#which is not a good day for you if it happens with a primed explosive

[blumineck]

How about the grenade arrows in RRR?

I'm sorry, but you've seen my videos, right? What do you honestly think my budget is?

(Seriously though, there are /so many/ topics I'd love to cover and try but can't for time/money/space reasons. I've not even covered fire arrows yet!)

[phoenixblaze1412]

HII!! happy new year!!! Can I get some fluff hcs with dottore (+ segments) and reader whos child is sucrose? This can be seen as a part 2 to the having a kid hcs if u want! - 🐓

It was you who gave your child the name Sucrose. Dottore didn't really mind any name you gave your offspring, his segments have weird names, why should he stop you from giving your child a chemical compound name?

Theta (Webttore) though... was curious of it.

"So.. why Sucrose exactly? Could have easily rhymed such a name with glucose, fructose or even lactose?"

"Because sucrose is sugar and what does sugar taste like? Sweet. And my daughter is the most sweetest thing in Teyvat."

"...both you and 'him' are bad at naming things. Naming your own kid table sugar, what a dumbass."

Sucrose prefers to stay with her father in his laboratory whenever you're busy, she's not much of an outdoor person and doesn't really want to interact with more people aside from you, Dottore, and even his segments who she can already tell who is who. She's just a shy little bean with good memorization.

Ever since the day Sucrose was born, everyone has been more restless, mostly you and Dottore since the segments don't even need sleep to energize themselves.

You would find her crawling around a room, searching for things that catches her interest and even reaching places a child shouldn't even reach.

One time when you, Dottore, and Sucrose were sleeping together on your shared bed, you were immediately woken up in the middle of the night due to the sound of your daughter crying but was nowhere to be found.

It took you and your husband at least 20 minutes to find that Sucrose was at the top of a cabinet and couldn't get back down.

Sucrose, your sweet daughter, apparently has taken in her father's footsteps, studying the world of science at just four years old. What got her interest the most is alchemy.

She immediately learned the chemical components of the things around her. Even creating and mixing a few chemicals into a test tube to see the reaction, Dottore stood beside her just in case something bad happens so he could pull his child out of the way.

One time when you were about to visit your family in the lab after coming home from a mission, you were immediately welcomed with a loud explosion which made you panic and run down to where it came from.

Once you reached the lab, you were greeted with your husband and child's faces all covered in soot. Both of their hair was messy and in every place, it was as if someone had electrocuted them which cause their hair to stand.

"What did you two do that caused this?"

"Welcome back, dearest. We wanted to see what kind of reaction we may get when we mix fuel oil with ammonium nitrate fertilizer."

"We got an explosion.."

Next time, before you went to another mission and leaving your two scientists behind, you asked the segments to keep an eye on the two and make sure they don't cause any more explosions.

Surprisingly, Sucrose has a few segments that she favored.

Omega and Prime, aside from being almost as perfect as her father, the two segments would teach her more about the chemistry field whenever Dottore is busy.

She finds Zeta's quiet behavior comfortable since she too is also shy and meek around others. They both communicate with a few sentences and it's already enough for them. Both Sucrose and Zeta rather prefers to do work than talk over it.

There were some fatui soldiers who would mistaken your child as a cicin mage due to her hair. Dottore suggested on dying her hair blue but you immediately declined his suggestion.

It's you who would be the one to style both Sucrose and Dottore's hair every morning, making sure it wouldn't hinder them whenever they work.

This caused the other segments to also want their hair get tied up, even those with hair as short like Theta's.

Dottore would always find ways to be able to spend time with you. Which is why he would hand his child over to his segments before sweeping you off your feet and carrying you out of the lab to spend quiet moments between you two.

All in all, Sucrose is happy to have her parents and guardians, if you could even call the segments as guardians. With her curious mind, she even learned about the other nations.

Oh, how cute Sucrose was when she asked her father if she could go to Mondstadt and study alchemy there.

"Absolutely not."

[gffa]

Hiiii :D I was just wondering, do you have any good Marvel fic reccomendations? Your massive list of star wars fics is like the no.1 thing I go to when im in a star wars mood, and all of them have been amazing, so thanks so much for that!! I'm just curious if you have any good Marvel fic recs?? If not that's fine lol, thank you for your service 🙏

Hi! Lol, I had to sit with this post for a few days because "Marvel fic" is such a wide range of possibilities, like are we talking the comics or the live action shows? The Avengers movies? The X-Men movies? Which section of those fandoms? Avengers as a team? Captain America? Thor? Iron Man? Daredevil? X-Men: First Class? Just... anything? I don't actually have a lot of comics fic recommendations (mostly because it's too hard to wade through all the movie stuff because so many people cross-tag into the comics tags despite it not being comic fic that those tags are now useless), but my go-to for Marvel comics are always: ✦ Betrayal + Paradox Law + The Game of Empires by Valerie J It's hard to describe this series, other than that about ~15 years ago, it was an ambitious attempt at taking various elements of the X-Men comics and weaving them into a coherent whole, focusing on giving Remy an epic backstory to explain his origins and his powers. It probably wouldn't really fit with more recent comics, but if you're a fan of late '90s/early '00s X-Men comics, this was a hell of a ride with cool powers, surprising family twists, time travel, fun relationships, and incredible ramp ups to tense situations that explode in the best way. ✦ The Gestalt Arc by Lori McDonald Another old school fic centered around the Remy/Rogue relationship and taking them on an epic journey, in an alternate version of what happened after their kiss in X-Men #41. The ups and downs of how they work out their issues, the lives they try to lead with each other, finding their path forward together, it's still one of my favorites for the era. ✦ Anything by Traincat for the Young Avengers My favorite is grab a blanket, brother, but they're an author that I'd write a blanket rec for, if any of the summaries sound relevant to your interests! They also write Peter Parker/Johnny Storm, which isn't my area of comics, but I'd trust them with it! But primarily I'd route you to them for their super fun Young Avengers stories, the Teddy/Billy and Eli/Kate ones especially. ✦ Anything by silverspidertm2, X-parrot, takadainmate, or Mythtaken Identity for Journey into Mystery and Loki: Agent of Asgard-era fic. This is when I was in my prime era of reading Thor comic-centric fic, around Journey into Mystery and Loki: Agent of Asgard, when he was Kid Loki and then Teen Loki. There was a lot really fun worldbuilding or road trips or just feelings explosions fic from this era. Beyond that, my bookmarks are a bit of a mess, but you can scroll through them to see what you're looking for. My primary fandoms were: ✦ Daredevil TV, where I went in hard on Matt/Foggy (and some Matt/Foggy/Karen and Frank/Karen and a little Matt/Elektra), where I read voraciously for about a year before MCU burnout hit. Some faves are Double Blind by smilebackwards and Something Dumb to Do by poisonivory and jump, check parachute augustbird.

✦ Thor (MCU), which is actually the heart of who I was as an MCU fan, I spent a long time there reading a lot of fic and this will take you to my bookmarks with the pairings filtered out. I was a big fan of Thor & Loki's relationship so that's most of what's in there, and I always suggest starting with these three fics: ✦ Bargaining by proantagonist, thor & loki & odin & frigga & cast, time travel, 108.9k Faced with an eternity without his brother, Loki strikes a bargain to change the past. Post TDW. ✦ No Such Liberty by Xparrot, thor & loki & cast, 147.3k The first thing Loki said, after he had swiped his tongue over his lips to wet them, was, "You shouldn't trust me." ~ Following the attack on New York, Thor takes Loki back to Asgard in chains; but this does not mean that the god of mischief's schemes are ended, or that Thor has or ever will give up on his brother. But when Thanos threatens the realm to claim his lost prizes, on which side will Loki fall? [post-Avengers fix it] ✦ The Lullaby Singer by TheOtherOdinson, thor & loki & odin & frigga, 85k wip Odin hasn't left Asgard in over a thousand years. When he finds out Loki is still alive and preparing to launch an attack on Midgard, he could send Thor to stop him. Or Odin could go himself. As a bonus, I have a few more Thor genfic recs here.

✦ Captain America (MCU), where sure I liked some gen fic but lbr I was there for the Stucky. I mostly read during the height of the post-TWS fervor and then tapered off a lot after that (given how hard they swerved away from their relationship) and I haven't read almost anything in the fandom since Endgame, but if you want some fun TWS-era fic, I put together this list recently. (To be fair, I also liked a lot of Steve &/ Natasha, Bucky &/ Natasha and Sam/Natasha, so you can find that in there, too.)

✦ Iron Man (MCU), where I liked a mix of some fun gen pieces and some Tony/Pepper which put me in the minority, but I don't care because there were some banger authors for both. If you're interested in them, I always liked pretty much anything I read by roboticonography. icarus_chained wrote a wider variety of stuff, but I've always liked anything I've read from them as well.

✦ Avengers (MCU), where I read a lot of fic, but it's kind of all mixed in together, even some sprinkled in Black Panther fic, some Spideypool that was super fun for a hot minute, some Guardians of the Galaxy characters showing up, etc. Step carefully if you're not interested in pairings (I read a fair amount of Tony/Loki and Steve/Loki in amongst the other stuff), but honestly by the end I was probably reading more gen than anything.

✦ X-Men: First Class-verse, which is my exception to not reading much for the live action versions of the X-Men, because I am a long time Pietro Maximoff fan and while Peter wasn't my Pietro, I did love him and there was some absolute banger fic for the Dadneto trope, which was where my heart was at. Come Together by blarfkey is absolutely the first place to start!

Hopefully this is what you were looking for, but if you have further refinements on what you're interested in, let me know and I'll try to give some pointers! I've been out of reading Marvel for awhile, but I have a huge backlog from when I was in it, at least. 😂

[cosmichorrorsarestillnicerthanme]

I stole this prompt from an anon on @nkn0va blog.

Anyway, Luviagelita Edelfelt (Fate Stay Night) and Karin Kanzuki (Street Fighter) dating a S/o who grew up poor. Like on the street poor and they have no idea how to be prime and or proper

It is a good prompt so I can't blame you for swiping it. That said, I apologize for only being able to do Luvia's side. I couldn't think of anything that didn't feel like it was just a remake of Luvia's side for Karin. My aplogies. If I ever get the idea for Karin I'll be sure to write it!

NOW! YOUR WISH IS MY COMMAND!!!

This had to be Tohsaka’s fault.

She didn’t know how, or why.

Luvia just knew that it was.

Especially with the trio of thugs telling her to hand over her bag.

The bag filled with her recently purchased materials for Magecraft.

Any other day, Luvia would just deal with them herself.

Unfortunately, some of the materials in her bag were… Volatile.

The blowing an entire city block sky high type of Volatile.

Personally, Luvia would prefer that not to happen.

And so, Luviagelita Edelfelt was in a pickle, her back against the wall of the alley, and highly explosive materials in her bag.

Needless to say, she was very limited on what she could do to get out of this.

But then, a Deus Ex Machina entered stage right.

The Deus Ex Machina?

You, walking in from the side alley and right in between the two factions, a toothpick in your mouth, wearing a raggedy jacket with patched up pants and beaten up sneakers.

“Hmm, I do believe I have gotten in the middle of something I probably shouldn’t have…” you muttered, reaching up and taking the toothpick out of your mouth, a slightly irritated expression on your face.

This was Luvia’s chance to escape!

“Please! Help me! These HOOLIGANS are-” Luvia began to screech before she was suddenly interrupted.

“Zip it Goldilocks!” you shouted, slightly turning towards her.

“Wha-! Can’t-” Luvia started to shout in indignity and annoyance before she was promptly interrupted by you again.

“ZIP! IT!” you shouted.

Luvia bit her tongue and nodded.

In any other situation, Luvia would deal with you herself.

Unfortunately, this was not any other situation and she would be a fool not to accept the help.

No matter how… crude the help is.

It was around now that negotiations began to deteriorate.

Well, Negotiations is what Luvia called it, it was more accurate to call it an exchange of words that could only ever lead to violence.

Which, of course, it led to when one of the thugs threw a punch.

Or tried to at least.

He was interrupted by a toothpick being tossed into his eye, his leg being kicked out from underneath him, and a knee being slammed into his face, knocking more than a few teeth out and breaking his nose before he crumpled to the ground in a heap.

Needless to say, the other two thugs did not take too kindly to this as one pulled a knife as the other charged you with a wild haymaker.

The one that tried to hit you with a haymaker was promptly kicked in the genitals, sending him to his knees where he received a plentiful serving of the heel of your shoe directly to his mouth which laid him out on his back, blood pouring out of his mouth from the broken and missing teeth.

That left only the one with the knife.

This one required you to be a tad more cautious.

Or that’s what Luvia would have thought.

The actions you took were far more aggressive, rushing forward, stomping on the ribs of the first thug and using him as a springboard to launch yourself upward, both legs drawn back to hit the last thug with both knees at full force.

And hit him with full force you did, your knees connecting cleanly with his chest, making a sickening crack resound down the alley from ribs snapping.

Though, not without receiving a knife to your side.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Luvia smugly drank her cup of tea as she watched over you in one of the guest rooms.

She was going to have her revenge for you calling her “Goldilocks”.

Right now, she was just waiting for you to wake up.

Then, almost as if on cue, you groaned and Luvia smiled.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

It was… disappointingly easy to talk you into becoming one of her Servants.

Specifically, a bodyguard.

Sure, you were nowhere near as genteel as she would’ve liked.

Not to mention you fought extremely dirty.

Nonetheless, Luvia found your attitude and own particular way of going about things… interesting.

Rather than letting the staff toss something out and replace it, you’d find a way to stretch out its use for as long as possible which, over a few months, saved a nice chunk of change when it came to her being a tad… emotional at times when it came to the aftermath of her less successful magecraft experiments.

Now, if only she could get you to wear a full suit and tie, as opposed to just the shirt, shoes, and pants, you’d be the perfect-

Luvia snapped herself out of her thoughts by shaking her head.

Where in the world did that come from?

“Something eating at you Goldilocks?” you asked as you stood to the side of Luvia’s desk, hands in your pockets and a bored expression on your face.

“I have nothing to say to employees who refuse to address me properly as Mistress Edefelt.” Luvia declared as she turned her focus to the papers before her.

“Then it seems you and I ain’t going to be exchanging a lot of words, Goldilocks.” you told Luvia as you raised your hand to your mouth, a yawn escaping it.

“It seems not.” Luvia muttered, her previous thought coming back to her.

Why in the world had she almost thought that you would be “The perfect partner?”

[in1-nutshell]

I'm gonna try again tfp team prime with a bot Buddy who has a concerning interest in poison. 😅 And now i'm beginning to annoy myself

Hello there! Don't worry about asking again, I'm just not well versed in some things that's all. Still glad you asked though! Since you did not specify which characters you wanted I will be selecting them at random.

Hope you enjoy!

Ratchet, Wheeljack, and Ultra Magnus reaction to Bot Buddy who is fascinated with poison

SFW, Platonic, talks of poison, Cybertronian/ Bot reader

TFP

Ratchet

Ratchet has known Buddy for a while. As in before the war started, before their interest in poison.

Buddy used to be a good doctor that helped him from time to time in his makeshift clinic. They were always experimenting with new forms of medicine to treat patients. It could have been medicine for a mesh wound to try to find a cure for the rust plague.

It was during the war that they had found an interest in poison.

Ratchet wouldn't see Buddy again until they crash landed on Earth. To say it was a pleasant surprise was an understatement.

"Ratchet? Ratchet is that you my friend?"--Buddy

"Buddy?! By the Allspark it's great to see you online."--Ratchet

"Likewise my friend. Now tell me, what do you need?"--Buddy

"Any help at this point would be nice, truly. "--Ratchet

"Well it's a good thing I brought my kits! Don't worry this war will be over in no time now!"--Buddy

"You still have the kits?! I thought they were destroyed in your lab back on Kimia."--Ratchet

"Kits? Ratchet what are they talking about?"--Bulkhead

"An explanation would be nice."--Arcee

"Buddy has a gift for medicine... And other things..."--Ratchet

"Oh Ratchet you make it sound like a bad thing. To answer your question, my dear Wrecker, I specialize in poisons and venoms of all sorts! Pretty exciting don't you think?"--Buddy

"... I'm just going to be over there..."--Bulkhead

While Ratchet isn't exactly thrilled with the idea of Buddy handling any type of poison, he has to admit that they do get the job done.

Buddy is often seen in their little corner of the base or near the consoles discussing things with Ratchet.

Wheeljack

Wheeljack knew Buddy from the Wrecker's. Like him, Buddy was a former scientist before the war started.

The two of them went together faster than a house on fire. One was never too far from the other, and if they were something was going to explode.

There was a huge explosion the day that the two had gotten separated.

Years later Buddy found a strange signal coming from a planet called Earth. They decided to go and check it out. Who knows if they would find more poisonous things for their kits?

They didn't find any poison yet, but they did find Ultra Magnus, Bulkhead, and Wheeljack.

"Wheeljack! Bulkhead! Ultra Magnus sir!"--Buddy

"Buddy?--Bulkhead

"Buddy?!"--Magnus

"Buddy!"--Wheeljack

"Wait how do we know if it's the real Buddy? We don't want another Makeshift problem."--Bulkhead

"Makeshift?"--Buddy

"True soldier. From what you told me we need to be on high alert in case this is a Decepticon."--Magnus

"Decepticon?"--Buddy

"It's Buddy I can tell."--Wheeljack

"How?"--Bulkhead

"There is only one bot crazy enough to carry that many kits labeled POISON like it's a collection of rocks."--Wheeljack

"Hey!"--Buddy

After the formal introductions are made, and Buddy gets to know Team Prime, they are once again attached to Wheeljack.

Wheeljack doesn't mind Buddy's fascination with poison. In fact he encourages it. The more Cons they can the better.

Ultra Magnus

Ultra Magnus knew Buddy as a new recruit for the Wrecker's medic.

How in the world they became friends?

Magnus doesn't have the right answer for that. It just happened.

He is well aware of Buddy's poisonous hobbies but he can't say they aren't benefiting from it. There have been multiple times where the Wrecker's would have been killed if not for Buddy's experiments.

Buddy had gotten separated from the Wrecker's during a rather gruesome battle. Magnus pushes his grief deep down so he could focus on leading his group.

Buddy gets reunited with Magnus when they literally crash into the IronWill.

"Identify yourself!"--Magnus

"Magnus? Ultra Magnus! I can tell how good it is to hear your voice my friend!"--Buddy

"Buddy?"--Magnus

"Sure is Commander! Might I say it again, it's good to hear your voice."--Buddy

Magnus gives Buddy the introduction to the team. He makes sure that Buddy doesn't feel isolated or left out. He knows how that feels.

It takes more time for the team to get used to the fact that Magnus has a best friend than Buddy playing around with poison.

[mgarmagedon]

How are you and your au co-maker friend doing? Any new ideas?

She is fine, for now she is really busy and has really hard time, so she wouldn't have time to even make anything with me. Wish her luck guys, because she is doing her best ❤️❤️❤️

And she isn't exactly co-maker, because she is from time to time making random content about transformers prime or rid15, I'm mainly creating content here, but thank to her Sideswipe is tampon now. :D

But i can tell off what we were talking about last time:

Like lately we chosen to add that after Starscream almost died in explosion, when he was still mainly into scientific stuff, not only making Megan angry (when war was still active conflict and 90% of the population weren't dead), he met that time KO (when he was still teenager) and without getting licences, because how he could get his licence while the war, when practically all schools were in ruins XD So they met that time, KO helped him in coming back to better shape. This is why KO came to Nemesis in TFP with his husband Breakdown, because Starscream saw him as a trustworthy doctor. I don't need to add that they fucked AS ADULTS ON NEMESIS, when Breakdown was still around, because he was fine that KO wants to life in open relationship. They were still happy together :DD

We talked about the fact that Bee couldn't look at Sideswipe optics at the beginning, because he has Smokescreens optics and after all this shit that happened, it was really painful for him. He drank himself into unconsciousness, Ofc Grimlock and Danny were trying to comfort him as much he could (at that time Drift wasn't around yet, he joined with his sons team after 8-9 months Bee, Strongarm and Sides came to earth). He felt terrible, because it wasn't Sides fault that he born or that his best friend, which he treated like his older brother and first love in his life, made children when both of them was drunk. He didn't won't to hurt him or take revenge on the poor teen, which also had hard childhood like Bee and slowly but surly start to get close with. Sometimes he even thought of if he didn't leave him that day they told him about the protoforms, he would be now Sideswipe and Sunstreaker's father and maybe even marry KO. But those are only his thoughts. I was thinking of making black and while comic of it, but in his bot form not human. XDDD

We also lately write A LOT about Ultra Magnus and Wheeljack. Mainly we was thinking what Magnus was doing after the war and becasue he was like this big badass judge, he could just become the guy how almost rule Cybertron. I mean by it, that Cybertron came back to the almost state after the war and that is not a good news XD. "And what about Ratchet?" nothing, he doesn't give a fuck about him. After all, he himself as a guy in new created council vote to send Ratchet on Earth as his retirement and still explain himself by saying " this is last wish of Optimus Prime". I just like the idea that right hand of Prime, makes Cybertron great again, causing fulling prisons by ex cons and not happy with his decisions war veterans. It would also explain WHY FUCKING CYCLONUS WAS IN THE FUCKING FINAL, because he would be rebeliant that wants freedom for his ppl. He also created slums :), idk I think it's cool idea that Ultra Magnus was a villain of the series And I think Arcee would see sense in that and after all those years and ptsd, also got mature, she would fine peace in new worlds order. But she would still take back her father and brother back on Cybetron... at least be too kick his fucking ass. XDD And practically nobody can do anything with, only Bulkhead is living his best life as a worker, it doesn't mean that he is now fighting, he is just tired and like Arcee wants some peace in his life. After they banned contacting with earth and he could talk with Miko, he needed finally some peace. The same with KO and Smoke. He is living now with Wheeljack AS A FRIENDS!!! But from time to time, Wheeljack is showing up at Magnus mantion to fuck him, say hey to his daughter and then disappear for next 9 months. I'm just seeing NeoCybertron as a Gotham City but as a planet XDDD

I can't write more words, so do you have any more question? XD

[alicepao13]

Hudson and Rex S06E15

So, as I’m sure a lot of people have already figured out, we just watched the intended season finale. CityTV, you better hope I never get to cross that ocean. I mean, every season finale aside from the two where Peter Mitchell was in charge (coincidence?) were run of the mill episodes which could have fit anywhere in the season. Maybe it will be fitting for this season to start and end with viewers wondering what they watched. But I’m getting ahead of myself here and I might be wrong. Let’s focus on 15 which may very well be the best episode of the season for me, probably tied with S06E04.

The spoiled scene with Charlie and Sarah’s mentioned anniversary. Rex totally wants to stay with Jesse after their “celebration”. I’m trying to figure whether Jesse is pretending to be naive or is actually being naive about it. Or if the whole response is the writers being unable to outright say that Charlie and Sarah really spent their anniversary having sex all night.

Speaking of, two years, Charlie Hudson? What are you waiting for, an epiphany to hit you in the head? Oh, wait.

What do you mean, we didn’t save the day? There’s a dead woman? Huh? 

Nice bomb explosion by the way.

“My bosses are gonna hate this but tell me more”. lol Jesse

How did we end up as security detail for the woman who might become prime minister?

Look, I like when there’s a case where they’re toying with supernatural elements. That’s why I loved Castle so much. And Jesse is always eager to believe. Charlie on the other hand looks like he’s got tons to say on the subject. Rex too. Apparently he doesn’t believe in time travel either.

Any so called time traveler should come back to the present with the numbers for the lottery. That would be ample proof for me :P

Can I say how much I like the camera work on this one? Good directing by John Vatcher.

Rex is getting so many pats in this episode. Deserved.

This campaign manager is on par with the Veep campaign managers. And by that I mean he’s ruthless and self-centered and I want to punch him.

That food now possibly has dog hair in it.

I come from a country where it’s pretty normal to put a musical montage right in the middle of an episode (even a dance number), so I’m not going to say anything about the needless song.

Thunk! There goes Charlie. Again. I’ll spare y’all the concussion speech. Besides, time moves in mysterious ways in this show, maybe it’s already been six months since episode 11.

Seriously, why do you tell Rex to chase a lead if you can’t survive being ten feet away from him?

I can’t remember the last time any of my shows put a bomb vest on one of the main characters. The latest that I remember was FBI but it was on a minor character. That had been a great episode too.

I haven’t yet decided whether that bomb vest looks too amateurish. To be fair, given who the culprit was, it shouldn’t look professional.

Sarah finding Charlie as he has a bomb vest on is like, the best thing that has happened lately on this show. Her look. His look as he realizes that he’s got his entire family now in this (and the mantra of no, no, no that must be playing in his head, I’m filling the blanks, don’t mind me). The slight zooming in of the camera in both of their shots, denoting the direness of the situation.

I was almost waiting for Charlie to say “this isn’t as enjoyable as it was last night” as Sarah was touching him while she’s checking the bomb vest. It writes itself, come on.

In my last review post I wrote that I was hoping the earphones would serve for Charlie to call Sarah and tell her goodbye or something like that. This certainly exceeded my expectations.

We’re a bit late for love confessions under duress but when Charlie was asked about whether Sarah was his wife and he replied “Not yet”, that was a nice moment. At least we know where his head is at.

Their silent communication. They’re so in sync.

Elsewhere, Joe and Jesse are quietly trying to figure out a way to save innocent people and somehow not get their friend blown up.

Superintendent Joe Donovan making airplane noises. I laughed so much.

They are holding hands as they’re walking to their doom! Oh, by the way, interesting music choice. I wonder if it’s score created for the show or non-original music. I’ve certainly not heard it before on the show.

Goodbye kiss! I love it here. And look at the shot of Charlie and Rex leaving as Sarah is staying behind.

Me: no way it’s the convict. Five minutes later: it’s the fucking convict!!! Ten minutes later: it’s not the convict???

Ha, Charlie using the mute button which is pretty convenient but almost no one uses on calls. 

Okay, they fooled me with the bomber. But the takedown went pretty much as I expected. Nice communication with Rex through hand signals, again. Although the detonator flying off the lady’s hand… anything could have happened.

Rex’s influence to the system will be more K9s lol. They may also have ensured unlimited funding for the SJPD.

Can the time traveling guy tell us if Charlie is going to propose anytime soon? Or is the “not yet” considered a non-proposal proposal?

This is the first time I’m hearing about the so called Alice in wonderland syndrome.

“Everybody needs a Rex”. Ah, yes. Our catchphrase.

Charlie, put the phone down. When is that man clocking out? Who’s going to make sure Rex is getting adequate rest? I need to talk to his superior. Joe!

Well, I kept saying that I wanted Charlie and Sarah to be in danger again together since they hadn’t after they had become a couple, and I got my wish, thank you, show. We could have had an aftermath scene with them but I’m not going to complain about it in an otherwise good episode.

Promo: I’m beyond frustrated that they keep shuffling the episodes and they wouldn’t even give it a rest when they got the season finale or the 100th episode on their hands. Today’s (yesterday’s) episode would have been a better 100th episode than The Rookie’s for sure (which is embarrassing for The Rookie). But instead we get to watch it as episode 99 and have a run of the mill case for the 100th, which, unless it ends up in a huge celebration scene, is going to fall flat. We basically end off exactly as we started, expect I now know this is 100% CityTV’s fault.

Speaking of, is CityTV even going to acknowledge that it’s the 100th episode? Is anyone? I’m obviously not expecting the magnitude of promotion ABC gave The Rookie or 911 this season (and that was a lot) but something that shows they’re not completely neglecting Hudson and Rex. It doesn’t seem like we’re getting renewal news anytime soon, so I’d settle for them celebrating the episodes they already filmed. There are quite a few production companies involved too, this does not only fall on CityTV. If Shaftesbury wants to celebrate this milestone, I won’t say no.

[ladyaislinn]

Oct 24, 2024

>> video

Rufus Sewell talks ‘The Diplomat’ Season 2, playing villains

Actor Rufus Sewell visits TODAY to discuss Season 2 of “The Diplomat,” premiering on Netflix on Oct. 31. He also shares his experience playing villains and offers insights into starting filming for the third season of “The Diplomat.”

Rufus Sewell learned the ending of Season 2 of "The Diplomat" before nearly anyone else.

“I thought the ending of Season 1 was a big shock. I really wasn’t expecting that,” he tells TODAY.com. “The ending of this season, no one could anticipate.”

He and co-star Keri Russell, who play a married pair of ambassadors forever entangled in their own games of brinksmanship, were the only members of the cast to get the final scripts ahead of time. Other cast members' finale scripts had redacted portions until the final read-through.

"It was on the day of the read-through people were getting to that page. You could see, as they turned that page, reactions popping like a line of explosions across the read-through tables. And people going, 'No!' It was a very good, exciting kind of clue as to what the public reaction will be like," he says.

While Season 2 of "The Diplomat" premiered Oct. 31, Sewell says he's "stuck" in Season 3, which is currently filming.

"It's dangerous," he says. "There are things that I cannot say that are old news for us that nobody knows yet."

He admits he "kind of likes" the feeling of having secrets. "Luckily, I'm so forgetful I can't remember most," he quips.

In that respect, he says he's much different from his character on "The Diplomat." Hal Wyler is the husband of the U.S. ambassador to the U.K., Kate Wyler (Keri Russell), and also an ambassador himself. He is a freewheeling rogue-meets-foreign policy genius.

"You need killers on the side of good. He is one of those people," Sewell says. "He says, 'OK, this needs to happen. I've got to go in here. I've got to do something drastic.' Unfortunately, the consequences of that are unforeseeable."

What happens at the end of Season 2 of "The Diplomat" — and what does his character have to do with it? Read below to find out.

What happens at the end of ‘The Diplomat’ Season 2?

The final moments of "The Diplomat" Season 2 end with a shocking reveal: The president of the United States has died — seemingly of shock brought on following a phone call with Hal.

Over the course of the season, the Wylers unravel the conspiracy of who was behind the British warship attack in Season 1.

Turns out Grace Penn (Allison Janney), the vice president of the U.S., orchestrated it with the help of U.K. Prime Minister Nicol Trowbridge’s former adviser Margaret “Meg” Roylin (Celia Imrie).

Grace hired a mercenary to attack a British ship in an effort to give the United Kingdom something to unite over. She did this so that Scotland wouldn't vote yes for independence and the U.S. could keep control of a military base in Scotland. Nobody was supposed to get hurt, but there was a malfunction they couldn't have predicted, which led to people being where the missile hit, Trowbridge explained.

Kate and Hal go back and forth about what to do with the information. They settle on telling Miguel Ganon (Miguel Sandoval), the U.S. Secretary of State. But then, in classic Hal fashion, Hal goes rogue and calls the president instead.

The show skips over the phone call between Hal and the president and instead skips ahead to what he says on the phone to Kate.

Keep in mind that, at this moment, Kate has just gotten out of a tense conversation of her own with the VP, during which she confirmed she was coming for her job. (...)

What does Hal say on the phone to the president?

Sewell says more of the exact conversation will be revealed next season.

"I have to explain to people what happened. Why were you talking to him? What were you talking about? There's not much I can say, you know," he says.

Sewell understands Hal's decision to go rogue and call the president instead of the secretary of state; it was his original plan.

"The only way he could fully control the outcome was to tell the president directly. Going through anyone else, they could use it to their advantage and use gamesmanship against them," he says.

His intentions were in the right place, Sewell says — this was meant to be another Hal Wyler special.

"The fact is, what he's famous for and infamous is pulling off feats that no one else would have the bravery or the intellect to be able to work out," he says.

Hal, he says, is always aware of the risks, and moved forward anyway.

"Sometimes there are casualties. What we're doing is for the world and will benefit an enormous amount of people. But sometimes, if things go wrong, there can be bad results. This is one of those things. He was right to do it, right? Who was to have known that this might have happened?"

[i-starcreamed]

Hey, I was thinking of a oneshot request for MTMTE Rodimus, Megatron, Drift, Whirl, Tarn, Shatted Glass Optimus Prime and Bayverse Ironhide with a Cybertronian S/O who can transform into a weapon (and it depends on what weapon she turns to, depending on who the character she is with). I was thinking it could be a female S/O as well, to make it easier for you cause I'm aware that's a lot of characters lol. Thank you, have a good day/afternoon/night 🤗

oo this is a cool request! this was very fun to write especially since one of my ocs also transforms into a weapon..And I had to exclude Megatron and Ironhide since I sadly don't know how to write for them too well :(

Also I'll be uploading the oneshots separately so that the characters are easier to find and for organization purposes :D hope you don't mind. This post includes Rodimus and Drift

MTMTE Rodimus x Cybertronian!reader

Whenever danger sets afoot on the Lost Light or any other alien planet the crew makes a stop at, Rodimus is immediately looking at you with begging optics. Every time, you would sigh and know exactly what he meant.

Today was one of those cycles, the Lost Light had to make a stop at some random alien planet. According to Ultra Magnus and your significant other, the planet belonged to a bunch of techno-organics that weren't too welcoming to cybertronians. Or rather, which you learned too late, they weren't welcoming to any intruders.

"Alright, alright listen everyone! We're under attack, this planet is apparently defensive against us, but we'll be fi-" Another explosion ringed in the background. "we'll be fine!" Rodimus announced this to the whole crew, which were itching to fight or hiding within the ship.

"We're all gonna die!"

Someone in the crowd yelled, which led to more of the crew muttering to each other and doing the exact opposite of what Rodimus wanted. His optimistic smile faltered as he sighed. You were at his side, as always. You placed a servo on his shoulder in a comforting way.

"Hey, it's alright. We should go help out there though, system's scanner says they're closing in. How about we go protect the crew, yeah?" You said with a smile.

Rodimus seemed to perk up at this. Suddenly, a knowing grin crept onto his face. 3..2..1.."Does this mean...?" His striking blue optics stared down at you expectedly. There he goes. You sigh but nod your helm.

"Yes Rodimus. I'll turn into my alt mode.."

-----

Rodimus was the only bot you trusted enough to wield you in your alt-mode, which happened to be a rather cool-looking plasma rifle. With temperatures reaching to a scorching amount, you and him easily plundered through your attackers. Techno-organics and heat don't mix well, you learned. By the end of it, the nearby location was a nasty mess. But hey, at least you protected the Lost Light in an incredibly badass way. It's not every cycle they see a femme that can turn into a rifle and melt away at her enemies. Rodimus was proud of you, to say the least. He couldn't have a better/more badass conjunx.

He still holds you as you enter the Lost Light once again, to continue on your journey before the planet's inhabitants call for backup or something.

"Can I transform back now?"

"Hmm, nope. I need to make an announcement first, remember?"

"If you drop me again, I swear to Primus Rodimus..."

He groans, you were never going to forgive for that, were you?

MTMTE Drift x Cybertronian!reader

Early on when you embarked upon the Lost Light, you had quickly befriended the third-in-command. You happened to bond over your love for bladed weapons and swords, combat in general. As you got closer, those feelings for each other grew. You were so trusting of him despite his past, despite everything. And yet...he didn't know what your alt-mode was. You had mentioned to the crew and himself that you took the form of a weapon. When asked what kind, you kinda said it depended and left it at that. It wasn't until today that he just had to know.

"Y/N, sweetspark?" You heard your conjunx ask a your side. Currently, you were both in his hab suite, reading some old cybertronian literature Drift recommended. You lifted your helm from the datapad and let out a short hm?

"I never mean to intrude, but I'd still like to see your alt-mode..." HE asked rather cautiously. To be fair, it's not that you were ashamed or anything of your alt mode. However, the mode you chose truly depended on who er...handled you during combat. You have been with Drift for a while, you decided it wouldn't hurt to trust him enough for this. So you sat up from your spot and placed the datapad down.

"Okay, okay Drift. Here we go.."

Your alt-mode depended on your conjunx, gears and metal turned into place as your t-cog worked out its form. Not a second later you fell into Drift's servos, his optics widened as you finished transforming. He thought you were a sniper rifle or some type of gun, he never imagined you transforming into a beautiful and intricate blade. And there you were, on his servos. He would so much compare you to the Great Sword, powerful and he would give his absolute spark to you.

He'll admit, it's a bit trippy to be with a talking sword but he wouldn't change it for a thing. A soft smile made its way onto his face

"Thank you, Y/N."

[proudfreakmetarusonikku]

uhhh I kinda went crazy with this. might edit it for ao3 in the morrow bc I love it that much. the allium duo joint exile fic

tw: abuse, kidnapping, injuries, suicidal ideation, self hate, manipulation, brainwashing, vomiting, ableism (either unintentional or solely as a manipulation tool), mutilation, starvation, possessive behaviour, obsession, threats

it's raining, when they’re exiled.

ranboo has his suit jacket pulled over his head and when droplets slip through to the tips of his claws he hisses and jitters. sometimes, it looks like he'll almost disappear and reappear, like the endermen he so resembled, but instead he falls to the ground with a pained screech, the calves of his feet burning on impact with the sodden ground where his skirt isn’t long enough to protect.

still gripping painfully onto tommy's arm, dream slowly walks back to where he fell, and hits him with the butt of his axe. the screech of pain is distorted, almost otherworldly, and it’d be terrifying if it wasn’t so fucking sad.

“get up,” he hisses. “or i'll fucking kill you, and then-“

dream doesn’t have to finish his sentence. shakingly, ranboo gets onto their talons, wincing as they try and match the brutal pace dream immediately sets back on.

(he'd tried to save ranboo. he really had. he'd said it was all him, he lied, but ranboo had confessed, trying to get him out of this mess, and now he was in it too.)

(tommy wants to be sick.)

he’s not quite sure when and why things happen. they’re on a boat at one point, cramped and barely afloat. water sinks in and burns the bottom of ranboo's feet. there’s shouting after that. an explosion. a beach. tommy drags a shaking ranboo under a tree to keep the rain from falling on him. more shouting. more explosions. pain.  blood on his collarbone. pain pain pain. blurring vision.

tommy drags himself under the tree and curls up next to ranboo and hopes he'll fucking bleed to death.

——

it rains far too much in logstedshire.

that is what tommy names it, the logs tell him too. they send their messages from the primes. maybe, if he listens, they'll accept him despite his sins.

he doubts it. he doesn’t deserve it.

he dug a den on the first day, for ranboo to hide under, but even the dirt under there grew too damp and after tending to burns all across his face, he'd spent what energy he had left with the aching scars and bruises and gnawing hunger in his gut to hang up a tent. it's only big enough for one of them, but that's okay. tommy doesn’t mind sleeping on the beach.

(it allows him to pretend maybe the tides will come in and he won’t wake up at all).

he pinches himself. dream wouldn’t like him having those thoughts.

honestly, tommy isn't sure what dream likes. it’s not like he and ranboo were stupid enough to break the rules- they’d learnt that painfully over the first week. it just seems like dream always favours the one of them, and who that was switched on a dime. one day, he'd bring ranboo chocolate (watching him like a hawk to prevent him giving any of it to tommy) and hit tommy for daring to look at him. another, he'd spend all day hanging out with tommy and shout at ranboo until he cried when he so much as said a word.

it was easy to resent ranboo, sometimes. when he got hugs and gifts and food and got to spend the day playing around instead of being forced to mine. but tommy remembers the times where dream extended that kindness to him and remembered how awful it made him feel when ranboo was being treated like shit. it was almost worse.

he just tries harder to be good. if he's good maybe he'll be able to get dream to stop. if dream likes them both maybe everything would be okay.

it never is.

——

when ranboo shows tommy his memory book for the first time, he really is sick.

which is annoying, because he'd only had scraps ranboo had hidden today, but fuck. it was bad.

tommy could recognise dream's handwriting from a mile away. even if he couldn’t, the pages blatantly ripped out would give the game away, along with what was in the book.

“my name is ranboo,” the first line read. “my home is logstedshire. my best friend dream keeps me and my friend tommy safe here. l'manberg kicked us out so dream is helping. if we follow dream's rules to protect us everything will be okay…”

ranboo rubs tommy's back, as gently as they can. “are you okay? are you sick? i'll ask dream for a potion.”

tommy shakes his head weakly. “no, it's…”

he can’t fucking break this spell for ranboo, though. his throat dries up when he tries. ranboo was always the happier of the two, excited in a way that was almost funny in each passing day. it was like ranboo had become the loud, excitable one and tommy had grown quieter and more distant.

and this was why. he didn’t have a fucking clue what was wrong, did he? he's happy because he thinks this is safe, thinks this is normal. and maybe it's selfish of tommy but prime he wishes he could live in that fantasy land where he doesn’t know it’s not normal for your best friend to hit you and starve you and never explain why. at least one of them should get to live that life.

“nowt. just hungry.”

ranboo furrows his brow in concern. “i'll be good today, then.”

tommy feels sicker at that. dream had started switching from his weird hot and cold game to being… nice. usually. it was weird, at first, but it was alright. dream was a good friend, even if he wasn’t as cool as ranboo. but the thing was, it was even worse when they actually fucked up.

they wouldn’t be hurt at all. dream wouldn’t change a thing with them. it was always the other who bore the full weight. no food, no privileges, any sort of thing they’d earned the right to keep taken away. if it was more serious, then they’d be hit, or shouted at, and dream still sometimes used the axe. they’d be abandoned to tend to themselves and do the tedious work of survival while the one who actually fucked up would have the guilt eat up at them as dream chatted like everything was normal.

ranboo forgot to make armour to destroy yesterday. a grievous enough sin, apparently, that now tommy's still smarting bruises.

he's not stupid. he knows that isn’t right. he likes dream, it’s better to have him as a friend than a jail or and he was pretty sure he was trying to help, but what dream does to them isn't okay.

but ranboo doesn’t need fo be burdened by that knowledge. they, at least, deserve happiness, even if it is fake.

——

ranboo moans in pain as tommy finishes up bandaging the stumps where his tails once lay.

he can still smell the enchantment on dream's axe, hanging in the air like pollen. it almost drowns out the stench of blood and the ash of the ruins around them. he’s not sure which is worse.

it’s all tommy's fault. it has to be. he tried to pretend like he could own things, and he knew ranboo would bear the brunt of that punishment. dream had just done what he always had done.

“it's okay, big man, it’s okay,” tommy tries to soothe, running fingers through the overgrown mop of hair that almost reached down to ranboo's waist. he just flinches more.

tommy just screwed everything up, didn’t he?

a week. that was what dream had said. he'd visit in a week, to watch them. until then, it was all tommy's responsibility to take care of ranboo, and he wasn’t sure he could. there was just so much blood.

he shudders, thinking about what dream will do to him if ranboo dies on them. being without his best friend was bad enough, but dream could make anything worse.

tommy sobs, trying to keep the tears from landing on ranboo's already scarred and tattered skin the best he can. he fails, and the faint smell of burning flesh joins the horrible mix and ranboo lets out another faint moan.

if dream could see him now. he'd always been there to watch over them, and what if when he came back to watch, there was only one of them left?

“well, watch me now,” tommy mumbles to the air. he was meant to be there to watch them.

watch them. watch them. that sits wrong. he's meant to be their friend, right?

“you were only here to watch us.”

tommy mouths it more than speaking it, but it feels like a proclamation. he was only there to watch them. just watch. he wasn’t their friend. he didn’t care about making them better. what he cares about is watching them.

and then what? would he even care if ranboo died?

would he kill him himself?

“ranboo.” tommy hisses. “can you stand?”

“tommy?” ranboo slurs, eyes half open.

“ranboo! fuckin'- this is important, okay?”

“i- i think so-“

“okay, then this is what you’re going to do, big man. there’s a cabin through the snow that way.” tommy points vaguely in the direction of techno's place. “there’s more bandages there than i have. i want you to run there, as fast as you can, and not look back.”

“but-“

“i don’t know how to do this,” tommy admits. “i've dealt with shit before but never like this. if you have those supplies you'll at least have a chance of surviving. now go, before you die.”

“but dream-“

tommy's throat constricts. “i'll explain. he'll understand. he's our friend, right?”

ranboo nods, before stumbling up to his feet, limping across the ruins towards the vague direction of the tundra. tommy whispers a silent prayer to the primes that he’ll make it. that at least one of them will survive.

ranboo deserves it more than him, at least.

——

dream, unfortunately, did not kill tommy. if only he’d be that merciful.

he pretends it’s mercy. he pretends to be concerned and he treats tommy with condescending kindness until he doesn’t. then, tommy sometimes swears he does die, but when he's better dream is even more smothering and the cycle continues.

he’s not stupid. tommy knows why he does it. he wanted two pawns, and if he lost one he'd do anything to keep the other. nothing personal.

it's easier to see it like that, at least. it's hard, sometimes. but it's easier.

dream does not call the room he’s in a cell, but it is. it’s in a prison, and he's locked in most of the day. the baby-blue wallpaper and fuzzy carpet he'd installed hadn’t changed that, nor had swapping out the sparse furniture for a million blankets and decor more suitable for someone half tommy's age. he almost misses the dark obsidian and lava- at least that didn’t treat him like a child.

because even if sixteen was a child- he could admit to that now, because ranboo was certainly just a child- what tommy had gone through had undoubtedly aged him out of that.

they train, sometimes. on days where dream doesn’t panic when tommy has so much as a paper cut, or on days when he's not beating tommy's head into the wall. sometimes, tommy helps repair dream's endless supply of cloaks. sometimes, he cleans blood off of dream's weapons and tries not to think about how it got there.

(sometimes it’s his, and that’s easier.)

dream, in almost paternal tones, calls tommy his protege. under his breath, tommy calls himself a glorified servant.

every day, his thoughts drift to ranboo. his kind smile, the scars that ran jagged lines over his entire body, how absurd he looked in his half-ripped suit and tiara, trying to keep his hair in an orderly braid and failing miserably. dream would help sometimes, if it was a good day. dream insists on braiding tommy's hair the same way now, and tommy almost wonders if he misses him too before he reminds himself that dream does not care for either of them at all, because the alternative is worse.

(either way, it’s clear tommy would be the favourite. dream says as much, saying how thankful he is that tommy is the one that stayed because he was far more fun and ranboo was boring. tommy reminds himself it’s a lie and it makes him feel less sick.)

maybe ranboo is dead. part of him hopes he is. that way, he was free. the primes would surely guide his way, and he'd be granted the happiness he deserved. fuck, even if they didn’t, there couldn’t be anything worse than this.

could there?

——

tommy doesn’t know how long he spends in the prison before dream decides to take him out on his “first mission.”

which is a meeting. of fucking course it is. because tommy’s mission has always to be a glorified page, hasn’t it.

tommy skims his fingers over the waters edge absently as dream rows. maybe they’re leaving the server. maybe if they didn’t tommy could make his own escape. if he sank to the bottom it’d be deep enough no one could save him in time, if he were to jump. and if dream didn't constantly shift from looking at the ocean to tommy, clearly aware of the same possibility.

dream always got so fucking mad if he tried to die and failed, so it was best to make sure that the opportunity wouldn’t fail.

they stop too quickly to have gone far. idly, tommy wonders how far they must be from-

logstedshire.

the ruins lie there, same as always. tommy hadn’t noticed how bloodstained those ruins are until now, red and green.

the skeletal remains of two tails still lay on the floor, undisrupted.

“what the fuck.” tommy says under his breath. “what the fuck.”

“aww, didn’t you like the surprise?” dream laughs, and tommy immediately prepares for the worst. “chill out, i'm kidding. you act like i'm gonna kill you. we're obviously not here for this, we're going to see techno.”

tommy feels an equal amount of hope and fear bloom in his chest at that. techno's cabin was this way. and if it was, then maybe…

suddenly determined, tommy walks as quickly as he can, trying to match dream's confident strides even with the limp in his leg. he can barely feel the humid awfulness of logstedshire shift into the equally awful ice of the tundra, all caught up in his thoughts.

maybe there would be a grave. or maybe ranboo would open the door, or he'd be in the cabin, because surely techno would take him in. he'd be wearing a cleaner suit, and he'd have cut his hair back to shoulder length. they liked it long, actually, so maybe they’d keep it. they’d be smiling, like always, and they’d greet him with a hug. “tommy, it’s been so long!” they’d say. and, he hoped, they’d add “i realised dream was a fucking bitch” and tell techno to punch his lights out.

or maybe there would be no hints at what happened. but tommy can hope, even if he really shouldn’t.

when they get to the house, techno's already standing outside, waiting. “i dunno why you had'ta keep me waitin’ this-“ he says, cutting himself off once his eyes drift to- “tommy?”

“i told you it was important, right?” dream laughs.

“he's dead.”

“prime, no. he's… he wasn’t well, y’know. not in that place. so i found somewhere better for him, and started helping when i couldn’t before.” dream shrugs. “of course, that’d be illegal even though it was the right thing to do, so i kept it quiet. don’t go telling l’manberg, though, or they’ll have my head for not killing him myself or something.”

liar. liar liar liar. tommy wants to scream the truth to the world, but dream wraps his arm around his shoulders tight and squeezes his bruises, a reminder to stay quiet and be good. so he nods.

techno growls. “i knew they were bad, but…”

“it’s okay. i just thought maybe tommy needed a change of scenery, y’know? he's… he's fragile, after everything. he’s not well, y’know, physically or mentally. so he might say some weird stuff, but i knew you'd be able to handle that.”

techno snorted. “yeah, i got my hands full with ranboo-“

“ranboo? ranboo's here?”

he was alive. he is alive. tommy feels more sick than he ever has in his life and he’s not sure if it’s from excitement or fear.

“oh yeah, you two were in exile together, weren’t you? c'mon, he's in the livin-“

tommy pushes himself free of dream's grasp, excited to finally see his friend, practically his brother, again for the first time in- months, maybe. he could never even be sure. time felt like it dragged too long to tell.

bursting through the door, tommy sees them. he won’t miss them for the world. their hair's different, in a ponytail, and they're dressed in much more casual clothes than they’d normally be caught dead in, but he could recognise that face anywhere.

“ranboo!” tommy scoops ranboo into a warm hug, barely noticing how they remain limp. “oh, prime, i missed you so much-“

“do i know you?” ranboo squeaks, and tommy's heart breaks.

“ranboo, it’s me! we were in exile together, remember-“

“i'm sorry. i'm really sorry. but i- i don’t remember a thing.”

oh. of fucking course. because he didn’t have the memory book, he must have forgotten everything by the time he’d healed enough to really be cognisant again. tommy scans his face for the slightest hint of recognition, but there’s none.

tommy must be a fucking bitch, because he bursts into tears then and there.

“i'm sorry! i'm sorry!” ranboo cries out, desperately trying to find a way to salvage the situation, and tommy keeps sobbing. and sobbing, and sobbing. the floor falls underneath him, and he curls up, shaking, like a fucking pussy.

he didn’t even cry this hard when dream was at his worst. but the idea of ranboo not knowing who he was, his only friend, the only person who ever cared for him no longer being able to… it was stupid, but that must be his breaking point, he guesses. like a fucking idiot, that makes him cry harder.

“i'm so so sorry about this,” tommy vaguely hears dream say, “he's not mentally well, is there a spare room i can help him calm down in?”

“yeah, there’s one upstairs.”

tommy barely registers as he's lifted up like a child, carried away from ranboo, but he does when he hears dream whisper harshly in his ear.

“tommy, if you fuck this up i'm never letting you out again. ever. smile and play nice and act like l'manberg ruined your life, or you'll wish i'd let you die.”

tommy nods, still sobbing.

“and dry your eyes. you’re making me look bad. stop acting like an abused puppy, i practically spoil you.”

tommy tries to stop, but the tears refuse to stop, even as he tries to dry them with his hands desperately. dream's voice softens as he ruffles tommy's hair affectionately. “look, i know it’s tough, but this is for you and ranboo, y’know? if i'm able to make things right, you can be friends again. i'll make sure he remembers you, tommy. i know how to fix it, just let me, okay?”

tommy nods, finally managing to go from hysterical tears to a more reasonable level of crying.

“that’s good enough. just smile and pretend everything’s fine, okay? i'll even let you listen to your discs for a while when we get home if you’re good. and remember it’s for ranboo too.”

it hurts tommy's face to force a grin, hurts his heart to try and think of how to pretend to play along with dream's story and throw his home under the bus. but tommy isn’t stupid. he doesn’t believe dream’s bullshit, but he knows what he’s implying. behave and ranboo won’t get hurt.

that, at least, is a comfortingly familiar game to play.

[mcltiples]

🧡: What is a popular (serious) theory you disagree with?

💛: What is a popular ship you just can't get behind, and why?

💚: What does everyone else get wrong about your favorite character?

Ask game: unpopular opinion edition <3 || accepting

{ OOC } Gonna go with the Rick and Morty theory that Rick Prime and C-137 Rick were friends / knew each other way before the whole incident that happened. I'm sorry, but we all saw the "fabricated" memory. We all know that C-137 lied to the Galactic Federation because it wasn't fabricated at all. The only difference he changed was the fact that he discovered the formula of the portal fluid right after the explosion.

Which, in actuality, it took him the course of several weeks or up to a month or who knows how long. However, it was a significant amount of time.

With that being said, everything in the dialogue suggests that C-137 Rick had no idea who this particular Rick was. If he knew him from before, he wouldn't have scanned his brain to take a literal photo of him so he could track him down. He would know what he looked like. But because that was the first time they ever met, he didn't exactly remember what the guy looked like. That's the biggest piece of evidence.

But fans will believe what they want in order to ship them in a less toxic, more loving way rather than face that, no, these two are enemies (maybe one-sided, but still enemies) and Rick Prime gives 0 shits about C-137 Rick 🙄

{ OOC } Already answered that second question here, so going to go ahead and answer the third instead. Honestly, I'm not sure how to answer it though. Because what I think might be wrong in the way I perceive the character might not be agreeable to some or only a select few. As long as it isn't too OOC or like warping the character to be unrecognizable, then it's all up to personal interpretation.

However, I do have to say that Rick Sanchez is a lot more than just a silly, alcoholic genius who yells at his grandson. He's complex, is not a reliable narrator in his own story, and has emotions so far buried deep that it would take a long time to figure him out. And I think people need to realize that.

The same with Rick Prime. He's a dangerous, scary villain but I portray him as a silly guy. Which, yeah, he's meant to be that way. He's meant to lure you in with a chill guy attitude and get you pissed off. And he might come off as empathetic or sympathetic sometimes, but it's all a lie. At the end of the day, if he doesn't like you, he will end your life. No matter how close you are to him. He does have his exceptions (only two people, really).

And I think the main difference is that people are getting confused because they aren't expecting Rick Prime to be just some guy. And sure, he isn't just some guy, but he's also way more down to Earth and a lot more better at coming across as a curious type of guy than C-137 Rick is. If anything, he gets along better with other people than C-137 ever would. And C-137 only gets along with people when he's drunk or in a rare good mood xD

[charlesandmartine]

Saturday 23rd November 2024

Hughenden, Qld, not to be confused with the Tudor pile in Buckinghamshire once inhabited by Benjamin Disraelie, former Prime Minister of Great Britain and Ireland, is a small town, population 1,113, built on the banks of the Flinders River in Flinders Shire. Originally home to the Jirandali people's for 11,000 years when it was known as Mokana. The Americans had a munitions dump in Torrens Creek not far from here in WW2. That was before they realised or knew of the dangers of bush fires. Inevitably, there was one which they thought they had put out. They all dashed back to camp for doughnuts, and the whole thing went up again, causing 12 huge explosions and craters 20 feet deep. I guess that unearthed a few fossils! This, after all, is also home to Hughie, the seven metre tall skeletal Muttaburrasaurus. Strangely enough, it's not just the Americans who have had difficulties in the fire department. Walking along the High St yesterday, shop after shop and most hotels, have all burnt down at one time or another, or indeed in synchrony. It's the dry timber in which they are constructed and kitchens, apparently. They almost seem to demonstrate a pride in these events, like keeping some form of morbid score! Oh, ours has burnt down more times than yours!

It was a nice thought as we planned our day to take a leisurely stroll along the Flinders River bank. What could be more pleasant on a hot day to feel the breeze across the water. That presupposes that there is water in the river. In our case, tidy as it was with a flat dried mud basin with no supermarket trollies or rusty bicycles poking through, the river was bone dry with tinder dry parched grassy banks. We perambulated, however, as though it was flowing as it shall undoubtedly do in a few weeks' time. Before we reached the empty road bridge, there was a causeway bravely striking a direct footpath across the riverbed, normally obscured in the wet season. Tempted across this thoroughfare to the far bank we continued on along a footpath, which led us to one of the defining features of this town, the coolabah tree. This had a barrier placed around it to isolate it whilst its health improves, because this isn't any coolabah tree, this is the one that both William Landsborough in 1862 and Frederick Walker in 1861 carved their mark whilst searching for Burke and Wills. Yep, still lost.

This certainly is a very tidy town, with many instances of street art. Even the public conveniences are painted with murals, making a sharp contrast with the personalised graffiti often seen on UK public toilets. Wide streets abound, so wide it can be quite confusing as to where you are expected to drive. And these are very quiet roads with so little traffic. You wonder if they were planning for an expansion of the town that never happened and is still unlikely to occur. Shaded verandahed shops in the high street are for sale or rental. Shops such as butchers and bakers. This is not a good sign, and yet building plots are for sale wedged between prefabricated homes.

It was something of a lazy afternoon reading and resting in the sunshine before nipping out for some Coopers Pale Ale from the drive-through BottleO which we unashamedly consumed whilst the parakeets, butcher birds and cockatoos screeched their way through sunset.

Busy day tomorrow; it's off to the lakes. Just got to finish a bottle of SB tonight and watch a film.

ps. This town even has a Bowling Club

pps. With the dark skies, we've been trying to identify the Southern Cross constellation, and we think we've spotted it. Firstly, it is very odd not to see the Plough. Secondly, the Cross doesn't stand out so well, especially on a dark sky, because there are too many other stars visible.

ppps. We can easily spot Orion with his belt.

[alfredosauce50]

Passengers

[America x reader] 01

Wordcount: 2, 575

Synopsis: After his hibernation pod malfunctions and wakes him up 90 years ahead of schedule, he grapples with the morbid reality that he has to live out the rest of his days on a space ship. He spends a year in complete isolation before losing his mind.

During an episode, Alfred encounters another passenger and falls in love with them. As an engineer, he has everything at his disposal to wake them up. Then he wouldn’t be lonely anymore. But that would mean taking their life--and he does it on a whim.

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: This is a crossover with the film Passengers (2016). I do not own the plot.

The reader is referred to as she/her.

Passengers - 01

Lost in space

The cold infinity of space. A never-ending void of black nothingness. It sounded terrifying when put like that, but it was also a sea you could sail through with the right ship. From Earth to a Homestead II, it would take you 120 years on the Avalon.

The magnificent silver cruiser was a thousand meters long and oscillated through space like a wave. Inside slept 258 crew and 5000 passengers, their bodies resting in hibernation pods. Nothing could disturb them, not even the gentle hail of asteroids.

They smashed against the ship’s front shield in muffled explosions before crumbling away into tiny rocks. And from the inside, not a sound. But the same couldn’t be said for bigger bogeys, with one just so happening to drift in for an imminent collision.

When it hit, the Avalon gave a deep shake. 

The lights in the passenger pod room shut off one by one, but all came on after a brief second. If only that had been the extent of damages done to the Avalon. Several error diagnostics popped up in the command room, showing issues from all over the spacecraft.

All were eventually fixed by the self-repairing system.

All but one. 

A hibernation pod lit up in a warm yellow as others stayed dark. A mist flurried inside, oxygenating the body that lay within. When it cleared up, the person was revealed to be a young man in his late twenties. He had short, sandy blonde hair parted to one side and an athletic body. Aside from his career demands, he must’ve worked out regularly to maintain it. 

Alfred F. Jones, a mechanical engineer from the US.

And to revive him, a particular procedure took place. Three vials of liquid were injected into his shoulder. He was then shocked in the chest, causing his torso to rise and fall in a loud thump. Now that his heart started beating again, he breathed his first breath. 

“Good morning, Alfred.” A female voice greeted him. When he fluttered his eyes open, he saw a hologram of a woman peering down at him. And like all normal people, he responded with the following.

“Wait, what?” He grabbed at his pod, eyes widened.

“It’s perfectly normal to feel confused. You just spent 120 years in suspended animation,” She explained. 

“What?” 

“It’s alright, Alfred. Just breathe,” His pod hovered across the room to a checkpoint, which completed a more thorough examination. As of now, he was only at 2% recovery from his sleep. “Everything is okay.”

“Where am I?” He asked hoarsely.

“You’re a passenger on the starship Avalon, the Homestead Company’s premier interstellar starliner. We’ve nearly completed the voyage from Earth to your new home. The colony world of Homestead II.”

Pictures of a lush planet, a spitting image of Earth at her prime, played before him like a slideshow.

“A new world. A fresh start. Room to grow.”

“Oh, yeah.” He smiled contentedly, eyes closed. Now that she mentioned it, everything came back to him. He left home with a dream, to rebuild society from the ground up. And this time, without messing up.

“The Avalon is on final approach,” The images were now of a bar, pool, and bustling grand concourse. “For the next four months, you’ll enjoy space travel at its most luxurious. Food, fun, and friends.”

“My friends.” He sighed dreamily.  

“That’s right, Alfred.” The woman smiled, lifting her arm to reveal a metal ring. He glanced down to find his, an economy class identifier. “The ID band on your wrist is your key to the wonders of the Avalon.”

He scanned it when prompted, hearing a chime.

“You’re in perfect health, Alfred. Let’s get you to your cabin, where you can get some rest.” She finished.

He made a short journey to his room, but it took way longer than it should’ve. The ship was by no means small, and he was by no means feeling well. By the time he got to the hall, he had a searing headache. As he reached up to it, hissing, he heard over the announcements that he may be experiencing what was the most common health ailment of his time.

Post-hibernation sickness. 

It would take a few days before he’d feel like himself.

“Welcome to your cabin. Your home until we make landfall,” The same voice piped again. The woman appeared as a full-body hologram by the wall, and as she spoke to him, he faced her with a slight hunch. 

The home in question was a small gray room with a single bed, desk, closet, and bathroom. All the basics you’d expect in a studio. It wasn’t much, but he was betting on the rest of the ship to make up for it. 

“Over the next four months, you’ll prepare for your new life on Homestead II, meet fellow passengers, and learn about colonial living. You’ve been assigned to learning group 38 for passengers with engineering and technical trade skills.” She explained. 

That was right. As good as the Avalon looked, he didn’t come here for a holiday. He was relocating for his job. In a world as new as this, opportunities were as plentiful as the strokes of grass in Spring.

“Please scan your ID to confirm luggage delivery.”

His suitcase rolled out onto a shelf, but all he did was scratch his head, deep in thought. He could build his house out of scratch, too. A two-story cabin meshed between some trees sounded pretty sweet.

“Alfred,” She craned her head at him, brows raised. 

Only now did he scan it, finalizing his onboarding. 

“To help you recover from hibernation, be sure to drink plenty of fluids,” She instructed. 

The jetting of liquid was heard, turning his head to the sound. He saw a cup filling itself up with clear, pinkish fluid at a water station. He came over and gulped down the contents, parched out of his mind. 

“Enjoy the rest of your voyage on the Avalon, a Homestead company starship.” The woman beamed.

And enjoy it he did.

The first thing Alfred opted for was a hot shower. And damn, did it feel good. It only seemed like yesterday that he was in his cubicle back at home, but his body relished every warm drop of water. 

With one arm propped up against the wall, he hung his head under the constant spray of it.

“It’s a beautiful morning here on the starship Avalon. Whatever you do, don’t get homesick,” A man spoke over the in-built radio. “Get Homestead. Let’s start things off with one of my favorites back on Earth.”

He jogged to the bathroom mirror, fully dressed with a brown bomber jacket. Nodding at his reflection, he left to go seize the day. But not a moment passed before he stepped back in to get a second look.

“No.” He took off his jacket and threw it over his shoulder for a cool pose. “No, that’s stupid.”

He sighed and wore it like normal.

“Just own it, Alfred. You’ve got a cool jacket.”

He walked out of his room without it, rubbing his hands awkwardly. Now to learning group 38. But when he got inside the theater, it was completely empty. Did he misread the timetable, perhaps?

“Hello passengers. Will you all please take a seat?” Passengers, she said. Alfred glanced around again, but didn’t take long to find a spot on one of the benches. Not that any of them were occupied. 

While the holographic instructor did her rounds, he began to wonder if he was in the right place at all. 

“Welcome, learning group 38. Your introduction to colonial life,” She began. “Earth is a prosperous planet, the cradle of civilization. But for many, it’s also overpopulated, overpriced, and overrated.”

He stuck up a hand. 

“I’m sorry, I think I may be in the wrong…”

“Hold all questions till the end, please.”

“Oh, sorry.”

“The colonies offer an alternative,”

“Where are all the other…” Alfred trailed off and bowed his head as she merely spoke over him. 

“A better way of life. And there’s no colony more beautiful than Homestead II, the jewel of the occupied world,” She gestured to the landscapes behind her, but he couldn’t be taken by them.

“I’m sorry,” He laughed sheepishly, unable to keep it to himself any longer. “Where is everybody?”

“We are all on the starship, Avalon.”

“But I’m the only one here.” He replied, confused.

“There are 5, 000 passengers and 258 crew members.” She answered in a monotone.

“So why am I alone?” He frowned.

“We’re all in this together.” 

Alfred felt his stomach drop. He had a terrible feeling he couldn’t shake off, and to confirm it was just that, a feeling, he needed to see a human representative. He left the theater in a panic and ran down the halls.

“Hello? Is anybody here?” He shouted. “Hello?”

But like every other place he’d gone so far, they were completely empty. Not a soul was onboard with him. Or, at least, it looked that way. Everyone else was tucked away in their pods, fast asleep, but him?

Alfred got inside the elevator and jabbed the button for ‘grand concourse.’ He sat on a bench and started bouncing his leg. In his delirium, he missed a vital instruction until he felt a direct consequence of it.

“Huh?”

Floating. He twisted around mid-air, only now just finding the unbuckled seatbelts under him. This day couldn’t get any worse--until his elevator arrived, slamming him against the ground in a heavy thump. “Agh—!” He got onto his feet and rubbed his nose after it took the brunt of the fall. “Fuck.”

He walked out into a giant gallery, which lit up in a warm glow upon sensing his presence. A fountain even started flowing, another indication he was the first of his kind. Nobody had been here before him. 

“Hello!” A help station greeted. “Welcome to the grand concourse aboard the Avalon. Can I help you?”

“I need to talk to a person,” Alfred ran over, eyes wide and chest heaving. “A real live person, please?”

“What sort of person?” It asked, popping up icons one after the other. A person lifting weights, another holding a suitcase, then one with a clipboard. “Personal trainer? Travel planner? Therapist?”

“I don’t--I don’t know. Someone in charge.”

“The ship’s steward handles passenger affairs. It’s on level three of the grand concourse.” It replied.

He didn’t hesitate to go there, and when he got to the office, all he saw was an empty desk. He tensed up as reality began settling in, but for the sake of his sanity, he would deny it for as long as he could.

“Not good.”

Alfred returned to the grand concourse.

“Hello!” The help station greeted again. 

“Who’s flying this ship?” He jogged over.

“The flight crew, the captain, the pilot, the chief—”

“—Captain. I want to speak to the captain.”

“The captain rarely handles passenger queries—”

“It’s an emergency!” He blurted. “Please.”

He used the elevator again, this time remembering to buckle up. Once he got to the command ring, he ran to a giant spherical door. This was the bridge, where the highest commanding officers congregated. And in other words, his last resort. If anybody was awake, it had to be the people flying this thing, right? 

Alfred attempted to open it with his ID.

“Bridge access requires special authorization.”

He scanned it again, hearing a low ‘ba-bum.’

“Bridge access requires special authorization.”

He stepped forward and peered through a tiny slit, his movements hurried. Maybe if he alerted the crew inside, he’d be able to talk to them. Only he didn’t see anybody inside, just a dark room with glowing panels. So he stepped back, reaching up to his head.

“You gotta be kidding me.” He winced.

Alfred was running out of options. With nobody else to turn to, he went out on a limb and found himself in the observatory. The room darkened and projected a beautiful hologram of a galaxy around him.

“Welcome to the observatory. What can I show you?”

“We’re supposed to land soon?” He tilted his head back to watch the stars and clouds of cosmic dust float about. But instead of wonder, all he could offer was a strained grimace. “I’m the only one awake.”

“I don’t understand. What can I show you?”

He thought for a moment.

“Show me Homestead II.”

“Homestead II is the fourth planet in the Bhakti system.” The galaxy zoomed into one spot, revealing the colony world he’d seen in all the posters. Little did he know, that was the closest he’d ever get to it.

“Right. And where are we?”

“We’re in transit from Earth to Homestead II. We will arrive in approximately ninety years.”

“What?” He uttered.

“We arrive at Homestead II in 90 years, three weeks, and one day.” The narrator elaborated.

“No, wait.” His heart sped up as he came to his worst epiphany yet. “How long ago did we leave Earth?”

“Approximately thirty years ago.”

What he saw, what he heard, they all pointed to one harrowing explanation. Out of the 5258 souls aboard, it happened to him. Hibernation failure, a concept completely unheard of until now. 

“I woke up too soon,” He spoke faintly.

Alfred ran to the computer room. If he didn’t figure something out, he could kiss everything goodbye. His dreams would have to take a backseat. At this point, he didn’t know if he’d even see land ever again.

“How do I send a message to Earth?”

“Interstellar messages are sent by laser array. This is an expensive service,” The help station explained.

He ran past it, glaring over his shoulder.

“Bite me.” 

“Happy to help!”

Taking a seat in front of a large monitor, he scanned his ID band to turn it on. The screen booted up.

“Planet and connection?” 

“Earth. The Homestead Company.” 

“There are 30, 826 contacts listed under Homestead company,” Thousands of names scrolled before him.

“I’m emigrating to Homestead II and I have an emergency,” Alfred explained quickly. 

“I have a customer helpline.”

The camera turned on, showing his face onscreen.

“Sounds about right.”

“Begin message.”

“Hi.” He began stiffly, swallowing thickly as he spoke. “I’m Alfred Jones. I’m a passenger on the Avalon. I think something went wrong with my hibernation pod. I woke up too soon. And I mean, way too soon. Nobody else is awake, and… I don’t know how to get back to sleep. And the thing is, there’s 90 years to go. At this rate, I’m… I’m sorry, I’m trying to fix this. I… Maybe I missed something? I could use a hand. That’s all. Thank you.” He pressed the send button.

“Message sent.” 

He paused, blinking. Was that it? 

“Outstanding.” He leaned in, brows raised.

“Message will arrive in nineteen years.”

“Wait, what?”

“Earliest reply, fifty-five years.”

“Fifty-five years,” Alfred repeated, truly and utterly defeated. He hung his head as he slid off the stool, eyes wide and disbelieving. He didn’t even bother tuning in for the hefty sum that he had to pay.

“We apologize for the delay. That will be $6, 012.”

If there was any way to fix this, he would have to do it himself. And he wasn’t the type to give up easily. Everything he’d ever done as an engineer boiled down to this. If he failed, this was his whole life gone.

Next chapter:

[retphienix]

Honestly?

The community talk on the "AOE meta" is blown entirely out of proportion, pun intended.

AOE has been nerfed like 6 times over to the point where now, considering the build requirements, the ammo-build requirements, the PLETHORA of alternatives, and the single honest to god fact that all the end-game content that currently exists just straight up doesn't benefit from utilizing AOE (weapons) nearly as much as just using like a Laetum and a good frame- it's just quite simply not the meta.

It isn't.

The fact that some meme-y PSF build shooting their feet in level 20 content exists doesn't change that, the same could be a mesa spinning in circles or like any of the 20 other frames that just 1 ability clear rooms (ironically, AOE abilities, which are not in the discussion for AOE meta because the AOE meta refers to explosive weapons abusing PSF, different AOE, funny that.)

It's beyond confusing to me that you'll still see low level players complain about PSF being locked behind day 400 as if they physically can't play the game without it when AOE just straight up isn't the meta, it isn't the win button, it isn't the good option. It's AN option.

It's as good as running a well modded Braton Prime with like 3x the investment requirements to pull it off.

Chill.

Also PSF really shines in making shield gate builds viable, not in making AOE spam the normal warframe experience, and the lack of understanding of why that is and instead attributing its importance to AOE spam is telling of inexperience, which isn't a bad thing, just an observation.

If they wanted to have a more informed discussion they would be complaining that a big step up in SP build diversity is locked behind day 400, because PSF MAKES shield gate a thing, without PSF you have to play understanding how to avoid knock downs through alternative means, and shield gate is the key to extensive build diversity since every build needs to stay alive and shield gate builds take like 1 mod slot from your build while alternative survival techniques (health tanking, gloom, perma stun) take WAY MORE investment and in these cases investment = slots = less space to make a creative build.

The discussion would logically be "How come build diversity is hindered by not shield gating?" rather than "How come PSF" or "How come AOE" which are both the incorrect discussions and often require misunderstanding what's happening.

Anyways, that's my ramble on the surface level of things because I keep seeing threads complaining about PSF and the AOE meta when that's not even the best way to play, that's less a meta and more a common trope of low level content farming.

[regarding-stories]

Fallout TV Series Follow-Along: Episode 1

I decided to change format a bit for this one. Several people recommended the series to me but I quit Prime when they wanted to charge me and show me ads (or pay even more). Personally, Prime Video in itself has never been worth it. Most of the content I'm looking for is outside of it and you need to pay extra (and at times, 3 bucks per episode!), and the content that Amazon makes often strikes me as second-rate at best. The first season of "Good Omens" is an exception, but even there, in my book, and as fan of the book, Amazon, and even the co-author Neil Gaiman, dropped the ball quite a bit. But this is for another time.

So, they offered me a week of Prime for a buck.

So that's the time I have to work with, and I decided to invest that in the Fallout TV Series. I'm jotting down impressions as I watch. By necessity, this will be littered with spoilers. But chances are, you already watched.

The first impression

Our first look at the world of Fallout is a sequence set before the nuclear holocaust strikes humanity. One thing to notice here is that the longer the Fallout franchise exists, the more 1950s it becomes. Almost everything here is 1950s. It's alluded the first protagonist shown is an actor rehashing his role on birthday parties to pay alimony. What kind of actor is he? A full-blown 50s Western star. You can imagine him in a black-and-white show advertising cereal to kids. But it's everything - the clothes, the furniture, the lifestyle.

That Fallout isn't set in the 1950s is only partially alluded to, but effectively. While TVs are black-and-white and, well, tubes, we also see a Mr Handy robot and we eventually see the steel-and-glass skyscrapers in the background.

Contrary to our image of the 1950s, black and white America seem to mingle freely. In general, the world of Fallout doesn't seem to be big on the theme of "color" racism (not sure how to say it) at all, given that eventually humans have to deal with mutants and what not. So maybe it was already no big deal before the War - in spite of its 1950s aesthetics Fallout isn't set in the 1950s, but in a regressive society of an alternate 2077. Also, Amazon and Netflix productions these days have a tendency to show us a past "we" (the imaginary audience) would have liked to have happened. It's always worth to look at which issues they include and exclude - and I will talk about it later, as this will be evident by episode 2. After all, not all is well in the world of Fallout (or rather: nothing is). But I digress - in the Fallout Universe, this might just as well be canon.

In general, the whole intro makes a really good prelude to the dropping of the bombs. Not for its callouts to scenes and aesthetics from the games, but for some of its original images. The people switching away the news, ignoring them because they are scary. He teaching his daughter how to identify when you are "too close to bother." And the anxiety-inducing scene when a nuke lights in the distance, we see the flash of the explosion, and the girl holds up her thumb and asks if it's her thumb (size-wise) or his. Which makes us know - yes, this is too close.

When I say, anxiety-inducing, this scene really got me. It worked entirely as intended, well executed, an emotional hard-hitter.

After the emotional impact it flattens quite a bit. Lots of bombs exploding, all ground bursts. People fighting for access to a 50s style nuclear shelter. There are several things wrong here, but you might not know it. This scene is focused on emotional impact, not on getting it right. It's focused on iconic imagery. So you need the big blasts and a picture of panic. It's also a big shout-out to the opening scene of Fallout 4 (the game) - but with differences.

Even in FO4, you get an advance warning. For dramatic effect it's first coming through a TV newscast before the sirens engage (not how a warning system works) and select people can evacuate before the bombs strike - it's already all for drama. (Where did the soldiers come from that wave you through? Don't ask.) This is not how you get hundreds of people into a vault. But it's dramatic.

Since it doesn't fit the dramatic intention of the TV series, there isn't even a warning system. So the people of 2077, in imminent danger of a nuclear war, have no warning system. How will they get to the vaults in time?

But let's not dwell on this. It's an emotional, impactful scene that sets things off quite well. And we have a lot of ground to cover still.

It all starts in a Vault

Next we find ourselves in a Vault. Like in FO1, FO3, and FO4 at the beginning. It's not surprising that the series plays it safe, but for the Fallout Universe this is like "they met in a tavern" for fantasy.

We soon learn it's about 219 years in the future - so firmly after the latest games. Which makes the people still in the Vault a bit questionable. But frankly - seeing a Vault like this? Again damn cool.

It also follows another rule of the Fallout Universe: If it's a Vault, it will almost certainly go wrong.

I frankly don't see the a big connection to the lore here (for the most part), as there are a lot of contradictions to unpack about the whole Vault sequence, and not a lot to go on about the why of Vault 33 (and by extension of 32). But one connection to the lore exists: The vaults were social experiments (just "us viewers" don't know this). Instead of uniting the population of the two vaults into one, they are separated but dependent on each other for breeding purposes (probably due to population size). But they each handle their struggles individually, and there's a hint that the other Vault suffered crop failures (not sure if real or part of the ruse). But the Vaults keep this strange isolation up unquestioningly, at least in case of Vault 33.

There are shout-outs aplenty in the upcoming scene - Stimpak for treating a wound, a raider taking a chem (= drug) to get in a sort of battle rage, the Syringer gun that basically shoots tranquilizer darts. The Pipboy modules for the arm, the vault suits, the whole architecture.

The whole ambush and raid, however, is not really working, and the whole sequence seems like a big plot hole. Given that the twin Vaults intermarry constantly and exchange population (breeding males), how can they fail to recognize that there are strangers at least mixed in? How do the supposed raiders from the surface be mostly unblemished, damned clean, and have impeccable dental work? They look healthier than the Vault people. (Which, genetically, might even make sense, but not in terms of environment.)

Where did they keep the weapons? The whole scene is a complete mess, logic-wise. It's purely for effect, don't think about it. I was mostly disappointed. When Kyle MacLachlan drowned a raider in a barrel of cucumbers, it seemed just like it was there for a needlessly sadistic death.

One thing, however, was extremely well-done. The 3D imagery for the background comes out of a sort of olden-style projector, and its special "celluloid" burns in the carnage. And so we see the background burn in a callback to the nuclear fire consuming the world. That was amazing by itself, very good scene-setting while also a metaphor.

This whole sequence, which at this point we cannot make sense of, ends with a choice by the Overseer who choses his daughter. This is a call-out to the kind of choices made in the games, I'm very sure of it. (It's not a great scene, either, nor a particularly good choice. It's just some minor character establishing moment. In the end, it is shown to have zero impact as none of the people involved die...)

So the whole Vault sequence left me with mixed feelings. The atmospheric setup? Impeccable. Artful. The looks, the aesthetics, the feel of a Vault? You did it. The unfolding plot, the action? More holes than a Swiss cheese.

The unbrotherly Brotherhood

Next we're thrown into what quickly became apparent to be a Brotherhood of Steel bootcamp. This piece does many things very well: It shows, not tells. We see the inside of an organization that mixes medieval concepts (knights, squire) and the ritual of a knightly order with its legacy as being descendant from the US Army.

One thing it does even better is showing us what the Brotherhood has become. In Fallout 4, the East Coast Brotherhood is essentially a nation, a warring state of its own. And so it makes sense that, as opposed to the early games (including everything before Fallout 4), it does not need to hide out in bunkers anymore. It has numbers. It actively recruits. It's no longer secret. The whole setup here made so much sense. I welcomed this expansion of setting lore with this training base in the middle of nowhere.

After showing us our protagonist it then shows us most anyone else is an asshole. Which we even suspect of the Elder who hands out the verdict over him - until we see that the Elder, no matter what his thoughts are about the Aspirant's guilt, is quite capable of spotting devotion to the cause.

We also see a lot of Fallout shout-outs - including an airship like the Prydwen, Vertibird "helicopter-planes," T-60 Power Armor, even a power-armor repair stand... It was at this point that I finally confirmed for myself that this show is fully and absolutely rooted in Fallout 4. It takes its setting details solely from that game, so basically everything that Fallout is, we see through the lens of Fallout 4. For good and bad.

Still, this whole sequence was good. Its world-building well-done, its setting details - well, definitely true to Fallout 4. No big logic gaps. We just feel sorry for our hero. He's a very relatable character, capable of great honesty, human. His relation to the Brotherhood is also very understandable, having been taken in as an orphan.

Were these parts written by different people on the same team?

Setting out into the Wasteland

Sorry for breaking sequence. In between our heroine sets out into the Wasteland. And regardless of how likable and spunky she is, almost every time she's on screen, something illogical happens. (Not her fault.)

After having been attacked by Raiders the population of the Vault is still scared of opening the door. (By the way, shouting "Raiders!!" was a call-out to a typical Fallout term, but was this term already in common use when people were locked away in Vaults? Could be from a Vault-Tec training tape...) So, by measuring radiation (urgh) she originally established that there were people from the surface in that raiding party. Yet nobody acts like this was the case. (The surface in general wouldn't be irradiated two hundred years in the future, but I guess lore-wise this is okay-ish and a short-hand for the mutations caused in the past by exposure.)

We are left unclear about the goals and impact of the raid except for injuries and dead. What went missing beside her dad? (Which is, by the way, a big shout-out to Fallout 3. She's going out of the Vault to go look for her Daddy...)

We then are treated to a leaving the Vault sequence, very cool and true to what we see in Fallout 4, even down to the security railings.

However this particular character cannot escape the rails of poor writing! After growing up in a steel box she's not only under an open sky, she sees the damn ocean for the first time. You could get a nervous breakdown from that. But she just says "Okey-dokey." You can overdo the "can-do" attitude...

Then we are treated to walking among skeletons and petrified corpses. I don't think petrification is a side effect of nuclear bombs (bodies evaporate if too close), but I might be wrong. I also checked, and it's unlikely skeletons would be intact after lying in the open for two centuries. (They can last enormously long underground, but we also have to assume their integrity had already been damaged by radiation.) These are Fallout staples and purely for effect. I wouldn't have minded so much if it wasn't for her flippant reactions to most of this.

Why anybody would build a Vault on a beach, though? There's no natural shielding through a thick layer of rock. And why would the bomb go off so close to the beach to raze off the top of the structure?

As I said, when she (sorry, I couldn't remember names of any protagonist yet) is on the screen, logic goes out of the window all too often.

Western Feel, that's all

Now we're back to our initial protagonist. We find him in a grave. But before we get to this shout-out to Fallout: New Vegas, we are treated to the most silly shout-out in the whole episode:

Somebody gets killed by a Rock-it Launcher/Junk Jet, by basically firing a doll at him at ballistic speed. Yeah, this happens in FO3 and FO4, but these are the kind of things too stupid to consider canon. That's just blind, idiotic shooter-game fun that really undermines the exposition of this series. I guess they wanted a Mad Max vibe here where anything crazy goes because post-apocalypse punk. But frankly, just ignore it.

The rest of the scene isn't much better. There are three bounty hunter scoundrels making their way into a guarded graveyard. They want to enlist a ghoul forcefully buried there. We are told that he's buried there and tortured a bit every year - which actually makes sense in the Fallout Universe since ghouls are effectively immortal.

What doesn't make sense is pumping what looks like RadAway, a rare (enough) substance into a grave, given that ghouls are basically impervious to radiation. I don't think the series ever established the reason for it. So unless these IVs are empty and just for macabre show, the whole bit was just nonsensical. (Also, it renders the whole discussion about which grave it is entirely moot.)

We are not told a lot about ghouls, except that they can go feral. The whole chicken bit is funny because it is the only survivor except the Ghoul himself. I guess it establishes him as a calculating killer, somebody quite capable of making his own decisions, as unpleasant as it may be. He's not out of control.

It's just his decisions are stupid. He basically kills off the bounty hunters that went to the trouble of freeing him from his predicament because he's, well, a moody ass. It's hard to imagine how he could have actually worked with the bounty hunter boss' father, unless he really took a bad turn after. And he also kills off his chance to learn anything more. He's just so badass he can get away with this even at a disadvantage.

We are not told yet how the person we originally saw as patient, able to take an insult, and a caring father turn into a jerkass (or a ghoul, for that matter). So we need to take this as his character intro for now and see what happens.

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

Given the Western vibes at least of one part of the story, you might think I refer to the Ghoul as the ugly. But what's ugly here is not the Ghoul, but some of the writing of the show where logic at times is really shallow or absent. This is the point that mars watching it the most. (How does half the Wasteland know how to hunt one man and a dog? I need to stop asking these questions...)

As for the bad... it isn't exactly bad. The show works well enough to go on, and while it's callous (wait for episode 2!), it's not out of tune with the Fallout Universe. This is one show where the over-the-top violence actually can make sense. What is bad is taking one particular cue from Fallout 4 (and especially, by extension, from Fallout 3). It likes the "Rule of Cool" - when in doubt, and it's cool, put it in. (Junk Jet... good grief.)

As for the good... its aesthetics and special effects are often top-notch, it's what you would want as fan of Fallout 4. It has the look and feel, and it feels like a Fallout story. It doesn't have to be the best Fallout story ever if it gets that right. And in spite of its logical holes, it does often carry the Fallout vibe. It might drop the ball on logic at times, but I guess it does carry the vibe. I guess it does on par with many contemporary shows on that count.

[nostalgiachan]

Whizbangs!

Seventh Prompt: Shopping in Baldur's Gate

Act Three Spoilers

Summary: Vier needs fireworks, and there's only one shop she knows of that sells them. But are they on the up-and-up, or have they fallen back into bad habits? (1403 words)

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Felogyr’s Fireworks: Now Under New Management!

Vier eyeballed the sign above the door warily. The last time she’d been there, the place had been stuffed to the gills with Banites who’d attempted to taint donations to the refugees with explosives, and clearing out the lot of them had been no easy feat. It still stuck in her craw a bit that she hadn’t been able to resolve the situation more peacefully; the last proprietor of this place, one Avery Sonshal, seemed to have been quite the lovely fellow before he became another of the infected. But with most of the Flaming Fist also being thralls to Enver Gortash, there was nothing else to be done - not without putting the refugees’ lives even further at risk. But who was this “new management,” she wondered. Had remnants of the Banites swooped in, this being one of the few of their hideouts that Vier and her compatriots hadn’t completely wiped from the face of Faerûn? Or had this place turned over a new leaf, some unrelated third party seeing some prime real estate with a legacy name and deciding to give its image a bit of rehabilitation?

Well, one way or another, Vier was heading in. After all, this was the only place she knew of that sold the sorts of fireworks she needed, and she hadn’t traveled a tenday-and-a-half from Dawnshire to Baldur’s Gate just to back out now. Karlach’s birthday party demanded no less.

The shop door jauntily jingled as it opened, and a chipper voice greeted Vier as she passed through. “Welcome to Felogyr’s!” the woman behind the counter chirped - a Deep Gnome, from the looks of her. “Makers of the finest fireworks in all Faerûn; if I’m lying, I’m dying! What’re you in the market for, Miss–?” As the shopkeeper gave Vier a once-over, her eyes went wide. “Oh, oh, I think I know you! Hero of Baldur’s Gate, yeah? Cor, who’da thought you’d show up in my shop, eh?”

Vier honestly hadn’t expected anyone would’ve remembered what she’d looked like, as many months as it had been since the whole crisis had calmed down, and especially not someone of whom she had no recollection. She hitched for a moment, not entirely certain what the woman’s angle was. “Yes, I suppose that’s me,” she finally managed to reply.

“Iffin I may, might I shake your hand?” the shopkeep asked, extending a calloused mitt to Vier, who somewhat hesitantly gripped it. “I’ve heard so much about you from ol’ Barcus - you’re the reason I even got this shop at all!”

“Barcus? As in ‘Wroot’?” Vier asked, and the shopkeep nodded enthusiastically.

“The very same! See, ever since the end of that whole kerfuffle with the squid wotsits, things have turned around quite mightily for the ol’ Ironhands. After we helped out with all that nasty fighting, Barcus had a little chat with Duke Ravengard, and he managed to get us un-exiled from the city! Things are still a smidge strained with the Gondians, but you know…least we ain’t trying to kill ‘em no more, yeah? Anyway, once we were allowed to set up shop in the city proper, I happened to find this little building just lying around - in pretty good shape, too, even after all the hubbub. Place was absolutely full o’ corpses, mind, which a little birdy told me might’ve been your doing. Sad business, that, but it is what it is. Which, now that I think on it, did nobody check in on this place ever? Anyway, anyway, I moved right in, gave it a good scrubbin’, and now I get to spend my days making whizbangs what’d make Gaerdal Ironhand herself crack a smile!”

Vier nearly jumped as the shopkeep slammed her hands gleefully down on the table. “But enough about me! Oh, by the way, name’s Jeminy Swill, lovely to meet’cha. But no, enough about me, I said! I reckon you’re in the market for things what go BOOM in the night, yeah?”

While Vier certainly appreciated Jeminy’s exuberant salesmanship, and she was more than glad to hear that Barcus and his cohort were thriving since she’d left the city, she was beginning to feel a bit exhausted just listening to all of that. “Ah, yes, I am,” she answered. “I’m looking to supply a birthday celebration, and I’ve got about…couple hundred gold or so to do it? What’s going to give me the most quality and quantity, you think?”

Jeminy playfully wagged a finger in Vier’s direction. “Oh-ho-ho, I think I know just the box o’ fun that I can put together for you,” she said with a throaty chuckle. “Gimme a moment, and I’ll be back with some proper goodies!” She hustled around the counter and up the stairs - no doubt the upper floors were still dedicated to the blackpowder craft. For a moment, Vier wondered why they didn’t use the basement as their manufactory instead; she’d quite handily proven months ago that working with highly flammable material high up in a largely wooden building was incredibly dangerous for all involved. Was the basement not aerated enough?

As she idly mused, the shop door jingled once more, and a hooded figure quickly scurried inside, right on time.

“Oh, good, you’re alright,” Vier spoke quietly as she turned to face her companion. “Find anything?”

“Fireworks, fireworks, and more fireworks,” the voice of Astarion poured out from beneath the hood, sounding almost disappointed. “Nothing incriminating in the basement, and no conveniently placed documents suggesting Banite connections upstairs. So far as I can tell, this place is back to being a perfectly innocent haven for pyromaniacs.”

Vier breathed a sigh of relief, and quickly snuck in a kiss when she had the chance. “Thank you for the help, dear. Are you sure you’ll be alright to get the drinks? You aren’t going to get stuck in a brightly lit lane out there?”

“How quickly we forget how long I’ve prowled these streets,” Astarion tutted. “I may be living the country life now, but the alleys and sewers of Baldur’s Gate are practically engraved on the backs of my eyelids. I’ll be there and back before you know it.”

With a second quick kiss, Astarion was off on his next quest, leaving Vier to wait for Jeminy’s return. It wasn’t long before the Deep Gnome was bounding back down the stairs, two solidly built dwarves in tow with a hefty crate carried between them. They deposited their payload before Vier.

“Behold, Felogyr’s Fabulous Festive-box,” Jeminy cheered as she removed the lid of the crate with a showman’s flair. “Not sure I’ll stick with that name, but it’s a work in progress. Anyway, this here is a mixture of just about every sort of whizbang we’ve got, from tiny crackers to giant firewheels, handhelds to massive rockets. Every color, every size, explosions, no explosions, it’s all right here! Let me give you a tour of some of my favorites here.” Patiently, Vier listened as Jeminy detailed a selection of fireworks - what color explosion they’d produce, how big and what shape the explosion would be, how loud they screamed as they soared through the sky. Normally, Vier might have been a bit impatient, but now that her concerns about the management had been thoroughly put to rest, she supposed she had nothing on her hands but time. 

With each new, incredibly thorough description, she pictured the night of Karlach’s party. As soon as that portal to the First Layer opened, and Karlach and Wyll stepped foot on Faerûn once more, a feast of Dawnshire’s finest fare would await them, mugs and goblets overflowing with the best booze she could afford. There’d be music, merriment, and overtop of it all, the sky would glitter with rainbow fire. Any day that those two got to return to the mortal world was cause for celebration, but Vier wanted to make sure with this party that Karlach knew she was loved; that Vier, Astarion (though you’d have to put him in thumbscrews before he’d say it to her directly), and the rest of their compatriots were happy that she was born; and that one day soon, she’d be back on Toril for good and they’d all party even harder.

Vier snapped back to attention just as Jeminy had finished her patter. “So, what do you say? Sound enticing?”

“Absolutely,” Vier replied, “I’ll take the whole lot.”