could run through the trees without destroying them.”

Lydia and I both laughed. 

“Maybe one day one of the hunting hounds will have puppies.”

“Maybe,” I agreed wistfully. “In the meantime, I have a wedding to plan and portals to figure out.”

“The first one being more pressing since it is July.”

“Mother fucker,” I groaned.

I stayed in that office way longer than I should have, even forgetting it was my night to make dinner. Sarah had made it without complaint, but her face did show concern when she dropped a plate off for me. Sunny had offered to take the Colts out on their first scout and so I hadn’t seen him all day. With Bren locked away to figure out his deity, no one but Lydia was around to remind me to eat.

But even she couldn’t keep my mind on task.

“I hear you’re on a hyperfocus train again.”

I looked up and smiled at the sight of Sunny in the doorway, still dirty and sweaty from his ride. My brain was about to go another direction when my stomach caught my attention.

“Damnit.”

Sunny sighed. “Nixy, you need to remember to eat.”

“Sunny, I’m lucky if I remember I have a body.” I sat back and took the sight of him in. “I see the trip went well.”

“Focus, Nix.”

“I am,” I smirked.

He pointed at my plate and I pouted but grabbed a roll, tearing off a piece. “Killjoy.”

“You need to eat. And by that, I mean food.”

“We’re still making up for lost time.”

He finally smiled. “I know. And we will. Later. But right now, I need you to eat some of your food and then follow me. We came across something on our trip and Lydia demanded you be the one to make the decision on what I should do.”

“Demanded?!” I don’t think Lydia once pulled rank on Sunny, considering he was still technically below her until we married. 

He nodded. “Demanded. And not as a Regent, as your mother.”

“The fuck?!” I quickly ripped open the roll and stuffed some of the chicken into it as I stood up. “Lead the way.”

Sunny frowned but obliged when he saw me take a bite. He quickly lead me out of the house and past the gates of the estate, where a few clippers were holding onto ropes. And at the end of the ropes…

“I still can’t believe we brought a wolf home,” gripped one clipper.

“You try arguing with the dragon!” Shouted another.

“Wait,” I placed my hand on Sunny’s arm. “Meraxes was with you?”

“Not the whole time. In fact, we came across her on our patrol. She was curled in a ball and wouldn’t let anyone but me near. That’s where we found the wolf.”

“A monster is what you found!” Came Sebastian’s voice. “No wolf is that big.”

He was right. This ‘wolf’ was twice the size. And when it turned its angry head in my direction, I could instantly see why.

“Direwolf,” I breathed.

“What?” Sunny looked down at me

“That’s a direwolf. What the fuck is it doing here?”

“What’s a direwolf?”

But I didn’t answer as I moved carefully up to the beast, noting its all-black fur and brilliant golden eyes. The moment she laid eyes on me, she immediately sat and I was able to let out a soft breath.

“It’s ok, you’re safe here.” Reaching over carefully, I removed the ropes around her neck.

“Don’t!” Sebastian shouted.

But it was too late and the next thing I knew, she lunged at me. 

“Nix!” Sunny ran for me but stopped short at my laughter.

“No! Stop trying to lick my face off!” 

The direwolf was doing full-body wiggles as she kept sniffing all over me, her tail wagging happily. 

“Glad she’s friendly,” I could hear the panic in Sunny’s voice. “Now, what the fuck is a direwolf?!”

“A symbol of House Stark and very magical. Like, people can put their minds into these creatures and use them as an extension of themselves.” I managed to sit up and began to scratch the wolf’s ears. “But only a select few people. They must have the blood of either the First Men or the Children of the Forest.”

“In other words…”

“The portal brought me another gift.” I let out a shaky breath. “And proof that those gods are listening.”

Tagging Crew:

Everything

@itsafansworld07

@that-chick212

@liadamerondjarin

[pompoison]

Hello! I’m new to the Trigun fandom. 👋 🍅💕 So far I have only followed Stampede but I’m going to read the manga, watch the ‘98 anime and Badlands. My favorite part of this series so far is the angst and Stampede is doing a great job of making me cry! I also am a multishipper so here are some ships of mine. The order of the top/bottom dynamic is top (left) and bottom (right). Some ships are switchable for me, as you can see. May feature dead dove or disturbing themes so TW for everything. I don’t abide harassment over fiction. Unfollow or Block as needed, I want you to curate your online experience.

Vashwood (Vash/Wolfwood… They light up my hurt/comfort neurons. Thank you for the food vashwood artists)

Knivash Plantcest (Knives/Vash… I have a possessive villain/protag noncon bias. Tragic brocon a big plus. This ship is a feast and the artists are the smartest shippers in the game.)

WolfVash (Wolfwood/Vash… Bottom Vash is adorable. I love all of the art I’ve seen with this dynamic so far.)

Knivashwood (Knives/Vash/Wolfwood… the angst dynamic is great. I enjoy pain.)

I like both ‘98 and Tristamp versions of Vash’s design, btw, so I will reblog art with both versions. Stampede’s Vash is more serious and therefore cuter to me so I’ll be drawing him more. This blog is mainly for original comic art, I only occasionally post fanart. Will probably indulge in nsfw. If you would like to follow, then welcome to my sick and twisted mind. 🖤

[no-mans-land-sketches]

Intro Post

Cait / Bahn

He / They

Mid 20s

neurodivergent, chronically ill trans man

US est/edt

The place where my Trigun, Nausicaa Valley of the Wind, and possibly Spaghetti Western brain rot resides. Fandom art and writing, but mostly reblogs of others' fandom works, and eventually musings on the Trigun Maximum and Nausicaa manga, or even watches/rewatches of the various shows and movies.

Possibly an 18+ or NSFT blog if I feel like branching out into that. I may post blood, gore, body horror and bugs and insects typical of these series. Please mind and block the appropriate tags, and feel free to remind me to fix insufficient tags for triggers, upsetting content, icks, ect.

Please be patient with me, as I'm a chronically ill and neurodivergent guy who's just doing my best. No commissions at this time.

DNI

pedophiles/MAPS/ect.

Bigots of all kinds

Fatphobia and body shamers

LGBTQIA+phobes ( homophobes, transphobes, queerphobes ect.)

Harry potter and wizard game blogs/urls will be blocked. Same goes for equally hateful media creators

Terfs/Radfems/supporters are also not welcome

Anti-semites, Islamophobes

Ableists ( including Autism Speaks/ Autism $peaks supporters

Please don't come in and vent in my asks and dms, I'm not a medical professional, but I will try to link to resources that seem appropriate 

Interests

Trigun (Manga, Trigun Maximum, Badlands Rumble and eventually Trigun Stampede)

Nausicaa Valley of the Wind 

Possibly various Spaghetti Westerns ( A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, ect.), but that may become a seperate blog that is linked to this one

Other media, especially manga and anime that have similar themes and aesthetics 

[sjsmith56]

Finding Jade - Chapter 1. Bleeding Daylight

Summary: A woman is found in the badlands of New Mexico and brought to the bunker of the Avengers. Unconscious and almost dead Bruce Banner treats her injuries with the help of Bucky Barnes, both of them wondering how she managed to survive in the wilderness where the Others, an alien species, are known to live.

Length: 2.5K

Characters: Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers, Peter Parker, Bruce Banner, OFC (unnamed in this chapter).

Warnings: Anti-social and angry Bucky, Bucky still in mourning after death of his wife and child, near death experience, despair.

Author’s notes: This story was inspired by a series of photo edits done by Instagram artist nixakimbo, depicting Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes and Peter Parker in an apocalyptic wasteland.

👽

The woman was almost finished.  It had been three days, maybe more, maybe less, since she left her mother and son in the Sanctuary to find help.  The Others had seen her, not near the Sanctuary fortunately, but they had still seen her.  They tracked her into the Badlands.  She knew the ground well, having hidden there as a kid before Ma found her and took her in. 

"Ma," she tried to say through her cracked lips.  "I'm sorry Ma, I died here.  No one's coming."

If she had any moisture left in her eyes she would be crying now but her eyes were dry, red and crusted with the dirt from her hands whenever she rubbed her face.  She tripped and the fall to the ground was agony as she tried to protect the wound on her side, the wound the Others had given her, the wound she was dying from.  She looked at her hand which had been over the wound.  It was bloody meaning the wound had opened again.  The wound the doctor whose name she had already forgotten had closed. 

"Fuck," she gasped. 

Slowly, she placed her hands below her and lifted herself to one knee, then upright, screaming as she did it.  Giving up wasn't an option, not yet, not when Ma and Ben were waiting for her to return to the Sanctuary.  Even though she knew she was dying she wouldn't give up, not until she couldn't get up anymore.  Five steps later she tripped again and this time she stayed down.  She lay there, dying, waiting for the darkness to take her when she felt someone turn her over.  Man, woman, she didn't know but they pulled her jacket open and pulled her shirt up then swore at what they saw.  It was a man's voice and she tried to open her eyes but there was no lubrication left for the eyelids to open.

"Help," she said, except it came out "Heh", if it came out at all.

She felt arms lifting her up and movement as she was carried to a vehicle and laid in the back seat.  They had a car.  How could they have a car when there was no gas?  But she heard the engine start up and even though the man, it was a man she heard, although she had already forgotten the voice, drove carefully each bump made her cry out from the pain in the wound the Others had given her.

"Hold on," said the man, yes, it was a man, "I'll get you to a doctor."

Doctor?  Were there still such things?  There had to be because she had seen one, in the desert when she was dying.  Ma had told her about doctors, healers, angels of mercy, madmen, killers, responsible for death.  It became harder to breathe and she knew this was it, death was in the car, sitting on the top of the back seat, looking down at her, rubbing its hands in anticipation.  Death had found her and it was bleeding daylight away from her and replacing it with the darkness.  She almost welcomed it because the pain would stop.  She had no regrets.  No, that wasn't true, there was a regret.  That she couldn't say goodbye to Ma and Ben.  I'm sorry, she said but there was no sound from her lips as it was all in her mind now.  That's all that was left, her mind and that one regret.  Then the darkness came.

Nothing worth having comes without some kind of fight

Lovers in a Dangerous Time by Bruce Cockburn

"Jesus, Steve," said the doctor.  "Where the hell did you find her?  She's more dead than alive."

Dr. Bruce Banner looked at the almost dead woman on the gurney.  Steve Rogers had carried her in from his vehicle yelling at Bruce for help.  He stood back as Bruce started checking her out.

"She came out of the Badlands," said Steve.  "I heard her screaming.  She had raised herself from where she fell.  Buddy alerted me.  Can you save her?"

"I'll do my best but she's severely dehydrated, in shock, and the wound...," Banner shook his head.  "It's from a weapon of the Others.  They did this to her.  I don't know how long the poison has been in her system but it looks bad."

Steve stepped back as there was nothing more that he could do.  Finding her out in the middle of nowhere was a miracle.  He felt a cold nose nuzzle his hand and looked down at his dog, Buddy.  It was him that alerted Steve to the presence of the woman.  He wouldn't have seen her on his own as her clothes were so dusty and dirty she blended into the landscape.  But Buddy knew something was out there and had whined, then given a single bark when he saw and heard the woman get up from the ground, walk five steps and fall again.

"It's okay, boy," he said, scratching behind the dog's ear.  "Let Bruce work."

He turned around and the dog of unknown parentage followed at his heel, devoted to his master.  Leaving the medical room Steve walked down the long hallway to the common room.  Bucky was making a pot of coffee, artificially flavoured coffee but it was what they had.

"She lived long enough to get to Bruce," he said, not turning his head.  "She might have a chance."

"The wound is definitely from an Others weapon," said Steve.  "We're going to have to find out where she came from and go after them."

Bucky stopped and looked at the wall before turning to his friend.  "It's a losing battle, Steve," he said.  "We get rid of one nest and two more nests pop up.  It's HYDRA all over again.

"Well, we beat them," he said, in exasperation.  "I can't...I can't turn my back on people, Bucky.  Being an Avenger still means something to me, even if you've given up."

Bucky had been holding an empty coffee cup but at the insinuation he had given up he squeezed the cup until it shattered, sending porcelain shards all over the kitchen counter.  He swore and used the dish cloth to wipe up as much as he could, dropping the pieces into the garbage container.  Then he poured himself a coffee using someone else's mug.

"I haven't given up," he said trying to sound objective as he faced the coffee pot.  "I'm just more realistic than you.  We can't save them all.  There's too many of them and not enough of us."

Bucky felt a hand on his shoulder.  "I'm sorry," said Steve.  "That was a low blow.  I know you still care, that you haven't given up.  Since Lily died you haven't been the same."

"I'm over it," said Bucky, unconvincingly.  "I just wish the baby had lived so I still had something of her."

Steve patted Bucky again.  "She was a good woman," he said.  "We all miss her."

They were interrupted by the arrival of Peter Parker.  He was in jeans and a T-shirt and opened the door to the cupboard looking for something.

"Either of you seen my Einstein coffee mug?" he asked.  "It was here an hour ago."

Bucky looked at the garbage can and didn't say anything.  Neither did Steve.  Peter gave up looking and grabbed one of the spare ones pouring himself a cup.  He plopped down on the couch and looked at the two.

"So, what's up?" he asked cheerfully.

"Found a woman on the edge of the Badlands," said Steve.  "She had an Other's wound.  I think we need to have a mission to locate the nest."

"Cool, I'm in," said the 20 year old.  "Is she still alive?"

"Bruce is treating her," said Bucky.  "But she was hurt quite bad."

Slowly, other members of the Avengers drifted in having smelled the ersatz coffee scent as it made its way to the residence section.  As more of them came in the noise level went up.   People started gossiping, laughing and telling jokes.  Bucky looked at Steve and smiled grimly.

"There's my cue to leave," he said.  "See you later."

Steve watched his friend walk down the long hallway.  Bucky was still very introverted even three years after the Snap ended.  He had close relationships with a few people but he didn't like being in a crowd.  Lily, his late wife, had helped him fit in better but since her death he had closed himself off a little more.  Steve heard someone call his name and he turned to the conversation.

In the long hallway, Bucky sipped his coffee and walked to the medical room door.  He could see through the window that Bruce was looking frustrated and stuck his head in the door.

"Do you need help, Bruce?" he asked.

"Yeah, just wash your hands well first," he said.

Bucky pulled his bandanna out of his pocket and tied it around his head to keep his hair out of the way.  Leaving his coffee on the counter he stepped close to Bruce and looked at the woman.  She was still dirty, covered in blood and dust.

"Could you undress her and clean her up?" asked Bruce.  "I've got my hands full with this wound but I can't see if she is injured anywhere else.  Just fill a basin full of warm water, put some of the disinfecting soap in it and swish around a face cloth in it.  Start at her abdomen and work up."

It wasn't what Bucky was expecting but he had offered.  Her jacket was intact so he carefully extracted her arms out of it and put it on a chair.  Then he scrubbed his hands, prepared the basin, and determined where to start.  Her tank top was already torn apart from the weapon that caused the wound so he got a pair of scissors out and cut it away.  She wasn't wearing a bra.  Wetting the face cloth he gently cleaned her abdomen near where Bruce was working on her wound.  Grimacing he cleaned her breasts then her shoulders and neck, noting her sunburnt tan line followed the tank top.  Then he cleaned her arms.  So far there didn't seem to be any more wounds.  The water in the basin was filthy so he poured it into the grey water reclamation unit and filled it up again.  Using a clean facecloth he cleaned her face, especially her eye lids which were crusted over.  He was struck at how delicate she seemed, and young.  Her face was unlined, very fair, and her pale eyebrows made her seem even fairer.  She was maybe in her early-20s.  It was hard to tell for him.  He had thought Lily was younger than 20 when they met and hadn't even thought of becoming involved with her.  When he found out she was 32 he was blown away.  He preferred an older woman as they had more life experience and less expectations of the perfect man.  Shaking himself out of his reverie he emptied the second basin and started a third one.

"Bruce, do you want her back cleaned?" Bucky asked.

"I haven't even looked at her back yet," he replied.  "Hold on, I'm going to put a dressing on the wound then we can both turn her.  She's going to need a top to wear.  There are some scrubs in the cupboard over there.  I'm sure there's a top that will fit her."

Both men gently turned her over and Bucky started cleaning her back as Bruce went to get a top for her.  As Bucky washed her back a tattoo appeared between her shoulder blades.  It was only visible when it was wet, once it dried it lost its colouration and was invisible.

"Bruce, have you seen this before?" asked Bucky,  showing Bruce what he had discovered. 

The doctor whistled.  "She's a unicorn," he said.  "Not literally.  She's associated with a religious sect, Children of Adam, but they haven't really been around since before the Millennium.  Based on her hairstyle and clothing I would say she's not a member anymore but the tattoo is usually applied when they are children.  Don't say anything to the others.  They were connected with some doomsday groups at one point.  Until we can talk to her I don't want to make assumptions."

Bucky nodded and finished cleaning her back.  He asked Bruce for a comb and combed the dirt and debris out of her pale blonde hair before gently washing it, leaving the basin on the floor to catch the water he carefully poured to rinse it.  Then he dried it with a towel and combed it through again.  Bruce helped to sit her upright and they pulled the scrub top over her head.  He handled one arm while Bruce handled the other.  Bruce noticed her jeans were filthy and pulled a pair of scrub pants out of the cupboard.  Together they removed her pants and pulled on the scrub bottoms.  Satisfied Bruce patted Bucky on the arm.

"You're a good nurse, thank you," he said, smiling. 

Bucky nodded and poured the dirty water into the reclamation unit.  Then he used a disinfectant wipe to clean the basin before putting it under the UV cleaning light.  The towels and face cloths went in the disinfecting laundry bag.  He went to his coffee mug and drank it, making a face because it was now cold.  Looking at the clock he was surprised to see he had taken almost half an hour to clean the woman.  He looked back at her and realized he hadn't cleaned her hands.  Putting the coffee down he got another basin, filled it up with soapy water and cleaned her hands, even using the edge of a dull scalpel to clean the dirt out of her fingernails.  She wore a plain gold band on her left ring finger.  Married...interesting.  Bruce noticed Bucky looking at the ring.

"She's had a child as well," he said.  "Stretch marks, very faded.  You probably didn't notice but I did.  I wonder where it is."

"Bruce, let me know when she wakes up," said Bucky.  "I'd like to be here when we ask her what she was doing in the Badlands."

He cleaned the basin and left it in the UV cleaner.  Waving goodbye at Bruce he made his way back to the common room to microwave his coffee.  It wasn't as crowded in the room now so he sat next to Steve.

"I just helped Bruce clean the woman up," he said.  "She's wearing a wedding band and Bruce thinks she's had a child.  Someone might be missing her so I guess you're right, we should investigate.  I'm in."

Steve nodded smiling.  Bucky sometimes took time to warm up to an idea but once he did he was all in.  He had already formed a squad of himself, Peter, Clint, Maria and Sam.  Once the woman woke up and they talked to her they would head out to the Badlands.  He asked Bucky to check the ammunition stocks, knowing that he likely already knew what state they were in.  But it would give him something to do while they waited for the woman to come around.

Chapter 2>>

Series Masterlist

Please like, comment and/or reblog if you enjoyed this.

[sohannabarberaesque]

Postcards from Snagglepuss

As if Free Ice Water wasn't impetus enough to stop, to begin with

WALL DRUG STORE, WALL, SD: Our motley motorhome crew, stopping at such a legendary roadside venue built on the offer of Free Ice Water for the sake of parched and thirsty motorists heading towards Mt. Rushmore, Yellowstone even--obviously not to be confused with Jellystone there--and offering plenty more, to begin with. Just killing a few hours in what was hoped to be relative obscurity until, as we headed to the Back Yard of Wall Drug, just as an audioanimatronic T. Rex was going into his routine--

"So, uh, how exactly did you find us?" asked Huckleberry Hound.

We had just stumbled upon Peter Potamus, starched safari jacket, pith helmet, the whole ball of wax even. "If I may just explain ..."

Never mind that the weather for the Badlands region of South Dakota, where Wall is situate, was pretty warm at the time, our company was warming up to what Peter Potamus was about to say.

"I just thought it would be a surprise to mention to you all," Peter explaineth, "that we of the Magic Divers have a little underwater ceremony forthcoming." Which certainly brought surprise unto Hokey Wolf, Ding-a-Ling, Wally Gator and Squiddly Diddly, themselves part of the dive troupe. "To which Huckleberry Hound and Snagglepuss are the honorees."

Which had Huckleberry asking Peter what we were being honoured for, to begin with.

"If I could just let Hokey explain," Peter remarked. Then to Hokey:

"You see, boys, the Peter Potamus Magic Divers have chosen to initiate you into Honourary Membership of our diving circle, a part of our madcap little dive experience! Which will no doubt allow you, if you so desire, access to our diving adventures, as if Snagglepuss wasn't something of a diving addict in his own way!"

Which had yours truly noting that winter at the La Jolla diving compound for the group, as well as a few days with Peter at a remote Polynesian atoll via the Magic Balloon and return--"Oh yeah, Snagglepuss; now that you mention it," Peter responded, "wasn't that atoll especially fascinating from a diving standpoint?"

"Heavens to Cousteau!" saith I. "And what about our times in the Florida Keys over the last couple of winters, including that excursion to Theater of the Sea to illustrate why places of that ilk aren't exactly the best for swimming among dolphins?!"

"Thank you for reminding me!" Peter remarked. Continuing:

"Now, as for the locale: There happens to be a rather charming lake up by Stillwater, Minnesota called Square Lake, which happens to be popular among Midwestern divers for its sheer clarity. Its depth averages about 30-40 feet, with its deepest spot 68 feet below the surface. And such is where I plan to hold our underwater initiation and welcome ceremony with our diving troupe!"

"It's certainly glad," Wally Gator observed, "to get back underwater in the dive getup, don't you know--even if such is in such an esoteric place such as Minnesota. But believe you me, such is bound to beat that kiddy pool I was given at the City Zoo under Mr. Twiddles, until he lost his memory and the zoo started falling apart!"

"Oh, and let's not forget," Hokey Wolf added, "when we were diving Lake Minnetonka for our TV series!" To which Peter thanked Hokey for that little aide-memoire there.

Over some buffalo burgers in the Western Art Gallery Cafe did the conversation and the planning continue--and for some reason, Augie Doggie found the buffalo burger rather intriguing, if the taste was a little different than hamburger. As did your correspondent.

At any rate, we were somewhat stunned to find Peter Potamus' Magic Balloon in one of Wall's several backstreet parking lots for the benefit of Wall Drug visitors, to which Wally, Squiddly, Hokey and Ding repaired to with Peter as a sort of "advance party" for the Square Lake ceremony. Peter mentioned that he'd be calling the other members of the troupe to have them be ready to assemble at Square Lake Park in a couple days' time, he'd supply the gear and all that....

"Golly, Snag," Chuckleberry remarked. "Now that's going to be an experience, even if it means travelling for a couple of days out via I-90 for the most part!" Enough to inspire us to get our trusty Thermos bottles and fill up with Wall Drug's legendary 5-cent coffee. Which, even for a Thermos bottle, was quite the bargain.

And just hope for the best all the way for the next 550 miles or so.

@warnerbrosentertainment @haiyis-dark-void @theweekenddigest @xdiver71 @archive-archives @thebigdingle @screamingtoosoftly @princessgalaxy505 @themineralyoucrave @thylordshipofbutts @warnerbros-blog1 @restroom @jellystone-enjoyer @joey-gatorman @warnerbrosent-blog

[mrultra100]

Do the Earthquake!

After a good while, we’re back on our continued through Prehistoric Planet’s second season, and what we have today is essentially Deserts 2: Electric Boogaloo. In all seriousness, Badlands was a pretty solid episode, but it and two of the later episodes in this season have 5 segments respectively. While it’s a bit odd, especially when most of the episodes from last season had 6 segments per episode, we still have plenty to talk about here. Just be careful not to step in any puddles of lava. We wouldn’t want anyone’s feet melting, now would we?

When your motherly instincts are stronger than lava and toxic fumes

In a bit of a neat bookends trope, the episode starts and ends with the Indian titanosaur, Isisaurus. This is basically one of the species’ first major appearances in pop culture, and the episode knew how to do these titans justice. Part 1 revolves around a herd of females making their way through the recently-formed Deccan Traps to get to a patch of volcanic soil, where they’ll lay their eggs. Just like with the Olorotitan from Season 1, the goal of this trip is to have the eggs incubated in the warm soil, making it easy for them to be heated enough to hatch. As the females eventually leave, the eggs are left to their own devices. And for the hatching babies? We’ll get to them at the end.

*Goofy yell plays in the background*

We then cut to Mongolia, where, just like with Deserts from Season 1, we bear witness to a trilogy of the dinosaurs that lived in this area. The first part of this trilogy revolves around a pack of Velociraptors having to find food for their adorable chicks. Luckily for them, an opportunity arises in the form of a herd of migrating herbivores. Obviously, the much larger Nemegtosaurus and Mongolian Titans are much too big to tackle, the pack has their eyes set on a much smaller target: Prenocephale. Remember that episode of Dinosaur Planet with both Velociraptor and Prenocephale? This is basically the modern day version of it. While the much larger sauropods are harassed by a group of Tarbosaurus, the Prenocephale scatter up the hills to escape their predators… while being completely unaware of the raptors waiting for them. As one of the feathery predators chases the dome-heads up a cliff, the rest of the pack lay in waiting, before one of them basically YEETS one of the Prenocephale off the cliff that it was running on. While the Tarbosaurus pack enjoy a dead Nemegtosaurus that accidently fell off a small patch of rock, the Velociraptor family happily enjoys their hard-earned meal.

Egg stealing …𝒂𝒕 𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕

We then cut to a different part of Mongolia, where we reunite with another feathery face from Season 1; Corthyoraptor. You know that old meme of Oviraptor originally being an egg thief, only to turn out to be a good parent? The latter is basically this scene. As the fathers watch over their eggs, late into the night, they’re soon being spotted by a pair of hungry eyes. The owner of the eyes is revealed to be a Kuru kulla, a species of raptor related to Velociraptor. While I’ve seen many people online talk about how Kuru looks a bit too much like Velociraptor, it should be worth noting that both genera belong to the same family of dromaeosaurs (the Velociraptorinae, to be precise). Getting back to the scene at hand, the female Kura manages to snack on a few eggs, before the Corythoraptor colony spots her. Not wanting to get in the wrath of a few angry dads, the Kuru snatches one more egg before she bolts out of the nesting colony, and right to a large rock. Just like her daytime cousins, the female Kuru is a good parent, having taken the egg for her chicks to learn how to crack and get to the yolk inside. How wholesome!

Welcome to the CLUB

The end of this second Mongolian trilogy features one of my favorite scenes in the entire series to date. You know how Tarchia made a cameo back in Season 1? The desert ankylosaur finally gets a scene all to itself, as a couple of brothers make their way to a hidden oasis. While one of the young anyklosaurs lingers behind for a bit, the other one finds a large watering hole hidden among the sun-baked cliffs, where a bunch of Prenocephale are seen. At worst, the pachycephalosaurs only serve as annoyances, which cannot be said for the larger male Tarchia present. After seeing this teenager wander into his territory, the old male sizes him up, using his large tail club as a warning display. It’s only with the arrival of the second brother that the tides begin to change. Outnumbered, and not wanting to deal with twice the tail clubs, the old male makes a hasty retreat, and the brothers get to drink in peace. Overall, this was one of my favorite scenes in the whole show, as well as my personal favorite from this episode in particular.

In India, the sausages EAT you

Returning to India for the last segment of the episode, the eggs laid by the female Isisaurus herd a few months prior begin to hatch into sauropodlets. They are cute, yes, but let’s face it; This is Prehistoric Planet, a show where things don’t end well for baby animals. As the group of baby dinosaurs head out to catch up with the herd, many of them will have to face through both perilous landscapes, along with hungry Rajasaurus looking for a snack. While many of the babies get gobbled up, the vast majority manage to survive the ordeal and make it into the forest, ending the episode.

Given how there’s a dinosaur whose name LITERALLY means “good mother lizard”, pretty much

The Uncovered segment of this episode goes into detail about how many dinosaurs raised and took care of their young. The Isisaurus and Olorotitans covering their eggs in volcanic soil is backed up by fossilized eggs under this exact same process. The people behind this show certainly know their stuff, lemme tell ya.

And with that, Badlands is done. While I was originally hoping to get this next review done within a week after the previous episode, the nearly month-long gap between them allowed me to take a breath, and iron out the details when writing. I’m not sure if the review for Swamps is gonna take me a similarly long time to get done, or maybe this could be a monthly thing that’ll last a while. I don’t know. What I am aware of is this; This is frankly one of the most fun writing projects that I’ve done in a while, and we’re still not done just yet, folks! Stay tuned for the Swamps review! (When it’ll be finished)