#yes this is an odd squad reference

[smproject16]

If I get an Olivia Rodrigo ticket I'm going to burst into glitter from excitement

#yes this is an odd squad reference #olivia rodrigo #guts tour

[tip-top-cloud-surfer]

The Boss - Rooster

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw / Fem!Reader

Word Count: 2.4k

This work, all of my works, and my entire blog are 18+ Only

MINORS DO NOT INTERACT. I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY TIMES PEOPLE HAVE TO SAY THIS SHIT

Warnings: Bodyguard AU; Power Imbalance; Seemingly One-Sided Attraction; Not Necessarily Healthy Dynamics; Power Struggle; Implied Age Gap (Still VERY MUCH Legal); References to Stabbing; References to Death Threats; Referenced Nudity/Showers; Light Angst; Longing; Reader is a Bit of a Brat; Bradley Suffers; Female Reader with No Name or Identifying Description, No Y/N

Summary: You and your bodyguard, Rooster, are at odds when he tries to keep you locked in the safe house.

Part 2

Master List

It wasn’t like you asked to be the daughter of one of the most powerful men in the world. Your father was known internationally and so was the rest of your family by extension. With all of the fame, money, and power, of course, came the added side effects. Like the threats against your life, since you were your father’s only child after all.

Enter Bradley. Or Rooster as you were supposed to call him whenever you communicated via comms or within earshot of anyone else.

After several threats against your life, your father hired Bradley as your personal bodyguard. He was a part of the revered Iron Daggers, an underground squad of the most elite fighters that the world didn’t know about. Not the general public anyways. 

The Iron Daggers had a reputation of pulling of the impossible. Of always protecting their targets and getting them out of whatever horrible situation in the end. And when your father contacted Maverick, the leader of the Iron Daggers, he sent Rooster.

The best of the best apparently.

And the best looking bodyguard you had or would ever have for the rest of your life.

Hell, you were only human. Rooster or Bradley, as you tended to call him when you were alone, which was often, was tall with a broad, muscled frame that you wouldn’t mind on top of you. His hair and eyes a light chestnut brown that just reeked of homey. And he was quite possibly the only man who you thought could pull off that mustache and somehow become more attractive as a result.

But there were rules. No fraternization or whatever. As if locking you up with just an absolute stud of a man was supposed to prevent you from falling for him.

Spoiler—it had the opposite effect.

But Bradley, ever the professional, never gave into any of your comments or you glances. The most he would do would be to smile sweetly at you and then go straight back to work. And fuck it was getting old. And embarrassing. But, of course, that didn’t stop your mind from wandering or your eyes.

Even on that night, when surrounded by the richest and most powerful people in the world who were all dressed to impress, you were staring at Bradley. He was never more than five steps from you and even if you didn’t have a staring problem, it would have been near impossible for you to be unable to find him.

Finding Bradley’s gaze deviating into the crowd, you couldn’t help but follow his gaze.

A man dressed in a suit that you knew was expensive, was clearly walking towards you through the crowd. You didn’t recognize the man, but you were sure that he knew who you were based on how he looked at you. Not stressed in the slightest, you turned to your right as you felt a gentle hand on the small of your back. In an instant, Bradley was right by your side, putting himself in between you and the approaching man.

"Can I buy you a drink?" Bradley asked, causing your smile to immediately brighten.

“Yes, you may,” you agreed, practically beaming up at Bradley. 

He looked absolutely dashing in his suit, which was pressed and tailored to fit him perfectly. He was here under the guise of being a wealthy businessman and he seemed to play the part perfectly. He offered you his hand, which you took gently, and the two of you headed over to the bar together. Bradley ordered a drink for you and a glass of water for himself before turning to you. He leaned forward, causing your breath to hitch as his lips and the edges of his mustache brushed against your ear.

"Did you recognize him?" Rooster asked, talking about the man who tried to approach you.

"No," you replied, your eyes fluttering closed as you brushed your cheek against his own. "I don't. But I'm not worried about him."

"I'll be the judge of that."

And in an instant, the warmth from Bradley was gone. He was back in his protective body guard mode and nothing that she could do or would do would be able to break that concentration.

The two of you grabbed your drinks from the bar, after quick tampering checks, walked over to one of the tables in the corner. Bradley sat down and angled himself so that he could see the party, but you were entirely focused on him. And hell, anyone who was staring at you could have seen that the only person you had on your mind was Bradley.

It was a poorly concealed crush that was quickly getting a bit out of hand. After all, Bradley was a handful of years older than you and there was no way that your relationship would survive in ‘the real world.’ Though, you didn't care about that. But you knew that Bradley would never break and cross that line. He’d been in this business since he was eighteen. He wouldn’t crack. 

So, you just kept tugging on the possibilities of a fabricated school girl crush to try and keep some kind of sanity in the mess you called your life. 

“Why are you so tense?” you whispered to Bradley, grabbing his hand. “There’s security everywhere. We’re fine.”

“There’s security, but they’re not watching you.”

Taking a sip of your drink, you glanced out at the crowd once again, particularly the dance floor. Feeling a bit emboldened, you hurried to sip down the rest of your drink before hopping up from your seat. 

“Come on. Let’s dance,” you stated, holding out your hand to Bradley. 

“What?”

“I want to dance. So, let’s dance,” you replied as if it was a normal request. 

“But,” Bradley started to protest. 

“Please,” you whispered, which instantly caused his resolve to buckle. 

“Okay, but I’m keeping an eye out.”

“I know. I’ll take it,” you responded, taking Bradley’s hand. 

Pulling him up, you led him out onto the dance floor. A slower and more elegant song was playing, so you rested a hand on Bradley’s shoulder and held his hand. Bradley placed a hand on your waist at a respectful height and swayed with you to the music, though his eyes were always looking out at the crowd. 

Sighing, you tried to get him to glance down at you for even a moment, but Bradley always took his job seriously and put it first. Really, you shouldn't complain since his attention was meant to protect you and make sure you woke up the next morning. But sometimes, you just wanted to forget all of that.

Resting your head against his chest, you closed your eyes and just swayed, trying to make the most of the moment. And unbeknownst to you, that subtle touch worked. 

Bradley, once he felt your head on his chest, broke his stare out at the room and turned to you. Your eyes were closed, so you didn’t notice his stare, but a few moments later, you felt his thumb rub circles in your hip. Smiling softly, you listened to Bradley’s heartbeat and enjoyed the moment. Just when Bradley started to rest his head on top of your own, a scream echoed through the room. 

In an instant, Bradley was on alert. Wrapping his arm protectively around your waist, he spun you away from the source of the scream. The both of you glanced quickly through the crowd to see what the commotion was about and gasped when you spotted a man with a knife sticking out of his chest. 

You didn’t even have time to scream yourself before Bradley pulled you out of the room. 

~~~~~

“That’s it. No more of those stupid parties,” Bradley stated as the two of you returned to the safe house. 

You got away cleanly and the security checks were complete. You were safe. Bradley did his job and got you out of there in one piece. But Bradley was kicking himself the whole way back to the safe house. He should have gotten you out of the room faster. What if you were the intended target? Hell, he shouldn’t have let you out in the first place. 

You were silent the whole drive home and Bradley had wrapped his jacket around your shoulders when you couldn’t help but shiver. The image of the stabbed man was still fresh in your mind and you were still in a bit of shock. Your bare feet padded on the cold concrete floor as your heels hung from Bradley’s hand. 

“That’s the last time we leave here for anything pointless,” Bradley vowed, holding the door open for you. 

But his words seemed to startle you back to reality. Flickering your gaze up to his hardened stare, you frowned lightly. 

“So, I’m just locked away in here?” you whispered out.

“Until it’s safe,” he replied firmly, not even turning to look at you. 

“Don’t I get a say in this?” you demanded, raising your voice a little. 

“Sure. Do you want to live?” Rooster asked sarcastically, causing you to purse your lips together and glare at him. 

“So, I’m just your prisoner now?”

“I’m pretty sure that prisoners aren’t supposed to pay their captors,” Rooster replied with a bit of an attitude, causing you to scoff. “Look, it’s simple. You go out and you’re in danger. So, you’ll stay here where it’s safe.”

You took a step towards Bradley, glaring up at him. Bradley stared down at you evenly and even though you couldn’t quite pick up on it, his self-control was dangerously close to slipping. Your eyes bore into Bradley’s soul as your lips curled into a scowl. 

“You can’t keep me here forever. I’m not a prisoner. And I’m certainly not yours.”

Slipping off his jacket from around your shoulders, you shoved it into his chest before turning and storming off to your room. Bradley grabbed his jacket before it could fall to the ground and watched you as you stormed away from him, trying to not focus on the sensual sway of your hips or the subtle jiggle of your ass.

Gulping thickly, Bradley turned back to the monitors and focused on the task at hand. He gripped the table harshly, reminding himself why he was here. 

He was supposed to protect you. And he almost failed at his job tonight. You could have been hurt because he wasn’t paying attention. And he wouldn’t let himself slip again.

~~~~~ 

You were furious. Absolutely furious with Bradley.

He managed to convince your family that it was safer for you to stay in the safe house or at least a safe house than to go out. And before you could even wake up the next morning, any lick of freedom was taken away from you. The chances to see your friends and family? Gone. Unless they went through the thirty security steps to come visit you in the safe house. Any chance to do anything outside of the safe house sans emergencies? Gone.

You were livid. 

Storming downstairs in the compound, your bare feet padded against the polished concrete floors. You knew exactly where to find Bradley since he still sent you texts about where he was located in the house for safety procedures. You were still dressed in your pajamas, shorts and a tee shirt that actually belonged to Bradley, since you read through your texts with your family while brushing your teeth that morning. 

Forcing your way into the gym, you stormed over to where Bradley was working out, pumping some large dumbbells as music played in the background. Grabbing the remote, you shut off the music, causing Bradley to drop the dumbbells and whip around just in time to catch your positively irate expression.

“Where the hell do you get off!?” you demanded, poking him harshly in the middle of his chest. 

“You heard?” Bradley guessed, looking almost bored with the situation. 

“Of course, I heard! You tattletale!” 

“They requested a status update and I gave them one. It’s not my fault that they agree with me,” Bradley stated, earning a sharp glare from you. 

“Do you want me to go crazy in here?”

“You have every kind of entertainment that a person could possibly need—”

“—I am trapped with only one other person, who just happens to treat me like a child incapable of making their own decisions, in this stupid prison that I never asked for!” you yelled, causing Bradley to pause. “Of course, I’m going crazy! Stop treating me like I’m some delicate baby! And it wouldn’t kill you to listen to me for once!”

Without another word, you stormed out of the gym and headed back to your bedroom. Bradley sighed, running a hand through his hair. He paced a bit, wanting to go back to the workout that he started. But the second that he sat back down, he was standing up again, your disappointed and betrayed expression stuck in his mind.

Bradley walked through the halls, knowing from the security updates on his watch, that you returned to your bedroom. Reaching the door, he knocked lightly on the bulletproof material, letting it echo for a moment before he called your name. 

“What?” you called back, clearly annoyed. 

“Can we talk?”

“Fine. Come in.”

Bradley opened the door, letting it close behind him as he straightened up. But when he finally looked up, he practically stumbled to the floor at the sight of you. 

You were in the middle of tying your hair back and glanced over at Rooster from where you were sitting in front of your mirror. The clothes that you were wearing when you stormed into the gym to confront him were laid out on your bed. And what were you wearing?

A towel. A simple folded fluffy cream-colored towel was all that protected your modesty from his gaze.

“Well?” you demanded, seemingly unfazed by your state of undress.

In actuality, heat was subtly crawling up your neck when you caught the subtle dip of Bradley’s gaze to the tops of your breasts and then your thighs. But in the split second between Bradley’s knock and your answer, you were feeling overwhelmingly petty. And hell, if you were sick of being trapped in this place without any kind of escape, you assumed Bradley was just as pent up as you were.

And, well, you assumed that Bradley—the professional that he was—wouldn’t dare look at you or touch you and compromise his job. So, it was a quiet and not-so-subtle jab back at him for being such as ass and locking you in the safe house.

“Why aren’t you dressed?” Bradley asked, staring up at the ceiling awkwardly before turning back to you.

“Calm down, Captain Chastity, I’ve got a towel on,” you huffed, holding the towel together to prove your point. “And I was going to take a shower until you interrupted me.”

“Then why did you let me in here?” Rooster demanded, annoyance seeping into his tone.

“You wanted to talk and I wanted to get it over with,” you replied, standing up from your vanity.

Feeling a bit emboldened by the fact that Bradley wouldn’t even look at you when you were in this state, and in need of taking some kind of control in your life, you stood up and padded over to where Bradley was standing in your room.

His jaw was set harshly, making his jawline appear all the more sharp. Veins popped off of his neck due to how tightly he was holding his jaw shut. His cheeks were colored by perhaps rage or embarrassment or a mix of both. But he kept his gaze on your eyes. Never once breaking and glancing down to stare at the more scandalous views you. And well, if he wanted to play that game, you would play that game. This was a battle of wills and you weren’t going to crack first.

“I’m not your prisoner, Rooster,” you warned him. "You're not the boss of me."

"I'm just trying to do my job. Stop making it so difficult," Bradley shot back, staring you down.

In a flash of defiance and reflection of just how pent up you felt, you reached up and grabbed the fold of your towel. A quick flick of your wrist and the fabric gave way. Bradley, ever the professional, averted his eyes and stared at the ceiling as your towel pooled on the ground.

"Is that difficult enough for you?" you huffed, setting your hands on your now bare hips.

Staring up at him as he refused to move and look at you, you took two steps towards him, feeling more emboldened than before. Bradley noticeably tensed as you drew closer to him and raised yourself up on your toes to whisper in his ear.

“You can’t keep me locked in here forever," you vowed, causing Bradley's jaw to lock. "You're not the boss of me."

Bradley stayed where he was as you walked into your bathroom and started the shower. It wasn’t until he heard your shower door slide shut that he lowered his gaze away from the ceiling. Breathing heavily and now absolutely red in the face, Bradley glanced down to see your towel on the ground. Shuddering, he turned and stumbled out of your room.

He was about to turn for the gym before changing his mind and heading for his own bedroom instead. Slamming the door shut behind him, Rooster quickly locked the door behind him before heading for the shower himself. He wasted no time in cranking the shower to ice cold and shoving himself under the spray.

Jesus Christ, you were going to be the death of him.

Part 2

#tgm #top gun #tgm fanfiction #top gun: maverick #top gun maverick #top gun fanfiction #bradley rooster bradshaw #rooster fanfic #bradley bradshaw #rooster x reader #rooster fluff #rooster imagine #rooster bradshaw fic #bradley rooster bradshaw x reader #bradley rooster bradshaw x you #bradley rooster x reader #bradley bradshaw fanfiction #bradley bradshaw fic #bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley bradshaw x you #rooster top gun #rooster #top gun rooster

[serendertothesquad]

"Wordsville" and the Problem with Cash-Cow Copies

[note original day of creation was February 15, 2024. just...just for reference. trust me bro.]

Hello.

Tonight I am in a silly mood fueled by sleep deprivation.

That means you all get an introspective blog that I will complete within a week and then ask "why'd I write that?"

So here's what's on Seren's lovely table of discussion tonight...

Put...put away the glasses. You don't need your glasses. This is the highest-quality thing I can get.

But et voila. A little project in the works called Wordsville.

Now, at this point you might be asking why I'm referencing "cash-cow copies" in the title. And whoo-hoo...oooooh...well, I don't want to make this some kind of clickbait blog, so I might as well perfect the atomic bomb in five minutes and land it on you folks.

What if I were to tell you that this is a blatant, shameless, slap-a-digital-coat-on-it-and-call-it-a-day copy of Odd Squad?

Ahhh, see, now I have you intrigued. Hopefully. If you are, then peep down below and let me discuss things a little more in-depth for you non-believing hacks asking me if I'm borderline insane.

So to put things in perspective, allow me to explain what Wordsville is, starting with my own personal summary.

Wordsville is an up-and-coming episodic (not to be confused with serialized, that's a whole 'nother ballgame) TV series that is produced (and will later be distributed) by Sinking Ship Entertainment and is made with assistance from WNET, a PBS station located in New Jersey, and TVO Kids, PBS Kids's girlfriend from Canada that's definitely real.

It was announced back in October of last year with a press release from Kidscreen, which didn't give much info aside from the following blurb:

Wordsville stars two child detectives on the hunt for missing words that are causing chaos in their town.

Sounds a little familiar, don'tcha think? Two kid detectives, finding something missing...and that "something missing" is causing chaos where they live?

Oh, but if you think the similarities end there, then no. No the absolute fuck they do not. I've got my bathing suit on and God damn it if I'm not gonna jump all the way in the pool instead of dippin' my little toes in there.

Doing a little bit of digging reveals more tidbits from a casting call for the series. It's rather wordy (ayyyyyy I did a funy), so let's take it piece by piece and discuss accordingly.

Wordsville is a town populated entirely by kids

A town that is populated entirely by children? Now c'mon, surely that doesn't ring a be-

...Ah. Whaddya know. Yes it does.

And with the adults as useless and idiotic as they are, it might as well be a town full of solely children. Next question.

and it’s a place where words matter. A lot. Every kid citizen has a special connection to words. And that means that if something happens to a word, there are far-reaching consequences.

A special connection to words? Like how there are children who have a special connection to normalcy? Stopping, oh, I dunno, hypothetically speaking...

...oddness?

Okay okay, I'm reaching just a wee bit here, but you can't read this and not tell me it echoes the funny kids math show to some degree or another. If an odd thing happens to a person, the whole town suffers. You've seen it. I've seen it. It's been the basis for many an A and B-plot. Must I elaborate? Good, because I don't plan on it. Continuing.

If the Main Street Baker bakes delicious donuts and they all mysteriously disappear, nothing else in Wordsville can taste good until they are returned.

Town Baker walked so Main Street Baker can sprint while blowing their lungs out.

If the Town Doctor’s soothing medication gets swiped, the whole town gets uncontrollably itchy until the medicine-napper is uncovered.

Ignoring the incredibly dark implications of this as well as the implications of this shoddy knockoff town having only one single doctor...

Dr. O walked so the Town Doctor can sprint while blowing their lungs out...over their massive paycheck.

(I technically could have also put New Dr. O too, but I'd like to spring for iconic OG's here. New Dr. O is neither iconic nor an OG.)

And let me remind you that "Torontonians get uncontrollably itchy due to something odd" would, by technicality, classify as an odd problem. Because...I mean, y'know...the cause is something odd happening. Doing shit with words is odd. This needs absolutely no explaining.

If the Local Scientist does an experiment with electricity and all the lights in town go out, they won’t come back on until the experiment wrecker is revealed.

Yep, I've taken shots of every IPA I can. We nearly hit the main character quadfecta, if you discount Dr. "bro thinks she's part of the team" O. All they needed was a bit about a high governing body and we'd round out the quad squad in proper with Oprah!

There's also a sneaky lil' crumb in the form of that blurb relating to Oona, who did, indeed, experiment with electricity in one episode and wound up proving why she can never take up Crossfit.

Hmmmnnnnext!

In each crime, the episodic word disappears and can’t return until the mystery is solved. The impact of the missing word is felt all over town.

This is another one of those things that I gotta wrench a hammy for in terms of comparisons, because about the only thing I can reasonably compare Odd Squad to is the second sentence.

See, here's the thing. You get oddness that happens to a person. Oftentimes, that oddness spreads to other people, whether directly (in the form of diseases and disorders) or indirectly (like the Town Baker's cakes being split in half, which wouldn't please Torontonians poppin' in for a whole cake and eyeing the display to get a feel for one). In a sense, normalcy disappears and, well, it can't return until [insert partner pair here] solve the case. It's kinda the entire schtick of Odd Squad as a franchise. It's formulaic, just like how Wordsville's "words disappear and nothing can be normal until the word returns" schtick is formulaic.

Is it a stretch? Perhaps. Mileage may vary. I think it's a bit of a stretch, personally. But hey, I'm a grown adult critiquing a ripoff of a kids STEM show. I shouldn't be talking. But I didn't start this fandom nearly 10 years ago just to let Sinking Ship's piss-poor attempt at really capitalizing on one of their biggest franchises sliiiiiide right by me on a floor smooth enough where I'm falling on my ass every 10 seconds.

Luckily, best friends and partners Sage and Chase are on the case and run the only detective agency in town. These tech-savvy sleuths solve mysteries entirely virtually because their reading, listening and digital literacy skills are their greatest strengths. Sage and Chase always catch their culprit and make sure everything is right with the word.

Now where in the McFuck do I start with this one? The PAW Patrol catchphrase thrown in complete with shared name? The fact that there is only one detective agency in the entire town? The fact that Sage and Chase are best friends as well as work partners? Or the pun that made me actively cringe in a way I haven't felt since Whitney told James she wanted to go on the lake?

I mean...this is about Odd Squad, so...I guess the second one sounds most plausible.

But that doesn't need explaining either. There is only one detective agency in town. There is one Odd Squad precinct per city or per state.

No, neither does the third bit. I already referenced Olive and Otto above. You should know what's up.

(I've also read that blurb five times now and...well...we'll get to the digital stuff in a bit. That just needs a whole side-set of word vomit.)

-------------------------------

In my digging of this series -- which, well, wasn't all that much -- I managed to find a few blurbs on our two main characters. The casting call for them, funny enough, called for, and I will quote this exactly, "talent to look 9."

As in, they want the actors to physically look 9 years old.

Which puts that qualifier in the same ballpark as Odd Squad UK's "talent must be Canadian but live in the UK". But at least that prerequisite actually had a legitimate earnest reason behind it, which is that the production needed to be Canadian in a lot more than just the "Canadian prodco works on a British series" sense. Hiring kids who have to physically look 9 years old and will probably be yoted onto the street the second puberty hits them like a truck is a practice not even the most egregious bosses of family-owned-and-operated businesses could pull off.

But enough about the qualifiers. Let's get started on our character comparisons and civil cidiscussion! (Oh the irony...)

And remember this: the casting call was handled by Larissa Mair Casting, who previously did casting for Odd Squad. So that means there will be tinny lil' crumbs of bonus material for me to dissect and discuss! Huzzah! Aw God why can't this happen for Odd Squad UK...man, I'm gonna have to go into my sobbing corner...

First up, we have Sly Sleuth, originally referred to as "Sage" here. I'll also be referring to him as "Sage" in this blog.

Sage is a great detective; thoughtful, extremely logical, and talented at getting information out of people.

Thoughtful of others. Logical. And can wrench information out of suspects like a badass.

Yep, we got an Olive that got hit with an Olando-fied beam. (And because half of you don't know who Olando is: Sage is meant to be a male Olive. I hope that clears things up for you.)

What else?

Nothing related to vocabulary or literacy gets by this investigator. Suspects can underestimate Sage but that is always a mistake. Sage doesn’t scare easily and won’t take no for an answer, traits that make an excellent detective.

You could tell me this was how Olive was meant to be written in "My Better Half", word for word, and I would honestly believe you. Right down to asking, "Her name was Sage in pre-production?"

About the only place I can draw the line here is at Olive not scaring easily. We don't know Sage's backstory -- and once again, this is an episodic series, so don't expect much in the way of plot, backstory included -- but Olive, at least, has a legitimate reason for all the times she covers her ears at loud noises or sharply reacts to something startling.

The former is because of The Censor-Friendly Bullet Massacre of '15.

The latter is because Dalila Bela marched straight out of a viewing of Who Framed Roger Rabbit and never looked back.

I...can't really say either applies to Sage. At least not yet. We'll have to see if Sinking Ship decides to bring Wordsville into its lil' multiverse that Odd Squad and Dino Dana and Endlings and Playdate already share.

Sage is also wise, which is why the name “Sage” is completely appropriate.

Sooooo does that mean his name is Sly because he's cunning like a fox?

Well then in other news, Olive is named such because she was inspired by the famous Law and Order character Olivia Benson. I have fifteen folders that back me right the hell up. Also I contacted Sinking Ship the other day, they explicitly told me.

No, no, but in all seriousness. Olive, too, is very wise. Historian buff, knows her shit about Odd Squad, doo-dah, doo-dah.

Anyway, next up we have Chase, who was renamed to "Gabby Gumshoe". (I'll be referring to her as Chase in this blog, as well.) Let's see what's on the chopping block for her in terms of our favorite food-loving, hella tall, crazy silly blorbo.

Chase is a fantastic detective, but is also goofy[,] funny, visually oriented, and, like the name suggests, loves the “chase”.

Now there's a man who got hit with a yassified beam, right there.

I'll leave it up to you folks whether you consider Otto to be "visually oriented". But in terms of "loving the chase"...yeah, I'd say that fits.

To lay it down: Otto is a rookie agent. Common sense would lead anyone to assume that he has an absolute blast solving odd cases and absorbing every bit of knowledge about Odd Squad that he possibly can. He finds out a villain's on the loose? He's right there, by Olive's side, workin' to catch 'em. He finds out oddness has run rampant throughout the town? He's right on that shit.

Chase, on the other hand, is someone I wouldn't call a rookie. It's made quite evident that she is, for all intents and purposes, seasoned. Seasoned enough that she manages to keep the detective agency she works for afloat and get approval from the others in Wordsville, Sage included. This, perhaps, is because she's not really meant to be an audience surrogate in the same way Otto is. Otto, at least for the first few episodes, serves as a way to ease the audience into Odd Squad and show them what the organization is and what they do without yoting them into it and leaving them asking "Where am I?" more times than a drunkard. Chase doesn't fill that role, because it could be argued that such a show like Wordsville doesn't really need an audience surrogate. Whether that's true, though, remains to be seen.

People tend to underestimate this investigator, but Chase often notices things like a chocolate stain when someone said they didn’t like chocolate or a squiggle of icing that turns out to be the antonym of the word they’re tracking.

Y' take Otto's...Otto's love of food...and y' put it in a gorl...and BAM you got a character.

...

That isn't a joke. It's dead-on serious. Even the casting call script pins Chase as a kid with a sweet tooth! It's just Otto but with a less diverse palate! Otto eats everything! This kid eats sweets! God sakes, give her some juice, make her Oprah, I don't give a shit, fucking hell I'm driving 50 minutes to Burger Ki-

Chase is also great with computers and incredibly artistic. A graphic note taker[,] Chase loves to draw, has a great eye for details, is a big fan of the “zoom in” function, and really enjoys creating animated re-enactments of Word Mysteries.

All right, we finally have somewhere we can draw the line.

No, not at being tech-literate. With being artistic.

Otto's artistic talent kind of varies throughout the franchise. In drawing on paper, he's pretty solid for an I-just-recently-turned-10-please-praise-me-year-old. In making paper airplanes, he's solid enough to take down a grown-ass man and rock his sunglasses when he's done for.

In computer drawing...well...if you can believe it, concepts like Ibispaint and Photoshop don't exist in the world of Odd Squad. (Okay, maaaaybe Photoshop does. I don't think it does. But it could be a good in-universe justification for it.)

We don't know Otto's digital artist merit because we never see him make any digital art. All of his art is solely non-digital. On Chase's side of things, she lives in an era where digital drawing is, like in real life, the norm. It's a contrast that might be one of the more glaring ones when it comes to comparing these two shows.

Now, as for the "creating animated re-enactments" schtick...if that isn't an excuse for Sinking Ship to work their animation magic after the Sandy Cheeks movie, then I honestly don't know what is. If you wanted to make the show animated, you could have made it animated. Would've been cheaper, too!

(And "Word Mysteries"...it's not as grating as Wild Kratts's "Wow Fact", but it's edging pretty close. I blame WNET. That's solely a PBS thing right there. TVO Kids would never.)

----------------

So we've gotten the discussion about the two main characters out of the way. Now we can dive into the heartier meat. The kind where's it's purple on the inside but you still digest it anyway.

I'm talking, of course, about the sample scripts- script. Singular. There is one script. Uno.

Now, lemme give you a bit of a rundown: casting calls for Odd Squad -- really, most shows, but this is a blog about Odd Squad -- often come with sample scripts. This is so talents can read their parts aloud for the camera and have the tape submitted to the casting agency for consideration. Odd Squad in particular has had quite an interesting ride with sample scripts, from entire episode plots being adapted into final products (with a bit of tweaking) to characters having names different than what they're named in the final product (which is the case with both Sly and Gabby). They're nothing on the scale of ABC Me dropping episodes earlier than PBS or shorts getting dropped as an alleged April Fools prank, but they're pretty damn good crumbs to chew on.

The sample script starts out with Sage and Chase on, of course, a video call. (Sinking Ship made a Zoom reference once. Pray they do not make another by the name of a friendly drug called "Speed" or that term for peeing known as a "Whiz".) Chase explains that she just gave her office chair's wheels a tune-up, which, of course, makes her hungry. Hungry enough that she declares a "cookie break" and immediately takes out a ginormous cookie from hammerspace that just made the European bakery down the street from me start sobbing. (Look, they make good cookies. Giant cookies. Cookies I need two hands just to hold properly. Trust me, it's- it's massive.)

However, when she bites into the cookie, she finds that it tastes absolutely gross -- "not sweet, not even sour". While she ponders if her body has forcefully rejected one of the best sweet treats known to humankind, Sage begins to grow suspicious and asks if it's a Word Mystery they need to solve.

Which is, coincidentally enough, when the Main Street Baker calls in a fit of hysteria, explaining that their "delicious donuts" are gone. And because we can't take enough from Odd Squad, we get a bit of "literal humor" in the form of the donuts both being delicious (probably) and them spelling the word "delicious" prior to their disappearance. After Sage explains what "delicious" means as well as what synonyms are, it's shown that the culprit also struck other pastries, up to and including gingerbread people, which Sage absolutely takes personally because he's a kid of pure culture who gives a big "fuck you" to holiday-specific treats being enjoyed only during said holidays.

Chase, in true Otto fashion, decides to take more bites of her cookie and instantly regrets it. Sage, in true...well...Clint Eastwood fashion (I shit you not, that's literally what it says in the script), declares that they need to find the word "delicious" and fix the pastries.

And...yeah, that's about it. Like I said, there's really not much to go on with casting call sample scripts. Especially not ones from Larissa Mair.

My conclusive thoughts on it, you ask? Well...they can try to hide it, but all it's doing is enforcing my point. From the Main Street Baker having donuts missing similar to how the Town Baker had bagels missing in "Soundcheck", to Chase being an idiot who is obsessed with food the same way Otto is (right down to his willingness to drink Odd Todd's pickle juice when it tasted gross in "Bad Lemonade"!), even down to the "literal metaphor" kind of humor as it applies to singular words. Am I stretching? Perhaps. But these supposedly insignificant pieces are just part of the bigger picture, the larger issue at hand in this long-winded piece.

------------------

The digital aspect of Wordsville is one of the ways they decided to put a twist on the precedent that Odd Squad set. And it's so blatant and in-your-face that it's on par with shoving a red flag in someone's eyes to blind them.

But here's the thing. The digital aspect been done. Amusingly enough, by the same company.

Lockdown is a show that fits right in with the others at the Shows-Made-During-the-COVID-Pandemic-About-the-COVID-Pandemic club. It was a way to capitalize on something in society that probably will never be relevant again until around 2050. Maybe even earlier than that, at the rate we're going.

I haven't seen it, so I can't speak much about it, but from my side of things it looks a lot like Unfriended if it took place during the pandemic and wasn't a horror movie and involved teens and not young adults/adults/I haven't seen the movie in many years bite me.

But the main difference between Lockdown and Wordsville, relevant to this editorial, is that Lockdown has a legitimate reason to be shot entirely on electronic devices. It's part of the plot. It works, I'm sure. For Wordsville, it makes no sense for the outline and isn't just limiting, but is downright insulting for something "rooted in the 21st century". It's good to be unique when making a show, but there's such a thing as trying too hard to be unique to the point where it's detrimental to your show's quality. Making the show be a digital-only angle isn't a smart move, especially for a detective procedural.

And if it's trying to differentiate itself from Odd Squad...well, do I got some bad news for you.

The show already did an entire Zoom parody in the span of an 11-minute episode.

And I still hate it with all the vitriol of an old woman who hates kids playing with beach balls in the yard pool. It sucks ass. It's entirely unneeded when you have three children sitting around the same table. I could vomit on you all day about it. But at least it's far more justified than Wordsville having its entire formula based on it. You can rip off a show without being limiting.

(don't. seriously. don't.)

------------------

Before we get to the conclusion, I need to dive deep into Odd Squad's own popularity and explain it a little more beyond just little "trust me bro" tidbits.

If you've been following it for as long as I have, then it's no secret that Odd Squad is one of Sinking Ship's cash-cow franchises. You've got the main series, six different spinoffs, a live show, a book...and I didn't even provide a whole damn list! Point being, it's huge. It doesn't have many roots in pop culture, but from a certain angle, it is an absolutely massive franchise that continues to grow, even in spite of its controversies.

Unlike works such as SpongeBob or Bluey, Odd Squad isn't popular enough to get bonafide ripoffs. The formula is relatively easy to copy, and if anything there are shows that have a similar premise but aren't even close to ripoff territory (K.C. Undercover, for example). It's just that, for all the ripoffs people have done of shows and movies over the years, the motivation for industry bigwigs in taking Odd Squad and running with it just...isn't there. I can connect it to Disney or Dreamworks or Viacom all I want, but at best they have a vague awareness of it that only goes as far as "oh, that's a thing, I guess". At worst, they see it as a pile of shit that would never turn a decent profit.

It could be argued that Sinking Ship wasn't all too well-known in the entertainment sphere up until Odd Squad came around. Looking at their resume doesn't show all too much in the way of what's popular. This is Daniel Cook, Roll Play, Playdate...they don't stick in your head, right? Yeah, none of them stick in my head either. Odd Squad was their first big hit for them, something that really helped them gain ground as a company. It's the one that's pretty much linked with Sinking Ship in news articles. Like husband and wife, but for the TV industry.

But to Hollywood bigwigs, that means about as much as finding a stick on the ground. I guaran-goddamn-tee Bob Iger is not going to put his grubby little hands on the funny kids math franchise and twist the hell out of it. The only way that's happening is if you run "Odd Squad, but make it Disney" through an AI generator. (Which, for the record, I have not done. You can't really replicate Odd Squad characters in animation without making them look like they walked out of yet another Law and Order spinoff that's far more kid-friendly.)

However, even with Odd Squad's varying popularity, there are shows that go just a little beyond having a similar premise to it but don't dive into ripoff territory. Sort of like a next step up.

A long time ago, a few friends and I in an Odd Squad Discord server were discussing the show Numberjacks. You know, that show that Jacknjellify may or may not have used as inspiration for Four's design? Yeah, that's the bitch.

The show has a few similarities to Odd Squad. You've got the focus on math, a system for exiting the couch headquarters that's similar to the tube system, and even the existence of kid agents and incredibly odd villains, one of which, need I remind you, Twitter tried to make into a sexyman for all of two days to varying degrees of success.

I will admit, I haven't seen Numberjacks in several years. In fact, the last time I saw it was when it was brought up as an Odd Squad ripoff. If I recall correctly, the episode that I picked to watch on a whim was "Seaside Adventure", wherein a few numbers take a vacation and trouble occurs. Or something like that. I really can't remember many details.

One thing I do remember, though, is distinctly thinking that I could see the Odd Squad similarities, but...it's not a ripoff. The series premiered in 2006. By that point, Tim McKeon and Adam Peltzman were off on their own ventures as they wrote for cartoons and other things. Thus, Odd Squad hadn't been birthed yet. If anything, Odd Squad took cues from Numberjacks, not the other way around -- but even with the existence of Odd Squad UK, we don't know that for sure. I don't even know how popular Numberjacks was in the UK. I'm a dumb lil' American, not a Daphne-Moon-esque English woman.

Since then, I haven't found anything that has come close to what Wordsville aims to accomplish. Granted, though, I have not looked very hard. I'm moreso keeping an eye on PBS to see if they're going to try and rip off Odd Squad rather than keeping an eye on any random B-lister studio. (And no, I'm not talking about WNET. They are a PBS station, but I'm referring to PBS as a whole entire network, not a sole affiliate.)

------------------------

So the question remains: is Wordsville an Odd Squad ripoff?

Yes. On multiple counts. Right down to the name inspo. Guilty as charged. Right to jail.

From it being for the 4-7 demo not unlike Odd Squad's own 4-8 demo, to Sage and Chase being referred to as "Word Detectives" in lieu of "agents", to it being a detective procedural not unlike Odd Squad and its spinoffs, to the synopsis of the show being described as having "a case rooted in a vocabulary lesson" similar to Odd Squad having episodes rooted in STEM lessons, to it actively encouraging the audience to solve mysteries along with Sage and Chase...to Sage and Chase having alliterative theme naming...

Yeah, safe to say, we've got ourselves a ripoff.

There's no denying that Odd Squad is a fantastic franchise. Even through all of its issues, including financial controversies, heavy criticism, and mistreatment from PBS, it has remained strong for nearly 10 years, and will stay strong for many more. Maybe one of these days, it will plant roots deeper into pop culture and become one hell of a phenomenon. We'll have to see.

But the fact that Sinking Ship Entertainment has to resort to borrowing a concept that is unique in its nature, a concept that has already been done, a concept that has been given life and creativity by the people who birthed it, and then try to pass it off as its own original IP is not a good look on them. It's been done similarly before with their other big franchise, Dino Dan -- key word being "similarly" because it's one show and three spinoffs focusing on different characters. That isn't the case with Wordsville, though.

Put it this way: it's a company ripping off not someone else's IP, like many other companies have done and continue to do. It's a company ripping off their own IP.

And really, it doesn't matter how it's done. Stealing is stealing. At the end of the day, all it shows is a complete lack of creativity and a complete craving for the almighty dollar. More so if it's a company stealing from themselves and passing it along as okay.

In spite of this, however, I am perfectly willing to give Wordsville a shot when it comes out. Not so much to see if it's good (though my curiosity is piqued), and definitely not to hate-watch (which has the opposite intended effect on a show or movie), but to see just how far Sinking Ship is willing to push the envelope in affirming viewers and industry buddies alike that this is not, by any and all accounts, a copy of Odd Squad. I want to spot similarities. I want to take whiskey shots until I can do a zoom-zoom to a hospital and then ask if they've got a bottle on board the rig. I want to give a full, I-watched-this-show-now-here-are-my-overall-final-thoughts addendum on the entire issue.

As of now, Wordsville has no narrow timeframe. All I know is that it's releasing this year, likely on TVO Kids in Canada. Whether PBS as a whole will adopt it into its roster -- and if anything, it'll be WNET-exclusive, otherwise we would've heard something about it at the TCA Winter Press Tour a few days back -- for American audiences remains yet to be seen. Rest assured, though, that I'll be keeping an eye on it and rushing to it as soon as the first episode drops. After that, I'll give a proper addendum so I can finally put this issue to bed. Along with myself. Revenge bedtime procrastination is a bitch.

Thanks for reading. This honestly started out as something silly, but then I became analytical. So you got a mix of both in this one. This may or may not be the norm. Day-by-day, y'know?

Seren out.

#seren speaks #odd squad pbs kids #odd squad #wordsville #sinking ship entertainment

[brightlight-dazzlingeyes]

between the lines | chapter 05

rúben dias x original female character [+18]

synopsis: isabella is a sports journalist covering the premier league. she has sworn to never get involved with a football player. that is, until she meets a handsome portuguese defender. warnings: incorrect journalism references; timeline of events are not faithful to real life; i have never been to england; mutual pining; romantic comedy;  minors dni.

previous chapter | masterlist | next chapter

Chapter 05 - Like a last minute own goal

It’s Tuesday and I’m in a bar in Athens watching the penalty shootout between Panathinaikos and Olympique de Marseille. Sitting next to me there’s a man with an AEK jersey and two wearing the Olympiacos uniform.

Across the street, away from this curious scene, standing tall and shiny, there’s a hotel. The hotel I’ll be staying at for the next 30 hours or so. And so is the entirety of the Manchester City squad.

So for the time being, for the sake of my own sanity, I’ll be sitting here at this charming Greek bar sipping one of the few non-alcoholic beverages on the menu.

Eventually the color of the sky warns me it’s my cue to leave, a bright and vibrant orange. I already spent too much time and too much money on this bar. And I wasn’t even supposed to be in this country.

I’m only in Greece to cover for a colleague that allegedly got sick – internally the talk at the office is that he was caught cheating on his wife and had to bail work for a couple days, and somehow I’m the one being punished.

I already know the odds of running into him. They’re high, okay, they always seem to be pretty high. 

Still, I cross the street. I take my time doing it, too. Look at both sides multiple times. at the front of the hotel I even took a few pics of the previously mentioned beautiful orange sky.

And yet,

“It’s been a while…” My voice is soft, as I’m trying to be polite. I go as far as nodding when I enter the elevator at the exact time as he does. 

Of course the timing would be perfect. If I haven't taken the pictures. Or if I drank less. But I’m starting to believe it wouldn’t have mattered. If not today we were bound to meet again.

“I wonder whose fault is that.” He uses a humorous tone, even raises an eyebrow, smirking, but I can see right through him, he’s not joking. It is my fault. He’s wearing Manchester City’s travel hoodie and joggers, looking so out of place since he’s by himself. I decided against making a joke about that. Maybe another time. Something about asking him if he’s lost from the herd. Or something. Instead, I’m even funnier:

“I miss you too!” I answer with the same tone, maybe a notch higher, trying to actually tell a joke. I consider nudging him with my elbow, to get the bit going, but as soon as I say that the smirk fades off his face and he looks serious at me.

And then his face turns to the elevator door. I watch as he sighs. When our eyes meet again the soft smile is back on his face.

It’s my floor and as I walk out he says:

“Have a good night, Isa.”

I nod. There’s words stuck on my throat and it’s only when the elevator’s door closes again that I manage to say back:

“You too, Rúben.”

A week later, back in Manchester, laying in my own bed, I can’t sleep. I’m still thinking about that encounter, having been thinking about it everyday for the past week. I have to fix this, clear the air. We’re going to meet again and again.

So, against my better judgment, (and to be fair, so long after what I thought I could hold) I text him.

Me: you too

That's good, right? He’ll get it…

Do not text him, girl!!: que?

He texts back immediately. Wasn't expecting that but okay.

Me: hae a good night! have i forgot to say it last time we met

Do not text him, girl!!: isa are you drunk?

I hesitate. Man, that only happened one time! Is it better or worse if I tell him I’m drunk? I mean, I’m kind of sleepy. Maybe I should say yes and go all out ‘I miss kissing you, Rúben’ and shit like that.

No. No, that’s not what I texted him. I only look like I’m drunk texting because he makes me nervous, and the idea is to stop being nervous around him.

Me: what? no! i really just wanted to say have a good night so you know that we’re cool

Rúben: right

Me: we’ll be seeing a lot of each other, and i feel like we didn’t discuss this part the part that you know we’re cool

He takes a while to answer, I’m biting my nails staring directly at the bright white light of the phone. The memory of my brother telling me I’ll be single forever rings in my mind, to be fair he was 14 at the time I had just gotten my first bra. But it is true, and that’s why. I ruin it every time I try.

More minutes pass and he still doesn't answer. My mind goes somewhere else. The actual last conversations we had.

With me saying “I don’t think we can be friends.”, and he saying “Well, that’s not what I’m trying to be.”

“Okay, well, that's worse, Rúben. You get that, right?” I had my hands covering my face as I tried to find the right words. “I just got here, I can't be the reporter that sleeps with the football players.”

“But you…” He held himself back, but I heard it in my mind, ‘but you are’. “Don’t you think is too late for that? You’re really having second thoughts now?!” His hands replaced mine, holding my cheeks. He looked deep into my eyes, like he was trying to read my mind. 

I cried more that day than I’m proud to admit. I’m crying right now, still looking at the phone. I don’t expect us to go back to how we were, but I can’t deal with panicking every week just at the idea of seeing him. I can’t avoid him, I can't be with him. So I just want us to be cool, you know? I don’t know how to write a text saying that, though.

Rúben: right we’re cool

join the taglist

@91vhs @kathb59

#football fanfic #between the lines #ruben dias fic #ruben dias fanfic #rúben dias #ruben dias #football fic

[dragonflight203]

Mass Effect 3 replay, Normandy part two:

-As others have mentioned, how did Liara get her equipment on Shepard’s ship?

She left Mars on the Normandy. Presumably her equipment was on Mars and out of reach. Possibly even destroyed by Cerberus.

-If you go paragon, Shepard compares not knowing what the Prothean device does to handling a loaded gun.

This is the same simile that can be used in the ME1 side quest with the Terra Firma party; the turians preventing humanity from turning on the dormant mass is similar to preventing a child from handling a loaded gun.

Intentional? Or small reference pool?

-It sure is convenient that the blueprints for the Crucible have survived countless cycles when so much other knowledge has been lost.

The one piece of knowledge that the Reapers should absolutely want destroyed has somehow managed to survive the Reapers wiping traces of previous cycles. Every cycle finds them and every cycle expands upon them.

Yes, I’m sure each cycle took strenuous measures to protect them but this goes beyond straining belief.

-How significantly does the dialogue with Liara change if you have not done Lair of the Shadow Broker? I’ll need to look that up.

-What does Liara mean that Cerberus tracked her down?

It’s repeatedly mentioned in ME2 that the Normandy has Cerberus bugs and tracking devices. Cerberus should have learned the Shadow Broker’s location as soon as the Normandy traveled there.

-Feron’s conveniently an agent for Liara now, so he’ll never directly appear in ME3.

Game’s loss. He would have made an excellent additional shipmate. Maybe even squad mate.

-According to Liara’s notes on the Broker Terminal, the Therum expedition was conducted by University of Serrice. That’s the same university Liara got her doctorate from.

So they were fine with Liara just abandoning the expedition after the volcano exploded…? Spectre privileges, I suppose.

And where was everyone else, for that matter? The only people on Therum were Liara and the geth.

-I love that Chakwas is a single woman with no complexes about it. That’s so rare in fiction.

-Adam’s reasons for not joining Shepard are valid. Shepard could have been a clone, Cerberus is evil, and you can’t just up and leave the Alliance.

-Adam’s acceptance of AI is established here. His issue with Edi was that she was a Cerberus AI, not that she was an AI. Once he realized Joker trusted her he warmed up.

He also apparently never informed authorities, which is pretty significant considering the Normandy was to be Anderson’s model command center.

-You have the option to tell Diana to focus on getting support or Cerberus.

Once again, Cerberus is taking center stage despite not being the main villain.

-The Hammerhead was so despised that Bioware killed it offscreen in M3.

It was sent to labs to have the armor improved; they were presumably destroyed when the Reapers attacked.

-Cortez’s interest in men is established here in your first conversation with him; you can learn he had a husband.

Kudos to Bioware for not burying it.

-The conversation with James is odd. It’s a rehash of the one you had on the Citadel

On the Citadel, you can speak to him after the meeting with the Council. He affirms that Shepard was right to leave Earth to gather support. He’ll stick with Shepard because he knows it’s the right thing to do even though he wants to be on Earth.

Then in this first conversation on the Normandy, he asks you how the Council meeting went. After the sparring match, you can ask him how he feels about leaving Earth.

It’s like the scenes were written separately and the writers didn’t realize they repeated until it was too late to change either of them.

-James chose the intel about the Collectors over saving the colony. Renegade.

-This also disproves the oft-repeated point in ME2 that the Alliance was doing nothing about the Collector attacks. James’s squad was there to protect the colony and were installing additional defenses (according to the wiki). Most of them die protecting the colony and James retrieves information about the Collectors.

Cerberus told Shepard the Alliance was doing nothing to get them onboard; the reality is the Alliance was making an effort.

Maybe if Cerberus had shared information with the Alliance, the Collectors could have been stopped sooner or the colonies could at least have been better protected. But that would have risked Cerberus not getting the Collector base, and that was TIM’s real agenda.

-I’ll give James a pass on not recounting the events of Paragon Lost for gamers who did not view it. That was probably one of the worst events of his life.

I will not, however, excuse Bioware for not providing a Codex entry on it.

-I wish I could go neutral with James. I don’t want to flirt with him or be cold. I’d be fine with ignoring it.

#mass effect #mass effect 3 #mass effect 3 replay

[qqueenofhades]

1of 3) feel free to ignore this, but I'm doing Dracula Daily (never read it before) and I have a lot of feelings/thoughts and seeing as you've read it, I hope you don't mind if I rant a bit. I really want to shake Van Helsing until he starts telling people stuff. Like I can kind of get him not wanting to tell Seward that it's a vampire so he doesn't seem crazy and get institutionalized, but at some point, he should have told him anyway, or just made it clear that Lucy needs watching every night

2of3) and not just depend on telegrams/letters to tell him to watch her. But then she dies, and still instead of telling anyone what's going on, he just tells Seward that he needs to get him some surgeon tools so he can remove her head and heart (because talking about needlessly (at least to Seward) removing body parts of a corpse makes way more sense then mentioning a vampire and definitely makes him seem sane). He even talks about how they need to work together as one and need trust, of 3) and it's like my dude, have you even once considered how much easier it may be for people to work together with you as one, to trust you when you need it, if they have even a slight hint of what's going on? Personally if someone asks me to do something odd/hard/weird etc. I'm much more likely to do it, or at least complain less, if I know the reason besides a 'I'm so-and-so and you should do what I say' reason. Again, sorry for the rant.

Hush now. Of course I am delighted that people have so many feelings about a 19th-century classic horror novel that they want to come shout in my inbox about it! This is exactly why I love Dracula Daily as a concept, and think it's really clever. Everyone kind of.... already knows Dracula by cultural osmosis (he's a vampire! He has a swoopy dark cloak and he can turn into a bat! He sneaks around and Vants to Suck Your Blud!) but they are discovering they don't actually know many details about the text, and that modern adaptations have often totally slaughtered it in the aims of making it Sexy or otherwise introducing themes/readings that are not necessarily present in the original. So yes, I have read Dracula before, but I'm still really enjoying seeing the way Tumblr has gone ape for it and are all indignantly signing up for the Lucy Westenra and Mina Murray Defense Squad and drawing fanart and making memes and dropping casual references to the "polycule" and so forth. Yes.

Anyway, I wrote this post the other day discussing how everyone's over-reliance on traditional social conventions, and trying to follow the rules of how to be Good Victorians, has totally fucked them over. The whole point of what's going on is that they all keep trying to act like it's a normal situation and they need to be Decorous and Proper and Not Alarm Anyone, and like... that's the exact sort of thing Dracula feeds on (literally and metaphorically). Because he's weaponizing their extreme middle-class Victorian Englishness against them, where they can't talk to each other and they can't discuss how they feel and they can't be honest, all for fear of Offending Protocol, they're screwed. They can't coordinate, they can't do anything that might long-term help, and there is of course an interesting subtextual queer reading here, considering that Bram Stoker is universally considered to have been a repressed gay man who hid/denied his sexuality and lived in, to say the least, an openly homophobic society. Whether or not it was his primary intention to portray the rules of Good Victorian Behavior not working and instead actually actively harming people by forcing them to keep secrets and not trust that anyone else will believe them, it's an unavoidable theme in the text and one that a modern reader definitely picks up on with the benefit of hindsight.

Also, I think it's important to highlight that despite his 84 PhDs (of course he's a lawyer as well as a doctor) and generally being the book-smartest person in the story, Van Helsing has, at this point, comprehensively failed. He hasn't saved Lucy's life, he hasn't prevented her from turning into a vampire, he hasn't warned anyone else about what's really going on, he hasn't prevented Mrs. Westenra from being frightened to death, he hasn't told Arthur (poor Arthur!!!) anything about why he wouldn't even let him kiss his fiancee as she was dying, etc. And a huge part of this is because, as you point out, he hasn't told anyone anything. Van Helsing has often been narratively paralleled to Dracula, which I think is accurate: he is solely in charge of Lucy's health, as Dracula is the sole reason for hurting it. He tries to control Lucy, he tries to keep her loved ones in the dark, he tries to basically "have" her for himself -- all in the name of helping her, yes, but his treatment is just as ineffective as Dracula's assault is effective. Van Helsing means all the best, but he's kind of fucked it up!

And yes, the primary reason he's doing so is because he thinks that he alone is smart enough to solve the problem, he can't let anyone else onto his plans (even when Quincey strolled in, took one look, and was like "oh yeah this was like the time the vampire bit my horse" and asked the OBVIOUS FUCKING QUESTION of where all of Lucy's blood was going!) and he otherwise is the Only One. Just like Dracula's pride, arrogance, solitude, stubbornness, and insistence that his will/choices for Lucy are the only ones that matters, Van Helsing is doing the same thing, from the opposite side of the coin. That's why his methods can't possibly work to counteract Dracula and (as we will see in the latter half of the novel) they need to comprehensively rethink their entire strategy and discard all the old social rules and worry for "decorum" that has kept them from being honest with each other so far. But yes, we love us a good hero/villain narrative foil with the same flaws and the same methods. Which is what is definitely going on here. Because things such as Mrs. Westenra removing the garlic flowers happen because Van Helsing didn't even tell her that they were medicinal (you have one million doctorates, Abraham, make up a scholarly bullshit reason!)

So yes, as I said, and as we will see in upcoming entries, Following The Good Victorian Rules has fucked everyone over HARD, Van Helsing is acting like Dracula while trying to fix Dracula's damage and that's why it isn't working, and our heroes are going to need to have a comprehensive rethink of what they're doing and why, if they want to stop any of this in time. Dun dun dunnn!

#anonymous #ask #dracula #dracula daily #abraham van helsing #lucy westenra

[crystallizedday]

DID SOMEBODY SAY LORE???

Since I’m still in a major Poptropica hyperfix, of course my first major lore dump (since my accursed Amino days, but we don’t talk about that) is going to be related to my take on the world of Poptropica!

& since I have no word limit on here, I can finally go fricken HAM with this!!

Here we go!

Alright, firstly I wanna tackle my main trio since I had to be VERY vague with their profiles.

Sporty used to be (& technically still is) a dragonborne who left his home island in pursuit of adventure when he was a teenager (which is basically me making sense of when my in-game version of Sporty was grey with horns & bat wings).

Eventually, he meets these demi-god people residing in the skies called the Blitzmanians, & their whole deal is they’re protectors of Poptropica (specifically from Zeus, since that guy tries to take over the planet a LOT behind the scenes). After witnessing Sporty & his adventures in secret, their king was impressed with his caring & passionate spirit & thus bestows upon him the ability to disguise himself as a proper human (which is where the red lightning tattoo comes from) in exchange for Sporty working for them to help even more of Poptropica, giving him updates on what islands need his help & such.

Later down the line, he is confronted by Lone, the son of the king, who felt outplayed by Sporty & desired to be the one to travel Poptropica to help the populous & impress his father. Sporty’s quickly able to convince the jealous prince to tag along with him instead, letting the literal demi god reside with him in his rather humble home.

Soon after, this mysterious woman that Sporty had a few friendly encounters with shows up to give Sporty a proposition to ALSO work with Spy Island HQ to FURTHER allow him to help the entirety of Poptropica. The dork with a golden heart of course agrees to this & now Quick Grape, who Lone did not 100% trust, joined the team, allowing the gang to use all sorts of advances gadgetry & even upgrading Sporty’s house to be far more comfortable. Since Sporty trusts Quick with all his heart, he fails to notice how overly observant Quick can be with Lone & anything related to his clan. Lone notices, however, but has accidentally became too attached to Sporty to do anything about it.

NOW FOR THE BADDIES!!

All the villains know each other pretty well, but they were still rather on their own for the most part. That was, until the Super Villain Quartet regrouped. That totem thing about “removing their evil” thing was complete baloney & practically didn’t do anything other than put powerful evil-fueled energy into physically manifested objects that got destroyed anyway, so the four still-evil villains decided since they were chosen as the most evil villains in Poptropica, they might as well team up to increase their odds of succeeding (even if Bard & Harvey didn’t quite see eye to eye at the time).

Somehow building themselves a huge base of operations, the four work together to aid in each other’s villainous deeds, with the advance defense systems Bard & Harvey co-built keeping all four of them safe from the law & from Sporty’s squad. While their ambitions were rather vast in the beginning, they gradually became more & more demoralized to push for the ultimate goal of ruling Poptropica after so many failed attempts & thus shifted to more smaller acts of villainy, either for legitimate reasons (like Black Widow stealing valuables & riches for money with Crawfish sometimes doing the same) or just because it gets the adrenaline running & it’s fun (literally the other three). This is why Bard is a lot more calm & sarcastic then they were back in Astro Knights.

Speaking of me referring to Bard that way, yes, my guy IS non-binary, pretty much to an extreme extent, & what I mean by that is my guy is like… mostly mechanical, with only their head, chest, & right arm being flesh. Yeah, I took the fandom headcanon & RAN with it! Like I made Bard the ULTIMATE non-binary. Like I made them DESPISE gender, it’s great. They’re rather snarky, almost always aiming their witty remarks at Widow because she’s the most easily angered by their comments (that & Harvey does that cute bunny “thumping” thing when he’s mad & Bard’s mechanical heart can’t take too much of that cuteness). Those two always try to outwit each other & Bard is almost always triumphant.

Bard’s not COMPLETELY chill, however, & when set off, practically will lunge at someone with their own bare hands. They’re the LEAST mentally stable of the four after all, not to mention having… well… issues thanks to a CERTAIN someone throwing them under the bus as Mordred as they were thrown into prison for the first time.

The extent of these issues has led to the very name “Mordred” almost immediately putting them into a fit of rage, same with “Elyana”.

It is also impossible for anyone else to take off the jester hat. Their hair is BEYOND ruined & since Bard is too afraid to shave it all off since they know it won’t grow back in the state it’s in, they just hide it. It is why Bard will go anywhere in a VARIETY of different outfits but will STILL have the hat on no matter how “goofy” they look.

Dr. Hare is a lot more goofy than Bard, & is the one who introduced the idea of petty villainy to Bard (& the first one to fall for the guy & be TERRIBLE at hiding it). He’s the most animated out of the four, doing all sorts of crazy one-off ideas practically every week. This has led to many, MANY “wait a minute, that’s MY idiot!!” moments with him, since while Harvey is a mechanical & bio-engineering genius, he can be rather… short sighted, often acting before thinking.

Oh also, going by another popular Poptropica headcanon, THIS Harvey is also trans, but just like Bard, he’s the ULTIMATE trans, COMPLETELY switching his sex with nothing but his genius & probably some shady methods he will never bring to light. Why? Cause a mad scientist being trans & doing whatever it takes to do what every trans person wishes they could accomplish is just such a brilliant idea & you cannot stop me.

Regarding him ABSOLUTELY having some rabbit-traits to him (cause like… there’s no way those buck teeth are NOT from the lab accident), I firmly believe he has a few rabbit quirks to him like the angry thumping I mentioned earlier as well as the vegetarian diet rabbits have, which is why he is very… VERY skinny.

He also ADORES animals, same with Bard. The two of them would actively save a hamster’s life over another human’s, which has led to some… minor conflicts with Crawfish that I will mention later.

Black Widow is the one to maintain most of her original villainous ways, still stealing paintings & vandalizing famous artworks. Even so, she’s the most social of the group, always going out to hang out with the lady villains of Poptropica to catch a break from the lunatics she practically lives with.

… but she’s not a gay scientists, so my headcanons stop there.

Captain Crawfish! He’s taken up the hobby of wrestling the beasts of the sea & participating in a variety of deadly adventures, which the other three contribute to him trying to trick himself into thinking he’s still young & invincible. He’s quite respectfully strong, but is still adjusting to the different cultures around him & can’t seem to wrap his head around modern technology.

Also, my guy has DEFINITELY broken a few immensely important bones that Bard had to replace. Just sayin.

MKAY I think that’s a good enough rundown of the basics of my AU for now, mainly cause if I go any further, it’ll be increasingly harder to proof read it all. :pppppp

#poptropica #binary bard #dr hare #black widow #captain crawfish #poptropica ocs #poptropica au

[abbatoirablaze]

The Avenger's Initiative, Chapter 17

Word Count: 2.1k

Warnings:  smut, mentions of death, slight angst, feels.

Dani’s POV

"And you're sure it'll be okay?" I asked nervously. He smiled reassuringly as he pulled my face to his own. Our lips met in a chaste, sweet kiss and I sighed dreamily.

"I know it will be okay, Lady Danielle." He pressed a few buttons on the elevator and I nervously took his hand in my own. He pulled me into his arms, "I promise that I will allow no bad things to happen to you."

"You make a lot of promises, god of Thunder."

"And I follow through with them, do I not?" he grinned, referring to how we'd spent a few weeks at my parent's lake house. I'd taken care of everything. I dropped out of college and told the squad that Brittany had fallen in love and was out as well. They had already been informed of it though, and oddly enough the rest of the girls' records were gone too. The only ones that were still enrolled were Mira and Jade, and it made me nervous. I thought something had happened to Kenzie, "don't I, my fair maiden."

I blushed at his words, "Thor."

"I'm not saying that I'm a god in bed," he smirked, "but I do know how to please a maiden."

"Oh my god, Thor!"

He sent me a playful wink, and I felt my worries fading away, yet again. The elevator dinged and we were smack dab in the middle of the avenger’s main area. Thankfully, no one was there though.

"Hmm, that's odd," he said thoughtfully, "F.R.I.D.A.Y, who is within two floors of us?"

"Welcome back pointbreak," the AI confirmed, "On the floor below: Ms. Romanoff is currently in the training room with Sergeant Barnes. On this floor: Mr. Stark and Dr. Banner are in Mr. Starks lab. Captain Rogers is in Dr. Banner's lab with Miss. Daniels and a therapist. On the floor above: Loki is with Mackenzie and Jade in the living quarters of Miss. Romanoff and the girls. Do you wish to know where further avengers are on lower or higher floors?"

"That will be all!"

"Would you like me to notify them of your arrival?"

"Yes!" The AI beeped in response, and he grabbed himself a water from the fridge, "my love, would you like one as well?"

"No thank you."

"It is good to stay hydrated," he reminded me, "after all the strenuous activity we have endured, you should consider it."

"You can't use that line for everything," I said in response, trying to stifle my laughter. I thought of how he had begun to say that all the time the past few weeks. When I made him help me clean up the house. When I taught him how to build a snowman after the first snow. When he and I finally made love and didn't stop for what felt like days...

"Who the hell is this? Mr. Stark is going to be pissed you brought some random chick here, Thor!"

I whipped around and came face to face with a kid who was probably my age, but looked closer to a twelve-year-old.

"Midgardian spider boy," he smiled joyously, wrapping his arms around the petite superhero, "I'm glad you are here. Meet Lady Danielle!"

"Hi," he said nervously, gazing at me. Then his attention snapped to the entrances, "you need to go. I'm sure Thor promised you a tour of the towers and all bu-"

"This is my girlfriend!" he boomed, stepping away from the kid, "Lady Danielle is my chosen one."

His brows furrowed, "like from the lake house?"

"What is she doing here?"

"And why is she alive?"

I turned to see Dr. Banner as well as Mr. Stark coming in from an entrance off of the far wall. I felt my nerves come up again.

"I chose Lady Danielle."

"Yeah, we see that, Thunder brain," Tony said sarcastically. He took a few steps forward and I instinctively stepped behind Thor, "but why is she here? Alive? At the tower?"

"Well, you brought the other maidens here, did you not?"

"Thor you've been gone for weeks!" Dr. Banner said, jumping into the conversation, finally getting over his own shock, "like a month worth of weeks to be exact."

"I wanted to take time with my maiden before we came back to the tower," he replied, as if it were the only logical answer, "I had not had much time with her while at your lake house. So, we spent time at hers."

"Did you let her tie you up instead?"

I blushed at Tony's sarcastic tone, but Thor looked at him incredulously, "sometimes! It depended on the scenario on that given night."

"THOR!"

My eyes went wide.

"Well, he asked," he said quickly, "how am I to know that Stark knows of our conquests."

"It was a joke, brainiac," Tony said, shaking his head at the god, "but I forgot you don't understand those."

"I understand jokes."

"Sure, you do, big guy," Tony replied, making a few different faces, as if he were trying to switch out the memory of the admittance from a few seconds ago, "but you still didn't answer me. Why did you bring her here? After you said you didn't want to claim anyone. She should be taken care of."

"And I will take care of her," Thor admitted, clearly not grasping what he was saying, "I remember the rules, Stark. If you claim a maiden, you must provide for her and take care of her. I have claimed Lady Danielle, many a time in the past number of weeks that I have not been here. She and I are in a committed status. I have met her father and mother and informed her that her sister is living in the city with the metal armed one as to keep them from being alarmed."

"D-dani?"

I turned to see my twin sister, standing at the entrance of the elevator. Loki and Jade were behind her. I felt the tears well up in my eyes as I saw her again. Even though the AI had confirmed it, I still hadn't believed that Kenzie was okay.

"Ken!"

She rushed up to me and pulled me in a hug. Her tears hitting my cheeks, "I thought you were dead. Oh my god, Dani. You're alive."

"I thought I lost you too," I admitted. My tears fell against her cheek as well as we sobbed against one another, "I'm so glad you're okay." 

Kenzie’s POV

WARNING: Definite adult themes. AKA NOT SAFE FOR WORK. NSFW! Soft, fluffy, smut though. Teddy bear Bucky.

"So, this was cleared by your therapist."

"Yeah."

I bit my lip and looked at him.

"D-do you want to come in?"

I nodded, and he stepped to the side, allowing me into his room. I tried to keep calm as the door closed behind me. Looking around the plain beige walls, I didn't see anything decorating them. He barely had any furniture. The space had definitely looked bigger because of it. There was a simple dark couch and a television on an entertainment center, but other than that his living room was pretty bare. Looking behind me I saw that he had some snacks on the island that separated his living room area from his kitchen. Down the hall there were two doors, for which I could only assume were the bathroom and his bedroom. It reminded me of a quaint little apartment, and not a loft area somewhere close to the skyline.

"Are you hungry?"

"Not really," I said with a shake of my head. He nodded and came back out of the kitchen, "did you just move in or is this your normal amount of stuff."

"Minimalist," he nodded in a simple breath, "I uh....used to being on the move a lot I guess. You can sit down if you want."

"Okay."

I sat down on the couch, and he sat on the opposite end of me, nervously tapping his hand against his hip.

"I'm gonna get a beer...do you want one?" he asked after a minute. Without waiting for my response, he went back into his kitchen. As he opened the fridge, I could hear him muttering to himself before he turned to me, "uhm…I’m sorry.  Did you want one?"

"I'll take one."

He nodded, opening it and bringing it back out to the living room. Taking a sip, I placed it on the floor beside me after realizing there wasn't an end table or coffee table.

"Sorry."

"For what?"

"I don't have people over a lot."

"I don't mind."

He nodded, taking a long swig from his beer, "did you want to watch a movie? Or talk? Or get dinner?"

"We can talk."

"Okay."

"Are you okay, Bucky?"

"Yeah."

"I can tell you're lying," I said softly. His eyes flashed up to mine and he shook his head, "Bucky. You can talk to me...remember?"

"I know."

I scooted closer to him on the couch, "then why am I here?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, confusion knitting his brow, "I wanted to see you...and my therapist sai-"

"No," I replied, cutting him off, shaking my head, "why did you choose me? You were with Mira...weren't you?"

"I felt something when you kissed me," he admitted. He looked down away from me and swallowed hard, "and then when we kissed again..."

I smiled, not saying anything.

After a minute he finally looked up to my eyes again, "What?"

"This Bucky," I smiled, thumbing the edge of the label on the beer’s glass, "it's cute."

"What?"

"You're all sweet and shy," I laughed, "I find it hard to believe that you were like this before the serum...does all that stuff get to your brains and make you a babbling mess in front of women?"

He smirked, catching on that I was trying to ease his tension in the situation.

"You think you're being clever; don't you doll?"

"Sarcasm and insult humor always brings me out of a serious situation."

He smiled, licking his lips, "oh is that what this is?"

I nodded, moving closer to him. He looked away from me for a second before biting his bottom lip.

"How do you do it?"

"What?" I asked, leaning forward, "be so amazing?"

"Exactly that."

It was then that I took in the dreamy look on his expression and the glassy look in his eyes.

"Wait, you're being serious?"

"As a heart attack, doll," he said softly. That's when I noticed that the hand that had been laying delicately on my knee had met up with my own and was lacing our fingers together. Licking his lips once more his vibranium arm tucked itself under my chin, lifting my face so that my lips could meet his.

Feeling breathless as our lips met for the first time in a month since we'd been here, I leaned into it. His lips were surprisingly delicate as he deepened the kiss. The silkiness of the kiss was offset by the stubble on his face, but it only added to the feelings I got in my core. I let his tongue explore my mouth as I led his flesh hand down to my hip.

Letting go of his hand, I pulled him by the belt loops of his jeans until he was hovering above me as I laid on the couch. I let my hands glide down his chest, over his shirt and he moaned into the kiss, especially when my hands rode low on his abdomen, right above his jeans.

"Wait," he moaned, breaking the kiss as I unbuttoned his jeans, "I-I don't want you thinking you have to do this. We don't have to if you don't want to-"

"Shut up," I said softly. Catching his lips once more he didn't fight me as I started to slide his jeans down. I let a moan go as his fingertips began stroking me through my own denim clad bottoms, "Bucky."

"Call me James, doll," he moaned through the kisses. Before his hands could work me out of my jeans, I slid those and my underwear off, already tired of how long we'd prolonged our feelings, "oh god."

He moaned again as I pressed my hips against his, teasing him in the only way I could think of. His breathing got heavier as I started kissing down his jaw and along his neck. When I got to his pecs, he stopped me, pulling me so that I was on top of him. I gasped as I felt his hardened length beneath me.

"James."

He smiled, pulling me back to his lips again.

"Ride me, doll."

"Yes sir, Sergeant Barnes," I smiled playfully as he lifted me and guided me onto his length. As he slowly lowered me down, I wanted to close my eyes. The stretch of him felt so deliciously good. "oh god, James Buchanan Barnes." 

Chapter 18

Tag List:  @krissy25, @lohnes16, @multifandom-world8

#the avengers #dark avengers #avengers initiative #marvel #marvel au #soft thor #thor #basement wife #thor x reader #thor movies #thor odinson #thor mcu #mcu #marvel mcu #soft bucky #bucky barns x reader #bucky #bucky barnes #james barnes #sergeant james barnes #sergeant james buchanan barnes #james buchanan bucky barnes #james buchanan barnes #falcon and winter soldier #the winter soldier #winter soldier

[crookedtidalwaves]

finished reading rebel robin! it’s different from the podcast. spoilers for both under the cut

- in the podcast, robin follows dash, who’s following mr. hauser, because he meets up with a guy. dash has been threatening mr. hauser, so robin gets dash back and makes sure he no longer messes with mr. hauser. in the book, robin realises she’s gay and goes to talk to mr. hauser, but he’s in the middle of packing, because someone found out he’s gay, and he needs to leave before he can be fired. at prom, robin talks to dash and it’s implied that he’s the one threatening mr. hauser. in both, dash is an absolute dick, but it’s just the way and when mr. hauser leaves.

- in the podcast, robin and tam don’t really interact, except maybe exchanging greetings. in the book, robin comforts tam when she cries over steve and nancy having sex. she also runs into her at a football game and they have a conversation, because robin suggested the marching band play total eclipse of the heart because tam likes it. tam says that it’s her song, and sings some of it for robin before being pulled away by a friend who doesn’t like robin.

- in the podcast, robin really only interacts with the odd squad (which, sidenote from a marching band kid, it’s so wild to me that they were allowed to choose their squads, and it didn’t have to be composed of ppl playing the same instrument): kate, dash, and milton. in the book, she also interacts with tam (as mentioned above), and sheena rollins, an outcast who asks her to dance at prom.

- the book also has an epilogue, when robin starts at scoops ahoy. she still keeps in touch with milton and kate, but sheena fucked off to fashion school and good for her. her manager, ned, says that she’s responsible and he wants her to be in charge of the new hire, steve, whom he wants there because steve could draw the ladies in, thereby drawing more revenue in. steve says that she looks familiar, and then says yes, from mrs. clicks class! and does a little victory sign LMAO but doesn’t remember her name. when he gets his uniform on for the first time, robin gets a picture with her polaroid.

- general note from the book: robin’s really persuasive and really good at building defenses/explanations (and milton refers to her as very logical).

#st #robin #rebel robin

[thesquidsink]

Daily #42: Lance Nine

"You know every mission they call a training exercise is a cover for something top secret, yeah?"

Davey rolled his eyes. "Then when does the actual training happen, eh?" He covered his mic and turned to Clark. "Where did they dig up this old conspiracy nut of a chopper pilot?"

"Cut the chatter, Davey," barked the LT. "Get these boys loaded up and safe. Oh-two to liftoff."

"Yes, sir," Davey replied, and groaned as he helped Clark drag the last of the unconscious soldiers into the chopper. The two exchanged glances, silently wondering what the hell the best combat gunship company in the Forces was doing on a rescue mission pulling KO'ed but uninjured black ops soldiers out of a cave.

"What's wrong with 'em, anyway?" asked the LT with a frown and a tug at his thick moustache.

"Extreme dehydration, sir," Davey replied. "Don't understand it, they were just sent out this morning."

"And it's a fucking cave," added Clark. "I mean, what? Caves are cool and damp, right?"

"That's enough, boys. Strap 'em in and let's make like a tree and get outta here."

While Clark locked down the gear and the LT checked on the pilot, Davey made sure the four unconscious soldiers were securely strapped in. He had to admit, the pilot might have had a point. How the hell could four black ops elites get deployed to a cave in the morning and be near-death dehydrated by afternoon? Davey triple-checked the IVs that were already in, and set up the last guy's.

"Aight boys, wheels up in ten... nine... eight..." counted the pilot in his odd accent.

Davey hurried with the IV, checked everything one last time, and they were up, clearing the trees in a sudden rush. Davey thought he heard a rumble or a roar, but the gunship's engines were running hot. The dead volcano burst into sight as if it had just forced its way out of the forest. Pilot's really pushing it, thought Davey.

"Uh, Lance Leader," crackled Davey's pilot's voice over the radio. "You lads are seeing that dragon too, yeah?"

"What the fuck?" said Davey, Clark, and the LT simultaneously. Clark and the LT leaned out either side of the side bay, and Davey strained his chest onto the mounted gun.

There was an honest-to-God fucking dragon flying in formation with Lance Company's sixteen gunships, the backwash from its wings buffeting the choppers and nearly brushing some of their hulls.

Lance Squadron Leader's voice cut in. "Lance Nine, all ships, we will refer to target as The Object on all channels, please acknowledge." Pilots and officers all sounded off in response.

"Lance Three - is the, uh, Object hostile?"

"Negative, no sign of -"

The dragon bellowed, flared its wings, and spat a gout of flame at Lance One that Davey could feel right through all his gear. Squad Leader's chopper burst into a fireball and its shrapnel tore through Lances Two and Three, which spun out of control and crashed into the forest. The dragon screamed again and buffeted Lances Five and Six with its wings, and they crumpled and dropped, trailing black smoke.

All of this happened in the span of about three seconds.

The radio burst into panicked chatter until the cool, accented voice of Davey's weird-ass pilot cut through on priority. "Aight lads, Lance Nine taking command. Object is hostile, weapons free, repeat, weapons free. Break and scatter, lock target and fire missiles until empty, then switch to guns and turrets. At your discretion but eyes on me, I've done this before. Go, go, go."

Davey strapped himself in at the turret and swallowed hard. He suddenly felt very dry.

#daily #dailies #prompt #prompts #storyprompt #story prompt #storyprompts #story prompts #writingprompt #writing prompt #writingprompts #writing prompts #dailyprompt #daily prompt #dailyprompts #daily prompts #daily writing prompt #dailywritingprompt #daily writing prompts #dailywritingprompts #fantasy #microfiction #writing exercise #daily writing challenge #writing #creative writing #writing challenge #dragon #military

[kaythefloppa]

Wordgirl and Wild Kratts should've 100% have a crossover episode. I mean they're both educational which is a strong enough reason, but also:

Wordgirl defines words. She could easily characterize an animal's scientific name, a feature for said animal, or define a word describing an act that they do. Words that are beyond the Kratts' knowledge.

The Kratts' (both in and out of universe) have studied animals for years, so they could define words as well if it was biology-related.

Wordgirl was born with supernatural powers whilst Aviva created the high technology. The parallels/irony could work because both sides would understand or learn about their differences.

Wordgirl and the Wild Kratts use their knowledge to help save the day. (See the Miss Power movie for reference).

This isn't important but the Kratts and Wordgirl are very friendly with primates (yes, I count Zooboomafo as canon to the WK universe).

They could kick ass together (I'm imagining a scenario where each of their villains teams up and Wordgirl, her family, and her friends team up with the Kratts + their animal friends, and have an Endgame style battle, only for Miss Power to show up and curb stomp everyone forcing them to all team up).

Becky Botsford would be an awesome addition to the Wild Kratts Kids team, keeping the villains in check without them knowing.

A crossover episode would be popular as FUCK. Wild Kratts is among the most top rated, if not, the most top rated PBS show that is still airing and a good amount of people are just now starting to realize it's an ongoing series, with a movie in development.

and Wordgirl has had a surgence of popularity that is hopefully here to stay. With there being a previously mentioned overlap between the two fandoms.

A crossover episode would've benefitted the success of both shows and it would've made a lot of little kids scream in joy.

Whenever the idea of a WK crossover comes up, it's normally a hypothetical idea like how I joke about WK + SPOP crossover, or it's headcanon related like how I think Wild Kratts is indeed in the same universe as Zooboomafo & The Electric Company reboot, or it's canon but happens rarely, like with the crossover it had with Odd Squad & Nature Cat.

Here, Wordgirl + Wild Kratts is something we SO should've gotten because it makes way too much sense for it to have not happened. And I firmly believe that if the show hasn't been canceled so soon due to its animation studio closing down, we would've had some crossover.

#wild kratts #wordgirl #becky botsford #2022 #kratt brothers #pbs kids #crossover #nostalgia #r.i.p. my childhood

[dawn-of-tomorrow]

Wanshi/Banji : Fate (Voicelines)

Construct Acquisition: Nice to meet you, I’m Wanshi from the Strike Hawk squad. Is this gonna be another troublesome mission…? I’m so exhausted… zzz…

LVL Up: Feeling a bit more lively… I think.

Promotion: If this is how you show your approval, then, perhaps I can accept this.

Evolve: Looks like I’ll have to take things just a bit more seriously now.

Skill Enhancement: Reloaded, prepared, examined, hah-- about time I take a break and sleep.

Equipment: Accuracy, range, ammunition capacity… it’s a reliable firearm.

Added to the squad: Huff-haaaa… time to get back to work.

Appointed as captain: If you’re the Captain, then does that mean you get a longer rest time…? I see, looks like that’s not the case, huh.

Mission Complete: Hah… then, is it alright if I go take a nap now?

Daily Conversation 1: (Yawn)...

Daily Conversation 2: Is there trouble brewing again? Mn...(yawn)… Captain Chrome should be on standby back at base right now, and there ought to be about 5 more minutes left till the next mission starts.

Daily Conversation 3: Reclaim the Earth and defeat the Punishing. What a lofty goal, that is…

Daily Conversation 4: “As long as you have the resolve, then everything will go well”… From whom did you hear this? Kamui?

Daily Conversation 5: I think the location of the base’s break room is… yeah, I remember it now.

Daily Conversation 6: The “wish-granting machine” setting only works for children, you know. Are you a child or what?

Daily Conversation 7: You want to see how I look when I’m serious? It’d probably be for the best if you were to never encounter any situation where I have to give it my all, at least that’s what I hope for.

Daily Conversation 8: What? You want to know… if it’s possible for a Construct to see the Commandant in a dream? …Mn, yes.

Daily Conversation 9: Looks like we meet again, Commandant. Hm? When was that, you ask? It was last night when I was already in bed… ah, Captain, please stop hitting me, I was just kidding; I was talking about my dreams, we met in my dreams!

Daily Conversation 10: Presumably, a Construct has no definite lifespan, meaning that the emotional data within their sea of consciousness will only continue to grow and accumulate. It’s almost like a never-ending, infinitely-expanding dream… rather interesting, isn’t it?

Daily Conversation 11: It’s because of you that this foreboding world I keep waking up to doesn’t seem so bad.

Daily Conversation 12: What incredible recovery abilities… oh, no, I wasn’t talking about Liv; I was referring to you, Commandant.

Daily Conversation 13: … Since I’m usually lazy and listless, when do I usually get serious, you ask? Right now, I’m serious about you.

Daily Conversation 14: You are the beautiful eternal dream I have fallen into ever since the very beginning, and one I do not wish to wake up from. This isn’t an excerpt from anything in the Captain’s book collection, nor is it something I’m saying casually. … I’m completely serious.

Daily Conversation 15: Whenever you’re here… I don’t feel like closing my eyes at all, how odd.

Increased Trust 1: If there’s nothing else at the moment, then can I go to the break room now?

Increased Trust 2: How utterly troublesome…

Increased Trust 3: I can sleep almost anywhere, and at anytime, to the point that… (snoozes)

Increased Trust 4: Do you want me to pass this on to the Captain, or is this for Kamui? It’s for me…?

Increased Trust 5: Whenever I spar with the Captain, I can’t help but get serious, and as a result I end up burning through my energy consumption and get extremely tired afterwards…

Increased Trust 6: I’m truly grateful.

Increased Trust 7: Exhaustion? There’s no such thing. Regardless of how troublesome the problem or the situation is, it’s all just a matter of how time-consuming it is.

Increased Trust 8: Cuddling with you to sleep every day…? … Just how much has Kamui told you, honestly…

Increased Trust 9: Compared to reaching for such lofty ambitions, it’s far more difficult to protect the things you really care about. That’s why, Gray Raven Commandant, you really are incredible.

Increased Trust 10: What you give to me belongs to me alone. That’s why, please don’t give others the same thing.

Increased Trust 11: You look like you’d be perfect to hold close and sleep with… Hm? What’s wrong Captain? [You can’t go and say things like that]? It’s not like I meant anything strange with what I just said… Huh? What did I mean by strange? Well…

Increased Trust 12: What I want? Hm… A new pillow, eye mask, an enhanced version of my resting cabin, and… you.

Increased Trust 13: A wish-granting device, a place to return to (refuge), resting cabins… hah, these are all these features I’d like to add for the sake of a certain someone.

Increased Trust 14: The gift you’re giving me isn’t you this time either?

Increased Trust 15: I've finally found a reason to keep waking up from my lonely dream.

Increased Trust 16: My return gift is right in front of you. Yeah, it’s this tall, and this big… you can’t miss it, right?

Idle/Ignored 1: Zzz…

Idle/Ignored 2: Too tired to even move… eh? The Commandant as well?

Idle/Ignored 3: Seems like the Commandant is also the type of person who needs to take breaks on occasion.

Idle/Ignored 4: Tired? There’s still space left in Strike Hawk’s resting cabins. I won the right to use it for an entire year.

Idle/Ignored 5: I’ve made a recent discovery. Being able to quietly watch over you is also another effective way of rest and recharging myself.

Long time spent online 1: It seems like the Gray Raven Commandant is the same type of person that Captain Chrome is.

Long time spent online 2: How odd, isn’t being able to rest and sleep the best thing in the world?

Long time spent online 3: It’s time to go to sleep now, good night.

Long time spent online 4: Would you please dream of me…? Since you’ve promised that now, then isn’t it your turn to fulfill my wish from earlier?

Long time spent online 5: Have a good night.

Login 1: If Captain Chrome comes here, can you please tell him you didn’t see me at all? Thanks.

Login 2: “It is precisely because you are yourself that [you] are important; you are important, no matter what, even until the end of time.” ...Heh, it’s nothing. It’s just something I’ve read from one of Captain Chrome’s books.

Login 3: (yawns) Good morning, good afternoon, good evening… one of them’s bound to be the right one, yeah?

Login 4: Since the first thing I saw when I woke up was you, it looks like today’s going to be a good day.

Login 5: Maybe it’s not a bad thing to feel energetic and full of life on occasion, is what I just realized. The reason being, because then I’d be able to do and enjoy a lot more fun things together with you.

Login 6: What a wonderful dream. Well, it’s not entirely wrong either way.

Login 7: I’m having a good dream right now.

Login 8: Whenever I wake up, I see you; and even when I’m in my dreams, I always see you.

Long time offline 1: To think that I’m able to only dream of you… how troubling.

Shake 1: Hey Commandant, have you ever heard of the word “wake up”... hmm?

Shake 2: Medicinal malpractice is strictly prohibited, you know.

Shake 3: Alright, alright, quit fooling around now.

Continuous tap 1: Are you doing a physical examination?

Continuous tap 2: Huhm… please don’t cause a scene here.

Continuous tap 3: Behave yourself now.

Activity MAX: Now that I’ve rested up enough, I feel completely recharged. A bit unusual, but I feel like moving around more now.

Battle begins: (yawns) Let’s get this done quickly so we can go home sooner.

Battle 1: It’s time to sleep, you guys.

Battle 2: How fortunate you are to be able to sleep forever.

Battle 3: I will shoot to kill.

Ultimate: Shooting to kill-- close your eyes, and rest in peace.

Hit: I don’t plan on sleeping early this time.

Serious injury: Going to bed early… though it seems like I woke up a bit too early.

Unable to fight: It’s okay, I’m just… gonna get a good night’s sleep.

Support: Backup, assistance, aiming a killshot.

QTE: Let’s quickly deal with this guy, since it’s an emergency and they like to disturb other people’s sleep.

Battle end: Haah, how exhausting.

#punishing gray raven #pgr #戰雙帕彌什 #战双帕弥什 #パニシング #パニシンググレイレイヴン #pgr wanshi #pgr banji #voicelines #fan translations #mun yasu #will move on to his affections stories... or do selena's voicelines. #either of the two #🤡🔫

[greenhappyseed]

BnHA Ch.331 - Review, parallels & comparisons

This is an odd chapter. Lots of text and big art pieces, yet not much actually happens? Let’s see what nuggets we can extract.

The first few pages are AFO!Shig!Tenko analyzing Star’s quirk in gamer terms. Not only is this kinda rambly like Izuku’s muttering, it’s finding a way to win using the video game analogies that both Izuku and Katsuki have used. Is this a new hint Katsuki will be important in saving Tenko???

When Katsuki was kidnapped by the LOV, Shigaraki thought he and Katsuki would have some things in common. Shigaraki attempted to “turn” Katsuki by talking about how oppressive rules can be. The rules of hero society cause suffering, even for fledgling heroes, right??? Of course, Katsuki didn’t buy it. He found a way to be himself, even within hero society. He never let rules or appearances constrain him. But if Shiggy can steal New Order…if he can make his own new rules, then Shiggy can change it all. Yes, I know the “urge” is AFO talking, but I feel like a part of Shigaraki is excited too.

The other thing that stood out to me was the true re-emergence of Tenko as a distinct identity. We haven’t really seen Shigaraki explicitly refer to himself as a Shimura before. (Meanwhile, calling her Ms. Star is adorable and oddly respectful; remember, Shiggy isn’t trying to kill her):

Awww, Mon!!! I LOVE Shiggy thinking about his dog. But not merely that he misses his dog — he’s asking if his dog has sufficient self-awareness to fall victim to Star. Could she pet a dog, say it’s name, and make it attack? Probably not. What else doesn’t have a sufficient sense of self? How about the Nomu? How about AFO himself? How about anyone else struggling with a duality…maybe a hero/villain name or family name that isn’t who they truly are? Maybe someone who can change appearance? Or maybe someone whose body houses vestiges, or pieces of other people? This part is VERY nicely aligned with the two most recent Vigilantes chapters.

Speaking of names and identity, Star’s name is officially translated as Cassie, not Kathy. She (and Agpar, and by extension, America) are competing to “surpass All Might” just like Endeavor, who she name-checks. But she’s not trying to surpass All Might by saving; she’s killing to win. You can criticize All Might’s sacrificial tendencies and “pillar” approach if you want, but he NEVER would ask a squad to go down at his sole direction. Cassie’s fist bumping her bros like Uraraka, but do NOT mistake this for true teamwork. This is following orders from a reckless leader committing war crimes, and the pilots know it.

Star’s behavior is recognized in canon as extreme, even for the extraordinary circumstances, but it’s also shrugged off because Number One Hero and Surpass All Might. It shows just how much restraint All Might must have used; how much his heart really mattered when wielding such a powerful quirk.

Also the Endeavor name drop makes me think…. will he join in this fight? I’ve been wondering if he can bring himself to attack Shiggy again. If he agrees with Star that Shiggy needs to die…..that means his villainous serial killer son might be deserving of death too. Or maybe Horikoshi was just being a goof and playing off this:

That brings us to Tiamat. Yes, the name is a reference to a Babylonian goddess of the sea from which other gods were born, and a powerfully evil dragon goddess/queen of the dragons in DnD. But it is ALSO a reference to Barrage (Horikoshi’s series before BnHA) as seen in the Vol 32 preview, which was part of Vol 31. See @hanashimas post here for detailed scans & translations. In Barrage, “Tiamat” is a young, powerful knight and astute military commander who is loyal to the crown and afraid of women — funny given his namesake. In Ch.331, Tiamat is the name of the missiles headed to destroy Shigaraki, the man-child gamer who sometimes gives off incel vibes, at the direction of a woman.

FWIW, Barrage is only 16 chapters long, and I do recommend reading it as there are similar themes, even some exact dialogue, that makes its way into BnHA. I haven’t included anything specific here about Tiamat’s character arc, although you can probably guess some of it. :)

Finally. Hypersonic cruise missiles. Hypersonic just means faster than the speed of sound, like Edgeshot /hj. These missiles are intended to hit land-based targets, and can carry nuclear warheads. They are self-propelled by a rocket and they fly on a relatively low and flat trajectory — but they can maneuver while flying, generally via radar guidance or some type of remote control. If a fleet of these hit Shigaraki on the ground, it’s certain to cause destruction of the surrounding area. But Shigaraki — or AFO — might be able to use radio waves to change the flight path….

#bnha spoilers #mha spoilers #bnha 331 #mha 331 #tomura shigaraki #shigaraki tomura #star and stripe #afo #all for one #tiamat #barrage #bnha meta #mha meta #all might #long post

[micheswife]

Confessions

MICHE ZACHARIAS X SHY CADET

Miche finally tells his crush he likes her. That's it

Miche watched her from Erwin’s office as she left the headquarters to enjoy a well-deserved break. The evening sun highlighted her brunette curls, stopping just below her delicate shoulders. It was a shame really, her hair used to touch her waist when she first joined. She was so incredibly shy and anxious back then, struggling to find her place among younger people that were much stronger than her. He remembered back when she declined the promotion for the sake of her happiness. It had been 3 years since y/n joined the survey corps at the age of 20. She was a late beginner, but her analytical skills, a fateful emotional meltdown and a background in research had soon gotten her a place under section commander Hange. Y/n was not good as a fighter, but she was observant, more than Erwin and Hange. Miche could not help but notice her, she was cute after all. She had flaws, just like everyone else, but the veteran soldier was drawn to her in particular. He couldn’t remember when he felt like that for the first time. Maybe it was when he saw her for the first time, clutching a soiled handwritten application and trying her hardest to put on a brave face. Who knows? Who cares? The important part was that he liked her, she did not know and he was not going to tell.

“What are you looking at Miche? “

“N-nothing, Erwin. Go on…”

Miche went back to focusing on the meeting. y/n had already disappeared in the next lane, so there was no point looking outside. The meeting would go on for hours, as usual, veterans had no holidays.

Meanwhile, y/n made herself comfortable near the quiet riverbank. It was one of the few attractions in the little land of Paradis, especially after the fall of Wall Maria. The serene river glowed red under the now darkening sun rays. Y/n had about 30 minutes to draw something, after which it would get too dark. Problem was, y/n had no idea what to draw. So she just sat there, wondering about her life. It seemed self-indulgent to refuse work only to get out and ponder about herself, but she needed it. The chaos inside the headquarters hardly did her any good. She wanted quiet and peace, but what she had right now was just pure loneliness. Y/n had friends, but nobody close or free enough to sit under the open night sky. So she sat all alone over the wall, the cold breeze ruffling her hair. If only there were someone to hold her.

“Bottomline, all of you must prepare your squads for next month’s expedition. We can’t afford to compromise manpower. Pay attention to the weak members, we need them to come back alive. You all are dismissed.”

Miche walked out of Erwin’s office and went straight to his room that he shared with Dieter, another squad leader. He felt tired, as though he knew what was about to come. A lot of action and a shit ton of casualties, not to forget all the rigorous training he was about to deliver on the cadets.

“What a long day..”

“Tomorrow’s going to be longer, Ness.”

“Yeah.”

“Do you think you will make it through the expedition?”

Miche scrunched his nose at the odd yet totally reasonable question. Him and Dieter served the scout regiment since their teenage years, yet they never quite got used to the anxiety before impending doom. Against his overbearing stress, Miche gave him a positive answer hoping to lift his spirits.

“I will make it out alive, Ness. The most damage I will end up with is a lost limb, after which I will retire and live a peaceful life. Don’t worry.” Miche finished with his signature scoff, masking his true emotions. The shameless, pretentious display of cockiness was all worth the little chuckle from Ness, the most sociable, tender man among veterans.

They made their way to the dining hall after chit chatting and freshening up. Their tables had the usual serving of bread, soup and vegetables. His eyes scanned the place for the owner of those beautiful, crazy curls, y/n, she should have been back by now. He couldn’t see her anywhere. Usually it was so easy to spot her in her corner seat. Perhaps Hange assigned her some work, but he couldn’t risk revealing his crush by asking the overly-energetic squad leader. So he quietly finished his plate, feeling just a little hint of emptiness because he missed y/n.

“Nifa, find y/n and tell her I want her in the lab tomorrow at 6am sharp.” Mike overheard Hange speaking from a couple of tables away.

“Yes captain.” Nifa quickly finished her meal and left the dining hall and eventually the headquarters. Her face made it clear that she had done this several times now and Miche was not surprised. Y/n was often in her own head and stayed out for a long time. Miche just found it unusual for her to stay out this late. It was cold outside, no person in their right mind would stay out past 8pm. He wished he knew what was going on inside the girl’s head that made her personality so withdrawn, but he did not have the time. He needed to draft a schedule for this week’s training and tests for the cadets. Just the thought of sitting in an office doing paperwork with a candlelight flickering throughout the night made him feel calm. He was extremely skilled on the field, but he liked doing paperwork too. His studious side was something only his immediate squad and other veterans were familiar with. Sometimes he couldn’t help fantasizing about sharing his study with y/n. Aside from his feelings, y/n had the brains to draft a perfect test that tapped into all the necessary skills for the next expedition. After all, that was what she had been doing before joining the survey corps, albeit in a different field. Miche stopped in his tracks as an idea struck him. He felt dumb, so dumb. He had drafted so many tests, all by himself, fully knowing that there was someone that could probably do it better than him. Fully knowing that y/n had been a psychology student, and she had perfected the theory subjects after joining the survey corps. He turned around and approached Hange.

“Would you mind if I borrow one of your soldiers for a while?”

“That depends, Miche, who are you talking about?”

“Y/n, I need her help drafting the tests tonight. I think she can do a good job.”

“You are right.. I’ll let her know.”

“Tell her to be in my office by 9;30 tonight.”

Miche left for his office to begin work, he wanted to finish as much as he could before y/n showed up. Because work was not the only thing he was concerned about. He knew exactly what he was doing, it was dubious, but he needed to do it. It was funny how a few hours ago he thought he’d never confess his feelings, but later created an opportunity to do that exact thing. He couldn’t believe himself.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was 9;30 sharp, and Miche heard a soft knock on his office door.

“Come in, it’s unlocked, and take a seat before me.” He said without lifting his head.

Y/n made herself comfortable and glanced over three open books and a single page. Miche was writing down questions.

“Alright y/n, I need your help drafting the question papers for tomorrow’s tests. Of course, you will be exempted from actually taking the test as a reward.”

“Understood, sir”

“Good, now I want you to create 30 questions that combine the concepts of formations, weaponry and strategy. Make them difficult, and make sure to base it upon the last 5 expeditions.”

“Alright-”

“You have 2 hours to finish this.”

“Okay..” y/n walked over to the bookshelf and grabbed a heap of books. Miche raised his eyebrows in confusion,

“How are you going to refer to that many books and finish it within time?” Miche questioned her.

“I will, don’t worry.” y/n’s sudden confidence took him aback.

“Well good luck.”

Time flew by quickly as both of them were engrossed in their work, the only sounds coming from the candle and turning of pages. It wasn’t peaceful to be precise, y/n was turning pages with such aggression it made the section commander steal glances at her. She would flip through the pages and write down important points, constantly checking the time as she worked. Her handwriting got messier as time flew by and Miche couldn’t help but notice. He could tell that y/n totally had the plan to give those cadets a hard time. She had a weak, but cocky smirk the whole time, and Miche was just glad that he was not one of the people that would need to take the test. He knew that expression and aggressive handwriting very well. She always wore that smirk while writing exams, and everytime she came out on top. Miche knew she was overcompensating for her sub-par physique and iron-deficiency that interfered with her ODM skills, but that semblance of confidence on her face always turned him on. Her hair was still messed up, she struggled to keep that twisted fringe out of her face.

“Where’s the ruler?!” Y/n asked loudly, shaking Miche out of his trance.

“Wait…” He fished out a ruler from the clutter in his drawer and handed it to y/n.

“What are you drawing?”

“A wrong diagram of the latest formation.” Y/n replied curtly.

“I see.. Good.”

Miche was organizing his drawer after finishing his work when y/n handed him the tests. It was 11;30 sharp. The ink had somehow gotten between y/n’s fingers. Miche went through all seven pages of three extremely complicated tests and shot a glance at y/n, who looked like she was awaiting his praise. She was sitting with her back straight, wide eyed and messy hair. Miche chuckled, and y/n smiled. She knew she had done those cadets dirty with her questions.

“You have a naughty side, don’t you?” “Kitten” , was the term Miche refrained from using at the end.

Y/n nodded with a cheeky grin. The section commander squinted and got up from his chair, towering over her. A faint blush crept over her cheeks as she broke eye contact with him, staring down at her feet instead. Her delicate shoulders now looked tensed up under her transparent, embroidered shoulder shawl. The pile of paperwork didn’t allow him to notice her beautiful blush pink dress. She had embroidered little flowers to accentuate her figure all the way down to her hips.

“You look beautiful in that dress.” Miche blurted out, causing her to blush harder and breathe unevenly.

“Thank you, sir..”

“Look at me when you speak.”

“O-okay..” she slowly raised her head, still not wanting to make eye contact.

“I will be straight to the point y/n… I like you, not just as a comrade.”

“Understood.” y/n was taking quick, short breaths, causing the tall blonde to get on his knees. She had gone back to her timid mouse state and he could no longer read her.

“Are you scared right now?” Miche tried hard to not sound like a creep.

“No, I like you too!”

“That’s -” he began to speak but got cut off.

“More than a comrade, if you were wondering…” she trailed off shyly. Miche kept staring at her, dumbstruck at her honest confession. This whole time he had no idea about her feelings.

"When were you planning to tell me ..?" Miche asked, pulling a chair behind him. He was still leaning towards y/n with an expression of pure shock.

"I… Never planned on saying anything." Y/n's expression saddened as she looked at him with her doe eyes.

"I can understand.". he was telling the truth. The realisation that their confessions were a result of his impulsive decision dawned on him. He couldn't take his eyes off her form. She looked anxious, fondling with her pendant in one hand.

"Do you want to take this further?" Y/n asked with a shaky voice, and his answer was immediate.

"Yes."

She looked straight into his eyes and smiled.

"Can I kiss you?" The 35 year old man felt like a teenager trying to walk on eggshells. The woman before him giggled and nodded in approval, finally lifting her hand from the pendant. She was starting to settle down, although the butterflies in her stomach made it difficult. Miche was about to lean in when she stopped him and got up from her chair.

"I forgot to lock the door." She said naughtly.

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Okay, I really wanted to turn this into a smut, but I am too chicken. 🙈🥺

#miche aot #miche zacharias #aot miche #section commander miche #miche x reader #aot fanfiction #aot x reader #mike zacharias #miche x you #miche fluff #mike aot #attack on titan #snk miche #aot hange zoe #aot hange #aot canon #canonverse #shingeki no kyojin

[dragonflight203]

Mass Effect 3 replay, recruiting Javik:

-Prothean Data Discs – Apparently dark matter is meant to be the Crucible’s main power source.

Nice attempt on Bioware’s part to give dark matter some relevance, but this is not nearly important enough for all the ME2 foreshadowing.

Maybe if we’d encountered problems with using the dark matter that required efforts on Shepard’s part to solve this could have cut it.

-This playthrough I’ll be taking Liara and Javik with me as companions, so it’s off to go recruit him.

I haven’t taken Javik with me since my first playthrough, so this should be interesting.

-With that said, I dislike how Liara is forced upon you for this mission. There’s no reason you should have to take her.

Yes, yes, Prothean expert but you don’t have to take her to Noveria and that’s to deal her mother so you should not have to take her here either. This isn’t a loyalty mission.

-It’s strange that Liara speaks so nostalgically about Eden Prime being where this all began on the shuttle ride when she wasn’t there. She was picked up much later on Therum

-When you land on Eden Prime there’s a brief conversation about the geth attack and rebuilding.

There’s another rare reference to Shepard’s background here – Midnoir was rebuilt but it was never the same.

-Cerberus is stealing the colonists for processing because of course they are.

-How did Cerberus find Javik anyway and not the Alliance?

I doubt Cerberus sponsored the archaeological dig. At least not under that name.

I suppose they could have had Cerberus agents on the dig and swooped in when a prothean pod was unearthed.

-Also odd that the Reapers don’t show up. You think they’d consider this important.

If you take the angle that Cerberus is working for the Reapers because TIM is indoctrinated as hell, it makes more sense. They know Cerberus has this covered.

-Javik’s presence is very well done. It’s a natural extension of ME1’s Illos; if one Prothean facility could have stasis pods, why not another?

Although Illos’s ran out of power within a few centuries. I’m curious how Javik’s managed to last so much longer.

It’s possible there are more scattered across the stars, although if they have any survivors left at this point is debatable.

-Liara has a very rosy eyed perspective on the Prothean empire considering what we learn later.

As she says, it may be her asari bias showing.

I also wonder how much the empire changed over time. Javik is from the tail end of the empire; it’s possible that earlier on it was more akin to what Liara describes.

There may also have been different factions, with some more benevolent than others.

-Vanguard, Liara, and James are not a great choice for this mission. I can’t handle shields so turrets are deadly as hell.

-The nature of people never changes. Shout out to the locked trailer with the windows wide open.

-As others may have mentioned, why were guys gunned down watching the game wearing armor?

-Same set of tvs also have an ad for Sanctuary.

People must realize that the Reapers are also seeing these ads, right? There’s no way they don’t know about Sanctuary.

-Javik is clearly the Shepard of his cycle. One who’s lost hope and gone full renegade. Watching him comfort civilians and do his best to save his soldiers is sad.

-That’s the first time I’ve ever hijacked an atlas mech, and since it’s the last combatant I can’t even use it.

-Javik only survived because of Reaper arrogance. If they had been more thorough in making sure Eden Prime was destroyed, he’d be dead as well.

-The conversation with Hackett is a good example of my issues with ME3. I have no dialogue choices in it. Shepard feels far less like “my” Shepard and more like the character Bioware wants them to be.

-Javik’s not actually that helpful. Good squad mate and lore source, but he does not fundamentally change the plot.

Ironically, he’d be more helpful as a war asset.

-It sure is convenient that the room has already been adapted for Javik’s comfort.

This ship was to be Anderson’s mobile command center. What was the purpose of a room with a cradle of water going to be? Or did Liara request the changes be made as a shuttle was sent to collect them off of Eden Prime?

-Another example of I suspect unconscious sexism on Bioware’s part:

The fours soldier in the room with Javik when you first speak to him on the Normandy are male.

Javik himself is male. Or at least male presenting. I don’t think we ever get an overview of Prothean sex and gender.

Shepard can be male or female depending on the player’s choice.

Liara is read as female by humans, although she’s technically agender.

So this scene can play out with six men in the room and one woman.

When Bioware doesn’t think about it they default to “male”. If someone had gone through and made sure roughly half of the background NPCs were female throughout the game, these types of scenes would not feel as unbalanced.

Did anyone ever even consider making Javik female?

-Was Javik always the avatar of vengeance or did he decide upon that after waking up 50,000 years in the future?

I suspect the latter.

-Javik says his sensory ability was common among his people.

Common, not universal. I wonder how those without it were treated? The Protheans do not seem to kindest civilization.

-In Prothean history, they had a machine rebellion. They united the organics to fight it. They were winning the war when the Reapers showed up.

Hmmm. Did the Metacon War trigger the Reapers arrival? If so, why delay long enough for the Protheans to unite the other organic species against them?

And is there a Reaper out there that was made of uploaded Metacons?

-Javik says the Protheans could not win because all organics had been unified to follow Prothean doctrine, and once Reapers had adapted to it the organics were screwed.

This cycle may have an edge because of its diversity.

That will be a theme throughout the game, so good on Bioware to mention it so early.

-This is the conversation where Javik mentions that the Protheans had cities on Illos. Or rather, rumors – records mentioning Illos had already been destroyed by that point. The planet also contained ruins of a prior civilization, the Inusannon.

#mass effect #mass effect 3 #mass effect 3 replay

[tothemeadow]

THE REQUEST ARE OPEN AGAINN!! AHHHH CONTINUATION OF PILLAR BODY SWAP THANKYOUUUU

‘switch ‘em up pt. 4′ / Pillars x Reader (now with the Kamaboko Squad!)

warnings: none

words: 2,243

(a/n): I just wanna thank the lovely anon that gave me the idea to this plotline; it helped a lot!

-

for reference: Giyuu/Shinobu | Gyomei/Mitsuri | Obanai/Tengen | Sanemi/Muichiro | Kyojuro/you

-

“I’m not sure I understand entirely,” Tanjiro confesses, his eyebrows furrowing. “So you’re looking for some special type of herb?”

“Precisely,” Shinobu says.

Overhead, birds chirp and flood the skies, hopping from branch to branch and competing each other with their harmonies. A delicate breeze sweeps through the area, carrying loose leaves and the crisp smell of nature. On any other day, you’d love to come back; however, considering the circumstances, you’d rather not be here.

After much discussion on what should be done to return everyone to their normal bodies, Shinobu voiced an idea that may work – finding a special herb and using its medicinal properties. It’s a bit of a longshot, but it’s not like anyone else has any other better idea. And whether the others voiced it or not, everyone is secretly wishing that this magical plant will bring a miracle.

As such, you and the rest of the Pillars take the trip to Mount Sagiri; Tanjiro insisted he tag along since he knows the area well, plus he wanted to help. Of course, this meant traveling with his two friends, Zenitsu and Inosuke. Truthfully, it’s quite a crowd you’re traveling with, but it should prove to be useful to have extra eyes searching for the herb.

“Giyuu knows this area as well, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find it!” Tanjiro chirps, looking to his friend. Although Giyuu is still stuck inside Shinobu’s body, he looks away, a light blush dusting his face. “Plus, Urokodaki-san should be able to help us!”

“Wait, that old man who used to be the Water Pillar?” Tengen questions.

“Don’t disrespect him,” Giyuu abruptly snaps. The muscle in his jaw ticks. “That is all I ask.”

At that, Tengen lets out a drawn-out whistle. “Damn, alright. Don’t tear my head off, waterworks.”

“Waterworks? What kind of name is that?” Sanemi speaks up. “I think you’ve been inside of Obanai for too long, Tengen. Your insults are starting to turn lame.”

“Fuck you,” Obanai mutters.

“It’s not my fault Obanai doesn’t possess a flamboyant sense of humor!”

With a sigh, you watch on as Tengen, Sanemi, and Obanai start bickering. Frankly, you don’t know why they’re even putting in the effort. Everyone is stuck in a situation that they don’t like, so what’s the point?

Beside you, Zenitsu wrings his hands, an uneasy expression crossing his features. “Uh… Kyojuro? Wait, wait, sorry – (y/n)?” You hum in response. “Are all the Pillars this… tense? Like, normally?”

“Heh. Well, not really. Sanemi’s always got a stick up his ass, and Obanai’s just naturally edgy like that,” you tell him. As you look to him, it strikes you as odd to have to look down at him. You’ve otherwise grown used to the height difference, but it still takes you aback sometimes.

Zenitsu snickers. His unease melts away, his shoulders visibly relaxing. “When you put it that way, it sounds just like that moron Inosuke.”

“Oi! Who the fuck are you calling a moron?!” Inosuke barks.

Quirking an eyebrow, Zenitsu shoots you a bored look. “See what I mean?”

“We’re here!” Tanjiro exclaims.

Having been distracted from the short conversation with Zenitsu, you’ve completely ignored your surroundings. Cursing yourself internally for being so careless, you look ahead, taking in the sight of a small home with an even smaller garden next to it. So this must be Urokodaki’s home, huh? How quaint.

“This doesn’t really look like much,” Muichiro voices. Shifting his attention to Giyuu, he cocks his head. “So this is where you were trained?”

Giyuu nods stiffly. The look on his face – Shinobu’s face – is, well, vulnerable. You haven’t seen him show so much emotion before, and it’s a bit startling. If you’re being entirely honest, it looks as though he’s ready to throw up everything that’s inside his gut.

“It’s just as I remember!” Tanjiro chirps. “It’s nice up here, don’t you think? The air gets thinner from here on up, so please be careful when scaling the mountain.”

As if on cue, the door to the house slides open, revealing an elderly man with a tengu mask adorning his face. The air about him demands respect; it’s more than obvious that this very man was a Pillar, and a strong one at that. You watch on as Tanjiro and Giyuu step up towards the house before dropping into respectful bows. Tanjiro’s movements are much more fluid, more comfortable. Giyuu’s are more… wooden.

“Tanjiro, my boy!” Urokodaki greets. Ushering Tanjiro closer, he greets the young man with a hug. “…Who’s this fine lady with you?”

Tengen laughs.

“Urokodaki-san, it’s me,” Giyuu grumbles. “Giyuu…”

Although you can’t see Urokodaki’s face, you have a pretty good idea of what it’s like. The man falls silent, glances from him to Tanjiro, then he scans over the group behind him. Sure, you can’t blame him for being skeptical; a random swarm of people showing up to your house unexpectedly is bound to raise some questions. However, these are all Pillars he’s dealing with. This isn’t something to take lightly.

“Urokodaki-san,” Tanjiro begins, “we need your help. We’re not entirely sure how, but all the Pillars switched bodies with each other. It’s been like this for a number of days now, and we don’t know how long it’s supposed to last.”

After another moment or so of silence, Urokodaki sighs and crosses his arms. “Listen, kid, that seems a bit… much, don’t you think?”

“It might be some sort of Blood Art!” Tanjiro rushes. “Please, Urokodaki-san!”

Again, another sigh. “So everyone is in another body than their own? Haven’t heard of an ability like that before, but that doesn’t mean it’s not possible.” Nodding in Shinobu’s direction, he says, “So, that’s Giyuu’s body, but it isn’t him?”

“Unfortunately, yes,” Shinobu tells him. “Believe me when I say I don’t want to be in Giyuu-san’s body more than I have to.”

“Ehhh?! What’s with all the talking!” Inosuke bursts. “You guys said you wanted to find a plant, not talk to some old coot!”

“Inosuke!” Tanjiro scolds, but he’s too late. In a blink of an eye, Giyuu practically materializes right before Inosuke, his fist colliding with Inosuke’s gut. There’s a loud groan of pain as Inosuke drops to the ground, his hands clutching onto his stomach. To the side, both Zenitsu and Tengen break out into fits of laughter.

“I told you not to disrespect him,” Giyuu grunts.

“Ohoho!” Kyojuro booms, just as loud as always. At this rate, he’s going to blow out your vocal cords before you can get them back. “How loyal, Giyuu! I’m impressed!”

Rolling your eyes, you break away from the group, opting to join Tanjiro. “Urokodaki-san,” you greet, giving a polite bow, “it’s a pleasure to meet you. Listen, I know this is a complicated situation, but we really need to find this plant. It’s crucial that we do.”

Urokodaki hums. “I know you – you’re Rengoku Shinjuro’s boy, aren’t you?”

“Huh? Well, technically – but I’m not Kyojuro. I’m (l/n) (y/n), the Wild Pillar.”

“You’re not? Figures. This whole “switched body” conundrum is making my brain work in ways it hasn’t worked in years.” Urokodaki waves a dismissive hand at you. “Whatever. If all of you are willing to look for such a plant, feel free to scale the mountain to your heart’s content. I’ll get dinner started.”

“Thank you so much!” Tanjiro chirps. After Urokodaki slides the door shut behind him, the two of you turn back to the others, smiles plastered on both of your faces. “Everyone – it’s time! Let’s turn you all back to normal!”

-

After hours of searching, no one has come up with anything. Granted, a vast variety of edible plants line the mountain – all of them useful in one way or another – but it’s not the dreaded silva you’re looking for. Shinobu said it was vine-like, with delicate leaves shaped like bells. The only you found worth of any interest was watching Inosuke eat almost every mushroom he could find and crack open acorns like they were nothing.

Soon, the sun began to dip below the horizon, painting the sky with hues of peach and berry. The view was simply breathtaking, and you had to stop to take it in for a few moments.

“It’s always been like that,” Giyuu says quietly. Stopping next to you, he gazes at the setting sun, a wistful gleam in his eyes. “Most of the time, we were too busy training to watch it, though.”

Now that you think about it, Giyuu has been acting weird ever since arriving. Call it intuition, but you’re almost positive that he was feeling guilty about something. And he said we instead of I, so that only confirms your suspicion. Glancing around, you imagine a younger Giyuu descending the mountain, panting like crazy in the thin air, narrowly avoiding the numerous traps Urokodaki set up. If he experienced anything like the pain roaring in your back and sides right now, you’re amazed he dared to set foot back on this very mountain.

“Thinking back to simpler times, huh?” you ask, voice soft.

Giyuu scoffs. “The training was far from simple, but yeah. Things were a lot more different then.”

As if acting on its own, your arm slings itself around Giyuu, tugging him closer and holding him against your body. With him in Shinobu’s body, he’s so small, his head nestled against your chest. At first, he tenses up, but then slowly relaxes in your hold. Ever since switching bodies, you’ve noticed Kyojuro’s personality starting to bleed into yours. Hell, even his body is trying to one up you.

“I miss him,” Giyuu whispers.

Your heart drops to your stomach at his tone. “…Who?”

“Oi! Are you two just gonna stand there or are you coming back down?” Sanemi snaps.

Muttering a curse under your breath, you pull away, but you keep a hand on Giyuu’s forearm. “You’re helping me down, got it? This mountain gives me the creeps and I don’t want to get rammed by another damned log. Seriously – how did Urokodaki-san even set them up?”

Despite the saddened glint in his eyes, Giyuu manages to crack a smile.

-

The inside of Urokodaki’s house is cramped, but it’s also very homely. Scattered around the living area, each person more or less sticks to themselves, too much in pain to engage in lively conversation. Shinobu treats to the wounds, making sure bones are intact and intestines didn’t take too much of a beating. The only ones completely unaffected are Tanjiro and Giyuu, but that much is obvious.

“So what now?” Mitsuri asks. Still in Gyomei’s colossal body, she’s probably one of the Pillars that’s had the most trouble adjusting to her new form. “We’re not going to give up looking, are we?”

“I didn’t think it was this rare,” Shinobu admits. “Perhaps we were looking at the wrong spots on the mountain? It’s possible.”

“Take a breather before springing back into motion,” Urokodaki says. Sitting before the hearth, he absentmindedly prepares some tea. “Think, plan, then go about your business. A mindless game of hide and seek isn’t going to produce any results.

“Mmph! Mmph!” Nezuko agrees (or you think so, anyway). You’ve only met her a handful of times outside of her box, but you enjoy her company very much.

“Wait,” Shinobu suddenly says, snapping upright. “Urokodaki-san, what’s that you’re grinding up right now?”

Setting down his mortar and pestle, Urokodaki busies his hands with plucking apart wildflowers. “It’s silva. It grows right out here in my garden.”

At that, Shinobu’s draw drops. “By the gods-“ She facepalms, then, and groans. “That’s the herb we were looking for! You’re telling me that it’s been down here the entire time?!”

“Why didn’t you say what you were looking for?” Urokodaki says. “Could’ve saved a lot of time.”

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Sanemi curses.

“That wasn’t very flamboyant of you,” Tengen chimes in. “I agree with Sanemi – this is bullshit.”

Urokodaki shrugs. “And how is that my fault? You’re all Pillars, are you not? Shame on you for being unobservant.”

“Urokodaki-san, please,” Tanjiro says.

“Alright, alright, fine.” In a couple of minutes, he prepares the tea as planned and pours it into a number of ceramic cups. “Since you’re all on my ass about it, drink up.”

“Uh, should we really be drinking this…?” Zenitsu squeaks, staring down at his own cup.

“Stop being a pussy!” Inosuke cackles. Tipping his head back, he downs his tea in one go.

Everyone more or less follows suit, taking sips of their own tea. As you set your own cup down, you feel the beginning of a warm, pleasant sensation in your lower tummy.

“Hey, Shinobu?” Tanjiro asks. “Is the herb supposed to make you feel sleepy?” At his words, Nezuko slumps to the floor. One by one, all the others drop like flies, yourself included.

Some time passes before your eyes crack back open. The inside of Urokodaki’s house is dark; from the crickets chirping and an owl hooting nearby, you quickly realize that it’s nighttime, and it’s probably late. With a groan, you sit up, dragging a hand across your face in the process. Wait… that’s not your hand, and it’s not Kyojuro’s either. Squinting through the darkness, you’re able to make out slight details, but it’s enough to make your heart sink. The herb didn’t work.

You’re in Giyuu’s body instead.

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