#but i just wanted to yeet this out there while it was fresh

[vegaseatsass]

Home School ep7 spoilers/thoughts

So this year when I was looking for paraeducator jobs, I got discouraged pretty quickly, because every public school opening in my area was a special ed position that employs traumatizing compliance therapy (ABA), and I would not be in an opportunity to question it or intervene. (I ended up finding work outside the public school system to avoid this, but yeah it's fucking bleak.) So Home School really hits as this story where, okay, some of the time the lessons seem like they have merit, the students seem like they're getting some deep true learning out of it - I get a little scared that maybe the narrative is going to tell us this kidnapper troubled teen industry boarding school prison in the woods is Good Actually - and then it reminds us what happens to non-compliant students. Run has been locked up for SIX YEARS; he is a full adult at this point. That's NUTS. The medieval behaviorist approach is taken to its extreme here, and sometimes the teachers induce the apparent behaviors they want out of the kids, but far more often the entire class is just suffering a shared experience of pure psychological horror. I think it's interesting that they included an autistic character in Pennhung, and his time being locked up was actually supposed to be protection from weird eat-your-babies mind games, NOT punishment, and it was still so obviously traumatizing to him. But these teachers don't care, and are sure they know best and what these kids need (along with the parents who signed them into this against their will!!!), even/especially in the face of the students directly telling them they're wrong. Anyway was just really struck by this ep7 scene of Amin yelling at Run that he's going to keep him until he gets the old, compliant, favorite-student Run back. In the same episode that gave us least compliant students Jingjai and Hugo with no recourse to defend their completely reasonable perspective, or to protect their burgeoning relationship, which the narrative is making clear is sincerely good and healing for them. It's just all very interesting to me!!

I am bringing my own American context to this series, with ABA and the troubled teen industry, whereas I'm sure the show is saying a lot about specifically Thai issues and school culture (and society; thinking of The Eclipse where the school is a metaphor for Thailand/the Thai government). I really want/need to learn more about all of that! But even as a cultural outsider, I love what it's doing with behaviorism and compliance and abusive adults, and those dissonant moments where it feels like we should be rooting for the students' compliance because they're about to learn a Very Important Lesson, but actually /Run voice: HOME SCHOOL IS HELL. Dearly hope they will all band together and make themselves ungovernable. This place has nothing true to teach them.

[unexpectederawhilesubmitting]

WARNING: DOCTOR WHO SPOILERS EXPLAINING REGENERATION SHENANIGANS

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

okay so I was kind of not on board with the concept of bi-regeneration, mainly because of how it seemed like all of the Sad and the Trauma that the Doctor had undergone got kind of handwaved away? i'm all for ncuti's Doctor being sort of a fresh start/jumping on point for new viewers, but i didn't get how that could work if like, literally 40 minutes ago he was David Tennant being a sad wet puppy dog of a man

however, after rewatching it, i've realized what i think happened there, and it goes all the way back to something introduced with the 4th doctor's regeneration that was never explained: the Watcher

^this spooky guy

so, for those that don't know (or haven't seen every episode of a show that is over half a century old), the Fourth Doctor regenerates at the end of a story called Logopolis (he falls off a satellite dish, but that's not important right now). all throughout the episode, this weird figure, The Watcher, stands off in the distance, and even intervenes slightly by saving the Fourth Doctor's companion. there's not much given in the way of an explanation until the Fourth Doctor regenerates, saying "it's the end. but the moment has been prepared for..."

the watcher walks up, and gets absorbed in a super rad 1980's digital effect (never change doctor who), while his companion just gives us the not-super-helpful-for-lore statement "He was the Doctor all the time!"

then, in a crossfade, the Doctor goes from Four to weird-powder-man to Five

canonically, the Watcher is explained as a future version of the doctor that comes about in sort of a weird overlapping thing with the doctor's timeline, it's very wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey.

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

SO what does this have to do with biregeneration and satisfying character arcs/moving on from trauma?

Well, remember, Fifteen said this, about Time Lords doing rehab out of order:

so, here's the thing: Fifteen is the Doctor AFTER Fourteen (duh, I know?) But to be clear...Fourteen lives out an entire lifetime with Donna and family, gets to a ripe old age, and then, when his lifetime of healing is over, he gets yeeted back through his own timestream just to zoot himself out of David Tennant's chest.

Remember, his first words to Fourteen (after popping out of his chest) are "So good to see you! So good!", not the RTD classic "what?". He greets himself like he's almost expecting this, he then says "does anyone want to tell me what the hell is going on here?" which only makes sense if he's coming from a different point in his own timestream (remember, when two doctors interact, memory gets really weird, 10 and the War Doctor don't remember the events of Day of the Doctor until they live through them as 11).

SO TO BE CLEAR: Ncuti Gatwa is playing the Doctor AFTER he has spent years healing from his traumas. His Doctor is fine because Fourteen takes the time to rest and work on himself.

tl;dr: I didn't like biregeneration at first because I thought it looked like this:

In actuality, it looks more like this:

[stealthetrees]

I would first like to apologize for the short chapter 3 for my fic Incident Reports from the Coruscant Guard. I keep having ideas for much later chapters and feel the need to write them. Also I don’t know how to write action. Pester me about it and I will feel guilty for not writing and may finish it sooner.

Anyway here’s the chapter when the Corries got Fives. For context, just after the Guard faked Ashokas death (bc she was a wanted criminal anyway and now they can use her to con people) Fox decided to try and break into the evil looking building they sometimes see Palpatine go to bc he’s convinced it’s an evil fortress that could have valuable information about the war. He got electrocuted and yeeted out a 5 story window.

He squinted at the clone in the bed next to him. “Do I know you?”

He flinched at Fox’s raspy voice, and his hands fluttered nervously around the blankets as he avoided eye contact. “Uh, no I don’t think we’ve met.”

“You don’t look like one of mine,” said Fox, wondering what he could have missed while he was out. He tried to sit up but was met with sharp pain in his chest. The hiss of pain summoned a vindictive medic like magic.

“Electrocution and nearly broken ribs. As a medical professional I’d recommend not trying to break into an evil sith fortress again,” said Cherry smugly. Fox had always suspected his medics secretly fought over who got to deliver news like that to him.

Giving up, he flopped back down. “Did I miss anything big?”

“Some ARC figured out The Conspiracy but fumbled it so bad the long necks told the Jedi his ‘aggression inhibitor chip’ broke and they believed it,” Cherry rolled his eyes and used air quotes. “Dogma’s pretty psyched cause they knew each other before acquisitions, oh! And this is Tup, fresh out of a lab. Also one of Rex’s Idiots.”

Tup waved nervously. Fox tried to give an encouraging smile. “We’re glad to have you, Tup.”

The words only seemed to make him feel guilty, as he turned away again.

“His inhibitor chip went off and he killed a Jedi during a battle. It’s been removed and we did some brain scans just in case. No further anomalies have been found, but we’re keeping him for observation just in case. For your mental state if nothing else,” Cherry directed the last part at Tup. “No one here hates you for something out of your control.”

He looked back at Fox, “Thorn has your armor and Vixen is directing offworld operations. It’s been pretty calm so I wouldn’t feel bad about sedating you if you try to escape. Follow instructions and it’ll only be a day or two. Call if you need anything.”

Cherry swept out of the room before either of them could argue. Fox and Tup looked at each other with mutual understanding and contempt for medics.

The next few days had troopers coming in and out through the visiting hours. Dogma and some of the other Idiots came by several times in between missions to talk to Tup. The familiar faces went a long way to cheering him up. They dragged Fox into conversation as often as they could, possibly trying to acclimate Tup to the wildly different social structure that made up the Coruscant Guard.

The constant distractions helped time pass, despite being banned from caff and work. The medics seemed almost disappointed to clear Fox for light duties. Lucky came by to bring him his armor and laugh at how fast he got Tup to call him dad.

“I’ll be your security today, Havoc got drafted into a drug bust,” said Lucky cheerfully.

“And you don’t have anything better to do than follow around someone with a 50,000 credit bounty everyone is too afraid to touch?” Fox asked sarcastically.

“Nope!”

“Greeeaaaaaat.”

Fox got about two minutes of silence, which only got them onto a train before Lucky started yapping about Separatist droid factories and how the different production methods could best be crippled. He even shows Fox the spreadsheet he was working on.

Fox gave some suggestions and critiques as the train slowed to a stop at their station. The mass of bodies flowed out onto the platform and the two soldiers were swept along, detangling themselves to push out onto the street.

Lucky finally looked up from the data pad. “This isn’t the way to the Barracks,” he said, frowning.

“I need to make sure Palpatine doesn’t do anything rash after what happened with the ARC,” Fox explained. “And get some caff.”

“I’d be surprised if he doesn’t,” Lucky muttered. “Oh! I almost forgot! The date for Scipio was moved up to this Thursday, everything else is the same though.”

“That’s perfect timing,” Fox sighed in relief. “Once the system is lost and Palpatine takes control of the banks we wouldn’t need to be so careful with illegal transactions. Has Slicer changed his passwords recently?”

“He finally made a bot to do it every time his blood pressure gets too high,” Lucky laughed.

Fox burst out laughing as they rounded the corner and nearly ran face first into Captain Rex.

He was fully armored and tense but the sight of his little brother reassured Fox in a way he couldn’t explain. He knew logically he’d still be mad about Ashoka but that didn’t matter in the moment, Fox was just glad he was still alive.

Rex punched him in the face, knocking Fox off balance and he didn’t bother trying to find his footing.

“Yeah that’s fair,” Fox muttered, taking the time to enjoy the ground.

“Hi Captain,” said Lucky somewhere above him.

“Did you know about Fives?” Rex demanded.

Fox jumped up at that, “Fives? What happened to Fives?!?”

Lucky failed too many tests on Kamino and was going to be decommed but another battalion happened to be there and smuggled him out as a shiny. Fox took him in bc Coruscant is a better place for him than an active battlefield. The Guard adopted him as their baby brother and all contributed to finishing his training. They got him when he was almost 17 but Fox didn’t clear him for duty until he was 19 cause he’s protective like that. Bc everyone was so worried about Lucky, the kid got the most varied and in-depth training of any clone ever. He could thrive in any position, even a commander. He knows slicing, mechanics, field medicine, strategy, Quinlan Vos even helped teach him about undercover and investigation stuff. He all knows how to fight force users and carries a slug thrower.

I love Lucky dearly. He’s o happy and cheerful your first impression of him is a little kitten, until he gets into a fight and then he’s a honey badger on crack.

[acknowledge-reigns]

No Yeet (Roman Reigns x Fem!OC SMUT) 18+

Description: Roman hates the word yeet. His bratty sub loves to push his buttons.

Warnings: Dom/sub dynamic, bratty sub, pet names (babygirl, princess, baby. Lil, short for Lilith...), light degradation (use of the word slut), orgasm control and denial, oral (f receiving), fingering, teasing, begging, edging, spanking, aftercare, fluff at the end, tiny bits of angst if you squint.

Kayfabe compliant. This is a story about Roman, not Joe.

18+!!!! MDNI!!!!

Face claim is Megan Thee Stallion.

See my other stories here.

It had been a couple of months now since the press conference where Jey and Cody had affectionately been dubbed 'team yeet' by the fans, due to Jey's obsessive ussage of the word and getting even Cody, although in a drunken state at the time, on the 'yeet' train as well. It was like overnight the word was re popularized, amongst the WWE Universe and the wrestlers in the locker room at least.

Two Months. Eight weeks of hearing that damn word non stop. Roman had lost count of the amount of times he's yelled at Jimmy not to say yeet, simply explaining "I don't like that".

That explanation was a hell of a lot easier than the deeper reasoning.

He missed Jey. His little cousin, his right hand man. While Roman refused to admit that he was in anyway jealous of Cody, he refused to utter that word. That word was a symbol of betrayal. Of his cousin leaving him and aligning with the enemy.

A lot has happened as of late. More recruits to the bloodline. Specifically a newly signed Lilith "The Vixen" Obsidian.

Fresh out of the independent circuit but with plenty of experience, Lilith knew what she was doing. Not just that but she practically grew up with Roman and The Usos. They had been close childhood friends. She and Roman had shared their first kiss, went to prom together and so much more.

There was never a question of where her loyalties lie. The two had gone their seperate ways after high school with no hard feelings at all. They just wanted different things in life at the time. Roman was pursuing football, and Lilith was ready to begin a wrestling career.

Fast forward and years later, Lilith couldn't have gotten signed to WWE at a more perfect time. With the bloodline's rivals growing more powerful by the day something had to he done.

The minute Rhea Ripley sat in Roman's locker room and said for Paul, Roman's Wiseman, to acknowledge her.. That was when Roman knew it was time to make the call. Lilith of course eagerly agreed to join the bloodline and handle any potential drama and disrespect from Rhea. And things grew from there.

Feelings were quickly rekindled. It started as a one night thing. Roman needed to blow off some steam, Lilith was ready and willing. So they had sex. From there it moved on to friends with benefits. Any time either of them were in need of pleasure, the other was one call away.

It continued to grow though until eventually Roman asked Lilith to be his girlfriend. And she said yes.

Roman sat in the chair in his locker room, Lilith perched in his lap playing with his long gorgeous mane.

"Yeet" Jimmy says

"I already told you, I don't like that." Roman snapped. To be fair he was already frustrated as hell with LA Knight of all people having the audacity to challenge him. And he'd hurt his finger in the process of the scuffle with that nobody, to say he was in a pissy mood was an understatement.

Lilith though, ever the brat didn't miss a beat seeing the look on his face. She looks directly in his eyes with a challenging smirk.

"Yeet" Lilith says as if daring him. You could hear a pin drop in that locker room.

"Everybody but Lilith, out. NOW." Roman's voice boomed. Lilith giggled, clearly amused with herself as Solo, Jimmy and Paul quickly headed out of the room at the tribal chief's command.

As the door closes, Roman faces Lilith. With a determined look on his face, he takes a step towards her, his dominant aura emanating from every pore. Lilith's eyes widen slightly.

Roman firmly grabs Lilith's wrist, his grip both gentle and commanding. Lilith's heart races, her bratty facade crumbling under the weight of Roman's dominance.

Standing in front of her, Roman leans in, his voice low and authoritative. "Now babygirl, I know you know better than breaking your tribal chief's rules." he spoke.

Roman maintains his dominant stance, his eyes locked with Lilith's as he contemplates the appropriate punishment for her bratty behavior. He smirks, sensing her nervous anticipation.

With deliberate slowness, Roman reaches out and gently brushes a strand of Lilith's hair behind her ear, his touch sending a shiver down her spine. He leans in closer, his warm breath grazing against her earlobe as he whispers, "You know, I think you need a reminder of who's in control here."

Roman's hand trails down Lilith's neck, his fingertips grazing her collarbone, before slowly sliding underneath her shirt. His touch is both firm and tender, igniting a mixture of pleasure and anticipation within her.

Roman's eyes gleam with a mix of mischief and dominance. He leans in, his lips grazing against her earlobe, his warm breath tickling her skin yet again. "You've been a very naughty girl, Lilith," he murmurs, his voice dripping with a potent mixture of authority and desire.

"You remember your Safeword, Princess?" Roman asks.

"Oreo" Lilith stated.

"Good girl." Roman responds as his hands move lower, skimming over the curve of Lilith's waist before slipping underneath the waistband of her pants. His touch is tantalizingly light as he traces circles along her hip bones, teasing but never fully satisfying her growing need. Each touch leaves her craving more, her body yearning for release. Once he pulls his hand away, he relievers delivers two quick slaps to her ass.

He leans back slightly, his eyes locked with hers, relishing in the sight of her desperation. "You see, Lilith, I am the one who decides when and how you receive pleasure, I'm the one who makes all the decisions around here." he says, his voice a low growl.

Roman's lips curl into a smug smile "You want my touch, don't you, Lilith?" he whispers, "You're craving it, yearning for it. But you gotta learn, babygirl." he muttered.

Roman's fingers trail along the edge of Lilith's pants again, teasingly close to where she desires him the most. He watches as her breath quickens, her eyes pleading for his touch. However, he remains steadfast, denying her the relief she so desperately seeks.

"Tell me, Lilith," Roman continues, his voice dripping with authority. "Tell me how much you need me. Beg for my touch."

Lilith's cheeks flush with a mix of embarrassment and desire as she hesitates for a moment before complying with Roman's command. With a trembling voice, she whispers, "Please, my tribal chief... I need you. I need your touch. Please."

Roman's grip tightens ever so slightly on her waist, his dominance palpable. "Good girl," he murmurs, his voice laced with satisfaction. "But I'm not finished with you. Strip." he added.

Roman watches with lustful eyes as Lilith begins to strip for him immediately. He couldn't help but grin, she probably thought he was going to let her cum. She would be wrong.

For the next couple of hours He pushes her to the brink of climax repeatedly, only to deny her release.

With a calculated touch, Roman continues to tease Lilith's body, his fingers tracing a maddening path along her sensitive skin. He brings her to the edge of climax, skillfully manipulating her pleasure until she's on the verge of losing control.

Just as Lilith's body trembles with anticipation, Roman withdraws his touch, denying her the satisfaction she craves. A whimper escapes her lips, a mixture of pleasure and frustration. Her eyes plead with him, silently begging for release. She was laid back on the couch, her legs spread wide displaying her glistening pussy and allowing his fingers and mouth to work their magic.

He continues to repeat the tantalizing cycle, each time bringing her closer to the edge before abruptly stopping. The waves of arousal crash over Lilith again and again, intensifying her desire and driving her to the brink of madness

"You're mine, Lilith," he whispers as his fingers pump in and out of her pussy with a steady rhythm. "Your pleasure, your release, everything belongs to ME."

Lilith's breath quickens, her body yearning for release. "Please" she whimpered and begged.

"You think you can defy me and still expect pleasure? Nah, princess. Not today." He chuckled.

"Look at you," Roman continues. "Pleading for release like a desperate little slut." he says as he denies Lilith release time and time again, "MY desperate little slut."

Roman slowly and sensually explores Lilith's body, his touch becoming more intimate and passionate. He pays meticulous attention to her responses, ensuring her pleasure reaches its peak.

"You can cum for me now, babygirl." Roman says as Lilith's arousal builds under Roman's skilled ministrations, he carefully listens to her body, attuned to her every moan and whimper. He knows exactly when she reaches the point of no return, when her pleasure is on the cusp of overwhelming her.

With a final flick of his tongue against overly sensitive clit, Roman pushes Lilith over the edge, allowing her to climax with a wave of intense pleasure that echoes through her entire being.

Roman grins, his beard still glistening with her juices as he lifted her gently into his arms and sat again with her in his lap.

With a tender touch, Roman runs his fingers through Lilith's hair. He leans in, pressing a soft kiss against her forehead, his lips lingering against her skin. "You did beautifully, my love," he whispers, his voice filled with admiration and affection. "I'm so proud of you."

Roman wraps his arms around Lilith, pulling her close to his muscular chest, offering her warmth and security. He gently rocks her back and forth, creating a soothing rhythm that helps her unwind from the heightened sensations.

As they bask in the afterglow, Roman peppers Lilith's skin with light kisses, his lips tracing a path of tenderness along her neck and shoulder. He murmurs words of reassurance and comfort, reminding her that she is cherished and loved.

"So, what's your problem with.. that word?" Lilith asked curiously, refraining from repeating the word that had led to her punishment in the first place.

"I don't want to be reminded of how I messed things up with Jey." Roman stated honestly. Lilith was the one person he could share his true emotion with.

"Ro, you know you could try talking to him. Apologizing. He'll forgive you." Lilith encouraged.

"I can't be seen as weak. That makes the bloodline vulnerable." Roman said.

"Baby, you are anything but weak. And whatever decision you make, I'm gonna be right here along for the ride." Lilith assured him.

"I love you, Lil." Roman says.

"I love you too." Lilith smiled as she kissed him.

[thebibliosphere]

Hello! My household is not gluten-free, but there’s someone who’s very important to me who has celiac and is planning to visit us next month. I’m hoping to be able to feed them while they’re here without inadvertently poisoning them. I’ve got some good gluten-free recipes, but I’m worried about potential cross-contamination from cookware since we do usually eat gluten (though we won’t be cooking with gluten while they are here). I’m wondering if you have any resources for what precautions are necessary to safely prepare food for someone with celiac. I’m happy to buy a few things to use exclusively for gluten-free food, but I’m not sure if storing that with the rest of our cookware would be okay or if it should be stored separately? Would we be better off just finding a gluten-free restaurant nearby and ordering delivery while the person is here? I just want to make sure they are safe and feel welcome.

Hello! Thank you for being willing to take such precautions for your friend. I'm sure it means a lot to them to know someone cares this much for them.

You are correct in thinking that gluten contamination can occur from cooking utensils. Gluten can stick to porous surfaces, even when thoroughly scrubbed, and while some people are not sensitive enough for that to affect them, some are and it's always best to err on the side of caution.

Things like plastic or wood cutting boards, plastic mixing bowls, wooden, nylon and even silicone utensils can all be potential risk factors, even when thoroughly scrubbed. Cast iron and non-stick pans and appliances, waffle iron, griddle, plastic components inside a food processor.) can also be a potential source of cross contamination.

I remember when we found out I was being glutened by an old mixing bowl. I yeeted everything out of my kitchen and bought all new utensils and cookware.

Now, I am not suggesting you do that as you do not live with this person full time. But depending on your budget and if you want to have utensils you know are safe for gluten-free individuals in the future, you could put together a little kit that you can store away for later. I'd suggest a cutting board, mixing bowl and getting a cheap set of utensils. You could also invest in a cheap frying pan/pot and maybe a baking sheet tray. That's pretty much what I take with me when I am traveling, so that I know I won't end up having an MCAS reaction when staying in someone else's house. (For those unaware, gluten is a mast cell destabalizer.)

Make sure they are not being washed alongside your normal utensils. If you normally dishwash your other things, I'd suggest handwashing the dedicated gluten-free things with a fresh sponge that hasn't been used on anything else. As for storing them, try to keep them away from places where wheat flour (or other gluten containing products) might be in the air. You've said you'll be eating entirely gluten-free while the person is visiting, but just remember that also means replacing things like butter and jams, as people often overlook those.

Again, this will all depend on how sensitive the individual is. There are some people with celiac who do not react to trace amounts, and there are other folks who can become extremely sick from even the smallest trace amounts.

Beyond Celiac has some more helpful tips and pointers as well.

If all of these recommendations sound too much, I fully understand. It was daunting when I had to do it for me, nevermind a guest. In that case, finding a dedicated gluten-free restaurant would be the way to go--and a worthwhile venture anyway so you can enjoy some down time not having to cook.

Also, talk to the person and see what their needs are. They might be able to eat just fine using shared utensils, or may even be planning to bring their own anyway, like many of us do.

I hope this was helpful, and again, thank you for being considerate. I am sure it will mean a lot to your guest.

[lauralot89]

It is as if I had passed through some long nightmare, and had just awakened to see the beautiful sunshine and feel the fresh air of the morning around me.

Foreshadowing is a narrative device

But I need not be watched; I am well enough to be left alone.

Foreshadowing is a narrative device

although the boughs or bats or something napped almost angrily against the window-panes.

in my head I'm picturing the "Ha ha...yes!" panel from the Onion, but now it's a bat with angry eyebrows and it's going "HOW DARE"

Suddenly the door was burst open, and in rushed my patient, with his face distorted with passion. I was thunderstruck, for such a thing as a patient getting of his own accord into the Superintendent's study is almost unknown.

well honey, maybe you shouldn't have encouraged him by letting him deliberately escape. now you've given him confidence

He had a dinner-knife in his hand

wow psychiatric facilities used to be shit. just give them knives. what could possibly go wrong

He was too quick and too strong for me

When the attendants rushed in, and we turned our attention to him, his employment positively sickened me. He was lying on his belly on the floor licking up, like a dog, the blood which had fallen from my wounded wrist.

Why are you so judgemental, what did you want him to do, lie supine and tilt his head backward?

Happily Van Helsing has not summoned me, so I need not forego my sleep; to-night I could not well do without it.

Foreshadowing is a narrative device

(Sent to Carfax, Sussex, as no county given; delivered late by twenty-two hours.)

GREAT WORK, VAN HELSING. You could have told him before you left, you know.

as Dr. Van Helsing said he would be

wait but you just said earlier that no one was coming and it was unnecessary. When did Van Helsing tell you this?

She was startled and a little frightened, and cried out: "What is that?"

there was a ridiculously long period once at my parents' house, like at least a year, where this female cardinal would repeatedly hit herself against the windows for twenty minute intervals or so and somehow not die. Anyway, if Mrs. Westerna were ever there she'd die immediately of bird harassment

The window blind blew back with the wind that rushed in, and in the aperture of the broken panes there was the head of a great, gaunt grey wolf.

Dracula: *was once a military leader*

Dracula: *his genius plan is taking an animal and yeeting it through the window*

Amongst other things, she clutched the wreath of flowers that Dr. Van Helsing insisted on my wearing round my neck, and tore it away from me

Damn it, lady, again?! (Yes I know she's dying)

The time did not seem long, but very, very awful, till I recovered consciousness again.

So did he go ahead and bite her while her mother's body had her pinned, or was it just awful because she was lying there with her mom's corpse on her

The door flew open for an instant and closed again.

Dracula haven't you already established enough ambiance

They all four lay helpless on the floor, breathing heavily. The decanter of sherry was on the table half full, but there was a queer, acrid smell about. I was suspicious, and examined the decanter. It smelt of laudanum, and looking on the sideboard, I found that the bottle which mother's doctor uses for her—oh! did use—was empty.

Okay I guess he didn't bite yet, because if he had, why bother to drug the maids, he's already got what he came for

The air seems full of specks, floating and circling in the draught from the window, and the lights burn blue and dim.

Wait, so he's in her room right? As mist? Watching her write? And doing nothing about it?

Dracula: Huh, she just wrote a bunch of pages after her mom died and all the staff was drugged. And then she hid it in her clothing. Eh, probably nothing. Not going to worry about it.

Letter, Mina Harker to Lucy Westenra. (Unopened by her.)

STEP ASIDE ERNEST HEMINGWAY, this is the new saddest story ever

My dearest Lucy,—It seems an age since I heard from you, or indeed since I wrote.

'My dears, I want to drink your health and prosperity; and may every blessing attend you both. I know you both from children, and have, with love and pride, seen you grow up. Now I want you to make your home here with me. I have left to me neither chick nor child; all are gone, and in my will I have left you everything.' I cried, Lucy dear, as Jonathan and the old man clasped hands. Our evening was a very, very happy one.

Lucy's Corpse: Well, I'm glad you're having fun! (Yes I know she's not dead)

How is your dear mother getting on?

When are you to be married, and where, and who is to perform the ceremony, and what are you to wear, and is it to be a public or a private wedding? Tell me all about it, dear; tell me all about everything, for there is nothing which interests you which will not be dear to me.

as you love me, and he loves me, and I love you with all the moods and tenses of the verb, I send you simply his 'love' instead.

THEY COULD HAVE HAD A FOURSOME DRACULA AND YOU RUINED IT

[piratefalls]

a leverage quinn/eliot thing i'll never write that’s been sitting in my drafts for a literal year so i'm just yeeting it out into the void

okay so who the hell knows if this is in any way an original thought but i think it’s sort of accepted by fandom that quinn and eliot knew each other long before they fight in the first david job. so let’s run with that. maybe when they met eliot was fresh out of the service and trying to figure out what he was going to do with his life. private security would be the obvious choice, but he still needs the adrenaline, and a break from people giving him orders. so he becomes an independent contractor, a retrieval specialist, and on a job he runs into mr. quinn. same place, same time, but different targets, and they hit it off while digging through an old storage space. and they just keep running into each other, time and time again, and eliot gains a reputation for being the best while quinn is happy to remain in the shadows. being lesser known has its own set of benefits.

and then they hang out after a heist, and things happen, and they find themselves becoming more than friends. this goes on for the next year, maybe two, and then...then they work a job together. something they’ve never done before, for some reason. and it feels off from the beginning, but it's quinn, and eliot trusts him more than anyone in the world, so he pushes those concerns aside until he can’t. the job goes so wrong so fast, and eliot finds himself taken hostage, waking up in an old warehouse, bruised and bloody and so tired. all he has to do is survive, because quinn is coming, he just has to hang on until quinn finds him. quinn will always find him. and then quinn does find him, and he looks so guilty, so fucking sad, and it hits eliot like a kick to the stomach that he’s been sold out. eliot gets free somehow and they fight their way out, and at the end of it all, a trail of bodies behind them, they stand there and look at each other. quinn is devastated, trying to find the words, and eliot just... shakes his head and walks away. he never hears quinn quiet plea for him to wait.

in the interim eliot finds his way to moreau, the awful things he does to forget, never telling anyone why he will only work alone. after a while he realizes he either needs to get out or lose himself completely, so he gets out, spends some time with toby learning to cook, and eventually goes back to working solo. then he’s hired to do a job in LA, a one and done with a team of thieves, and he does it. what a massive miscalculation on his part, because he does not want to like these people. liking people means wanting to be around them, giving them power over you even if you don’t mean to, and he just won’t do that again. but he does. and he keeps coming back, and despite the fact that hardison never shuts up, and parker loves jumping off buildings in a way that makes him deeply concerned, and nate is a ticking time bomb, and sophie is as warm as she is a terrifyingly good liar, he finds himself building a home there, working with these four people, beating up bad guys because he's helping people.

and then sophie cons the team, and the betrayal hits twice as hard this time. but before he even finds that out, he sees a face he’s done his level best to never see again. he lets quinn beat him up a bit, lets him think he’s winning, because eliot knows quinn has always been one thing above everything else, and that’s cocky. and when eliot grunts “now that rib’s broken,” he doesn't tack on like my fucking heart the way he wants to. it’s been years, and it wouldn’t have the impact he wants it to. and then the team separates and he’s never felt so adrift in his life.

in the immediate aftermath, quinn tries to reach out, and eliot keeps changing numbers, because really quinn should have gotten the fucking hint after the first five unanswered calls. eventually eliot shoots him a text, saying that quinn needed to leave him alone, and that he would reach out when he wanted to. the calls stop after that.

three years later, eliot has to go hunting for quinn because he needs a favor. and all quinn wants in return (besides the money, of course) is for eliot to just let him explain. they can go back to not talking, but he wants eliot to know the truth.

and when the job is over, when dubenich and latimer have been dealt with and the bat cave has been deserted, quinn tells him what really happened that night. how eliot wound up in that warehouse, why the job went sideways. [there’s some kind of bribery/secret that he was just desperate enough to keep quiet that he’d sell eliot out] and the price was that quinn had to turn eliot over. he tried, tried so hard to think of a way to get them all out of it alive, and they were almost home free and everything went so wrong so fast and he couldn’t think fast enough. and then eliot walked away never knowing that had the right amount of pressure not been applied to the exact right spot, quinn never would have put eliot within 100 miles of that job because even though they never said it in so many words, quinn had loved him and he knows eliot loved him too.

and so eliot takes a few days to think while everyone else scatters to parts unknown but this time with the full understanding that they’ll all eventually be reunited. eliot thinks, and thinks, and eventually texts quinn and invites him out. they can start with a beer.

[enbysaurus-rex]

So maybe life is hard sometimes

and it would be nice if it were easier. It might not be any one thing, but maybe there are a lot of little problems that add up or thinks that are just exhausting? Disability/executive dysfunction/life/burnout maybe has you down, that’s all, and you know you can make your space yours to make it better, but what does that mean???

An incomplete list in no particular order about the Weird Shit I do to make my life less fucking exhausting, sometimes. I’m a certified adult, I promise.

More garbage cans! Put them everywhere! Next to your bed and your chair and your couch and both ends of your counter and your litter boxes and-

Hair ties, everywhere! If you have tie-back-able hair! Brushes, maybe, or combs! I keep them in my desk and in my kitchen and my bathroom and my car and my floor (I have cats) and my trunk and my bag and-

Toothbrushes and toothpaste! Gum! Those weird little single use toothbrush fuckers! Everywhere! I keep a toothbrush and kids toothpaste in my car cup holder! I brushed my teeth at 3pm while running an errand for my boss! I use kids toothpaste bc my hands hate me and it’s easier to squeeze! Big packs at the dollar store for the toothbrushes, and you can get cheap toothpaste! Hell, even if you just use the brush it’s better than nothing!! I keep another set in my shower and in my kitchen and in my bag

Loads of chairs! Seating! Everywhere! Stools in the kitchen, chairs by your vanity, shower chairs, literally??? There’s no law that says you have to stand up??? Sit on the goddamn floor if you’ve been standing in line for too long? I do it all the time? Live your best life!

Pre-chopped/cooked/peeled/whatevered food!! Whatever makes food edible for you, fckn do that! No need for extra steps! I throw a handful of craisins in my jar of peanut butter and then eat them out of the jar with a plastic spoon! There’s a food truck out there where they get worried if I don’t show up every day! I eat beans straight out of the jar if I’m not up to cooking! (I like cooking and I love my slow cooker but??? If you’re not up to it? Who gives a shit??? Get you some minute rice and some beans and microwave that shit!)

Disposable! Dishes! Fuck! Throw them away! Dishes are the WORST?? Buy some plastic bowls and some utensils and just!!! Yeet em!!! (Meal prep containers are great if u can bc you can keep reusing them if u want but u don’t have to? You can put them in the fridge if you don’t finish, take it to lunch the next day, rinse, repeat!)

Changing clothes totally depends on your work wardrobe? But fckn sleep in the next days clothes if you have to/can? Or sleep in some of it and leave the rest laid out next to you? Sometimes getting all the way dressed and undressed is too goddamn much?? Fuck knows I can’t!

Cleaning!! Clorox wipes are the love of my life and I would kill for them! Leave a box of those fucks everywhere! Esp the back of the toilet, where you bathe, and near where you meal prep, cuz that’s where you’re gonna have Waiting Time! Which means your bored little gremlin hands could clean!

Put things close to the floor if u gotta! I used to keep all my appliances (my slow cooker, my microwave, tea kettle, etc) on the floor bc I was too tired to stand up very often? So I propped myself up on walls and did my veggie chopping on the floor

If u gotta crawl, crawl. Butt scooch? Do that. Lean on walls, hang onto counters, do whatever. I’m usually dragging myself around the apartment like a shitty legless zombie extra and my cats love it. Maybe put extra pillows around for yourself if you’re a spontaneous napper

If keeping food fresh/using food before it goes bad is hard, buy frozen or canned or eat out. I sure as hell have no idea when the things in my fridge got there, and I’m lucky I’ve only gotten food poisoning like once that way lol, so just?? Yeah

Medicine bottles can come with easy open caps! You have to promise there aren’t kids in the house, but if u ever have grip strength issues or even if it’s a reason you sometimes don’t take your meds (CVS bottles, I’m looking at you), just ask your pharmacist to switch them out. They’ll do it so fast!

Charge cords everywhere! None of that ‘idk where I put my cord 😭’ shit cuz I have like? So many? All of them cheap? But they do the job

Please add more if you have them? These are ones I can think of from bed because someone reminded me that I Do Things Like This Now and it might be useful to someone

[radnewspaperroom]

Wow, so uh....that new lesson huh?

I have.... thoughts.

Michael is getting a little too...all knowing and omnipresent 👀 I feel like.

Each time, he's spoken to MC without showing himself, and saved them while stuck in the past....but this time he's not...sending them back to their proper time?

Just helping them move?

It's rather strange.

The first time was when Solomon made food and they ate it. They woke up in the past when the boys were angels and we assume it's Michael, speaks to MC in a shinning light, like what happened in 13.

He sends MC back to their time, and tells them the conversations they've had with the boys will stick with them.

But this time...idk seemed different. Maybe it's because of how fresh the war is? But he seemed a lot...more standoffish?

and rather than just, yeeting MC through time and space again--he's just breaking whatever curse is on them so they can move.

Yet he's fully aware of how displaced they are, and that Nightbringer put them there and goes as far as to warn them.

It seems even Barbatos, up until the question of "where did you come from", doesn't realize you're from the future. And his whole ish is time and AUs.

If you choose the future option he cuts you off and makes the assumption your being an ass by referring to the human world as the future as humans see themselves above demons and comments on how it's a typical human answer: arrogant and rude.

I know angels aren't supposed to interfere too much, more to sit back and watch but it makes me wonder: did Michael send them back last time because they were in the Celestial Realm, and he doesn't care as much or isn't as concerned since they're in the Devildom this time?

Also, in his warning he says

And removes the curse of Snow White/Sleeping Beauty from MC.

Is he just curious how things will turn out? Does he not have the power this time to put MC back?

And why is he referring to the Celestial Realm that way? It almost reminds me of Simeon and his disconnect with the CR, speaking about it as if it's not his own decision that would be the call. We know Michael is basically Father's second in command, he's in charge of the CR basically from what we've seen.

Has that changed? Is Father going to be more present in this time? Or is it like the Devildom in the way of, there's a ring of command in the CR and they can over ride Michael if they all agree? Like how it seems the House of Shitlords tried to oppose Diavolo?

Also-- WTF?! Even if he passes everything he may still not be appointed King?!

Not the point of the post but, wtf?!

But yeah, so it seems Michael isn't Nightbringer, but he's aware of NB and what they've done, but isn't interfering too much.

I've had a theory in my head, partly as a joke, that Michael is a blonde, blue eyed Lucifer to be the day to his night (black hair, red eyes) and no one sees the resemblance

But what if Michael is Father in disguise? A way to connect to his creations on another level? He'd still be Omnipresent, powerful etc just in a different skin with his power hidden to pretend to be someone else.

I have no concrete proof to make this a legitimate theory, just a nagging voice in the back of my mind:

1. Michael is in charge, despite everyone fawning over Lucifer when he was an angel.

2. he's so seemingly "all knowing" and powerful.

3. Father has been missing or absent for a long time according to Simeon in the og Obey me (Boogeyman trial)

4. Everyone is terrified of Father, even if their biggest fear isn't of him. (Again, Boogeyman trial. Simeon's and Lucifer's biggest fear was him, when the boys wanted to go with MC to the CR, Lucifer asks if they really think Father would let them in)

5. He was represented in the Boogeyman trial as a bright, particular light, with no physical form. Simeon says "I haven't seen that light in a very long time" or something along those lines. Anytime we'ved talked to "Michael" it's been the same, aside from peeking at his texts.

At any rate, I loved it, loved how it flowed and already marked the calendar for 10-11 more days (should be around the 23rd-24th) so I can pounce when it's released

[cycat-carisi]

Self-Destructive

I’m supposed to be writing a thesis, yet this little drabble hit me like a ton of bricks...so yeah, I’m yeeting it into the Tumblr world! Enjoy? Could fill the “Fresh Start” square in @adarafaelbarba’s birthday bingo!

Summary:  Just a little hurt/comfort drabble with Joe (: Pairing: Joe Velasco x Reader Warnings: language, mentions of domestic abuse, hurt/comfort Words: 806 AO3 here

You are drunk again. A few of your female police officer buddies had joined you for drinks after your shifts. Afterall, it had been a particularly hard day. First, you were called to the scene of a bad accident, then it was followed up with a potential case of assault, and to top it all off, your boss yelled at you for some dumb thing that the alcohol has already made you forget.

Yet another shot is being downed when suddenly he walks in. The sexiest man you have ever seen. Tall, dark and most certainly handsome. Light stubble lines his cheeks and that leather jacket...oh boy, that leather jacket!

"Chiquitita . Time to go home," he speaks in a voice barely audible over the music in the bar.

"Why, hellooo handsome!" you whistle. All your friends' eyes are on you, but you’re too drunk to register their stares.

"Come on," he whispers against your ear.

"Trying to take me home, eh? Well, good lookin', it's a good thing you're so good lookin' because I'm definitely gonna let you take me home!" You stumble a bit, bracing a hand on his firm shoulder.

His find your waist to steady you while, under his breath, the man lets out a curse in Spanish. "I’m your boyfriend, Chiquitita, and it's time to go home now." His voice is stern, dripping with annoyance.

"You're my boyfriend!?! Damn girl, you done goooood!" you give yourself a sloppy pat on the shoulder.

"Please," he begs with those big green eyes. "You do this every time. I dread getting this call but it keeps happening. This has to stop."

You had met Joe Velasco when responding to a call of domestic violence a few years ago. The two of you locked eyes immediately; some kind of electric exchange happening from across the room. He had been the one to ask for your number and there had been no going back since.

A large frown causes your brows to wrinkle but you nonetheless allow Joe to lead you out of the bar. The cool night air feels like a slap to the face, yet it allows you a moment of clarity. "What's the matter with you?!" you demand, perhaps a little too harshly.

"What's the matter with me?" he scoffs, still supporting you in his arms. "You're the one whose friends repeatedly call me to come and get you when you’re drunk out of your mind!"

You add fuel to the argument, exclaiming, "I had a bad day!"

"We all have bad days! But you get completely wasted and…you know how it makes me feel."

"But you knew going into this whole thing that I’m a bit self-destructive!"

"A bit? Come on, please!" Joe rolls his eyes, exasperated.

"I grew up with five brothers! You'd think that after five boys my parents would have wanted a girl.” You sputter out an angry laugh. “Ha! Nope! I was the accident that came out with an X chromosome instead of a Y and they never let me forget it!"

Joe has repeatedly been there for you when it came to how your family treated you, but right now he’s tired of you using it as an excuse for your drinking. "And I had an abusive father,” he rebuts, “who...who would..." There's pain etched across Joe's face as he says the words. "He would drink until there was nothing left, which only made him angrier. That anger had to come out somewhere..."

Your foggy mind immediately flashes to the scars you know litter Joe's back. Suddenly, the guilt hits you like a ton of bricks. "I'm so sorry, babe," you sob out. "I didn't mean to hurt you! I didn't mean to make you think of him. I'm sorry." The tears run freely. Clearly, you are an inconsiderate, self-absorbed asshole to a boyfriend who has been nothing but good to you.

Joe's face softens, his tone lowering to match. "Hey, don't cry, Chiquitita. I'm sorry you had a bad day, but drinking won't make it better. I know my schedule is nuts, but I will always be here for you to talk with. I wish you would turn to me instead of the bar."

You honestly didn't deserve him, yet Joe still made you want to be a better person. "I promise, Joe! I promise to talk. I promise not to drink. I promise to be better to you!" You fling your arms around his middle and squeeze.

It's not a moment later that his arms fully envelope you, pressing you tighter to his chest. You can hear the steady thrum of his heart, beating like a calming melody in the most frightful of storms. "I love you," you murmur against his shirt.

"I love you, too," he whispers into your hair. "Now, let's get you home."

---

Tag list: @plaidbooks @adarafaelbarba  @misscharlielulu @barbasbodaciousbeard @caracalwithchips @averyhotchner @one-sweet-gubler @anlin2058 @katieslotherford @pjkimrn @aynansstuff

I realize it has been an insane amount of time since I last posted, so please let me know if you’d like off/on this list ^^ 

*crawls back under my rock until the next idea needs out of my head*

[brandwhorestarscream]

TFA jettwins in Cybermorphs AU could totally just be SS and Megs getting curious what would happen if they did it the other way around? Like normally SS sires and Megs makes eggs right? So what if Jettwins is just the two of them being like

("Would this even work?" "Idk" "Wanna try it?" "Sure.")

And next thing we know, The Twins. (Extra angst for the whole trines idea.) Normally Seeker eggs are in threes? But because of the wonky cybermorph genes, one eggy doesn't make it. Luckily vosimorphs are less predisposed to needing trines, so the twins only need each other.

Ok so I really, really like this as a concept (like! Stick a pin in this! We can definitely apply this elsewhere), but it doesn't quite fit the TFA jettwins vibes. They are, first and foremost, autobot warriors/weaoons. I don't wanna remove that part of their character, it's so tragic and interesting

So! Hear me out 👀

Since there's no Soundwave during TFA's war (that we know of), that means Megatron has no chosen cybermorph King to be his main commander. In TFP Starscream is a normal born mecha, but I wanna switch it up here. Keep it fresh

Way, waaay back in the day. Megatron's carrier, as a flight capable warframe (hi Galvatron) is an accomplished gladiator while his mate is a humble miner. Maybe he took up pit fighting in an effort to get money for Terminus's treatment after he lost his legs in the famous mining accident, or maybe he was yeeted in there as punishment for some offense or other. Regardless, he's an absolute monster in the ring, and quickly becomes a fan favorite for his sheer brutality and graceful fighting style alike.

Pivot to Vos. One of Winglord Hurricane's mates is planning an offworld excursion. Maybe for scientific study, maybe as a vacation. Hurricane isn't able to accompany them, and isn't comfortable letting them off so far away even with some of the armada as an escort. For extra protection, he opts to hire a gladiator or three. The best of the best: anyone would think twice about going after royalty that's not only attended by a Vosian fleet but also protected by arguably the best warriors on the planet. Galvatron accepts immediately, especially when the Winglord is kind enough to give him 25% down right away. It's more than enough to cover Terminus's surgery and recovery time off work. It's enough to get them their own private apartment in Kaon! He jumps at the chance. This is the kind of thing warframes on the southern side of the planet dream of, a once in a lifetime opportunity to make things better.

And, well, you know what happens next 🤭 whilst exploring or vacationing or whatever, they fall into an abandoned xenomorph nest. Galvatron is first, as the royal embryo that eventually becomes Megatron is dominant even in the ovimorph state: it gets to hatch first and latch onto a host. There's of course lots of screaming and panic: a few seekers go down, the Winglord's mate included, as well as all 3 gladiators. The first generation of cybermorphs begins incubating, and there's probably only about 7 of them to begin with. Shaken, the party immediately begins to head home to Cybertron, as the afflicted seeker Lord desperately wants to go home after that

Because they're not organic incubators, and the cybertronian genetic code is more dominant than the xenomorphs, it probably takes multiple weeks for them to pop. They grow very slowly, compared to when they use human incubators. They're all scanned when they get home but there's no traces of anything malicious or contagious, so they're not subjected to quarantine right away.

From there, stuff basically goes the same for quite awhile: the babies burst and the southern half of the planet is immediately locked down. That's the catalyst for life spiralling out of control and becoming so bad that the war is eventually ignited. Vos, as a flying city that self governs independent of the Senate, refuses to surrender the newspark morphlings. Lord Skysoar, Starscream's carrier, is bonded to him at the spark. They have a parent-child sparkbond and separating them would likely cause both of them to die. The Winglord refuses to rip them apart, and though Starscream isn't technically his, he's still raised as Vos's rightful prince. The first child the Winglord's mate has beared, technically.

Anyway. Starscream and Megatron meet before the war. When the dual bombings happen, they swiftly agree to allyship and fight the Senate together. As the leader of the vosimorph armada, Megatron's second in command, and, likely, the most prominent sire in the hive: he's selected to become the cybermorph King, like Soundwave was in TFP. Shockwave was also a candidate, but politely declined, as his work in espionage and science alike didn't leave him enough time to be an effective commander.

Things likely devolve between them over time: a King can't rule a hive, only a Queen can, but with the way the war ends they don't have a hive anymore. The cybermorphs are pushed to the brink of extinction by the autobots extracting the Allspark and making waves after waves after endless waves of soldiers. They and all warframes by extension are banished from Cybertron and put on a Kill On Sight list. Starscream and Megatron are at each other’s throats constantly, blaming each other for the loss of Absolutely Everything: all of their children are dead and gone, they have no incubators to make more, and now they're doomed to slowly die out. Even if they can manage to get their hands on stray autobots, they barely have enough energon to sustain themselves. There's probably less than 100 cybermorphs left in existence

Now, having said aaaaall of that! We can finally jump into the jettwins!

When Starscream is captured by the Elite Guard, millions of years and several generations have past. Almost no one that remembers the cybermorphs is still around, and there's next to no data on how they work. They try in vain for months to get a baby out of Starscream, but he's not a Queen, so he's completely sterile and infertile. He can't carry a sparkling to term, and he can't get anyone sparked up. He's subjected to this harsh, brutal reality for countless cycles, having to endure their assaults and forcing aphrodisiacs into his body in increasingly desperate attempts to get him to make them some offspring they can use.

Something they're entirely unaware of is that only Cybermorph Queens can reproduce, they're the only ones that can make eggs and the only ones that can sexually impregnate. They assume that Cybermorph Kings must have the ability as well: they don't think it's possible for their entire species to be sterile. They're starting to think that they just got a bad specimen, that Starscream is just an unlucky mecha that can't be a parent.

Now, the thing that makes Kings special is that, aside from being a hive's natural commander, they're the only other type of morph that can reproduce, but not in the typical way. Interfacing doesn't work with them. They're able to actually implant an embryo directly into a host with a special organ on the tip of their tail, grabbing them in magnetic pincers and impaling them with a sharp spine in the center, directly into their fuel tank. Idk what triggers the actual impregnation: maybe they've drugged him with something new, maybe he's finally cracked from all the abuse and flies into a defensive rage after using his own acidic energon to melt through his restraints. But he manges to transform to his full vosimorph form, just long enough to grab someone and impale them in self defense. I'm impartial to Sentinel cuz I really fucking hate that guy and wanna see him get doubly chestburstered, but Perceptor is also an option. He's usually the one I cast as the jettwins' other parent, sooo

Really long story short: Jetfire and Jetstorm are the results of the autobots capturing vosimorph king Starscream. He... probably escapes during this time, I would say, and doesn't reunite with them until they've undergone their first several molts. As they were King implants, not fertilized eggs, they grow very quickly, and are ready to be dispatched into the Elite Guard after only a few months. The autobot government is very happy with their new obedient little cybermorph weapons, right up until they get to earth and the twins run off and/or turn on them in the presence of more morphs, especially a King or Queen

[camels-pen]

Snaked

Summary:

/snaked/ 1) To get stabbed in the back or be generally screwed over by someone 2) Stole or stolen. 1. That fucker just snaked me. / I thought he could be trusted but he snaked me. 2. I just snaked that dude's wallet.

Danny and Sam learn Tucker has a fear of snakes. He also happens to steal Danny's hard earned prize. Oh, and Danny turns into a dragon.

based on @bellsandmischief's prompt "Danny and friends are yeeted via portal into a medieval/mythical universe, and now have to defeat a Hydra (or other mythical beast) to get the "key" to get home."

Ao3 Link

“Hark! Wake the girlies from their sleep, there’s a beast afoot!”

“That’s not how it goes,” Sam said. “And get off of there before you make it notice us.”

“So sue me, I haven’t read the book,” Danny grumbled, floating to the ground. “And I was just trying to lighten things up.”

“And while I appreciate that, how about we lighten things up after we get Tucker back from the massive hydra?”

“Seconded!” yelled a tiny voice in Danny’s ear. He winced and turned down the volume of the Fenton Phones. 

“Well, it’s not like he’s in any real danger at the moment, and you were starting to get a permanent scowl on your face.”

“I’ll put a permanent scowl on your face.”

“Guys, can we please do this later?! I think the hydra’s trying to ask me out and I don’t know how to say no without getting eaten!”

Danny hummed, leaning back against the massive stone wall. “Try—” He made the sound of a train whistle, followed by shredded paper.

“Ow! Did you have to say that so loud?” 

“Wasn’t any louder than your yelling earlier.”

“Hey, Danny,”—Sam squinted at him—“what exactly did you say?”

“Why?”

“Because it sounded like ‘you have faces only a mother snake could love’.”

Danny clicked his tongue. Damn Sam and her growing knowledge of Ghost Speak.

“I’m not saying that!” Tucker screeched. “That’s like a guaranteed ticket to its stomach!”

Danny put a hand to his chin. “I think it’d be ‘stomachs’, plural. Since it’s got a bunch of heads it probably has—”

“Not helping!” Tucker yelled.

“Ugh, fine, fine. I’ll drop it.” He craned his neck up to watch the massive green hydra above them, Tucker sat atop one of its yellow scaled heads while the others dote over him. “How’d you even get this thing to want you so bad? Did your stinky cologne finally work on someone?”

“Okay, A) it’s not stinky it’s funky fresh, and, B) I. Don’t. Know!” he wailed.

“Have you found the gem, at least?” Sam asked.

“Well, I would have if I wasn’t preoccupied with NOT GETTING EATEN!” Danny put a hand over his eyes, squinting through the sunlight. It looked like one of the heads licked Tucker. He heard him shudder. “Eww, gross.”

“You’ve been up there that long and you still haven’t found it? Amateur.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, have you ever been held hostage by a hydra before? Hmm?” Sam looked like she was about to answer, but Tucker barely gave pause. “I didn’t think so. So how about we trust the current expert on hydra kidnappings and believe him when he says THIS IS TERRIFYING!”

“I still don’t think it exists,” Danny said with a shrug. “I mean it’s way too good to be true.”

“Well, you can go back to the castle and ask the stuck up king again, but I think he’d just start yelling about cutting off your head for coming back empty handed.” 

“Yeah, I’m not gonna do that. Especially not when my powers are still messed up from that portal.” Danny held open his palm imagining a fiery blast of ectoplasm appearing. There was a little puff of smoke followed by a fart sound. “But neither of you find it weird that when we asked if they knew any ghosts or magic that could get us home, they said ‘hey, the hydra’s got this shiny green rock, maybe that could help’ and shoved us at it?” 

“Obviously it’s suspicious, but we don’t exactly have any other leads here!” 

“Oh, c’mon Tuck, I thought you were into monsters and stuff,” Danny said, trying for his ice next, but ending up with a single snowflake. It quickly melted in his palm.

“I am a strict werewolf lover, thank you very much!”

“I don’t know if ‘lover’ is the right term—”

“I’m never letting you download MCR songs on my PDA ever again.”

“Hey now, no need to be unreasonable. We’ve got a plan to get you down and everything,” she said. She turned off her Fenton Phone then turned to say, “I can’t afford to lose my battle music. We need to think of a plan.”

“I can still hear you through Danny’s mic!”

Danny sighed. “I’ve been trying to think of stuff, but without my powers working—and since those cheapskates from the castle wouldn’t give us any weapons—I don’t really have any ideas.”

“Damn, none of your powers work?” 

“I’ve been cycling through them, but yeah. Nothing except flight.” Danny picked up a hefty rock, examining it before holding it up. “You think I could just fly up and dump a bunch of stuff on it and hope to kill it? Maybe use a sharp stick to cut off its heads?”

Sam made a face of disgust. “We’re not killing it. We’re better than that.” She shook her head. “Besides, hydras in Greek mythology grow two new heads for every head cut off. Or something like that.”

He gasped. “You? Not sure about creepy monster mythology??”

Sam smacked his arm. “It’s been a while since I read my big book on myths, okay? Shut up.”

“Still about to be eaten here!”

They both looked up. Saw a few of the heads rubbing their cheeks against him. Looked down.

“You think his fear of snakes is new?”

“Maybe. Though it could just be a fear of giant snakes.” Danny hummed. “Probably new either way though. Also, we should probably get him down before he faints or something.”

Sam sighed. “It’s a shame we can’t just ask it to give us Tucker back.” She paused. “And the gem.”

Something pulsed in Danny’s chest. He rubbed at it. “Huh. That’s new.” 

“What? Are your powers working again?”

“Something like that, I think.” He opened and closed his hands a few times, feeling the bones shift at his command. He smirked. “Oh yeah, this’ll work.”

Danny closed his eyes, imagining the massive creature in his head. Thought of changing, shifting, becoming.

“Holy FUCK! Sam, what is he doing?!”

“I don’t know! Maybe he’s allergic to something here?!” 

“Quiet,” he growled, voice much deeper than before. “Need to. Concentrate.”

Danny felt himself grow taller, longer, stronger. He felt something tough and scratchy sprout from his skin, felt his nails growing longer and sharper, felt two little sharp things poke out of his forehead. His bones restructured themselves until he was forced forwards onto his hands and feet. It wasn’t exactly pleasant, but he was grateful it wasn’t painful either.

Or, at least, it wasn’t until he felt something explode outward from his back. He yelled—roared, [That fucking hurt!]

He blinked his eyes open and found himself face-to-face—er, faces—with the hydra. A trembling Tucker was sitting atop one of the heads, hands desperately gripping onto one of the thick horns protruding out from the back of the head. 

“If he’s allergic to something then why did he turn into a dragon?!”

[Because I didn’t want the headaches that would come with having 7 extra brains, obviously,] he said. Sam and Tucker continued to bicker as if he hadn’t said a word. [And now they’re not listening to me, great.]

[It’s a simple hivemind,] a higher pitched voice said, scoffing. [And of course humans can’t hear our mother tongue.] Danny looked around for the source of the voice. But there was no one here other than the three of them.

[Hello? I’m over here.] He followed the voice to—[Honestly, youth these days are so melodramatic.]

The hydra. The very cuddly hydra that liked Tucker for some reason. Could talk this whole time?

[Why didn’t you say anything before?]

[I believe I just explained humans can’t hear our mother tongue.] Each of the heads sniffed in unison. [I’ve been speaking the whole time.]

[Well, then how can I understand you now?]

It rolled all 8 pairs of eyes. [Look for yourself.]

Danny looked down. His eyes widened. [Holy shit.]

From head to toe—head to paw? Whatever—Danny was covered in dark black scales, with a small patch of white ones on his chest. His hands and—he craned his neck back—yup, his feet too, were turned into huge scaly paws with large white claws. He turned in place and curved his neck around to look over his shoulder. There were big leathery wings too, the joints covered in scales, but the inner parts a bright green colour. 

He tried to imagine flapping them, and they actually moved. Though it was more of an awkward flailing that hit his face.

Now that he’d paused to notice all the changes in his body though, he could feel two identical weights on his head. When he reached a paw upwards, he felt large horns attached to his forehead.

Something felt… off though.

[Shouldn’t I have a tail or something? I thought all dragons had tails. Or, at least, all the cool ones anyway.]

The hydra snickered. [Oh, you’ve got a tail alright.]

Danny turned further to try and catch sight of it. [Where? I can’t see anything.]

[It’s a little cottontail. The ones you would see on a small prey animal.] Like a rabbit? Ugh. Of course a new ghost power wouldn’t work right on the first try. He should’ve figured.

“Hey, Danny! If you can hear me, I think you need to grab Tucker, he doesn’t sound too hot!” Sam’s tiny voice yelled up at him. He couldn’t completely make out what she was saying, but he did hear something about Tucker and the guy was looking a lot wobblier on his perch on the hydra. He better hurry up.

[Uh, hey, listen hydra guy, we’re just trying to get home. So do you think we could borrow your rock for a little while?]

[Rock?] The hydra tilted all of its heads to the right. Well, 7 of its heads. It thankfully didn’t move the head holding Tucker.

[The magic glowing gem.]

[That? Pah, you can take it.] The hydra started to make a gagging noise from one of its mouths and spat out a saliva coated glowing gem on the ground. 

[Cool cool,] He lifted a paw to point at Tucker. [I’m also gonna need my friend back.]

The hydra pressed closer to Tucker, the unoccupied 7 heads falling into a circle around him. [Why? I’d take good care of him. You can leave him with me.] 

Danny didn’t like the way it talked about Tucker like a pet. He changed tactics. [Why are you so hung up on Tucker anyway? Is it his smell, or…?]

[Oh heavens, no,] it said. [This human’s red top and yellow scales remind me of my sister. It’s been ages since I’ve seen her.] It bumped one of its heads into Tucker’s chest, sticking a forked tongue out to lick the air. Tucker froze the moment its jaw opened and when the tongue appeared he was out like a light. He started to fall backwards, Danny jolting up to catch him, but the hydra beat him to it, quickly wrapping around Tucker’s torso to hold him up. 

[See?] it said. [I’m great at this.] Its head tightened around him. [Now leave us alone.]

[Nah, I think it’s time you took a little trip.] Danny lunged forward, turning just as he ran past and flaring his wings. He meant to sweep the hydra’s legs out from under it, but instead ended up falling over his new and unfamiliar limbs, his wings getting terribly bent and, at one point, stepped on. It still got the job done, but—[God FUCK that hurt, jesus CHRIST.]

“Tucker!” Sam yelled. Danny jerked his head around, watching Tucker fall and start to get dangerously close to the ground. He couldn’t stretch out his wings in time and his paws were tipped with claws! How was he supposed to—?!

An idea hit him. 

Swiftly, he scrambled backwards and stuck his ass straight into the air, hoping he was right.

He felt a small weight land on his backside, on fur instead of scales. Danny breathed a sigh of relief.

Carefully, he lowered himself to the ground, waiting until Sam was close enough to grab Tucker before sitting down completely.

[That was a little too close for comfort,] he said with a laugh. [We should probably grab the gem and get out of here.]

[You will regret doing that, little dragon.]

The hydra stood once more, all of its eyes thinned to slits and their yellow scales fluttering up as if it was a cat with raised hackles.

[I’m so rattled,] Danny said as he moved to stand above his friends. [Ha! Snake pun!] He looked down to watch for Sam’s reaction before remembering his current state of being. Damn. [Why is it that when I’m finally able to come up with good puns in this dimension, you guys can’t hear them?] he grumbled. Sam, of course, had no response for him.

[I am no simple snake,] the hydra hissed. [At worst I am most similar to a Greater Lizard!]

[Either way, Tucker’s more of a wolf guy.] Danny growled, [So how about you beat it before I get serious.]

[You really expect me to believe you can beat me? When you fell over your own front paws while taking the human back from me?] The hydra laughed, one head laughing a single time, followed by another and another. [I’d like to see you try.] Each of its mouths opened in unison, eight balls of crackling electricity growing bigger and bigger in their jaws.

Danny sighed. It was always electricity. 

It did give him an idea though. 

He opened his own mouth and concentrated on the feeling of his ice powers. As soon as he felt it crawl up his throat, he blasted them outwards. Small uneven balls of ice pelted the hydra, hitting noses, eyes, horns, and, eventually, one of those glowing balls of electric energy. 

It exploded in the mouth of one of the heads and it roared, out of sync with the other heads that were still charging. It knocked into the two other heads on either side of it and the head on the right accidentally let off its charge, setting the ground at its feet on fire.

The hydra heads kept knocking into other heads and setting off their electric charges too. Also, the bottom half of the hydra was jumping around, trying to avoid the fire. It was quite a sight.

Eventually, the hydra ended up within arm’s reach of Danny. He grinned.

[You know, you’re a pretty fun guy. Hissssterical, even.] He stood up on his hind legs. [But it’s time for my fist to give you a little goodnight hiss.] He pulled back his hand and punched one of the middle heads, the one that had been constricting around Tucker earlier. 

The Hydra went down with a cry of pain. It twitched a little, but after a while it thankfully didn’t get up again.

Danny looked down at his friends.

Now how to change back. Hmm—

As if responding to his thoughts, his body started to shed its scales and shrink down. He felt the wings on his back start to disappear, followed closely by his other draconic traits.

By the time he’d turned by into his regular halfa self, Tucker was awake and sitting on the grass looking drained. Sam was standing right behind him, practically holding him up with her legs as she examined the gem.

When he looked up at her, she tossed the gem to him. “I think it works on ectoplasm. Give it some juice.” 

Danny nodded. “Sure thing.” He tried again to create a ball of ectoplasm in his palms, smiling when he found his powers working like normal. “Huh, guess the dragification shook whatever was blocking my powers loose.”

“So, what the hell was that all about anyway?” Sam asked. “The becoming a dragon thing.”

Danny shrugged. “It wasn’t exactly what I was going for, but I needed to get big enough to grab Tucker and probably beat the thing up, then I felt my bones shifting—no, no I promise it’s not as bad as it sounds—anyway I just ‘thought big’ and then something funky in my chest just started making me change.”

“We’re gonna circle back to that bone thing.” Sam glared at him. “But, I mean, it was a pretty good first try for turning into a dragon.”

“A good try for a dragon, yeah, but I was just trying to make myself bigger. I didn’t mean to do the whole shapeshifting into a huge mythological creature thing.” He grinned. “It was pretty cool though.”

“Very cool,” Tucker said. “Very big fan of the tail. That thing was a real lifesaver. Great for saving someone a hare’s breadth from death.”

“Wow, beating Danny to making the first pun in a new dimension? I’m impressed, Tuck,” Sam said.

“What the—he did not. I made a pun earlier! Several!”

“You mean when we couldn’t understand a thing you were saying and were otherwise preoccupied with the hydra?” Sam asked. “And you just happened to remember this now?”

“Well, when you put it like that it sounds bad, but it’s true!” he insisted. “I made a snake pun!”

“Sssssure you did, Danny.” If he wasn’t concentrating on the gem, he would so punch Tucker right now.

Sam leaned down to give Tucker a fist bump. “Nice.”

“Thank you, thank you, I’ll be here until Danny hurries his ass up and makes a portal home.”

“I hate you guys,” Danny grumbled.

[rosenallies]

Angst prompt for drag race au “Did you expect this to turn out better?” Marcia and Anetra get into an argument about an accident Anetra has during a practice. She didn’t think it was that big of a deal and didn’t want to worry her partners so she didn’t tell them. But when they find out they aren’t happy with her, Marcia in particular is pissed

Combining these two bc <3 this was one of the only ones that didn’t get yeeted from my inbox by the ask eating monster that lives in my inbox <33

——

"Shit, fuck, ow, ow ow," Anetra muttered under her breath as she peeled the bandage away from her skin, the fabric sticking painfully to her skin.

Underneath the bandage, the gash on her forearm looked worse than it did this morning. Despite being patched up for hours, it still was wet and shiny with fresh blood. Anetra didn't know a lot about these kinds of thing, but she did know that she probably needed stitches, stitches that her and her pit crew both convinced her that she didn't need after a shard of glass cut her after crashing her car. The cars she raced in were meant for that type of thing and she knew how to protect herself in the event of a crash, but for whatever reason she chose not to wear her jumpsuit today, leaving her bare arms unprotected.

She sucked in a sharp breath as she dabbed it clean with a wet cloth thinking it might help, but cleaning away the coagulated blood only made it bleed worse. She started to feel slightly foggy headed when Marcia knocked on the bathroom door impatiently.

"Netra? Are you ok in there?"

"I'm fine," Anetra called back, splashing cold water on her face.

"I'm not convinced," Marcia replied, "I'm coming in."

Before Anetra could muster the energy to assure them she was fine, the lock was clicking undone, the door swinging open and revealing Marcia, stood there with a worried look on their face and a bobby pin they'd pulled apart.

Anetra quickly hid her arm behind her back, but she wasn't quick enough or Marcia noticed the bloody bandage and wash cloth on the counter first, she wasn't sure.

"What the fuck? What happened?" They exclaimed, eyes wide.

"Nothing, it's fine, just a little nick."

"Anetra! This bandage is soaked in blood! What happened? Let me see."

Anetra pulled away as Marcia reached for her, their expression livid. "That's it! I'm getting Sasha."

They nearly ran from the bathroom, leaving Anetra to rest her warm forehead on the cool porcelain of the sink for a moment before Sasha and Marcia both materialized in front of her.

"What happened? Can I please see?" Sasha urged, voice soft but firm.

"No, I'm fine," Anetra shot back.

"Stop playing the stoic hero for one damn minute and show me where it hurts?"

She hated herself for it, but tears pricked at the corner of her eyes, her resolve breaking when her arm started to throb. She gingerly pulled her arm from behind her back and showed Sasha, who gasped.

"Oh, honey, you need stitches. Let mommy wrap it and we'll get you to the hospital."

Sasha referring to herself as 'mommy' made Anetra cry harder, tears running down her cheeks as she let the older woman comfort her. She prided herself on being strong and stoic, but in moments like this, letting Sasha coo over her and care for her was healing.

With gentle, loving hands, Sasha wrapped her arm for her and ushered her out to the car, Marcia following behind with their arms crossed over their chest. They knew they were acting immature, but they couldn't understand why Anetra would hide this! What if they hadn't been waiting to use the restroom? Would she have hid it until it got infected or something? Or she bled out? The whole ordeal frustrated Marcia to no end , Sasha’s incessant cooing over her making matters worse in Marcia’s mind.

A few hours later, the three found themselves in a tiny hospital room, Anetra all stitched up and awaiting her discharge paperwork.

"Didn't expect I'd end the day in the ER," Anetra chuckled to lighten the mood. Sasha laughed along with her while Marcia rolled their eyes.

"Did you expect this to turn out better?!"

Sasha shot them a look, one that made their resolve soften immediately.

Anetra sighed. "You're right, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have hid it. I'm lucky I only needed a couple stitches."

Marcia got up from their chair and crossed the room, sitting on the edge of Anetra's bed. "I'm sorry too," they muttered, voice shaky as they tried not to cry, "I just wish you'd let us help you more. I don't like thinking of you getting hurt and not letting us take care of you."

"I know, I really am sorry."

"Oh, it's okay, darling," Sasha chimed in, "Marcia was just scared. Right, baby?"

Marcia nodded in agreement.

"See? We're all okay, yeah? Netra's all patched up and you feel better, right, Mar?"

"Yeah, I feel better."

"Good," Sasha said, squeezing herself in between them, an arm around their shoulders, kissing Anetra’s cheek and then Marcia’s "all's well that ends well."

[skiplo-wave]

ok can we talk about WTF is this list for GOTY? tbh we didn’t had as much good shit as initially thought this year, idk.

like LOZ:TOTK is winning by a landslide. i mean, it’s zelda. that shit always win.

literally heard absolutely nothing for AW2, except for being on epic game store (ew) despite being highly anticipated.

BG3 is my pick idgaf. the vampire elf twink can get fucked with me and a literal bear all day.

spider-man 2 is probably going to be a runner up, mfs like it. i don’t have PS to judge (and ew $90 for live no thanks).

while RE4 remake is good (played it way too many times to get on the skins and shit), it doesn’t hold up as well as the OG RE4.

SMBW just came out two weeks ago, and is an actual baby game. ik ik all super mario bros games are baby games, but this. this can literally be played by an infant fresh out of the coochie with that new baby smell and mf can kill it.

Yeah my money is on Tears of the kingdom. The fact so many people played not spoiling but just dicking around breaking all laws because in the game YOU CAN shows just how fun gameplay is. Doing the story plot is mere chance depending where you yeet yourself off sky islands lol Also gonna get my amiibos this friday :D

Spiderman 2 as hyped as it was I didn't see nearly enough posts on twitter compared to TOTK. Besides people roasting Miles new suit ( that shit fugly omg) and dumb discourse if Miles is woke or not. He's spiderman just like all other 8000+ spidermen

I still don't want heck Baluder gate is but vampire elf twink is all I need to know ( and porn of him hehe)

RE4 Leon is breedable babygirl but nothing will EVER Top Mommy dommy Lady D. Need more sexy monster ladies to toss me around damn it >:/

Mario wonder. I've been playing good wild trying 100% each level I can but yeah it's for babies. The fact Yoshi and Nabbit is just easy way to not die. Or if you have online on many people and standees can save you. Very much baby game, but a fun baby game that broken out of " New" Wii super mario bros x3. Also new voice actors doing wonderful job!

I never heard of alan wake what is that

[leclerced]

never been submitted anything to this blog before but here we go!🎀🎀🎀🎀 just want to clear up something even though Ik you probably don’t care and it genuinely doesn’t effect you at all (sorry for harping on) pg10 was dating Caterina Masetti until 2022. He was first seen with kika at the 22 Abu Dhabi gp when she was 19, that’s not fresh out of high school. Not sure how Europe works but I’m 22 and graduated at 17 (Australia). I think it’s genuinely a red flag he is dating someone 7 years younger than him it’s weird asf, the thought of dating someone 19 at my age actually makes my stomach turn! hope this clears up the timeline for anyone confused

tumblr has deleted my reply to this 3 times 😭

glad ur here angel, welcome <3 thank you for clearing things up!

ur not harping at all! i love having discussions with yall and i think it’s important!! timeline is cleared up, and it’s still weird! its definitely a red flag and i don’t get how someone could be blind to it?

i feel like 6-7 years is a big enough age gap to be significant when the younger one is only 18/19. imagine you’re the 27 year old. you’re graduating high school while they’re like 10-12 years old? they’re still going out to recess and shit while you go off to college or get a job in the real world. then you have 6-7 years of real life experience when they’re barely getting out of high school. you’ve gotten all of these experiences like living with a partner, having a bad roommate, living without your parents rules, etc. things they have not experienced yet. they do not know how to function on their own as an adult.

an 18/19 year old has none of that. the only shared experiences they will have are cultural phenomenon and world events. even those things are going to be remembered and viewed differently, some of them the younger one won’t even remember because they weren’t paying attention to social issues or world events at that time, while the older one actually felt the effects of it. they’re going to be at completely different places in life. even like, vocabulary and shit can be different like someone who is 18/19 is more up to date with trends and slang/lingo that is used by the younger generation, meanwhile the 27 year old is still saying yeet when they toss something in the trash. the 19 year old has never seen the original “this bitch empty. YEET.” vine and doesn’t get it.

there are a million things that can create an imbalance in a relationship and i’m not saying all age gaps are bad or all men are groomers or predators or anything along those lines. i don’t understand how someone who is getting close to 30 can think about dating someone who isn’t even 20 yet and that goes for literally everyone in the entire world.

[starman-john-tracy]

Just A Little EVA [RP with @asteria-star]

starman-john-tracy:

“It’s just a little EVA.” John’s reassuring smile is interrupted as he tugs his helmet on over his head, fastidiously checking the seal around his throat as he does. “It’s gonna be a quick out and in, I just need an extra pair of hands while I make the hatch repair.” He knows full well that she hates going outside the ship but he could really use someone to watch his back… and hand him the right tools. “Come on.” He slaps her helmet against her palms, “It’s time to put some of that training we’ve given you to use," a grin creeps onto his face, "Freeloader.”

asteria-star​:

“What training,” Star grumbles under her breath, peering sulkily up at the taller man while jamming her own helmet over her head. “I don’t know if it counts as training if I just show up and figure it out as I go.” Training or not, she’s been outside of Thunderbird Five - in SPACE, which still makes her want to run away - more than a few times by now, and no matter how much she hates it, she is getting used to it. Rather than a heart-stopping plunge of terror it's mellowed out into a begrudging requirement, like going to the doctor or the dentist. Even the uniform is growing on her, though no one will ever hear those words pass her lips. “I’m glad you have confidence in my ability to identify tools, because I do not.” She said, and pats John firmly between the shoulder blades to let him know she’s joking. Kind of.

starman-john-tracy:

“I’ll have to start colour coding them.” John seems to pointedly ignore her comment about the training she’s received. He’s well aware she’s not a fan and if she’s taking all his little corrections and notes as something else, then that’s probably a good thing. Basic sims had been a compulsory minimum requirement of her placement on his Thunderbird, but John had got the impression from the one time she’d ever, scathingly, mentioned it, that he should have run them with her himself. The few weeks prior to their first meeting Star had been stuck in a GDF hyperbaric spacelab attempting to complete trials that, John gets the impression, essentially equated to trying out all the ways you could die. Auntie Casey had been thorough, and John’s not sure that getting yeeted out of a virtual airlock without a helmet is even his idea of a good time. No wonder Star had made a… surly first impression. Still, she’d come out of it with septicemia and a rudimentary space license, and John’s done his best to give her more practical, day to day training ever since. He had been surprised how necessary ‘please don’t open the airlock without cycling the other side’ had been though. Things change around quickly on his 'bird, between his and Brains’ tinkering, and keeping her knowledge fresh and up to date is important to him, however much she might grumble about it. Besides, there’s no way he’d have agreed to having her up here without making sure she’s got enough knowledge to keep herself safe. He’s been on the rescue end of too many uneducated astronauts to find such a thing acceptable here. The name Langstrom Fischler still brings him out in stress hives. “Torque wrench, pliers, spare wires, transistor, crocodile clips-” He’s made her up a little kit bag, with velcro tethers for all the tools, and it’s abundantly clear as he holds it out for her to take that he was never intending to go out alone. Space is always safer with a buddy to spot your six, after all. “It won’t be long, and then you can go back to that book you were reading. What’s it about anyway?” He hopes he isn’t going to regret his curiosity. He also hopes that his discomfort when thinking about her training doesn't show on his face. John’s well aware of her natural reluctance when it comes to life up here, and it’s always made him uncomfortable that the GDF’s idea of the perfect imprisonment for her had been his home. It worries him, sometimes, that his own attempt at her training might come across as torture too.