#but the interest of discovery was lost after track 1

[myprideandialone]

I enjoy the entirety of this album on first listen, which Never Happens™, but the vibe of each song is so similar that I'm not sure how much it stands out to me as a whole. I think I still hold Evermore and Rep higher based on the out-of-left-field songs even though Midnights almost exclusively comprised of those.

[telomeke-bbs]

BAD BUDDY FILMING LOCATIONS 13

Barring any surprise discoveries, this write-up will call time on all of my Bad Buddy location posts – I've had notes for this tucked away for more than a year now, and have been putting off writing it up partly because I didn't want it to end, and also partly because (frustratingly) there's one final location I still haven't been able to track down (😬 more on that later).

But now it's time; more than two years after Bad Buddy aired I really should put my location posts to bed, and I was motivated to set digital pen to virtual paper by an Ask from fellow BBS fan @honey-beebs (linked here). Lucky Bee is heading to Bangkok right about now and will be looking up BBS locations while there, so I hope my posts will be helpful! 💖

This write-up, Part 13 in the series, profiles mostly odds and ends – minor locations that I found late and/or couldn't manage to fit into any other location post. So there isn't a theme here, but it's all BBS-related so hopefully Bad Buddy location fans will still find something interesting in this.

To start things off: the scene where Pat helps Pran look for his lost earphones (beginning at Ep.4 [1‌/4] 10.29) is the only outdoor one with an overt reference to rugby (Pat is still in his rugby kit after practice) that was filmed at Rangsit University (RSU):

(above) The boys search for Pran's lost earphones at BBS Ep.4 [1‌/4] 10.58

All other rugby scenes (plus a whole lot of outdoor university scenes as well) were filmed at Bangkok University's Rangsit campus. But the location of this one scene is actually the grass verge in front of RSU's Faculty of Architecture:

(above) The tree in front of the Architecture Faculty, below which Pat and Pran search for Pran's lost earphones

Proof of the above is the building that we see in the background of the scene, behind Pat and Pran – that's the Chinese-Thai Institute of Rangsit University, with its unmistakeable roofline and parade of columns, on the other side of the road from RSU's Faculty of Architecture:

(top) The Chinese-Thai Institute of Rangsit University (opposite the Faculty of Architecture); (bottom) the map location of the Chinese-Thai Institute in relation to the Faculty of Architecture‌

Elsewhere on campus, the covered car park where Pat serenaded Pran with Nanon and Sizzy's Love Score (Ep.8 [1‌/4] 15.52), spied on by a furious Wai (Ep.8 [1‌/4] 16.57 and Ep.9 [1‌/4] 5.19) is also where Pat, loving Pran on the down low, waves to Chang, Korn and Mo before getting into his car where Pran is waiting (Ep.12 [3‌/4] 4.54):

(top left) Pat serenades Pran in his car at Ep.8 [1‌/4] 15.59; (top right) Wai sees Pran getting into the car of his sworn enemy Pat at Ep.9 [1‌/4] 5.21; (bottom) Pat waves to Chang, Korn and Mo from the covered car park while Pran stays horizontal and out of sight in the car (Ep.12 [3‌/4] 4.54)

These scenes were filmed at the ground floor covered car park of the Faculty of Optometry (Building 12/1) at Rangsit University:

(top) Location of the Faculty of Optometry on the map; (middle) the ground floor covered car park of the Faculty of Optometry is on the left of the photo – in Bad Buddy the perforated cladding is visible at Ep.9 [1‌/4] 5.21 and Ep.12 [3‌/4] 4.54; (bottom left) a look into the car park; (bottom right) the building opposite the car park, that we see behind Chang, Korn and Mo at Ep.12 [3‌/4] 4.54

‌

Another covered car park in Bad Buddy was the airport car park in Ep.12, that we got to see when Pat sent Pran off to further his architectural career in Singapore:

(above) Pat and Pran at the airport car park (Ep.12 [3‌/4] 7.32)

Despite the airport signage at the top right of the image, this wasn't the car park at Don Mueang (or Suvarnabhumi for that matter). It's actually the same car park as the previous filming location (the ground floor covered car park of the Faculty of Optometry), just over at the other end facing the basketball court:

Corroborating details are the large V-shaped struts and the ramp next to them, that we can see behind Pat and Pran at Ep.12 [3‌/4] 7.32.

And if the adjacent basketball court looks familiar – it's arguably most famous because of its appearance in SOTUS S2, when Kongpob and Arthit were shooting hoops there in a one-on-one bet. (And that was also when Kongpob found out Arthit was a great shooter – see SOTUS S Ep.4 [4/4] 8.22. 🤣)

The court also appeared a couple of times in SOTUS Season 1, but its scene with Arthit and Kongpob's matchup is perhaps the most memorable one. 🤩

‌

Still on the RSU campus, the South Technology University Library was represented by (no surprises here) the Rangsit University Library (Building 7). This is also the building on whose forecourt Pat and Pran's favorite wonton noodle stall is located:

(top) Location of the RSU Library on the map; (bottom) a view of RSU Library (Building 7) and the forecourt in front, that housed the wonton noodle stall

In Bad Buddy, the South Technology University library scenes are all indoors:

(top) Pat keeps the Engine gang distracted while Pran hustles the Archi gang back out of the library at Ep.2 [1‌/4] 5.58; (bottom) Pran apologizes to other library users for reacting too loudly to Pat's teasing at Ep.3 [2/4] 3.30 (actually the same location as the one above, just from a different angle)

Matching images of the RSU Library with corroborating details:

(top) This photo from RSU Library's Facebook (linked here) has a lot of matching details – the RFID gate scanners, the ceiling lights, the bookshelves, the shelf labeling, vinyl floor pattern, orange-red ottoman, green exit sign and what looks like a book-scanning station in the bottom right can all be seen at BBS Ep.2 [1‌/4] 5.58; (bottom) this photo on Google Maps by P. Hirancharoennon (dated April 2019, linked here) is actually a match for BBS Ep.3 [2/4] 3.30, just viewed from a different angle – note the same dark red sofas that curve around the columns, chairs in the far background that match what Pat and Pran are sitting on, the ceiling lights, the computers for OPAC (library catalog) reference and the yellow-orange poster of what looks like a clock on the right

‌

This scene of Pat applying ointment to Pran's shoulder at Ep.7 [2/4] 3.05 (re-living the tending to my stricken lover trope and calling back to Ep.4 [3‌/4] 7.07) is one of the few in BBS that actually shows wet weather (remembering that the series was filmed at the height of Thailand's rainy monsoon season, although we don't actually get any scenes of PatPran in the rain):

This scene was filmed at the elevator lobby of Chana City Residence, and may possibly have been one of the scenes originally planned for the rooftop that were rained out on that fateful last night of filming (see the Behind-the-Scenes video จนกว่าจะพบกันใหม่ครับเพื่อน! | แค่เพื่อนครับเพื่อน | BAD BUDDY SERIES linked here):

Anyway, proof of the location can be found in this scene in Oxygen The Series Ep.12 [2/4] 13.57:

The full-height window frames, wall paneling and red fire alarm panel are a match for what we see in Bad Buddy.

Oxygen The Series filmed a lot at Chana City Residence, with the building name prominently displayed in the ground floor lobby scenes (see Oxygen The Series Ep.12 [3‌/4] 5.17 for one example). This confirmed its location, and thus the matching end wall of the elevator lobby also confirms the location for Bad Buddy's scene above at Ep.7 [2/4] 3.05.

‌

Pat and Pran's motorbike ride in Hua Hin was filmed at one of the side roads perpendicular to Khao Tao Beach:

(above) Bad Buddy Ep.11 [2/4] 13.15 – Pat and Pran set off on a motorbike ride toward Uncle Yod's bar

In the distance behind Pat and Pran we can just make out (on the left, half-hidden by a tree) the island of Ko Singto (also called Ko Sai) with its distinctive, leonine silhouette.

The truck ride to and from Chatchai Market (scene beginning at Ep.6 [3‌/4] 0.28) and PatPran's mud-play (scene beginning at Ep.6 [3‌/4] 4.00) were also probably filmed along the same road because we can see the same kind of barbed wire fencing, and Ko Singto also appears at Ep.6 [3‌/4] 4.04.

(top) PatPran in Uncle Tong's yellow Datsun; (bottom) Pran slaps some Hua Hin mud on Pat

(top) Uncle Tong, Pat, Pran and Junior head off to Chatchai Market; (bottom) Ko Singto in the background on their return

The exact side road (more like a dirt path) isn't traversable on Google Street View (and with increasing development of the area it may not be around for much longer anyway). But other Street View captures show similar barbed wire fencing in the general vicinity:

(above) This image from Google Street View showing similar barbed wire fencing dates to January 2017 and can be viewed at location 12°27'50.4"N 99°58'36.0"E

Noting that the road heads toward a hill looming inland (visible at Ep.6 [3‌/4] 0.28), triangulating off the map pinpoints an approximate location:

(top) The approximate location on Google Maps; (bottom) a dirt path viewed from 12°28'28.7"N 99°58'24.9"E, that is a likely candidate for the location (the trees in the distance are a match for what we see flanking the road at Ep.11 [2/4] 13.15)

‌

So PatPran's motorbike ride ended up at Uncle Yod's beach bar (location already identified in this post here – it's the Anchor Bar and Restaurant at Khao Tao Beach). However, the approach road to Uncle Yod's Bar is also visible on Google Street View – the location coordinates are 12°28'03.7"N 99°58'35.1"E, which brings up a match:

(top) Bad Buddy Ep.11 [2/4] 14.09 – Pat and Pran at the entrance to Uncle Yod's bar; (bottom) a screenshot from Google Street View of the approach road to the Anchor Bar and Restaurant

‌

The filming location for the music video to Pat's theme song Secret (sung by Kacha Nontanun) was already identified in this post here (it's the legendary rooftop of Chana City Residence):

‌

The music video for Pran's theme song (Just Friend?) stepped away from Bad Buddy and was a mini-movie unto itself:

The video was filmed in a location that had nothing to do with Bad Buddy the series – the Prince Palace Hotel Mahanak in central Bangkok. Visual proof of this is within the video itself, at timestamp 2.33:

(above) Nanon scribbles "แค่เพื่อนมั้ง?" (meaning "Just a friend?") on the hotel notepad, which bears the name Prince Palace Hotel Mahanak

From the interior details we can tell that the music video for PatPran's theme of togetherness (Our Song) was also filmed at the same hotel:

(top) Music video for Our Song, timestamp 2.11; (bottom) music video for Just Friend?, timestamp 2.07

Although the images above do not show not the same space, there are enough similar details in both (e.g., the armchairs, the green wainscoting with its gold-trimmed wainscot cap and the window framing) for us to conclude that both videos were filmed in the same building – the Prince Palace Hotel Mahanak.

‌

One final location that was referred to in Bad Buddy didn't actually have any scenes filmed there – it's the street in Singapore where Pran's condo was supposed to have been located. The address was identified on a postcard on the Ep.12 memory board (see this link here for more detail):

(above) Pran's postcard to Pat from Singapore, on the Ep.12 memory board

Although the details in Pran's address are mostly fictitious, the street is not. Lorong Limau in Singapore actually exists:

(top) Map location of Lorong Limau; (bottom) a screenshot of the neighbourhood around Lorong Limau

Lorong is the Malay word for street, and Pran's full address in Singapore is Blk 94, Lorong Limau #86‑05, Singapore 320047. Except for Lorong Limau and Singapore however, the address is wholly made-up.

This location is nowhere near the Marina Bay Sands (so Pran really couldn't have seen it from his apartment window). The neighbourhood around Lorong Limau is known as Kallang/Whampoa and it is considerably less flashy than residences bayside (although it is still central and convenient). There is also no Block 94 nearby, nor is the unit number #86-05 a real one, because the 86 refers to the floor level and there are no buildings with as many floors in Singapore at time of writing.

OK, so maybe Pran stayed here for a spell and then moved to within sight of the Marina Bay Sands sometime later? Not completely far-fetched, because we know that by the time of his Ep.12 break in Bangkok he had been working on a new tower for Marina Bay (and it would have had to have been a pretty prestigious project to be sited in that locale, meaning that Pran could well have afforded swankier digs if his career was on the up and up):

‌

And this is probably just a coincidence, but guess what's happening with the Marina Bay Sands? 🤣

Planning approval has been given and construction is expected to commence some time in 2025.‌ Yay Pran! 🤣

‌

Anyway, these are all the locations that I have for now. I've not been able to track down every location in Bad Buddy, nor am I going to try. For example, I'm not going to stress out over unidentified interior spaces like Ajahn Pichai's office in Ep.1 and Ep.3, and InkPa's dark room in Ep.10:

(top) Ajahn Pichai's office at Ep.1 [4/4] 6.19; (bottom) InkPa's dark room confession at Ep.10 [3‌/4] 17.05

These were likely filmed within the same buildings that represented their series counterparts anyway, so Ajahn Pichai's office is likely at RSU's College of Engineering, and the dark room in RSU's Digital Multimedia Complex (Building 15).

Likewise, I'm not able to say exactly where on campus the 112 Chemical Store is (where Bad Buddy made a potent political statement) as there is no Google Street View down that back alley.

But because of this TikTok video by TikToker @‌markydoge, I know it has to be somewhere in the environs of the RSU College of Engineering. 🤩

It's probably near the white tiger mural and workshops, because the air-conditioning condensers and buttressed walls that we see just before Pat pulls Pran into that alleyway are similar to those that we see when the Engine boys chase down Wai at the beginning of Ep.1 – and because the roofline of the Engine workshops can be seen behind Korn and Chang in their pursuit of Wai at Ep.1 [1‌/4] 0.51, the location is also anchored on the map. 👍‌

‌

HOWEVER, there is still one fairly important location that remains unidentified and that continues to frustrate me – and it's Pat and Pran's family hardware stores.

(above) Ming and Chai watch Pran's dad set up store right next to the Jindapats' one at BBS Ep.1 [1‌/4] 4.54

I've searched far and wide but just cannot find the location, and it's all the more frustrating because there are so many clues:

The store belonging to Pat’s family looks like it is actually a construction material shop; the shelves and the items all around have been there for some time, and not likely to have been put together just for Bad Buddy.

The store belonging to Pran’s family looks like a covered vehicular park or outdoor storage, masquerading as a shop though.

The general location of the shops is likely to be not in Rangsit (where a lot of other filming happened), but rather somewhere closer to central Bangkok (though not right in the city center either). This is because the planting on the road divider outside is very well-manicured (which is more a feature of central Bangkok), and the lamp-post has markings similar to those on central Bangkok lamp-posts. But there aren’t any tall buildings visible, so it’s not likely to be in the absolute city center either, where skyscrapers are everywhere blocking the sky.

I've been scouring maps of Bangkok and trawling Google Street View, but have not been able to find a matching location. If anybody out there has any leads, please do let me know! 😍

And that's a wrap for BBS locations! For now, at least (unless I can find the above – I won't stop trying). 😍 In the meantime, if any Bad Buddy fans have questions about BBS locations that you think I might be able to help with, do send me an Ask or message and I'll be more than happy to share my two bahts' worth! 💖

‌

[P.S. – here are the links to all the filming location posts:

Part 1 – The legendary rooftop, PatPran’s student apartments, their high school, the white arches behind the Engineering Canteen, the Zero Waste Village and various seaside scenes, their honeymoon suite, the hospital where Pat was treated for his gunshot graze, and the high school reunion.

Part 2 – Pat and Pran’s family homes, the Flagpole Bar, the car park fight location, and the Jae Si Curry House.

Part 3 – Various locations at and around the rugby field, including Pat’s photoshoot with Ink, the rugby bleachers, the iced milk tea (and green tea wave) picnic table, InkPa’s photography picnic, the old bus stop and the new bus stop. Also Khun Noppharnach’s pharmacy.

Part 4 – Pat’s Engineering Faculty (in and around Rangsit University’s College of Engineering).

Part 5 – Pran’s Architecture Faculty (Rangsity University’s School of Architecture).

Part 6 – Various F&B and commercial locations (eateries, shops, malls and a market).

Part 7 – Pat’s post-graduation apartment and Pran’s residence in Singapore.

Part 8 – Various campus locations filmed within Rangsit University’s Digital Multimedia Complex, including the auditorium and the Freshy Day Song Contest.

Part 9 – The LogTech Building and Pran’s architectural office in Singapore.

Part 10 – Locations for the Our Skyy 2 x Bad Buddy special episodes.

Part 11 – The apartment for rent that Pran went to view in Ep.2, the elevator scene with Pat just after the viewing, and Wai’s apartment.

Part 12 – PatPran’s elementary and high schools, as well as the location of Pa’s near-drowning.

Part 13 – Random locations (Pran searching for his lost earphones, the covered car park where Wai spied on Pat serenading Pran with Nanon's Love Score, the airport car park, the SouthTech U Library, PatPran's rainy day ointment interlude, their motorbike and truck rides in Hua Hin, the approach road to Uncle Yod's bar, the filming location for the music videos Just Friend? and Our Song, and Pran's street address in Singapore).

Will update this list if I can track down the hardware stores! 🤣]

‌

[thecreaturecodex]

Jade Seven

“Monster Girl Challenge 26 - Favorite Monster Girl” © deviantArt user “justsantiago”. Accessed at his gallery here

[Last week, I got high enough that I spontaneously developed an OC. Appearance, personality, how to represent her in PFRPG, everything. So here she is. This was another one where finding good art was difficult. This image is pretty solid, but is a place holder--I like this character enough that I’m probably going to commission at least one artist to draw her. The challenge was not in finding snake-bodied gorgon archers (that’s how Harryhausen interpreted Medusa, after all). But in finding one wearing clothing in general and more than a boob sling in particular.]

Jade Seven CR 17 N Monstrous Humanoid This woman has the lower body of an immense snake, and snakes grow from her scalp instead of hair. She wears leather armor and dark glasses, and carries a bow.

Jade Seven is a bibliomaniacal medusa. She collects rare books of all kinds and keeps a massive library. She is willing to allow others to consult her books, but only under strict supervision and on the premises. Anyone who tries to steal or damage one of her books is unlikely to escape with their life. Jade Seven leaves her library to delve into ruins and dungeons in search of lost or exotic tomes, as well as to collect magical scrolls. Occasionally she enters civilization to consult other libraries or comb through bookseller’s wares, typically using a magical disguise to avoid attracting attention.

Jade Seven is not evil, but she is pragmatic. If she feels that combat is the best way to obtain what she wants, she engages. Jade wears tinted lenses that help her follow tracks and find traps…and block the effect of her petrifying gaze. Removing them is usually her first resort in combat. Creatures that succumb to her gaze are transformed into a greenish stone reminiscent of jade. Anyone who is not petrified is peppered with arrows. Jade Seven mixes ranged combat with spells that improve her fighting prowess. She collects scrolls, wands and other disposable magic items, and does not hesitate to use them. Jade Seven has suffered the consequences of arrogance and carelessness, and would rather negotiate or flee than fight to the death. 

Jade Seven may serve as either an ally or a foil to the characters. She may be hired to translate, decipher or interpret a text, or as a dungeoneer to assist in finding and disabling traps. She values money, but values books more (magical or mundane), and rarely takes on any jobs that don’t offer her access to her special interest. On the other hand, she may compete for a book that the PCs need or be working in a mercenary capacity for the PCs’ enemies. Although she considers any book at least theoretically worth her attention, she is most interested in pursuing magical manuals and tomes that grant inherent bonuses to ability scores. One of these would be the ultimate bribe to secure her allegiance.  

Although Jade is somewhat coy as to the origins of her sobriquet “Seven”, the truth is straightforward. Jade Seven is the seventh iteration of the medusa librarian. One of her earliest valuable discoveries was a brace of spell scrolls of the clone spell. The previous six Jades have died, some slain by rivals, others due to poor luck or judgement in dungeon delving. Jade has only one clone left, currently preserved with unguents of timelessness. Replacing this clone, and ensuring that the Jade lineage can continue indefinitely, is one of her primary goals.

Jade Seven         CR 17 XP 102,400 Variant medusa bard 13 (archaeologist) N Large monstrous humanoid Init +8; Senses all-around vision, darkvision 60 ft., Perception +29, scent Defense AC 26, touch 15, flat-footed 26 (-1 size, +4 Dex, +1 dodge, +6 natural, +5 armor, +1 deflection) hp 274 (8d10+13d8+168) Fort +15, Ref +19, Will +16; trap sense +4 Immune petrifaction, poison Defensive Abilities evasion, fortification (25%), slippery mind, uncanny dodge Offense Speed 20 ft., climb 20 ft., swim 20 ft. Melee +1 longsword +18/+13/+8/+3 (1d8+2/19-20), snakebite +12 (1d4 plus poison), tail slap +12 (1d8) or snakebite +17 (1d4+1 plus poison), tail slap +12 (1d8) Ranged +2 adaptive composite longbow +24/+19/+14/+9 or +22/+22/+17/+12/+7 (1d8+3/x3) Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft. Special Attacks archaeologist’s luck (10 rounds/day, +3), gaze Spells CL 13th, concentration +19 5th (2/day)—greater dispel magic, greater heroism 4th (4/day)—break enchantment, cure critical wounds (DC 20), hold monster (DC 20), legend lore 3rd (5/day)—clairaudience/clairvoyance, dispel magic, haste, hypercognition, see invisibility 2nd (7/day)—alter self, heroism, mirror image, psychic reading, tongues 1st (7/day)—abundant ammunition, cure light wounds (DC 17), expeditious retreat, identify, lock gaze (DC 17) 0th—detect magic, light, message, mending, prestidigitation, read magic Statistics Str 12, Dex 19, Con 26, Int 18, Wis 12, Cha 22 Base Atk +17; CMB +19; CMD 32 (cannot be tripped) Feats Ability Focus (gaze), Deadly Aim, Dodge, Improved Initiative, Improved Sidestep, Magical Aptitude, Mobility, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Sidestep Skills Acrobatics +25, Appraise +17, Bluff +18, Climb +13, Diplomacy +18, Disable Device +27, Disguise +18, Escape Artist +21, Knowledge (arcana, dungeoneering, history, local) +23, Intimidate +18, Linguistics +16, Perception +29, Sense Motive +13, Spellcraft +21, Stealth +13, Survival +13 (+18 following tracks), Swim +13, Use Magic Device +23; Racial Modifiers +4 Perception Languages Abyssal, Aklo, Celestial, Common, Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, Infernal, Sylvan, Undercommon, 4 others SQ bardic knowledge (+6), clever explorer (+6), jack of all trades, lore master (2/day), rogue talents (guileful polyglot, slippery mind, trap spotter), serpentine, undersized weapons Gear +2 adaptive composite longbow, +1 longsword, +2 light fortification studded leather armor, belt of physical might +2 (Dex, Con), headband of mental superiority +2 (Acrobatics), efficient quiver, bag of holding (type I), ring of protection +1, lesser rod of extend spell, vest of escape, cloak of resistance +1, lenses of detection, wand of pass without trace (50 charges), wand of comprehend languages (50 charges), potion of fly, potion of bull’s strength (x2), unguent of timelessness (x2), scroll of teleport, scroll of greater invisibility, scroll of restoration (x2), scroll of arcane sight (x2), scroll of align weapon (x2), 10 adamantine arrows, 20 silver arrows, 20 cold iron arrows, masterwork thieves tools, 40 arrows, holy water (x2), 76 gp Special Abilities Gaze (Su) Turn to stone permanently, 30 feet, Fortitude DC 22 negates. The save DC is Charisma-based. Poison (Ex) Bite—injury; save Fort DC 22; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1d3 Str; cure 2 consecutive saves. The save DC is Constitution-based. Serpentine (Ex) Jade Seven is a variant medusa with a snake-like lower body. A serpentine medusa is a Large creature with the undersized weapons SQ. She gains a +2 bonus on Strength and Constitution, a -2 penalty to Dexterity, and a +3 natural armor bonus. Her move speed is reduced to 20 feet, but she gains a climb speed and swim speed equal to her land speed. She gains a tail slap attack as a secondary natural weapon that deals damage as normal for a creature of her size. Serpentine medusas are immune to petrifaction and poison, and gain scent as a sense. These advantages grant a serpentine medusa a +1 to her CR.

[gstdaisuki]

Part 2: A Discovery with Paul Hutchinson

In the middle of asking some questions via email, Paul discovered the source files for several modules that we had both assumed were lost. This was quite an exciting moment, so I wanted to share it separately.

the previous interview was formatted to remove the interleaved blocks of quoted text. this is presented in a more raw format, as I think that shows the discovery process better.

from anosci, Mar 11, 2024, 7:01PM

I had some more music questions.

The first two X-Men games had 33 and 45 RPM options for all of the music. Do you remember how that made it into the game? Because after hearing your tales of pirate radio and record shop digging, I feel pretty confident that this speed-select design was your idea!

Also, you previously shared the Amiga modules from X-Men 3, before the conversion to Game Gear data. I believe that X-Men 3 was your final Game Gear game. Was the "Amiga -> MIDI data" technique a new process, or did you do that for every preceding Game Gear game?

from Paul Hutchinson, Mar 11, 2024, 8:51PM

Yes, the 33/45 rpm option was my idea. :) Ed liked it. He keeps saying we should do a game together again, "before we die". And he said it should have a retro flavour, and have weird dance music in it. Maybe one day we will do that, I am up for it. (I am considering doing a Pico-8 title at some point here.)

Hmm. I don't think X-Men 3 was the only Amiga to MIDI data music I did. However, I don't remember when the cross-over was. I would have to go back and check over everything. I'll have a quick look and let you know if I actually find out, eh.

from Paul Hutchinson, Mar 11, 2024, 9:12PM

Ok, so I checked the ASM files. X-Men 1-3 all have music derived from Amiga MOD files. There is text denoting the MOD title, and names of the samples which were used in the MOD. If you are interested in more on that I can dig a bit more, and get you those names. They are samples from records I had at the time (Art Of Noise, Linx, etc.). Obviously, the Game Gear instruments were not the same sound.

from anosci, Mar 11, 2024, 10:12PM

I'm curious, at least! I'd love to hear the original MODs but I assume you were only able to find X-Men 3

from Paul Hutchinson, Mar 12, 2024, 9:04AM

Music! …

Ok, this is getting interesting. I see "babybeat" in the list of MODs used in X-Men 1. I found a playlist on YT with 10 tracks. In the menu of the game there are 8 tracks to preview. Track 10 on the playlist is 08 on the menu. Given the heartbeat type sound I hear, that is the most likely candidate for "babybeat". Obviously, since there are 10 tracks in the playlist, and there are 10 references to MOD in the code, all of the tunes in the code were used in the game. Now I am not certain about the connection of this particular tune to "Midnight (Live)" by Orbital. It could be that it is another track that I posted, because I posted quite a few. Hmm. It's what my memory says, but I could be wrong? In any case, it means that "babybeat" as a MOD was transferred from Amiga to PC. There is a chance I have it on the CD from 1999. I just need to find that, again. The MODs do sound quite different from the GG tunes, because it is samples vs sound-chip noises. I just tried to make something that sounded good enough when converted to GG format. There are no samples, for one thing, and the tempo is different. I had made some tunes on my Amiga, and then decided to present them as potential tracks for X-Men 1, and they were accepted (for subsequent X-Men titles I made tracks specifically, as denoted by the titles of the MODs). Normally, Sega would have a musician compose tracks for a game (in MIDI).

In-browser play of X-Men https://archive.org/details/gg_X-Men_1993_Sega Key 1 to start, arrow keys to navigate, and left-CTRL to play tune

Silence = 00

X-Men playlist, 10 tracks, (at 45 RPM?) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUmRxFtMhfI&list=PLw5ZGhvK7sSLqfx4HdldmkLPdFpM3pqFY Track 1 = 01 Track 4 = 02 Track 6 = 03 Track 5 = 04 Track 7 = 05 Track 3 = 06 Track 2 = 07 Track 10 = 08

So, Track 8 and Track 9 (in the playlist) are not playable via the GG menu. Hmm. Title Screen and Ending Theme. Maybe we left off the Ending Theme because it was supposed to be a reward for finishing? Unless you just get it anyway, at Game Over (I do not recall). The Title Screen theme is just there. Oh, well.

In X-Men 1 … ;MOD Title is: renaissancegg Samples = adamski2.raw ;chahihat.raw ;ahh.raw ;drum7 ;19hat ;tr909snare ;bassdeep.raw ;minor4 ;MOD Title is: babybeat Samples = shaker ;animate-bass ;aon-bongo1.raw ;GGbdrum.raw ;AoN-drm3.raw ;moog2 ;drumwack.raw ;SoSbass1.raw ;SoSstring2.raw ;SRdrm2.raw ;CHAhihat.raw ;MOD Title is: outgg Samples = drum7 ;BHbass1.raw ;BHbass2.raw ;cymbal-crash ;chahihat.raw ;crash.raw ;jb-hhmed.raw ;hypnobass.raw ;BHacid1.raw ;BHacid2.raw ;BHacid3.raw ;out_there.raw ;MOD Title is: itchgg Samples = linxvox.raw ;AoN-perc1.raw ;AoN-drm5.raw ;AoN-drm3.raw ;dancer-vox.raw ;dancer-synth1.raw ;scratch.raw ;KRAYScratch.raw ;cymbalong.raw ;hihat1 ;organ.raw ;drumanvil.raw ;MOD Title is: fishgg Samples = Freq5.raw ;crash.raw ;DT4AAdrum2.raw ;DT4AAdrum.raw ;Freq1.raw ;SBpiano2.raw ;cymbalong.raw ;model500-cymop.raw ;futuresnare2 ;wavehi.raw ;N-JOImindflux.raw ;MOD Title is: trouzgg Samples = DT4AAdrum.raw ;hihat1 ;DT4AAbass2.raw ;2U-4.raw ;hihatop1 ;DT4AA6.raw ;zoo7.raw ;where'smytrousers.raw ;zoo8.raw ;ere.raw ;yaseenem.raw ;theretheyare.raw ;MOD Title is: joygg Samples = N-JOImf1.raw ;N-JOI-5.raw ;N-JOIph1.raw ;N-JOI-2.raw ;JBdrum2.raw ;N-JOIrz1.raw ;N-JOIrz2.raw ;N-JOIrz3.raw ;jb-hhmed.raw ;MOD Title is: ramgg Samples = N-JOIph1.raw ;aon-drm5.raw ;model500-cymop.raw ;model500-cymcl.raw ;model500-clap.raw ;drumwack.raw ;2U-6.raw ;hold ;hold (offset tone) ;MOD Title is: turbogg Samples = beep1.raw ;beep2.raw ;beep3.raw ;beep4.raw ;gunshot ;2U-3.raw ;chahihat3.raw ;spliffclap2 ;snare ;stick.raw ;zoo1.raw ;2U-2.raw ;DT4AA6.raw ;MOD Title is: xravegg Samples = EBputv.raw ;JBhitme.raw ;shamen-guitar1.raw ;shamen-guitar2.raw ;SoSbass2.raw ;s&pcots.raw ;mtxpling.raw ;orch.hit ;bassdrum16 ;bassdrum7 ;breaksnareclap ;closehihat ;cymbal-crash ;tap.raw

Naming of samples … Adamski, CHA = Crown Heights Affair, AoN = Art Of Noise, BH = Bassheads, JB = James Brown, Linx (David Grant), KRAYScratch is a sample from "The Krays" film ("Stop all that scratchin', you're making me bloody itch!", "Where's my trousers?" is another sample from same, I think), N-Joi, Model 500, Shamen, SoS = S.O.S. Band, zoo = "Zoo Rave" compilation CD, 2U = 2Unlimited, DT4AA = "Don't Techno For An Answer" compilation CD

Bassheads - Is There Anybody Out There Adamski - NRG Model 500 - Sound Of Stereo

In X-Men 2 … ;MOD Title is: level1b Samples = akaiclosedhh ;bassdrum ;snare1 ;hihat-2ud2 ;808synth.raw ;amaski1.raw ;N-JOIph1.raw ;MOD Title is: level1 Samples = akaiclosedhh ;bassdrum7 ;snare1 ;hihat-2ud2 ;aon-vox6.raw ;amaski1.raw ;N-JOIph1.raw ;MOD Title is: level2 Samples = akaiclosedhh ;bassdrum7 ;snare1 ;hihat-2ud2 ;808synth.raw ;amaski1.raw ;N-JOIph1.raw ;BHacid1.raw ;MOD Title is: level3 Samples = akaiclosedhh ;bassdrum7 ;snare1 ;hihat-2ud2 ;808synth.raw ;amaski1.raw ;N-JOIph1.raw ;BHacid1.raw ;MOD Title is: level4 Samples = akaiclosedhh ;bassdrum ;snare1 ;hihat-2ud2 ;808synth.raw ;amaski1.raw ;N-JOIph1.raw ;BHacid1.raw ;MOD Title is: level5 Samples = akaiclosedhh ;bassdrum7 ;snare1 ;hihat-2ud2 ;808synth.raw ;amaski1.raw ;N-JOIph1.raw ;BHacid1.raw ;MOD Title is: level6 Samples = akaiclosedhh ;bassdrum7 ;snare1 ;hihat-2ud2 ;808synth.raw ;amaski1.raw ;N-JOIph1.raw ;BHacid1.raw ;MOD Title is: level7 Samples = akaiclosedhh ;bassdrum7 ;snare1 ;hihat-2ud2 ;808synth.raw ;amaski1.raw ;N-JOIph1.raw ;BHacid1.raw ;MOD Title is: level8 Samples = akaiclosedhh ;bassdrum7 ;snare1 ;hihat-2ud2 ;808synth.raw ;amaski1.raw ;N-JOIph1.raw ;BHacid1.raw ;MOD Title is: level9 Samples = akaiclosedhh ;bassdrum7 ;snare1 ;hihat-2ud2 ;808synth.raw ;amaski1.raw ;N-JOIph1.raw ;BHacid1.raw ;MOD Title is: level10 Samples = bassdrum28 ;animate-bass ;koto ;closedhi ;hihat-2ud2 ;snare25

In X-Men 3 … ;MOD Title is: x3l1 Samples = akaiclosedhh ;bassdrum7 ;snare1 ;hihat-2ud2 ;BHbass2.raw ;amaski1.raw ;eurostring.raw ;MOD Title is: x3l2 Samples = akaiclosedhh ;bassdrum7 ;snare1 ;hihat-2ud2 ;BHbass2.raw ;amaski1.raw ;eurostring.raw ;MOD Title is: x3l3 Samples = 909.ophi ;hip.snare ;breakdrum ;cymbal1 ;polysynth ;strings6 ;tubestring ;tricky.raw ;MOD Title is: x3l4 Samples = 909.ophi ;hip.snare ;breakdrum ;cymbal1 ;shamen-keys.raw ;tttt-bass1.raw ;goodpling ;inner ;funbass ;MOD Title is: x3l5 Samples = 909.ophi ;hip.snare ;breakdrum ;cymbal1 ;animate-bass ;sequencer ;pizza2 ;N-JOIph1.raw ;tricky.raw ;MOD Title is: x3l6 Samples = 909.ophi ;hip.snare ;breakdrum ;cymbal1 ;bassguitar.funk ;digdug ;exbells ;reflex ;MOD Title is: x3l7 Samples = 909.ophi ;hip.snare ;breakdrum ;cymbal1 ;polysynth ;strings6 ;bell11 ;digdug ;growl2 ;MOD Title is: x3l8 Samples = 909.ophi ;drum7 ;comadrum ;cymbal1 ;comasynth1 ;comasynth2 ;ex800bass ;hitbass ;MOD Title is: x3l9 Samples = 909.ophi ;hip.snare ;breakdrum ;cymbal1 ;dang ;dbassic.raw ;dbassic2.raw ;d-50.res1 ;d-50.res2 ;d-50.res3 ;d-50.res4 ;d-50.res5 ;junob3 ;sequencer ;synth1 ;MOD Title is: x3l10 Samples = 909.ophi ;hip.snare ;breakdrum ;cymbal1 ;koto07 ;bass37 ;Sample10_04 ;perco ;hitbass ;licks ;MOD Title is: x3l11 Samples = hip.snare ;breakdrum ;cymbal1 ;strings3majfl ;sinecz ;shamus ;pling ;tinewave ;synbrass

Probably more info than was necessary, eh. But I learned something! :D

from anosci, Mar 12, 2024, 4:57PM

this is interesting!

First of all, it's rare that game music has titles! They're not quite matched up with the order of the songs in the sound test, but that's still neat to know.

plus it confirms my interpretation that these were rave / dance inspired tunes!

I could believe that 08 in the sound test menu is "babybeat". It has a pretty soft melody, befitting of the title and theme, I think.

This also paints an interesting picture. Tell me if this lines up with your memories:

You had to write the music for Spiderman vs The Kingpin, so you hunkered down and used whatever tools you had.

Then when you learned you had to do the music for X-Men as well, you wanted something easier to work with, 

so you proposed converting the MODs you'd already written.

...and then you stuck with that process for the next two games

>  Unless you just get it anyway, at Game Over (I do not recall).

I checked, and you get the the (presumed?) "babybeat" track at Game Over

from Paul Hutchinson, Mar 12, 2024, 8:41PM

Yes, that's about it, as best as I can remember. I got pretty used to ProTracker.

Yes, at Game Over.

I listened to both tracks to try and compare. It's difficult, because the tempo is very different, the waveforms are very different, and the instruments are totally different. I really need to find that disc, because if I can hear my original MOD it will help clarify if my memory is correct.

from anosci, Mar 13, 2024, 12:31PM

I suppose the obvious follow-up question would be: do you remember how you wrote the tunes for Spiderman vs. The Kingpin?

from Paul Hutchinson, Mar 13, 2024, 3:07PM

Joergen Bech wrote the sound subroutines, we worked together at Inner Prise (I think he is Swedish). I am pretty sure that the music was just composed using those subroutines. As in, just typing it all up, into the assembler file. It was a bit laborious to say the least. There are no other tools to write the music. I looked at the code, and there is no mention of anything other than the code itself. Less than ideal, eh. But then, I am the type of programmer that will convert a C64 loading screen to an Amstrad loading screen, by typing in all the numbers defining each pixel (and getting it right). I did that for Druid (or Druid II, I forget which). Just brute forced it. I got Firebird to provide a print out of all the numbers for the C64 screen, and I converted them myself, and typed in the Amstrad equivalent. I think I got 250 quid for that, it was not fun, but maybe worth the cash, eh.

For Chakan, there was a composer who provided MIDI files. I wrote a conversion program to convert the MIDI into the format that the sound subroutines could use. Much easier, and I did not have to come up with the music myself.

Then for X-Men I added a MOD to MIDI converter, I think. Then ran that through the MIDI to sound subroutine format.

I am looking through the code some more ...

Breaking news ... I just found a bunch of MOD files inside the Sega > TC > Prog folder. OMG! Stand by for those ... (BabyBeat!)

from anosci, Mar 13, 2024, 6:17PM

Typing music straight into an ASM file was shockingly common back then, so I believe it.

> I just found a bunch of MOD files inside the Sega > TC > Prog folder.

!!!!

excitedly but patiently waiting to hear these!

from Paul Hutchinson, Mar 13, 2024, 7:43PM

Hallelujah! :D

Okay, we have the original pre-conversion MOD files for X-Men 1 & 2. They are not the original MOD files. These have been modified to fit the conversion process, in order to get a decent sounding composition on the Game Gear. I have removed some samples from being played, even though they are probably still included in the sample set. I have substituted some samples for others, in order to get a better result. However, you do get a decent idea of how it all worked. This might be as close as we can get, but I will keep looking, eh. I also included some MODs that were in the same folder, but are not mine. A couple from the "Jesus On E's" Amiga demo, as well as the "Coma" demo. Figured you might find them interesting too. I might have borrowed samples from those MODs to make my own.

I have to say I was quite emotional when I saw those MODs in the Turbo-C++ folder. Never expected them to be there this whole time. Hearing "Babybeat" again after all these years. Man. Thanks for getting me to look into all this, I would not have known they were there otherwise. Cheers! :)

3 attachments:

Xmen-Extras.7z

Xmen2MODs.7z

XmenMODs.7z

from anosci, Mar 13, 2024, 9:52PM

I cross-referenced the songs with the titles as they appear in smspower.com (here and here)

X-Men baby    -> Mandripoor fishgg  -> Brood Cave itchgg  -> The Savage Land joygg   -> Boss outgg   -> Morlock Tunnel ramgg   -> Game Over renaiss -> The Hellfire Club trouzgg -> Avalon turbogg -> Ending xravegg -> Title

X-Men 2 level1 -> Arctic level1b-> The Danger Room level2 -> The Hellfire Club level3 -> Genosha level4 -> Avalon level5 -> Egyptian Base Part 1 level6 -> Egyptian Base Part 2 level7 -> Stryfe's Moon Base level8 -> Boss level9 -> Ending level10-> Title

critically speaking, I think most of these start with a solid idea that then gets a bit buried. but it's an amazing piece of context. a lot of the rave timbre was lost in the gamegear conversion. it's amazing to hear it put back, so to speak!

I can see why you fondly remembered babybeat. I think that might be your strongest tune here. that and "OUTGG" (or at least, those two are my favorites)

I love seeing that you got something cool out of my barrage of questions and curiosity, too :)

digging around some more... "JOYGG" is an odd one: the pitch bends didn't transfer to the Game Gear. though I'm not sure my own playback is accurate... there's a lot of out-of-key samples that sound fine after the Game Gear conversion. Strange.

comparing babybeat to orbital's "Midnight (Live)"... the two have a similar push-pull rhythm rhythm in the bass, but I wouldn't call them the same. 

though I could easily imagine the similarities causing a fan of one song to raise their eyebrow at the other. 

from Paul Hutchinson, Mar 14, 2024, 8:26AM

Cool.

Yeah, the "missing link" MODs do not sound as good as either the originals, or the final GG version.

Oh, and I actually wrote a Pro-Tracker to GG format conversion program (DOS), no in-between conversion. I think there was, at some point, a dual set up, but I decided to make it simpler. The dual set up would have been a legacy from when I had to write a MIDI to GG format, for Chakan. I only have the final set of tools in my Turbo-C++ directory, none of the tools I used previously.

I agree with your assessment of the tune similarity. I think at some point I got it into my head they were more similar, and then that just became what I remembered. I am getting older too, so that is a factor. I am only human after all.

from anosci, Mar 14, 2024, 7:02PM

Never let the truth get in the way of a good story, right? ;)

from Paul Hutchinson, Mar 14, 2024, 8:39PM

Well, I am kind of big on telling the truth, tbh. I do acknowledge that I can (and do) get things wrong though. I remember when I was a kid, I swore that the words on a TV advert were "It's full of peppery goodness", when in fact, it was "It's full of Cadbury goodness" (the ad was for Cadbury's Finger of Fudge). I really believed that was what it said, and it did not matter what everyone else said it was. I was honest about my position, I was just completely and totally wrong. :D

[ticket-for-four]

Ticket for Four - Chapter 3: ▽ Far from Home Station

Summary:  Emmet, stranded on an unfamiliar island, tries to figure out how to get help.

Read on AO3 here.

[Day 1]  

I am Emmet. I am a Subway Boss. I use this notebook to plan strategies for battles; however, I find myself in a strange situation and wish to document it. I am verrrrry lost. Ingo and I were pulled into an odd space while returning home. We have been decoupled. I do not know where he is. I do not know where I am. I was put on a beach I do not recognize. I believe I am on an island, judging by the sight of other large islands nearby. I departed from the beach into the nearby forest carefully; I hoped to find Ingo, a town, or people who could steer me on the right tracks. After several hours of walking, I have not found anyone. It will be dark soon, and it would not be wise to keep wandering. I can hear many wild pokemon in the area, and my partners should be residing back at our home station. I am only accompanied by five newly hatched Joltik. They were passengers on my person when we were thrown off our tracks. They are not ready for battle yet, so I have continued to keep them safe in my coat. 

I have made a temporary camp and built a fire in a cave within a short distance of the beach. I will have to continue my search in the morning. There are many concerns I have. I worry for Ingo's safety; I am not even sure if he could have arrived on this island with me. There is also no obvious reason why we have become so derailed. Our partners are likely to be worried about our sudden departure. The staff at Gear Station are likely searching the entire rail line for us, unaware of our situation. It troubles me to rest my engines with these concerns, but it would be unwise to ignore my maintenance. Wherever my brother may be right now, I hope he is well. I hope to find more answers in the morning. 

[Day 2] 

I am Emmet. I have yet to find anyone on this island. Judging by the position of the sun, it is well past noon. This is not a large island; I estimate it took roughly an hour and a half to walk the entire perimeter of the shore. I believe this island is deserted. However! My investigation of the shore allowed me to get a better look at one of the nearby, larger-looking islands. The distance made it difficult to identify, but I am almost certain I saw a set of docks stationed there. That will be my destination! Yup! The challenge here is how to get there. The distance is much too far to swim, even if I could do so. I'm also sure the Joltik would not appreciate getting waterlogged. I believe my best chance would be to make a raft from the trees here. I do not have the tools or pokemon equip for constructing a raft. But that will not derail me! I am Emmet. I like winning more than anything else, and I will not be defeated by this island! For now, I must keep my engines running. Luckily, there seems to be a plentiful amount of berries on the island, so I should not have to worry about fueling up too much. I hope that Ingo is eating well, wherever he may be right now. 

[Day 6] 

I am Emmet. I have managed to gather many different rocks, twigs, and vines to create some form of makeshift tool. It will take some time to get them working, but I am nothing if not persistent! The Joltik have also brought washed-up seashells and seaweed to the supply pile. While I am not sure what use I can find for them, the effort is appreciated. They have also taken to gathering berries from trees on the shore, staying within my sight while I work to make tools. It is reassuring to see them working alongside me, knowing that I am not absolutely alone here. I hope that wherever Ingo may be, there are others that he can rely on. Even if he is alone, my brother is verrrrry strong and capable. I am sure that he is well, so I will work just as hard as he always does! Full speed ahead! 

[Day 10] 

I am Emmet. I have made a verrrrry interesting discovery! The cave I have been residing in has more to it than I initially thought. I have found that behind a large, loose stone in the back, there was some sort of shrine hidden away! The shrine is built out of stones and planks of wood painted in what I assume to be Sitrus Berry paint, given the smell. The shrine appears to be well-maintained, so that must mean someone must come to this station at regular intervals! They must possibly hail from the island where I spotted the docks. This is good news! Yup! Someone may appear here again soon, but that will not stop me on my current tracks. I will keep chugging ahead on the raft until its completion or the arrival of another conductor. 

[Day 17] 

I am Emmet. There has been a setback in the construction of the raft. Last night, a strong storm passed through the island. The raft was left to the elements, and there was not much of it left once I happened upon it this morning. While disheartening, I will not give up! I must work even harder to make this next raft even more sturdy! When not working on the raft, I've taken to watching the sea and surrounding islands. I have managed to catch sight of a ship on the horizon, going between two of the larger islands every few days. It is difficult to judge its details from the distance, but there is no doubt it must be a decent size if I am able to spot it from so far away. I wonder if the ship is a passenger vessel or perhaps meant for trade goods. I'm sure that question will be answered once I arrive there. 

[Day 22] 

I am Emmet. I feel verrrrry sick today. I think the all-berry diet is finally catching up to my body; my stomach has been churning all morning. It is difficult to move without feeling nauseous. I miss real food. I miss sleeping in a bed. I miss Gear Station. I miss battling. I miss my partners and my brother. It pains me to lay here and wait for the sickness to pass when I could be working to complete the raft. I have made much more progress, and it should be completed soon. I will be able to find help and return home soon. Return home with Ingo. Everything will be okay. I must keep my car running; I will not derail. I will rest for now and keep going when I am able. 

[Day 23] 

I am Emmet. The Joltik have been growing much stronger than I had thought. I was surprised to find them scuttling back to the cave with a small group of Luvdisc and Wishiwashi they hunted themselves to present to me. While I was not thrilled about the idea, I was able to roast them over the campfire and have something solid to eat together. I feel much better than yesterday, I can keep going. Still, I'm quite shocked at the Joltik having become so capable on their own. I am verrrrry proud of them. The deeper parts of the forest here appear to have much sturdier trees and denser foliage, much better materials than what I have gathered from the surrounding area. Working together with the Joltik, we may have much better chances of building a well-oiled raft! I worried before about gathering materials further into the forest, given that the greater density of wild pokemon would likely be unavoidable compared to the outskirts. I have done well to avoid them thus far, but now that is no longer a pressing concern. Tomorrow we will venture out for better materials and have the raft finished in no time. Aim for victory. All aboard!  

---

Much like Emmet suspected, the density of the forest increased as he made his way through thick clumps of bushes. Rougher patches of grass tugged at the fraying edges of his coat, even in spite of his careful movements through the overgrowth. He kept a careful eye on his surroundings, stopping to listen for any unexpected rustling and then continuing on his way once the coast was clear. After only a few minutes of traversing the tall grass, Emmet had made his way into a large clearing. A sweeping look over the area told him the area was empty, and his tense posture loosened slightly. 

His attention turned to the trees, which were bulky and certainly much sturdier than the tall and thin palms along the beach. He knelt before one of the closer trees, extending his arm and lowering his hand to the ground. "We have arrived at our destination! Passengers, please mind the gap!", he gently beamed at the Joltik exiting his sleeve in a row. They huddled together with a chorus of cheerful chirping, then turned to their conductor expectantly. He rocked back on his heels, standing back up to his full height. He struck his confident pose, pointing toward the tree. "Now, together everyone, use Cross Poison!" 

In unison, the five Joltik leapt up and slashed at the tree with their front arms. Combined, they left a fairly deep gash in the bark. Emmet gave a determined huff, giving the hearty command, "Again!" Once more, they slashed into the wood at the same spot, spreading the cut further toward the center. Another few rounds of attacks left the massive trunk teetering on a mere hinge by itself. Emmet gave a proud nod before beckoning his little workers towards him, "Well done! This should be enough. Now, please stand behind the yellow line!" He lowered himself once more to let the Joltik march back up into his sleeve cuff. Five steps forward, and he was able to place an ungloved hand on the tree, feeling the log lean slightly at his touch. "One good push should be enough." He let his free hand join the other, took a deep breath, and- 

"TRAA! TRAAAAA!" 

Emmet jumped, whipping his head around to the frantic screech behind him. Barreling out of the shrubs came an orange blob, stumbling out too fast for Emmet to grab his bearings and strategize. Instincts kicking in, he dodged the little bullet aiming straight for him, though he couldn't help getting his feet tangled up and tripping over himself. His back slammed onto the ground with a strangled grunt. This was no time to lay down for a nap, so he quickly scrambled to push himself up, despite the radiating soreness. The blur had come to an abrupt stop as well, stumbling and falling forward on its bulbous head. Recognition sparked in Emmet's eyes, finally catching a clear look at the creature, "Ah, a Trapinch? First time seeing one in pers-" 

Emmet's breath hitched once the full appearance of the Trapinch registered. Scratch marks lined up all along its body, and the top of its head held some nasty-looking bruises. Its little eyes twisted shut as it struggled to rise back up on its tiny legs. Needless to say, the creature was in terrible shape. Emmet scooted forward on his knees to help adjust the Trapinch, supporting its weight as it got back on its feet. The poor thing trembled weakly in his hands, having no choice but to lean on him. "Please, take caution," the concern in his whisper captured only a fraction of worry. 

"IP!IP!IP!" 

Emmet, his senses already on high alert, was quick to react to the growing chorus approaching them. A heavy flock of Pelipper appeared through and over the sea of trees. Emmet had seen the occasional Pelipper flying overhead during the long days on the beach, but never a horde like this. As if honing in on the dread growing in his chest, the flock dove in towards the man and his passenger. 

"Uh oh." 

Adrenaline saw fit to take over, and Emmet was sprinting back the way he'd arrived, Trapinch scooped into his arms tightly. He dodged through trees and thick patches of foliage with haste, throwing any sense of carefully moving out the window. His coat snagged on loose branches, threatening to yank him back. Luckily, his momentum let him escape the natural traps, though he knew he would lament the torn scraps of his uniform later. Furious flapping wings were hot on Emmet's trail. He pushed the uncertainty of outrunning the flock out of his mind, simply willing his burning legs to keep carrying him forward as he hugged his passenger closer to his chest. He had a responsibility to uphold, and he would be damned if he didn't see it through. 

Finally, the cave he called a temporary home came into sight. The slight breath of relief that passed through him was quickly whisked away by strong beaks nipping at his back. "Oh no!" His coat was harshly pinned at several points on his back.The rest of the horde, catching up to those ahead, joined in, collectively lifting the desperately squirming man. Thrashing his loose legs did little to deter the hungry, tenacious Pelipper dragging him further into the air. "Let go! You will not be taking this passenger!", Emmet began to swat at his aggressors with a free hand, though with little success at deterring them. Five agitated riders emerged from that same arm's sleeve, sparking with an angered frenzy. Recollection flashed in Emmet's mind at their arrival, and he hoarsely gave the command, "Thunder Wave!" 

Buzzing numbness spread throughout Emmet's arm as the Joltik dispersed a shockingly large discharge. What came next was a blur of scraping of feathers and shrieks, followed by the sudden drop of Emmet's weight. His eyes involuntarily shut at the wind blowing in his eyes as he fell, and wrenched shut further at the burn blossoming from his head and side when he stopped. He screamed, sharp and guttural, and strained. He didn't want to move. If only he could curl into himself, block out the pain and the enraged squawking and everything else around him, but he could not. He could not lose here. After all, he loved winning more than anything else. And he had a job to do. 

He forced his an eye open and sat himself up to alertness. Well, as alert as he could manage. Everything spun, the world teetered in a foggy haze. Nothing held shape; only blotches of color wavered in his sight. Something was dripping down his face and an arm, he noted, but he couldn't bother to concern himself about that at the moment. He made an attempt to stand, only to be met with his abused muscles having turned to jelly. Frustration only made further attempts clumsier, resulting in him weakly kicking his heels at the ground. He inched backwards (he thought; direction seemed like a distant concept with the surrounding area flipping around so much) until something solid blocked his progression. Boneless, his head fell back hard against the wall, leaving him to stare up at the stuttering orange and white blobs above. It seemed as if some were able to shake off the paralyzing force, as now those blobs were swooping down closer. "Can't... stop... here...", Emmet grunted with more futile attempts to get up. This couldn't be their final stop. Certainly not for him, there was much he had left to finish. He strained and heaved and pushed himself to do something, but his body refused to cooperate. 

Something flashed. Bright and stinging, filling the entire area with its light. As quickly as it came, it dissipated, leaving a new figure between Emmet and his pursuers. It shone brilliantly with the colors of an evening sky, with outstretched (arms, claws, wings?) limbs ready to strike. Whatever flash it had brought with it seemed to startle the amalgamate flock enough to get them flying off in every other direction but towards them. With their dispersal, a wave of relief washed over Emmet, and he let go of a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. Even as his grip on the unconscious Trapinch remained firm, he couldn't help the twitching droop of his eye. His savior drew itself closer to him, though he didn't have the strength to give much of a reaction. Something small dropped into his lap, just beside one of the drained Joltik. The last thing Emmet could recall before exhaustion took him was his own wondering about why the pattern on the shining creature's limbs looked so familiar.

[chiwithekiwi]

trying to make sense of the spiderverse timeline has only left me with more questions, but i thought that it might at least be of interest to any creatives out there as inspiration to get a bit introspective.

based on reasoning, it appears to be something like this in terms of order:

miguel creates the spider society an undetermined amount of time before the movies. purpose unknown, though perhaps could be something to do with keeping track of the current mapped universes within the multiverse?

into the spiderverse happens. this messes up the integrity of the boundaries between universes

first appearances of anomalies. this gives the spider society an ongoing purpose of handling these multiversal threats

peter b becomes a member of the society and potentially becomes a part of miguel’s inner circle? from what we can tell they are at least close enough to commonly have direct involvement with one another, including in the next point, which is:

miguel discovers the universe where he has a family and consequently takes the place of his alternate self. an unknown amount of time passes (could only be only a few days, which may be possible when considering the proposed rate of cellular decay for anomalies beyond their home universe as presented in the first movie (this makes his angst about his alternate (dead) family more interesting if it’s based solely on emotional connection (this might mean that this angst has more to do with his overarching guilt for playing a part in the erasure of an entire world full of people rather than just the loss of that family (don’t get me wrong, i think he feels guilt for both of these things, but there’s gotta be emphasis on one over the other))) which ends with the universe decaying and the entire universe being lost. peter b is present to witness this happen. both are wearing recent versions of the dimensional travel watches, implying that this is also a fairly recent event

the above also implies that canon events are a recent discovery. respectfully, this man is nuts

gwen becomes a member of the society 1 year after the first appearances of anomalies

atsv happens

i have never read a single spider-man comic in my life but this is just..... so much to happen within the span of a little over a year. i would love to have some solid time frames with which to place most of these events, especially the one regarding the universe miguel tried to integrate into; hopefully btsv will be able to provide some of that, though i’m not wholly expecting it, fun is fun is fun

[oneoftheprettynerds]

Worth The Eternity: Dark! Bucky x Reader (Vampire AU + Mob AU + Soulmate AU)

This is for @cherienymphe’s 5K Twilight Renaissance Writing Challenge. Congratulations, keep slaying! I wrote this instead of studying, so pray for my paper please lmao.

A/N: This tired girl tried. 

WARNINGS: something between dubcon and noncon present. Triggering, darkish themes.

Summary of sorts: Ever seen Hotel Transylvania 1/2/3? In this AU, mythical creatures exist and have soulmates and you feel a zing if you are blessed enough to encounter them.

"Boss, we narrowed it down to these core three suspects.” A husky voice, slightly muffled by the sack on your head, entered your ears and you had a hard time being calm.

You had been picked up from your office, specifically the basement of Oscorp Industries while entering your sleek silver car. A pinch in your neck and everything comically blurred. Next thing you know, you are waking up with your entire body sore, your muscles and joints screaming and begging for freedom from tight restraints. Your vision is black, as if you are staring into an abyss and your vision is filled with white and red dancing spots forming patterns, maybe from the hours of inactivity.

Muffled noises of protest and scraping of metal against the concrete floor entered your ears and you realized you are not the only one here held captive. You racked your mind for possible explanations but couldn’t come up with one.

You lived a very simple life, even as the vice president of Oscorp industries. No messing around, no rivalries with other employees, no butting heads with the seniors on the Director’s board. Was this a ploy against the company? Or a domination statement against the weaker species, the humans?

Lucky enough for you, you realized you would soon find out as the sound of a shutter opening and metal clanking noisily filled your ears.

“Took you long enough, Scott. Fill me in.” Another brooding voice reprimanded jokingly and a million goosebumps traveled the path of your skin as you involuntarily shuddered.

“Yes Boss. We tracked the missing sum to the account of this man on the left. He has fourteen other accounts under different names and nationalities, pretty hard to trace but not impossible luckily. This proved he is shady so he’s most definitely involved.”

“This ginger on the right, he made the suspicious call with weird words so we believe he pretty much passed the verdict, calling the shots with the codewords. He has had several surgeries, his face is fucking silicon at this point but his DNA showed us his true identity, Mr. Rumlow here is the Consigliere of The Midnight Moon.”

You sat and listened, piecing together whatever you understood. The pack/mob name more than rung a bell, it scared you shitless. You were quick to catch on, realising that you were caught in an inter species scruffle.

“This shit just got interesting folks. Alright, where does Miss Sexy Legs fit in all this?”

The pencil skirt you wore wasn’t the most modest piece of clothing to exist and the spaghetti straps blouse was a bad choice considering the sheer coldness in this warehouse, the temperature only seemed to go down with the entry of your kidnappers but it’s not like you knew this was going to happen.

You could only assume with your legs on display that you were the one being sexualised and talked about.

“We are not sure about her though, that’s why I said suspects. We have proof the call was made from her phone but the videos show her lending it to a creepy stranger at a café. It might be really good acting but it’s highly unlikely. We brought her in because in the transfer of the stolen cash, her account was an intermediary but it’s a good chance that she was tricked when her phone was borrowed by Mr. Rumlow. Also, she’s a human, you see?”

If it was you being talked about, you felt a jot of relief, just a smudge because at least they were aware you weren’t involved in whatever game they were playing. That didn’t necessarily ensure your freedom, but hey, you were willing to take anything at that point.

“That’s the sweet fucking scent I keep on smelling!” The leader exclaimed as if he made a great discovery, a cure for a pandemic or cancer you’d think. His gruff voice almost had a light, cheery undertone to it, too unlike of a man who was wronged and cheated and was close to murdering someone no doubt. These mobsters are always maniacs like The Joker.

“It sucks that you brought her here. She might not be guilty, but now she knows too much. She’d make a good blood bag though. Maybe I’ll just have a taste, who knows?” The ‘boss’ made a disturbing slurping noise and your heart stopped at his words, a tear almost escaping your eye.

Discussion about drinking blood? You were most definitely in The Vamps territory, your assumption about the inter-species conflict true. You had no doubt you were the weakest in this creepy space, the frailest here, most probably the only human.

“Show me the bastards’ faces.” Like the flip of a switch, the joking man swapped his personality and all but growled. You heard the ripping of cloth and a man gagging, his shrieks muffled. Another flurry of movements and another man retching on the fabric could be heard.

“Well, hello Mr. Rumlow. I must say, brown suited you better.” A horde of chuckles made you widen your eyes, even though only black still filled your vision, as you realised there were at least a dozen twisted, sick men in the room. The fact that they were silent as fuck till now only showed you how disciplined and regimented these soldiers were.

“This one has a pretty face, boss.” You felt the sack ripped off you, and your eyes closed with the sudden flooding of the lights. Your eyes sealed due to hours of inactivity and you kept them shut, afraid to face your tormenter.

A cold hand cupped your cheek and straightened your face that was trying to hide itself in your silky locks by curling in your own neck, the cool metal of rings and insanely icy fingers chilling you literally.

“Open your eyes sweetheart.” A voice called out behind you and you gathered enough courage to face your impending doom, the air as silent as the calm before a storm.

Your orbs opened and gazed into piercing sapphire blue eyes and everything behind this chiseled face blurred. You could swear a ring of pink and red passed over his eyes and you shuddered again, getting overwhelmed due to the eye contact yourself. This wasn’t the usual anxiety you felt while meeting new people, it was somehow both a pull and a push. An inviting comforting pull and a terrifying, ‘stay cautious' push.

You, a self-sufficient woman, who had been independent for as long as you could remember, suddenly felt half; incomplete in a way that you couldn’t fathom. You felt an attraction, a tug towards the man in front of you, and the absurdity of the thoughts and emotions that popped in your brain made you heave on the gag.

Your intellect couldn’t find a reason, your view on love and romance until now completely conflicted. You believed soulmates to be separate pieces of art that complemented each other when together; then what was this broken jigsaw puzzle sentiment you were having now?

Your wide eyes somehow managed to break free of his stare, panicking and looking around to observe, which wasn’t comforting in the least as men with guns and gadgets filled your vision. You were relatively unharmed in comparison to the beaten lads beside you, one with a bruised face and the other with a bloody one.

The handsome man, the Boss’s stare didn’t leave you through the entirety of your searching around, you were sure they saw you as a scared little rabbit, waiting out its inevitable death.

“Lost in her eyes, Boss?” The sideman cracked what he believed to be the funniest joke in existence, earning laughs of the horde of the soldiers around.

 Your eyes went to the Boss’s face, surprisingly when his left your face to glare a nasty stare on his trusted man. His muscular form raised the forelimb, his hand signaling to stop, that effectively quietened the room to a pin drop silence.

With gentle fingers, the man took off your gag and yours lips quivered, throat too dry to make a noise though. You greedily gulped the air through your mouth for whatever reason, maybe just to move your jaw after hours of inactivity.

Maintaining eye contact was challenging, arduous to say the least. It seemed as if he could read you, find everything about you there is to find by studying the flecks in your orbs. His delicate hands, loosened the ties and you were now more so confused, along with the trepidation.

Just what the fuck was going on?

Bucky had almost lost hope, centuries on this planet and no one to love and cherish, no personal confidante, no soulmate. But good things take time, right? And in his opinion, best things take an eternity. He knows this now.

Expect the unexpected was the truest phrase, idiom whatever it was, in this moment. He had spent countless nights wondering about his soulmate, was she pretty? Ugly? Was she even a she or not? Dumb or witty? He made a lot of scenarios of how they’d meet, the kids, reigning together. He entertained the idea of her being from a different species, a nymph, an orc, maybe a werewolf?

And now that he found her, it was a revelation, a surprise honestly. After all optimism got evaporated, after traveling the dark tunnel for centuries literally, there she was, his beacon of light. Finding her was a wonder, and her being a human was astonishing, a possibility he somehow failed to consider, but he was over the moon cause there she was, right in front of him now. A beautiful, stunning lady in flesh and blood, human flesh and blood, with the prettiest eyes he had ever seen. His zing.

He always liked humans, apart from the similar appearances the vampires shared with them, they were always docile and accommodating. In the last few millenniums, after the mythical creatures showed themselves to the world, the humans understood their place and tier pretty early.

They were smart to surrender and be peaceful as all the species came to light, clever to know that even with less numbers they could be overpowered and bloodshed was detrimental to all involved.

He knew he would convert you soon though, your lifespan far too short for his liking, and obviously, now that he found you, you were to rule together. For Centuries.

His happiness was over taken by the realisation that you were not in the most hospitable settings, you were tied and strapped, being preyed on by his men. He made quick work of the restraints, allowing you to breathe by loosening them first. Your scared, trembling form plucked his unbeating heart’s strings, but strangely enough, his brain found amusement and he felt smug. Seeing you tied up and trembling was definitely a turn on for him, noted.

After commanding his foolish men to stop giggling, he leaned closer to you, your aura comforting and intoxicating as he smelled your hair. A divine scent, an addictive one for sure. The goosebumps on your skin confirmed the reciprocation of his connection.

“You don’t know how long I’ve waited for you.” His husky voice, calming but imposing resonated in your ears, his hand tapping your cheek on the other side. Even though the private statement was whispered for you, the deafening silence made every person witness it.

He leaned back, his hands behind his back as he grinned, tone again light like earlier and commanded, “Get her out of here and cleaned up, tell Nat and Wanda, they’ll know what I mean. Then we’ll deal with these guys here, after the lady leaves of course. No scratch on her from this point forward or you’ll lose a limb. Proceed.”  

All three of you, the hostages were going to get ‘taken care of’ but in different ways.

It had been over twenty hours for sure, you were abducted in the early hours of the morning and now the moon was out again, like one endless night. You remember being escorted to a sleek black car; your limbs ached but you managed to keep up. You tried to keep up with the car’s turns, trying to memorize the streets but your head was pounding and eyes were blurry.

You remembered being led to a suite in an expensive hotel like ones where your conferences were held, being taken to room and given towels to clean up. You didn’t change the dress when given another, the attire being a summer dress even shorter.  A woman came a while later named Wanda who checked the forming light contusions and scuffed skin with hands so delicate, as if you were precious cargo. You were, you just didn’t know.

You didn’t eat anything they provided and after hours of conspiring and overthinking, you heard sturdy footsteps. Since your arrival, only women bothered with you, probably the ones the leader sent. But these were heavier, harder.

The door opened and you glanced up to find the leader who demanded your locking up in this fancy place, his eyes travelling on your form sat up on bed, as you mindfully pulled your skirt down. You were anxious the entire day, dreading your future but nothing was like the restlessness that ran through you in this person’s presence.

Maybe it was the fact he was a vampire, or the leader of a Mob or maybe both, but whatever it was he intimidated you, alarmed you, even though you’ve had only two encounters including the present one. You were smart to be scared, he looked at you like, like you were something to eat, your mind told you.

“Hey.” His raspy voice caught you off guard, not having heard a single syllable out of the women the entire day, your questions being ignored the entire time.

You stared at him warily. Your mind having a myriad of emotions and thoughts. You didn’t want to trigger him, besides the place being armed well, he was a vampire, a beefy one at that and you would be stupid to try anything. Shouting and making a scene was no good either, your best option being the lamest one: to talk it out. You refused to become a willing blood bag.

You let out a long sigh, surprising him somehow, “Look, I have money, resources in the business sphere, information, what do you want? I know I got caught in this by accident, but I’m willing to do a lot of things to get out. Name it and I’ll do my best.” You said with your ‘business deal’ voice, the wise, guiding leader voice from your office.

For some reason though, the man found it hilarious. He slapped his hand on his chest, his boisterous laugh echoing. It wasn’t that good a joke if he believed it to be one. Men, ever so condescending.

“Humans, ever so gluttonous. I don’t want your money, precious.” His term of endearment didn’t fall short to your ears, but you had larger things in play here than a sweet nothing.  

“I have other things to offer, name it.” Within your moral sphere, of course.

“You still don’t get it, do you? And you humans boast you have everything figured about us.”

He neared you and you leaned to the inner area of the bed, refusing to get cornered to the wall if things escalate and wanting to have the option of running away, probably in vain though. With each step he took, a new shudder ran through you because of the closing distance between your bodies, it getting triggered in unexplainable ways.

You didn’t need to say words to prompt him to explain, your scrunched eyebrows already doing that mission. “You should feel it too, you know? The goosebumps, the bewilderment in your insides, you’re intoxicated by my very presence too, aren’t you?”

The more he neared, your breaths quickened visibly, his words becoming truer. Your skin heating, mind losing a bit of consciousness. His presence didn’t affect you to this extent in the warehouse, but now? You were putty, almost incapable to think. You tried to roll over to the other side but your plan failed because he caged you with his bulky hands on your shoulder, body diagonal across yours. With how slow and out of it you were, he didn’t even need his heightened speed to trap you.

“Oh, it’s kicking in, isn’t it? The realization, the surge of love and lust? To be held and cherished and be full of me?” He smirked at your trembling form, your chest heaving and weak arms trying to push him off.

“I’ve read humans feel flushed, hot, so let’s get you out of these scraps, yes?” He slid off the thin straps while you mumbled a very unconvincing ‘stop’. Both actions were pretty pointless because he wouldn’t stop, you both knew that and also, he ended up taking the top off over your torso the normal way.

Your hands barely managed to land themselves on his wrist to pull them off, but the foolish limbs ravished in the feel of his cold skin instead. It was like a high you had never experienced and your body wanted more. It was already addicted to the feel of this stranger whose name you didn’t even know.

He unzipped the skirt, your pathetic body no longer even fighting him as he rambled on. “Among us vampires, well not much to tell but we’re all freezing cold when we find our ‘zing’. Like every normal day. Except for the inability to think and the need for their mate’s blood, of course.”

He came back up to kiss you, his body now in line with yours as one hand held your cheek and the other groped your breast. You had an out of body experience, feeling disgusted for reciprocating the kiss but also wanting more of that, more of him.

He trailed down your neck to your collarbone and you gasped for air, your thoughts incoherent. He kissed between the valley of your breasts, removing the bra sometime in between as you heaved. He wanted nothing more than to rest in those swells for an eternity.

As soon as cold air hit your nipples, one was being sucked while other was being pinched. The nameless stranger alternated between licking like a kitten and sucking like a baby on the breasts. Your rational part felt gross but the dominating side was the one experiencing delight.

He kissed down the sternum, to your bellybutton and then hovered above the thin, flimsy underwear. His hands slid down your sides, down the curve of your waist and hooked themselves at the cloth’s side, pulling them down in a swift motion.

Your legs quaked, trying to close themselves but one muscular arm on your thigh was able to hold them off, throw one away from the other. He leaned down and you were pathetically still under his muscles, your lower limbs either not daring to move or not wanting to.

You wrapped your hands around your torso to hide a bit of yourself, but did that really matter in the larger picture of the events unfolding right now?

You closed your eyes, tears already escaping since minutes ago as you tried to accept the reality of what was happening. A cold sensation on your little button caught you off guard; an infinitesimal fraction of time later, an inhale reached your ears.

You looked down, opening your eyes to find the man smelling you, his Grecian nose poking through your folds and taking in sniffs of your intimate part.

“Please sto-”      

“The scent at its source, so fucking divine. I want a taste.” With that, your sentence got interrupted by his words and then by his action as his tongue licked away. It sucked on the bead, delving in the cavity there pretty fucking deep and he slurped away like he pretended to do when you were blindfolded.

Your back arched like a gymnast, hands that were folded across your chest clawing at your own skin, leaving marks behind. His hands were hooked around your thighs and they threw your legs on his shoulder some point in between. When he thrusted three fingers at once, an audible wheeze left your lips, your noiseless gasps now hoarse ‘Aah’s and you could feel him smirk.

There a also a lot of teeth involved with his razor sharp canines that appeared out of nowhere during this and when he thrusted his fingers particularly hard with his teeth nibbling on your sensitive bud, you shamelessly let go of the inside flow.

It felt humiliating and mortifying, your body glowing with the aftereffects of descending into bliss while your mind wanted to cry. Your soul was surprisingly content with what unfolded, at peace. You hated the diversity of emotions you felt, revolted to find even a bit of positive sentiment at your assaulter’s actions.

While your inner monologue happened, the man got up and out of his clothes painfully quick. You tried to sit your up, feebly trying to escape but ineffectively so. Your eyes couldn’t meet the handsome stranger’s nor did you want to see him naked and removed him form your eyeline, making you get caught off guard when his hands wrapped around your ankles and pulled you down, finishing the small distance you managed to crawl up.

His hands left their place as he kissed his way back up your flushed skin, from the swell of your ankle to the swell of your stomach. He licked away the drops of blood around the crescent scratches left by your nails under the intense ecstasy he forced upon you. Then he continued his journey from the swells of your chest to the swell of your cheek, taking you in a fiery, needy yet affectionate kiss.

Your surroundings blurred a second into the kiss, mouth and skin hungry for his touch alike. A thrust had you painfully gasp as you were stretched unlike ever before, impaled to a depth unlike ever before. He kissed away your tears that continued to spill on command of your ashamed mind and leaned back to look into your eyes, a pretty pink passing over them for a fleeting second.

His blue orbs bore into yours and you almost believed he loved you by the intensity of his gaze. At this moment in time, nothing but you two mattered, connected and finally together. How you got here didn’t matter, how unwilling you were didn’t matter. This felt right, felt necessary and was worthy of everything you went through. The rational part seemed to die the instant you two physically connected and somehow, everything and nothing made sense.

But you felt complete.

Your lips captured his of their own accord, and you both smiled into the caress of your lips while he began thrusting, one hand on your waist, the other supporting his weight. Out of breath, he leaned back, still thrusting though, and gazed at you. “Scott back there, he called you pretty, that’s practically an insult. The way you look right now, you’re much more than beautiful. You’re ethereal, my Zing, the loveliest in existence.”

His genuine words tugged at your heart. For some reason you believed him, had confidence in his feelings. Your foreheads connected as he quickened, his hand caressing your skin, the cool against your warm skin soothing. It didn’t take long for you to let go again this time; your previous resolution already dissolved. He neared your ears and whispered, “I want you to scream my name. It’s Bucky.” You nodded absentmindedly, chasing the high.

One particular thrust paired with his canines piercing your skin made you cry out “Bucky!” and you felt him smirking in your neck, lapping the blood. You wilted in bliss and your eyes closed, warmth filling you minutes after. Your eyes were dazed and you felt ‘Bucky’ shift, removing his towering frame from you, a goofy smile on the chiseled face.

With mind free of the aforementioned disapproving thoughts, you checked out his handsome face. It was like you saw him in an entirely different light now.

He gave you a quick peck, his hands cradling your face and he spoke with the utmost sincerity. “You are worth the wait, precious. No measure of time with you will be long enough. But we’ll start with forever to compensate. I’m never letting you go.”

[thirteenandten]

Comfortember 2021

This year I’m participating in the Comfortember event and this is my masterlist to keep all my entries organized.

The event is not for any specific fandom, but all my fics will be Star Wars related, including several characters, friendships, ships, eras and verses. So feel free to take a look and see if something interests you.

For more info about the event visit @comfortember

Fics under the cut.

30 of 30 done!

1. Discovery || An unexpected reveal

In a gentler Galaxy... The Clone War is over, Ahsoka has left the Order and Anakin has just sent her the most strange message asking her to return to Coruscant. He really needs to tell her something.

1736 words | read on ao3

2. Darkness || No need to be lonely

For Rex, darkness meant safety and warmth. It meant he got to spend another night with his brothers.

868 words | read on ao3

3. Hugs || Breathe around the pain

Since Beru received the news of her sister passing away, grief had been washing over her like waves.

554 words | read on ao3

4. Friends || It’s nice to have a friend

Anakin is still new to the Temple and the amount of Force-sensitive beings around him is overwhelming. Lucky for him, Aayla is there to cheer him up and keep him company.

750 words | read on ao3

5. Coping || In the cracks of light

Obi-Wan returns from Mandalore with a pain so large Anakin and Ahsoka don't know what they can do to help him feel better. But that doesn't mean they won't try.

825 words | read on ao3

6. Falling leaves || This is home

Returning to the Temple after a mission was hard. The relief of being back home and feeling safe was constantly clouded by the absence of those fighting or dead. Ahsoka wasn't feeling her best, but a group of younglings found her just in time to cheer her up.

774 words | read on ao3

7. Insecurity || Is it enough?

Objectively, Leia knew that some battles had to be lost, and that despite the failure of their intel team’s latest mission, they were still on the right track to take down the Empire. And yet, some days those losses were monumental and pierced through her chest like a blaster shot, leaving her breathless and numb.

834 words | read on ao3

8. Waterfall || On begged and borrowed time

After they are attacked in the middle of a diplomatic mission, Cody and Obi-Wan end up stranded in a small jungle planet. Help will shortly be there for them, but meanwhile, Cody decides it's better for them to make the most of their time away from the war.

1324 words | read on ao3

9. Fear || Quédate conmigo (hasta que se caiga el cielo)

In a gentler Galaxy... Padmé is having nightmares about the twins dying during childbirth. The possibility of them being visions looms over her and Anakin, though scared just the same, tries his best to calm her.

851 words | read on ao3

10. Cuddling || Wild Embers

After a long day, Queen Amidala and her royal handmaidens deserve a soft and warm evening for themselves. Cuddling ensues.

1390 words | read on ao3

11. Warmth || We will find a way (through the dark)

Rebuilding a galactic republic is an exhausting job. Leia is tired and misses her home planet, but luckily for her, there are two people ready to take care of her even when she doesn't realize she needs it.

476 words | read on ao3

12. Make something || Something to give

Rebuilding a galactic republic is an exhausting job. Leia is tired and misses her home planet, but luckily for her, there are two people ready to take care of her even when she doesn't realize she needs it.

762 words | read on ao3

13. Confession || The name on your lips

Sabé knows when her words sound like a petition, and she knows Padmé can only give so much of herself.

488 words | read on ao3

14. Crackling fire || In your arms

Stuck planetside for the night, Din has to keep an eye on any approaching threats while ignoring one Force-sensitive child asking to be cuddled.

575 words | read on ao3

15. Scars || And I’ll care for you

In a gentler Galaxy... An essential part of being a devoted husband includes knowing how to take care of your wife's sunburnt scars, Anakin knows this very well.

861 words | read on ao3

16. Car rides || Runaway

It took much convincing from their siblings on either side, but finally Cody and Obi-Wan decided to go on a small road trip for the weekend.

638 words | read on ao3

17. Insomnia || Under the stars

It's been a long mission with too little food and too many battles, but even on calmer nights, Ahsoka struggles to fall asleep. The stars, his Grandmaster and a couple stories might do the trick though.

723 words | read on ao3

18. Laughing || Feels like home

Hera is soaked from the rain, she's exhausted from debfrieng and her body is aching. Lucky for her, the Ghost crew are Certified Experts at making Hera Syndylla feel better (even if they don't know it).

1128 words | read on ao3

19. Walk in the moonlight || What do I do (with a love that won't sit still)?

Rex knows his older brother like the back of his hand, so he immediately knows something is up when Cody makes up a poor excuse to talk with him. The big question, though, is what he needs to talk with Rex about...

951 words | read on ao3

20. Blanket fort || You laugh like a child

Rey and Finn don't seem convinced at all when Poe and Rose try to explain the joy and fun of building blankte forts. The thing is, that was enough for Poe to consider it a challenge. Shenanigans ensue.

556 words | read on ao3

21. Pets || An everlasting summer (since we found each other)

The many risks of taking your daughter to an event to aid an animal shelter include coming back home with a new family member. Obi-Wan is not 100% amused, but who can deny anything to Cody and Ahsoka when they are that excited about it? Certainly not him.

1237 words | read on ao3

22. Nightmares || I wake in the night, I pace like a ghost

Omega should be asleep by the time she hears one of her brothers clearly having a nightmare. Little sister to the rescue, she knows exactly what to do to make Echo feel a little bit better.

1042 words | read on ao3

23. Hiding || Adventures in the land of Breha’s wardrobe

Leia Organa is arguably the most determined child in Alderaan. So while she knows she's not supposed to wander the palace without company, nor supposed to play in her parents room, nor supposed to use her mother's dresses as costumes... Well, there's a high chance she'll do it anyway.

1504 words | read on ao3

24. Family || Just go with the seasons

Han was exhausted and it was only Tuesday. All he wanted was to lay on his mattress for a couple hours, but there he was, parking in front of his parents-in-law only because Leia had invited him for dinner with the sweetest smile in the world.

1629 words | read on ao3

25. Mental health || This is an intervention

Anakin and Padmé are struggling with their finals, stress and lack of sleeping bringing them dangerously close to a breaking point. Obi-Wan and Ahsoka decide it's their duty to get the other two to rest before they collapse.

1515 words | read on ao3

26. Confrontation || Yellow

Marshall Commander Cody has a secret admirer or so the random flowers he receives suggest.

1272 words | read on ao3

27. Confidence || To grow together

For Mace Windu, there was never a doubt that Depa would be a fantastic Jedi Knight. With the trials so near, maybe it's time to let his Padawan know that.

1050 words | read on ao3

28. Treehouse || I could see this view a hundred times

Visiting Poe's dad, Finn discovers the treehouse in the back garden holds much more than simple memories from Poe's childhood.

998 words | read on ao3

29. Reunited || Under the twin suns

There's a visitor outside of Obi-Wan's home on Tatooine. And even though his every cell is telling him he must be dreaming, Ahsoka Tano is actually there, waiting for him.

655 words | read on ao3

30. First snow || As the snowflakes fall

Young Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi hates cold planets... until a certain Padawan gets to experience his first fall of snow.

811 words | read on ao3

[volturiwolf]

The Volturi Princess - A Felix Volturi x fem!Reader Story (part 3)

No of Words: about 5313

Mentions of: Abandonment, Abortion, Anxiety, Blood, Bruises, Coma/Comatosed State, Death Emotional Abuse, Emotional and Physical Pain, Gaslighting, Greece/Greek Language - with translation, Heartbreak, Italian Language - with translation, Manipulation, Murder, Pain, Panic Attacks, Pregnancy, Suffering, Suicide/Suicidal Thoughts, Swear Language, Throwing Up/Puking, Witches/Wizards/Witchcraft

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part 1 part 2

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"The Volturi Princess " Tag List (reply if you want to be tagged or removed):

@felixvolturisprincess @singerj2002 @mrtony-stank1 @ikissedthescarsonherskin @alecvolturiswifeforever @hshehdyhd

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Felix’s POV:

We have been traveling for over a year now, Demetri tracking Carlisle and us following behind him. Demetri located him across the Atlantic, so we swam across the ocean to reach him. Almost a year and a half after leaving Volterra, we tracked Carlisle while he was working as a doctor somewhere in the northern United States. He was surprised to see us, but we kept our austere facade to maintain our sovereignty towards him. He welcomed us gladly in his small house.

It was a two-story building, and it smelled of old wood and mold, but I guess that was the best he could do for now. The living conditions around here did not seem to be ideal. Apart from the Volturi and the Egyptian coven, no other vampire lived comfortably, in castles, mansions, or even big houses; most vampires were nomads, traveling around and living by hunting whenever they could. So, Carlisle actually living in a house, even if it looked like this, was way better than living the nomad life.

“Jane, Alec, Demetri, Felix. To what do I owe this pleasure? Can I offer you anything?” Carlisle had always been one of the kindest of our kind, too compassionate for a vampire.

“No, Carlisle, thank you, we’re good. We are on a mission, and we have a few questions for you.” Jane took it up to herself to start the conversation.

“Please, sit down so we can talk.” Carlisle offered us to sit around the table that was in the middle of the ground floor. We each took a seat at the table. “So, may I ask what it is all about? I don’t think I have personally acted in a way to upset the Volturi.”

“No, indirectly, you haven’t.” Jane continued. “We wanted to ask you a few questions regarding (Y/N). We think that you may have heard by now that she has left Volterra.”

“Yes, word came around. I met a few nomads from Europe some time ago, and they told me that (Y/N) left Volterra, probably permanently.”

I tried to suppress a sob that was fighting to leave my throat. Carlisle knew that (Y/N) left, everyone knew that (Y/N) left. They didn’t know she left her mate behind, and they shall never find out that she was my mate. I didn’t even want to think about the possibility of (Y/N) being in danger if anyone found out that we were mates. I had too many targets on my back to risk anything happening to her.

It was my turn to intervene. “Have you seen her? Has she ever come around here?”

Carlisle turned to face me. “I did. Once. She stayed with me for about a year; that was about 6 or 7 years ago. She tracked me through her memories. She has become quite skilled at that.” Demetri and I looked at each other confused. (Y/N) could track as skillfully as Demetri now?

Carlisle continued. “Anyway, she seemed concerned. She told me she had been traveling for quite some time, but she felt like she was missing a piece of herself, of her past. For a few months, she wanted to learn more about me, my job, how I was doing with the whole “animal blood” diet, simple curiosity really. She had been training herself to abstain from human blood, so it was easier for her to go hunt with me. She told me..”

Carlisle turned to look at me now. “She told me about your bond, Felix.” So, she has felt our bond, too! “She told me that she was scared for you, for your safety within the Volturi. She was worried about all of you, but particularly you, Felix. Being her mate means you are basically a target for anyone who wishes to harm (Y/N). She told me she ran away to protect you. As long as no one knew of your bond, you were safe. The traveling and meeting the world was just an extra benefit for her and her gift.”

“Her gift?!” We all exclaimed in unison. (Y/N) never claimed a “gift”, so how could this be possible? Did she lie? Did she even know about her gift?

“Before you say anything, she didn’t even know what her gift was. It is way more complicated than you think. I guess she’d appreciate it if I gave you an idea about it.” Carlisle paused for a few moments. If my heart was beating, I swear it would have stopped by now.

“You know how, for example, Jane, you can induce mental pain, or you, Alec, can restrict anyone’s senses?” The Twins nodded at Carlisle. “Well, (Y/N) can do both, and so much more.” We were kind of shocked. No one has ever had a gift similar to the Twins; that’s why they were in the Volturi. Because they were unique.

“(Y/N)’s gift is copying others’ gifts. That’s why she could also track me; she had copied Demetri’s gift.” Carlisle pointed at Demetri, who looked utterly shocked now.

I would lie if I said I didn’t feel the same way or scared even. I was not scared because of (Y/N); I was scared for (Y/N). This newly-found discovery meant she would be way more important to Aro than we ever thought. He wouldn’t just let her go - not that this was his intention before, but now, she would be even more precious to him and his cause; she would now be the perfect weapon for him to use against other vampires. I had to find her and warn her.

“Do you know where she is now?” My voice came out more stern than I intended it to be.

Carlisle nodded his head slightly. “I may know where she is now. Before she left, she was trying to find out as much as she could about her parents. I assume that was the “missing piece” she was referring to? Anyway, she may be after her parents. I mean they do know her nature better than any of us does. Don’t forget that (Y/N) is half-witch. No one could ever teach her how to be one; only her father could be the one to do so. So, if I stand corrected, she is looking for them. And there’s only one place that (Y/N) has ever linked to her parents.”

“Greece.” Demetri stepped in. Demetri was the only one who could understand (Y/N)’s connection with Greece; it was their birthplace, their origin, their true home.

“Exactly. If you find her parents, you’ll most likely find her. Even if she’s not with them, it will be easier to track her if you have her parents’ assistance.”

We nodded and we stood up. “Thank you for your help, Carlisle. You were most helpful.” Jane spoke for all of us.

“It was my pleasure.” Carlisle led us to the door, but before we left, Jane turned to him one last time. “We think we can trust you that this conversation stays between us.”

“Of course, Jane. Have a safe trip and take care of yourselves.”

“You too.” Alec smiled at Carlisle.

What Carlisle said at the end had me worried for (Y/N). “I hope you find her soon. Her parents never had the best reputation around.” What kind of people was (Y/N)’s family anyway?

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Tracking (Y/N) proved to be way more complicated and debilitating than we thought it would be. We assumed that the closer we were to Greece, the easier it would be for Demetri to pick up her tenor. We were wrong; we were going around blindly, not a clue about (Y/N)’s whereabouts. Even when we finally set our feet on Greek ground, we still didn’t know where to start looking for her. Nobody had a clue where she could be; we didn’t even know her birthplace.

Demetri took it upon him to start his research in a place he knew well enough: Athens. Athens was the capital of Greece’s civilization for many centuries, but, at the time of Demetri’s birth, during the Byzantine times, Constantinople emerged as the center of the Eastern Byzantine Empire, while Rome remained the center of the Western Byzantine Empire.

Athens was not regarded as highly as it used to, during Pericles’ “Golden Century”, as the 5th century BC was known. It still was an important and historical city, but it has lost its title as the “capital” eons ago. The city was taken advantage of by both “allies” and Ottomans and seemed to have lost part of its previous glory. Still, it was beautiful; I may have been quite “old” myself, but I could still admire the history around me.

It reminded of (Y/N)’s stories and books; knowing Ancient Greek history was one of the first things she took an interest in. The fact that she was able to travel to Athens, with or without Aro, quite a few times also developed her fascination regarding the Ancient Greek arts, philosophy, and overall way of living. Of course, it wasn’t easy being a woman then, or ever really, but she was more financially privileged than the average Athenian - vampire wealth had always been an actual thing, and Aro always prided himself to be a “collector” of wealth (and talented vampires for the matter).

We arrived in Greece at a transitional stage; the country has been experiencing a war against the Ottomans for a few years now, and it was evident around the city of Athens. There were many casualties during the war, many damages around the streets, the houses, and there seemed to be a climate of misery and decline.

Yet, the country had recently elected a prime minister, who declared Nafplio, a city in Peloponnese, as Greece’s capital. That was our next stop, as we couldn’t find anything in particular that could indicate (Y/N) being in Athens. Apart from the poor living conditions, the country was experiencing a plague pandemic wave, which killed even more people, but authorities worked hard on containing the cases, and it seemed to have been working.

Still, without a single clue about (Y/N)’s location, the only thing we could do is go around searching for any possible information. We could only travel at night, and hide during the day; Greece, just like Italy, had always been blessed with sunny days, for the majority of a calendar year.

It wasn’t ideal with us being vampires, but Volterra was an ideal strategic location for the Volturi to travel across the vampire and human world, rule, and impose their laws whenever it was needed. Just like always, we now also had to be secretive about our existence.

I thought about how lucky (Y/N) was in that situation; being a non-fully vampire, she didn’t “glow” in the sun like us. She had a more healthy-skin-like glow, a healthy and subtle glow that made me even more attracted to her - if that was even possible. That basically meant that she could technically go anywhere and everywhere; the weather did not affect her, the sun did not affect her.

I started getting frustrated and disappointed. It wasn’t only (Y/N) I had in my mind; apparently, during the years of the Greek Revolution, many vampires, Greek or non-Greek, started secretly fighting to claim territories for themselves.

We knew that it wasn’t part of our duty, but it wouldn’t hurt if we could actually claim Greek land for the Volturi. Having both Italy and Greece under our control could mean more power, more resources, more blood. It only seemed natural; the three Volturi kings were born in Greece, all three of their wives were born in Greece, Demetri and Chelsea were born in Greece. (Y/N) was born in Greece.

Greece could easily become an extension of our territory - Italy was already ours in its entirety - and it would only be the start. It would be easier to control and deal with any possible riots from other covens - the Egyptians and the Romanians in particular. We didn’t fear either of them, but the Romanians have been holding resentment towards the Volturi for a couple thousand years, so anything could be expected from their side at any moment.

I shared my thoughts with the Twins and Demetri. They all agreed that it was a plausible plan; it would show others that the Volturi are still as powerful as they have ever been, and should be feared. Besides, we knew that just the four of us would be able to subjugate any vampire that crossed our paths. With the Twins’ powers, Demetri’s tracking skills, and my strength, it would be impossible for others to resist or challenge us.

We started interrogating any vampire we found wandering or hunting at night; none of them worthy enough to fight us or even gifted enough to join the Volturi. It was quite easy to find the leaders of these “newly-made” covens, or alliances, as they seemed. Because none of them inspired loyalty to each other; none of them was a coven in the sense the Volturi were. They were more like vampires who came together to fight for territory control; I doubt if they would even manage to stay together for one more day. They did not only lack loyalty towards their "leaders", but also discipline, principles, and basic rules of survival and solidarity towards the other members.

It was quite easy to take over any “coven” in Southern Greece, including the island of Crete. We started moving north, taking over the territories of Thessaly and Epirus, something which the Greek humans did not manage to acquire from the Ottomans yet. We were to take over Macedonia and Thrace next, but we were met with an unexpected obstacle.

Every vampire we would interrogate regarding these two territories would say the same thing: none of them knew who owned them, but whoever tried to claim the territories never returned back, dead or alive. The mystery that surrounded the person or people behind the leadership of these areas made their skin crawl; they all refused to “help” us any further, no matter how much Jane, Alec, and I tried, which made me kind of worried, or more like curious, but I didn’t want to show any weakness or let them question my effectiveness.

Every one of them was just a “normal” vampire; we were better, stronger, gifted, and we have proved that we can bring results every single time. No other vampire has ever dared go against us; we wouldn’t allow them to question us now either.

We continued traveling up north, determined to face whoever it was behind the territories there. I didn’t pay attention to the slight pain in my guts as we were traveling through the country, but it was becoming more and more intense as we continued going north.

We didn’t know how we would find the vampires behind this “operation”, so our plan would be to act in any way possible to provoke them into coming out of their “hiding spot”. For a few days, we were rummaging any small village we could find, killing the villagers and draining them of their blood - not a very “Volturi tactic" may I say. We were supposed to hide our existence, not challenge our luck by killing so many people; yet, this was the only way we thought that could possibly lurk the vampires out of their “comfort zone”.

As we were traveling through Macedonia, we came across a rather developed town, compared to the villages we have seen before. The city was surrounded by tall stone walls. There were a few rivers on its western side, forests and mountains on its northeastern side, and swamps and marshes on its southern side. We couldn’t hunt freely here, at least not during daylight; there was no way we would go unnoticed if we started hunting anywhere in the area. We decided to run through the forests, see if there was a place we could stay for a while; if there was a human or more we could feed off of; if there was a sign of the vampires or (Y/N).

During the last few weeks, I’ve been thinking that our mission has been more about expanding our power and influence, and not as much about locating (Y/N). Actually, it felt more like locating (Y/N) was more of an afterthought now. We lost the purpose of our mission; the reason we came together all along.

It wasn’t as if we would actually be directly benefiting by the territories we claimed; we were still working on behalf of the Volturi. We didn’t ask the kings to claim Greek territories; yet, we did, because we felt obliged to consider their own good once again, this time at the expense of finding (Y/N). Once again, we became the victims of the influence they had on us, and we played their game.

“Why are we even doing this?” I yelled frustratedly. My friends turned to look at me.

“What do you mean, Felix?” Jane seemed slightly annoyed. “We’ve come here to claim the territories, to show these savages who the boss is here.”

“No, Jane, they are not savages, we didn’t come here to claim territories, and we don’t have to show them “who is the boss”. They already know that the Volturi rule the vampire world. No. No. We came here to search for (Y/N). Not to “claim territories”. Not to “show them”. We came here for (Y/N). We..We lost our purpose. We lost the true meaning of our mission. We just started claiming the land for the Volturi, for Aro. We..We forgot about her.”

My eyes were stinking with venom. I felt weak, I felt as if I betrayed her. I promised to myself that I would bring her back home, that I would protect her. It’s been so long and we still haven’t found her. We just kept wasting time on things that shouldn’t matter to us. We should not care about expanding our influence, our territory, our power. We should care about bringing the Princess back.

Jane lowered her head apologetically. “I’m sorry, Felix. I didn’t know you felt this way. I have to admit it though; we did lose track of time and we forgot about the actual purpose of this mission. We once again forgot that (Y/N) has always been way more important than any power in the world. I’m sorry. We all are. I promised you we’ll start searching for her right away, okay?”

I nodded affirmatively. We had to find (Y/N) as soon as possible. We were not only running out of time but also out of hope that (Y/N) was in Greece or anywhere else, that she was alive. We got so distracted by our conversation that we didn’t notice we were being watched until we all started screaming in pain. I fell on my knees, the pain on the back of my head unbearable, and that’s when I blacked out.

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I didn’t know how much time passed being unconscious. It felt like a new sensation to me; being a bit over 2000 years old, I haven’t lost my senses once - except for the times Alec liked to play games on me. I didn’t feel like myself; it didn’t feel right. I didn’t like being restricted of my senses, especially now, especially here, in an unknown place. My mind was blurry and I couldn’t see anything distinct around me; I couldn’t see almost anything. I tried to move my hands around but I couldn’t as if the tightest rope in the world was holding me in place.

“No need to fight, sweetheart.” I heard a woman’s voice. “There is no way to escape.”

“Who are you? Why am I here? Where are the others?”

“Felix? Is that you?” I heard Demetri’s voice on my right.

“Demetri? Is that you? Where are Jane and Alec?”

“I am here.” I heard Alec’s voice on my left.

“Me too." Jane replied.

“Alexandre, please, I cannot start with this again.”

Suddenly, I could see again. I was still physically restricted, but my eyes could see them crystal clear and my mind was in order once again. The woman in front of me was very imposing, though of average size. Her long, curly hair framed her face beautifully and her piercing red eyes were piercing through my soul. The man standing next to her was only a few centimeters taller; he had short, straight hair, and his eyes were looking between the four of us sternly. Who were they even? Why were we even here? Why us? As if she read my mind, a woman spoke to me.

“Oh, deary. We’re not going to tell you who we are. But you are going to tell us what you, Volturi guards, are doing in our territory!”

“How do you know who we are?” I exclaimed. Of course, everyone knew the Volturi as the authority of the vampire world, but not all vampires around here have ever met us specifically, or any other member of the coven for the matter.

“Your crest, dear. I have known that crest for far too long. Way before you were even born. I see that dear Aro never changed it. He does like to remain in his same, old ways after all. Never changing, never moving forward, still imposing his “laws”, I’m assuming?” The woman seemed to know way far about the Volturi and Aro. She became a danger for our coven, from the moment she and the man abducted us. She should have never done that; they both would be punished for their actions.

“Dear, I won’t get punished..for anything. You, on the other hand, are in a pretty difficult situation. You see, my husband and I are not going to let you get away until you tell us why you are here.”

“Pain.” I heard Jane saying. The woman turned to look at her but she didn’t even flinch. I heard Jane screaming in return.

“Oh, sweetheart. Your powers won’t work on either of us. You see, I am a shield, so don’t even try to hurt us. On the contrary, WE can hurt you just as much, if not more.” The woman smiled evilly, while Jane was writhing in pain.

“Please, stop hurting my sister.” Alec pleaded, unable to use his gift against the couple.

“So, you are the “Terror Twins”. Alec and Jane, I see.” The woman knew their nickname? “Oh, yes, I do, dear.” She turned to look at me. “You see, I was once part of the Volturi. Technically, still am. However, I left, way before any of you joined the coven. To put it into perspective, I was there when Didyme lived but I left way before she was killed. Dear Marcus has never been the same ever since. I still feel somewhat of a connection to the coven, though I am able to make my own decisions because I managed to escape them. We were actually passing by Volterra a few times. I wonder how you never noticed us, though our powers would practically make us mentally invisible from Demetri, over here, or any other vampire, really.”

She knew Demetri, too?

“Felix, dear, I know all of you and about you. You see, my dear daughter has a special connection with all of you, a kind of friendship neither my husband, nor I quite understand. It wasn’t easy for her to keep her memories secret; though she is an amazing shield - which makes me so proud, she is kind of “vulnerable” when she is sleeping. And my husband’s magic is quite strong and easy to penetrate her mind and memories when she does eventually sleep.”

Her daughter? Could that be…?

“WHERE IS SHE?” The question slipped out of my mouth without even thinking about it first.

My anger could not be controlled right now. I was pushing myself to my limits to break my fetters, to no avail. Were that woman and that man (Y/N)’s parents? I started making some connections here and there; they looked similar to (Y/N), though so different at the same time. Their immortality, their red eyes, their confidence, and their aggression did not remind me of (Y/N). She had a pure face, a face of kindness, she was not like them.

“You think so? Alexandre, can you please call (Y/N), agapi mou?” The woman turned to the man, and the man started moving his fingers in front of him, creating some sort of a wave around him.

Within a few seconds, the door burst open and the first thing I saw was a red silky fabric flowing around the air. When the fabric settled down slowly, I saw her for the first time after so long. She has changed..a lot. Her (Y/E/C) eyes were replaced by piercing red ones, with a slight hint of (Y/E/C) around the pupils. Her eyes apathetic and stern; her facial features more defined; her hair reached a little below her shoulders, straight and shiny, like her father’s. She still looked as beautiful as ever.

She stared at us, focusing her eyes mostly on me. Her heartbeat sounded steady and strong. I was relieved; she was still human, they had not turned her fully vampire yet. She took a few steps farther into the house, her feet bare but surprisingly clean, no dirt, no grass had stained them. She stood right beside the woman, who I now knew was her mother and Aro’s daughter.

“What are they doing here?” Her voice came out stern, yet it was music to my ears.

I missed her voice so much. I missed her so much. Our mate bond, weakened by the distance and time spent apart, slowly started forming again. I felt it; I felt my existence becoming meaningful again. I felt my breath hitching in my throat, her presence provoking so many different feelings and emotions inside me. However, she still seemed cold and distant, and I couldn’t quite read her face. Did she not feel the same? Has she forgotten me? Does she hate me now?

I saw her gaze getting softer, even compassionate? She approached me and bent down slightly, placing her left hand carefully on my right cheek. She stared deeply into my eyes and I closed mine, leaning on her touch. It was the purest moment I have experienced in my 2000 years of life.

I opened my eyes and stared at her. I saw golden flakes scattered in between the red in her eyes. Once again, she took my breath away. It felt as if I fell in love with her all over again, a unique feeling of refreshment. We were lost in our own little world. She smiled slightly at me, the first time she did after such a long time.

“Enough! (Y/N) get away from him, now!” (Y/N) was forcefully removed away from me by her mother. She was looking at me pleadingly and then turned to look at her parents with such hatred. I’ve never seen her like this ever again, not even with Aro.

“YOU. WILL. NOT. TELL. ME. WHAT. TO. DO!” If looks could kill, (Y/N)’s parents would be dead by now. Her hands started lighting up, bright purple flames rising up. She was trying to intimidate her parents, but neither of them looked concerned in the slightest. She turned to us and with a dance-like move of her hand, we were finally freed of our fetters.

It was her father’s turn to speak. “(Y/N), let’s take this outside.” With a jerking motion of his hand, we all found ourselves, outside, in their house’s front yard.

“They’ve come to take you back to Volterra, back to Aro! Don’t you see it? They don’t care about you! They just want to please their master.” The words came bitter out of her mouth. She had a clear resentment towards the Volturi. “I will not let them take you away from me! Not again!”

“I know, mother, I’ve read their minds, too. Yet, I don’t see why YOU seem to think that you can make the decisions for me. I am my own self. I can make decisions for myself. And I get to choose what I do with my life.” (Y/N)’s voice was certain, powerful, in control. “They are not bad people, mother. They just have to follow orders, just like you followed Aro’s orders, just like I followed yours. That’s not going to happen anymore. I am taking control of my life!”

The sweet, little girl I got to see my whole life was becoming a strong, powerful woman right in front of my eyes. She was radiating power; she was taking control of her life. She was..my everything. She was becoming independent, her own self. To say I was proud of her, would be an understatement. She has always been special, but this newly-found power has clearly given her way more confidence and trust in herself.

She would finally be able to rule the Volturi. If she decided to come back to Volterra, she could definitely take over the coven. No one would be able to resist her or her gift. My thoughts were quickly interrupted when her dad started shouting in Greek.

Demetri, who was standing right next to me, saw the look of total confusion in my eyes. “I’ll translate for you.” I nodded at him. “So, her father says: Enough with this nonsense, (Y/N). Your place is here, with us. You owe us; we taught you what you needed to know about your magic. We taught you how to use it, how to develop it. You didn’t know enough to defend yourself back then.”

“Now, (Y/N) says: I don’t owe you anything. Yes, you did teach me how to use my magic, which I inherited from you. But, you gave me away to Aro. You couldn’t defend me or yourselves against him. You just offered me to him, as if I was a present for his birthday or something.”

“Now, her mother says: You, at least, owe it to yourself to get away from these tyrants. You know they don’t deserve you, so why are you still defending him? It’s that man, isn’t it? Now, (Y/N) says: That man has a name. Now, her mom says: You know, his name means “lucky”, "happy" in Greek. Yet, he hasn’t been that lucky or happy at all, has he? We read his mind, (Y/N), he’s not worthy of you.”

“Now, (Y/N) says: Guess what? I have also read his mind, and I have also read the two of you, as well. Don’t you think that it is only you who can read my mind while I’m sleeping! I’ve been reading your minds any chance I get! I know how you’ve been planning to use me, as a weapon against the Volturi! Guess again! I’m not going to let you manipulate me anymore! And that man deserves EVERYTHING in this world!”

“ENOUGH!” Her father shouted and threw a dark red glowing sphere, hitting (Y/N) and knocking her on the ground. My heart dropped at the sight, but she quickly stood up and gathered so much energy in her own hands, attacking her father with a powerful hit.

He got wounded, his face slightly cracked from his forehead to his jaw, yet he didn’t give up. He was about to attack her once again when his wife stopped him. She was looking at me and nodded to her husband. I heard (Y/N) screaming, but I didn’t make out what she was saying, as I started screaming myself and felt myself getting tossed in the air. Then, everything went black once again.

[yetanotherhoeforpedro]

Sinfully Armored

Summary: After Din Djarin had lost everything: his ship, his child, his way, and found himself as rightful leader of the Mandalore, he’s glad when an opportunity arises to escape all of his responsibilities. Grogu doesn’t seem to adapt well to his destined life in the New Jedi Order and handling the little rascal is simply too much for Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, who has to rebuild the entire Jedi Order and help in the founding of the New Republic. As a last resort, he contacts the mysterious Mandalorian, who seemed to have formed a strong bond with the Jedi foundling, to help Grogu accept his Jedi heritage and finally let go of the past. What Mando didn’t know is that on top of being given the chance to escape his duties, he’d meet you.

Notes: see ‘Sinfully armored’ on AO3

Chapter 1 - Strange Revelations 

It has been the Maker knows how many days since you arrived at this desolate planet in the Outer Rim. The planets where you had to scout for Imperial Scum all started to blend into one after weeks and weeks on this expedition. The same dreary landscapes, shady people and shabby buildings on every single one. The Empire has left its dirty imprints throughout the entire galaxy and its people, including you.

The rundown bar you found yourself in right now must have seen better days as well. You swirled your drink lazily and scowled at the remaining dregs. This next part of your job was always the worst, impossibly done sober. You absolutely despised any kind of peaceful interaction with sympathizers of the Empire, even though you knew hate was not an emotion you should feel as a Jedi.

You drowned your glass in one big swallow and smoothly slid the it across the counter with a few credits. Before the bartender even reacted to your movement, you were already gone. The mud made an unsatisfying, squelching sound under your boots as you maneuvered through the narrow streets of Wakuda. Your nose scrunched at the mere smell of the place. Why the secret underground organization you were supposed to track down chose this of all places to build their base is beyond you, but you guessed it fit their morals.

As you neared the location you tracked the Imperial scum down to, you noticed a few snipers on the roof of the half-ruined building in your peripheral. Deep down you hoped they’d be skilled just so that you’d have a bit of a challenge as a distraction. They weren’t, since they didn’t even notice you until you were too close. Maybe their stupid helmets blocked their vision, you couldn’t even blame them. A quick swipe of the force knocked them out and you proceeded with your task.

Through a crack in the roof, you could spy on the meeting taking place underneath you. You leaned down a bit to get a better view and watched the scene unfold.

There were 6 people assembled in the room, but the woman at the head of the table stuck out especially to you with her glowing red hair. When she raised her voice, everyone went quiet. This woman clearly had an air of authority surrounding her. She began in a conspiring tone: “Fellow members of the First Galactic Empire, I have called you here today because troublesome news reached me. The New Jedi Order of Luke Skywalker keeps gaining more and more power. If the New Republic is backed by such a strong force of Jedi knights, our chances of rebuilding the Empire are slim to none.” The woman surveyed the room full of expectant eyes. No one dared to interrupt her. “So, we must take action. I have already contacted Grand Admiral Thrawn…”

The rest of her sentence didn’t reach your ears as you heard that name. As far as you knew, the notorious man died during the Battle of Endor with most of the other Imperial generals. If there was any truth to her claim that he was still alive, the New Republic and everything you stood for was in great peril. The old hatred started to boil up inside of you once again and it was all you could do to not jump down there and finish all of them in your fit of rage. To calm yourself, you reached deep into the Force as Luke had taught you. You reminded yourself that it was him and the Jedi’s goal of a peaceful galaxy you were doing all of this for and the discussion that broke out beneath you abruptly caught your attention again.

“That’s absolutely impossible! How would we even train those children? It’s not like we have a Sith Lord to train them!” a small man with shockingly pale skin exclaimed. “Leave that to me and the more experienced generals, we have everything under control. All you need to do is collect the force sensitive children from the systems I’ll send you out to,” the woman answered. The small man nodded once and the woman seemed satisfied. She pulled out a little device, flipped a switch and a holographic map appeared at the center of the table. As you glanced at the map, something pocked at the back of your mind. Why did it look so familiar?

But before you could observe it more closely and identify the feeling, the comm at your wrist vibrated. Luke always had such an unfortunate timing for someone so in tune with the Force. You cursed under your breath and accepted the transmission. After all, he wouldn’t contact you if it wasn’t important.  

“Report back to the Jedi Temple immediately,” he stated. “What? But I’m in the middle of a mission! I just made a discovery of great importance,” you protested. “Alright, but get back as soon as possible. May the Force be with you.” The connection snapped and you focused on the meeting again.

“Do not disappoint me,” the woman commanded. That was an obvious dismissal. After cursing Luke’s awful timing once again, you decided to track the leader of the meeting, which couldn’t be too hard, considering her hair was shining like a beacon. However, as you scaled down the building and looked down the street, she and her co-conspirators had vanished into thin air. How odd. But it was a blessing of sorts because you were eager to get off this planet and return to the Jedi Temple. Thrawn was alive?  It was all you could think about as you cut through the winding streets of Wakuda once again. The man who had taken so much from you had not been avenged? A sick part of you was thrilled about the opportunity to get revenge yourself, but it was outweighed by your general anxiety.

The sudden gleaming of a hull caught your eye and your pace quickened. As you turned around the corner, the magnificent ship arising before you obscured the view of your tiny, wreckage of an X-Wing. The rusty ship had accompanied you on many missions and despite its state, you had grown quite fond of it, but couldn’t be bothered to clean it. It wouldn’t matter anyway; it would just get dirty again in the next place you landed. You climbed into the cockpit and took off.

As you activated hyperspace, you tried to shake Thrawn off your mind and it quickly filled with other enigmas. You reconsidered the strange Déjà-vu you felt when you saw the map. You were sure you had seen it before sometime, but when and where exactly? Why would you have seen an imperial map? And how could they have left without a single trace? Who was the strange woman?

After pondering about these questions turned out to be futile, you began to wonder what could have been urgent enough for Luke to call you back from your mission. While you would have been jumping at the chance to finally leave these shitty systems under normal circumstances, the situation just got interesting and all you wanted to do was track the Imperial scum down and kill them one by one before they could do any more harm. But Luke had to lecture you on discipline far too many times and this mission was your chance to show him that he could trust you.

Still…How would you ever find out where they had gone now? You should have damned Luke’s orders and followed them somehow when you still could, what if they got to the children first? Shit, why didn’t you think straight? It seems like all of your focus and composure had left you once Thrawn’s name had perturbated your thoughts. All of the old grief and hate resurfaced again and threatened to drown you.  

You took a deep breath and pushed those emotions as far back as you could. The logical action right now would be to contact Luke immediately, he needed to send out someone else to stop the bandits. While you were short on Jedi, the New Republic would sure have someone to take care of the problem. If only you knew where they went, they’d be long gone if the Republic needed to investigate their whereabouts first. You sighed and called Luke.

“What’s wrong?” His hologram appeared in front you instantly. “A lot,” you responded dryly. “You’ll not be pleased about what I just discovered – before I was so rudely interrupted by you, that is.” He frowned at your sarcasm, this was obviously not the time for it, but you couldn't help it. It had become a sort of coping mechanism for you, a way to shield yourself from issues lest they touch you personally. “Grand Admiral Thrawn – or some doppelgänger of him – is still alive and in direct contact with the leftovers of the Empire.”

Luke was silent for a moment, his expression unreadable. “That is bad news indeed, I’ll need to inform Leia and Han so that they can alert our troops. Your assistance has been most valuable to us,” he replied finally, oddly formal. Still, you nodded curtly at the approval.

“Wait,” you intercepted as he was about to disconnect. “Unfortunately, there’s more. I overheard that they plan to rebuild the Sith Order, but on a far grander scale. I only caught a glimpse, but they had some map that directs them towards force-sensitive children all across the universe. While I have no clue as to how they would train them – unless they had a secret Sith Lord up their sleeves as well – we cannot let them take the children. The Jedi Order needs them.”  This time, Luke’s silence lasted even longer, to the point where it was almost painful. You forced the words forming on your tongue to fill the silence back – yet another nervous habit of yours – and mirrored his quiet. Until you gave in and broke it: “I did not disappoint when I warned you that I had some bad news, huh?”

Luke gave you a no-nonsense-look. “No, you did not. Do you think you can recall the map and lead us to the children?” he inquired. “Um…I’ve tried, but to no avail. However, the map looked oddly familiar. No idea where I could have seen it before, but I trust my instincts.” You shrug, though it doesn’t reflect your sentiments in the slightest.

“You said this map leads them to force-sensitive children?” he repeated slowly, more to himself. “Yeah.” – “In that case, I might know just where to look.” Before you could ask him what he meant by that he was gone. You let out an exasperated sigh. He took the whole mysterious Jedi image way too seriously, in your opinion.

You spent the rest of the flight dissociating in space, as one does. In a way, you were doing the meditation exercises Luke taught you. Time bent around you, it could have been minutes or hours until you arrived back at Coruscant. The blinding lights of the capitol made you snap back to reality as you swiftly descended.

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

You spotted Luke, facing the wall, quickly as you entered the council chamber, which was empty except for him. The few other “Jedi” seemed to be on missions as well. The “Council” consisted of a bunch of half-trained Jedi knights and one other survivor of Order 66, Master Vamora who appeared too fragile to still be an active fighter, but he was a stubborn old bastard. Not that it wasn’t an immense blessing to have at least one Jedi of the Old Order in your midst who was fully trained. He was extremely cranky and righteous though.

Luke turned back around to you. You did a double take as you took him in, seeing what the hologram had concealed. At first you noticed his eyes and the black rings underneath them, then the hollow of his cheekbones, his general paleness and crouched stance. He looked really exhausted, to say the least. Not being able to hold yourself back, you commented: “What happened to you? You look like you went through some shit.” At that, you earned a small grin from him that made some of the color reappear on his face.

Your heart jumped a little at the sight, you had to admit he was quite handsome, especially when he smiled. It wasn’t just ideological reasons keeping you in his Jedi Order after all, although you felt a twinge of guilt every time your stupid, horny brain produced these immoral thoughts. It was absolutely illegal for a Jedi to harbor such feelings, much less act on them, at least according to your set of morals. Luke himself had been conceived out of such an improper relation and since he did not grow up learning about the old set of Jedi rules, he had seen no use in implementing any such rule in his Jedi Order (much to the displeasure of Master Vamora, who had quite a lot to complain about today’s youth). You, on the other hand, had been indoctrinated the old set of rules from a small age on and you tried to stick to them in honor of those who saved you from your horrible fate and the sacrifices of those who had not been as lucky as you. But Luke did have a point. He claimed that love was not a crime or a weakness to be punished but rather a virtue that differentiates you from those who strayed to the Dark Side. Frankly, he was just a little too horny for his own good. He was well known for his bohemian lifestyle, sharing his bed with both men and women.

“That’s why I had to call you back here. I am being tormented endlessly by a little green monster,” he replied with a smirk on his face, pulling you out of your thoughts. You raised an eyebrow, but before you could inquire further, the door slid open behind you and you snapped around.

This day just kept getting weirder, or maybe you were extremely sleep-deprived as well. There was a Mandalorian with a little green creature that eerily resembled Master Yoda (if he were young and cute instead of old and wrinkly as he had appeared the last time you saw him) cradled in his arms standing in front of you. His armor was unlike any you had ever seen before, pure beskar and shimmering as it reflected the bright city lights. He looked exactly like the legendary warrior race of Mandalore you had only ever heard rumors about, straight out of a myth. Considering those rumors, didn’t they absolutely despise the Jedi? Suddenly alarmed, you pulled your lightsaber from your belt. The Mandalorian didn’t move, only cocked his head to the side. Even though you couldn’t see his face underneath the helmet, you felt like his eyes were piercing you. You stared right back at him, not moving an inch, thumb resting on the switch of your weapon, ready to activate it should he attack. Not that your lightsaber could do much damage to him, as he was dressed in beskar from head to toe. But what about the child in his arms? Maybe he wasn’t up for a fight after all. With a sick disappointment – how challenging would it be to fight such a legendary warrior? – you put your weapon back on your belt again. The Mandalorian kept staring at you, standing still as a machine.

This time it was Luke who broke the silence, as you were too entranced to say anything at all.  “There is the source of my eternal torment.” He strolled up to you in a relaxed manner. It was his calm posture and the underlying humor and fondness in his voice that kept you from attacking the strangers. The green creature turned its head and stared at you innocently with its huge, black eyes. You sensed it suddenly through the Force and did a double take in surprise. It reached its small arms out to you, but the Mandalorian took a step back from you rather than let the child closer to you. “This…this is why you called me back?” You shot Luke an incredulous, slightly offended look, to which he returned another wicked grin. “Yes.”

“Elaborate, please?” You didn’t even try to hide the annoyance in your voice. “This is my good friend…” He gestured to the Mandalorian. “Um, I actually don’t know his name, I just call him Mando. Everyone does.” He smirked at the warrior. “And this little fellah is Grogu, a Jedi foundling I took upon me to train.” The look Luke gave the child was so full of love that it seemed almost too intimate to witness. “Mando saved him from the Empire and took great care of him. Frankly, he cared for him too well. Grogu has formed such a strong attachment to him that it’s nearly impossible to train him. The little rascal is incredibly stubborn if his daddy isn’t around.”

A bit more enlightened, but still unaware of your place in this family drama, you waited for Luke to continue. “Since I have a ton of obligations, I don’t have time to train the little one and detach him from his savior.” Oh no. You hoped this wouldn’t be heading in the direction you thought it was. “You, on the other hand, have less responsibilities.” Fuck. "So, I decided that you should train him. And let his dad tag along until he can let him go.”

No fucking way. “I am not a damn babysitter! Neither do I care to get involved in this clearly complicated family structure! I have a mission, Luke. I need to get to those…,” you paused, suddenly all too aware that you had an audience, “…thieves and stop them.” Luke grinned at you, as if he expected that answer from you. “Isn’t it super convenient that our friend Mando here is a professional bounty hunter, eager to earn a few credits from the Republic?”

You shifted your gaze back to the silent warrior and the kid. “I am supposed to train this rip-off Yoda while on a mission? That’s just pointless, I won’t have time to teach him anything at all!” you pointed out. You were not interested in training another Jedi, especially not one that resembled Master Yoda and everything you lost so much. “You’ll have plenty of free time while traveling through space and he can learn a lot more in real situations than I could ever teach him,” Luke argued. “You want us to take him along on a hunt?” a modulated voice interjected. “No way, that’s far too dangerous for him as long as he’s untrained!” Luke wasn’t kidding about the bond, the man in armor clearly cared deeply for the child. Interesting.

“You need to stop being such a helicopter parent if you want him to live an independent life,” your Jedi companion retorted. You couldn’t help the small chuckle that escaped your throat and a visor turned back to you. “I don’t trust her with my child”, the Mandalorian stated curtly. You scowled at him. “You shouldn’t have brought him to the Jedi if you had a problem with him being in the custody of a Jedi,” you snarled at the intruder, suddenly not caring that you didn’t even want this child in the first place and simply wanting to disagree with him. “It’s not the Jedi I don’t trust, it’s you and your attitude.” – “Is it because I called him a ‘rip-off Yoda’?” You flashed him a sweet smile.

“I see you two’ll get along just fine,” Luke said, the corners of his mouth quirking up slightly. “You could leave for the first child tomorrow.” At that, your attention snapped back to him. “What do you mean? Did you find the map?” – “Of course, as it was our map they stole in the first place.” Now your Déjà-vu made complete sense and you cursed yourself for not having come to this conclusion earlier. Obviously the Jedi had a map with the locations of force-sensitive children – possible new Jedi. The situation was even graver than you expected. “Get some rest now, you seem to need it almost as much as I do.” Luke winked at you. Accepting defeat for now and realizing how exhausted you truly were, you gave Luke a short nod before departing from the room and retiring to your chambers to finally get some well-deserved sleep.

Chapter 2

Masterlist

[blaineandsamevanderson]

What's in your WIP folder?

Oh boy, that’s a big ask! I tend to start writing a fic and get distracted. Some of these are super old and I keep meaning to get back to them, but the muses are fickle.

Hawaii Five 0

On the Right Track Babe ~ When a case leads to an undercover assignment, certain things are uncovered (Mcdanno)

Untitled ~ Danny works a detail at Honolulu Pride cuz he figures if there’s gotta be a police presence at Pride that some of the cops should be part of the community (Mcdanno)

9-1-1/9-1-1 LoneStar

The Date ~ Buck gets ready for a date after his shift at the firehouse...and a hot guy show to pick him up. Hot guy is Dylan, the hot EMT played by Nyle DiMarco on a Station 19 episode where they were fighting wildfires in CA. (Buddie)

Chopped ~ Buck competes on a firefighter edition of Chopped (Buddie)

BBQ ~ Carlos takes TK to a family BBQ (Tarlos)

Untitled Buddie Soulmates fic ~ When someone falls in love, they are marked, a signal appearing on their skin to commemorate that their heart was connected to another. Many couples bore marks for one and other, but only in rare occasions, do they wear the same mark. When two people loved each other and were true soulmates, they shared a mark. (Buddie)

Special Report ~ The news runs a story about the Tsunami on the anniversary (Buddie)

Untitled ~ Buck offers to go as Josh’s plus one to a wedding (undecided ship)

Untitled ~ Eddie hurts his hands and is frustrated. Buck is a good friend and lends a hand ;) (Buddie)

Untitled 9-1-1/Prodigal Son Crossover ~ What is says on the tin

Glee (All Blam)

Running Mates ~ When Blaine Anderson becomes the Democratic nominee for the presidency, he has to pick a VP. A Glee/West Wing fusion

Let’s Marvin Gaye ~ So, idea: In Senior year, Artie decides to get some more directorial experience by making music videos of his friends covering songs. One in particular is a hit, Blaine and Brittany’s cover of Charlie Puth/Meghan Trainor’s song Marvin Gaye…but unlike the actual video, they don’t share a kiss. Both Blaine and Britt have their own storylines in the video, Sam and Santana acting as their respective partners, culminating with kisses like in the video…though Artie doesn’t fade to black fast…It quickly goes viral :)

The Smell of Fresh Cut Grass on Sun Soaked Skin ~ Summer before S2, Sam’s family has just moved to Lima and he’s making extra cash by doing yard work. Gets hired by Mrs. Anderson and he and Blaine meet.

The Most Magical Place on Earth ~ Sam is called to a meeting by Blaine's parents. They sit him down and say that of all of Blaine's friends, Sam is the most reliable, the most trustworthy and the nicest. So they have chosen (maybe even hire) him to keep an eye on Blaine because Blaine tends to go crazy when he takes this annual trip. Cooper couldn't handle him. Kurt couldn't take it. But they think Sam can. When Blaine does his annual week-long trip to Disney World, Sam goes with him. Oh what could possibly happen?

Mutual Admiration ~ Famous male model Sam Evans is on Ellen to promote his new GQ magazine spread and when asked about celebrity crushes he reveals he’s crushing on Broadway star Blaine Anderson.

Friends, Love & Homecoming ~ S2 AU ~ Post 2x03 – Sam joined glee in 2x01 and is not dating Quinn. Not dating anyone at McKinley, cuz he’s with Blaine. When Homecoming rolls around, he wants to take him, so he tells the club. I want reactions!

Drunk on A Plane ~ After being left at the altar, Blaine decides to use the Honeymoon tickets himself. AU ~ where Sam never moved to Lima and he and Blaine meet later in life.

Cruise Ship Coincidence ~ Future fic slightly AU (no Klaine engagement or Samcedes stuff or they broke up already). During a cruise, Kurt and Rachel bump into newlywed Blaine and Sam, who are on their honeymoon after haven’t saw them in years

DCTV

Crossovers

Untitled Bake Off AU ~ DCTV characters on Bake Off (Captain Canary, Winnara and others)

Stretch Right Up and Touch the Sky ~ Camp STAR is one of the North East’s most popular science camps. Every year, young minds arrive to learn and explore. Unfortunately, a few weeks before the camp was to open for the season, a large explosion in one of the labs and the ensuing fire made the camp uninhabitable. Not wanting his campers to miss out on their summer, Owner Harrison Wells called up Joe West, Owner of Camp Superflarrow, who he knew was looking to expand the science discovery program at his own camp. (Captain Canary, Winnara and others)

Untitled Beach Town AU ~ Beach Town AU: Sara Lance (16) and her sister Laurel (17) are invited to spend the summer at the summer beach house of Laurel’s friend Oliver (17). There, they meet a variety of people, townies, other vacationers, etc…and one townie in particular, Leonard Snart (17) catches Sara’s interest :) (Captain Canary, Winnara and others)

Untitled Actors AU ~ An AU where the Legends of Superflarrow characters are actors playing heroes (or part of the crew for the tv/movie) and Sara is one of the heroes and Leonard is one of the villains and their chemistry inspires the writers to give his character a redemption arc… (Captain Canary and others)

Captain Cold Comes to National City ~ Based on a thread started by this tumblr post: I’ve got it! Due to the Oculus’s destruction, Len Snart is blown through the time-space continuum. He awakens in a universe not his own, with a girl in a red skirt… not to mention a red cape… standing over him (Captain Canary, Winnara and others)

Legends of Tomorrow

A Tale of Two Snarts ~ A familiar face returns in an unexpected way (Captain Canary)

Land of the Lost ~ The Legends try to figure out how they’re going to fix time and find a lost friend along the way. Spoilers for the Season 2 Finale!!!! (Captain Canary)

Marvel

Rewinding the Clock ~ In the Marvel world, even old age isn't a constant...

We’ve Come A Long Way From Where We Began ~ Picking up where Infinity War ends….

Star Trek

Georgia Time ~ A follow Up the The Journey Home and Beyond set right after Kirk et all graduate but before they ship out. (McKirk maybe?)

Teen Wolf

Finding Home ~ After the Battle of Beacon Hills, life goes on. (Thiam & Mahealahey & Others)

Model Behavior ~ Isaac gets a job as an Abercrombie greeter (before the ban) and Danny's his trainer. (Mahealahey)

The Full Moon Job (Crossover with Leverage) ~ An alternate version of Teen Wolf Season 6. Wet after the pack pretends to leave Beacon Hills, but after that, all timelines are chucked, characters are brought back and fun is had (Thiam & Mahealahey & Others)

Stay All Day in the Sun ~ When Theo isn't around, the pack starts to wonder where he's going off to.... (Thiam & Mahealahey & Others)

Untitled Actors AU ~ Liam and Theo are actors on a hit tv show. Their characters are enemies with crackling chemistry, but no one suspects it cuz they’re together off screen (Thiam)

Untitled Actors AU 2 ~ What if Danny was one of the cast of a popular show about werewolves? Possibly called Teen Wolf, for the fans of the Meta and, in Season 2, they bring in some new characters, including one played by Isaac. Their characters aren’t supposed to have too much interaction initially, but soon everyone sees the chemistry… (Mahealahey)

[rockislandadultreads]

2021 Fantasy: Book Recommendations 

The Wolf by J.R. Ward

Return to the sizzling glymera’s prison camp in this dark and sexy second novel in the new Black Dagger Brotherhood Prison Camp spin-off series from the #1 New York Times bestselling author J.R. Ward.

In the next installment of bestselling author J.R. Ward’s Prison Camp series, things get steamy when Lucan, a wolven forced into bartering drug deals for the infamous Prison Colony, meets Rio, the second in command for the shadowy Caldwell supplier, Mozart. After a deal goes awry, a wolf with piercing golden eyes swoops in to save her from certain death. As shocking truths unfurl, Rio is uncertain of who to trust and what to believe—but with her life on the line, true love rears its head and growls in the face of danger.

Wendy, Darling by A.C. Wise

For those that lived there, Neverland was a children's paradise. No rules, no adults, only endless adventure and enchanted forests - all led by the charismatic boy who would never grow old. But Wendy Darling grew up. She left Neverland and became a woman, a mother, a patient, and a survivor. Because Neverland isn't as perfect as she remembers. There's darkness at the heart of the island, and now Peter Pan has returned to claim a new Wendy for his lost boys...

Son of the Storm by Suyi Davies Okungbowa

From one of the most exciting new storytellers in epic fantasy, Son of the Storm is a sweeping tale of violent conquest and forgotten magic set in a world inspired by the pre-colonial empires of West Africa. "Everything I love in a fantasy novel. Damn good stuff!" —Jenn Lyons, author of The Ruin of Kings In the ancient city of Bassa, Danso is a clever scholar on the cusp of achieving greatness—only he doesn’t want it. Instead, he prefers to chase forbidden stories about what lies outside the city walls. The Bassai elite claim there is nothing of interest. The city’s immigrants are sworn to secrecy. But when Danso stumbles across a warrior wielding magic that shouldn’t exist, he’s put on a collision course with Bassa’s darkest secrets. Drawn into the city’s hidden history, he sets out on a journey beyond its borders. And the chaos left in the wake of his discovery threatens to destroy the empire.

A Dark and Hollow Star by Ashley Shuttleworth

Choose your player. The “ironborn” half-fae outcast of her royal fae family. A tempestuous Fury, exiled to earth from the Immortal Realm and hellbent on revenge. A dutiful fae prince, determined to earn his place on the throne. The prince’s brooding guardian, burdened with a terrible secret. For centuries, the Eight Courts of Folk have lived among us, concealed by magic and bound by law to do no harm to humans. This arrangement has long kept peace in the Courts—until a series of gruesome and ritualistic murders rocks the city of Toronto and threatens to expose faeries to the human world. Four queer teens, each who hold a key piece of the truth behind these murders, must form a tenuous alliance in their effort to track down the mysterious killer behind these crimes. If they fail, they risk the destruction of the faerie and human worlds alike. If that’s not bad enough, there’s a war brewing between the Mortal and Immortal Realms, and one of these teens is destined to tip the scales. The only question is: which way? Wish them luck. They’re going to need it.

[fortysevenswrites]

📓📔📒📕📗📘📙📚📖!!!!!!!!!

Okay. 9 books, 9 fics. You're welcome.

1. Kastle/The West Wing Crossover Every time I watch TWW, I think about Karen and Donna Moss being friends, and once I thought of a fic where during the early seasons of TWW, the President and staff go to New York and Karen is moderating one of the series of town halls they're there for (specifically one where Josh Lyman is speaking). And of course that one, because reasons I had not yet come up with, gets attacked by The Hand, and Karen, Donna and Josh (who gets injured, because Josh ALWAYS gets injured) get rescued by Frank and it basically ends with the President demanding to meet Frank to thank him for saving Josh's life and everyone is like, "Mr. President do you not understand that Frank Castle is technically a MURDERER and the Secret Service will n e v e r let you in the same room with him and it's bad enough that you're currently on the same ISLAND?" So, yeah.

Here's something I wrote for it:

“Josh, did you hear?”

“I have impeccable hearing, Donna,” Josh says without looking up from the memo in his hand. “What is it that I am supposed to have heard?”

“Carol told me that she heard from Lindsay in credentialing that Karen Page has been assigned to cover the President’s town halls in New York for the New York Bulletin!”

He waits for her to keep going, but she doesn’t so, he looks up and sees her waiting expectantly, “And?”

“Karen Page? What It Means To Be A Hero Karen Page. She’s connected to half the vigilante-superheroes in Lower Manhattan. She was held hostage by ninjas. She interviewed Tony Stark about the Sokovia Accords. Last year, The Punisher himself may or may not have held her hostage after saving her from that terrorist Lewis Wilson.”

“And?”

“And, would it be inappropriate, as a member of the White House Staff, to ask her for her autograph?”

Kastle: The Big Indulgence

This is one of the first long fics I came up with for Kastle (and come hell or high water I WILL write it one day). Basically, it puts the NMCU actually IN the MCU. Post TPS1, Sarah tracks Karen down and they become friends, and at the same time, Frank becomes friends with Bucky Barnes (yes Emily, I know he's not your fav) by way of Curtis' group (Curt, of course, regrets ever letting them interact ever). Karen gets nominated for an award for her journalism work by the Maria Stark Foundation, where she meets Pepper, Natasha, and Darcy, and befriends them as well. Everything comes to a head and Karen and Frank reunite after the discovery that Sarah Lieberman is related to one of Bucky's surviving family members (the Liebermans are Jewish, Bucky's family is Jewish, it works!). Then, things related to Billy and Hydra happen, there's an incident where a few people disappear into an alternate universe for...an... amount of time, the Avengers meet the X-Men to help get them back, and Frank may or may not be a little psychic. Someone ends up coming from that alternate universe who doesn't belong here, but it's okay because she's [redacted] and also Leo's [redacted].

Leo-Centric, Kastle

Leo gets an internship as Darcy Lewis' assistant (well, technically she's working for Jane Foster, but it's basically working for Darcy), where she meets Karen, matchmakes her with Frank, and also gets a girlfriend. I think the summary says it best:

Summer 2021.

In which Leo Lieberman gets the internship of a lifetime—working for Jane!Freaking!Foster’s soon-to-be former personal assistant, Darcy Lewis—both comes out of the closet AND gets the girl, and helps her long-lost murder-uncle finally reconcile with the ace reporter of his dreams.

If Frank was actually bulletproof, it would totally be just like Superman and Lois Lane.

5 Times Seth Tells Kate He Loves Her

A five-times fic where Seth is just ass over tea kettle in love with Kate, and makes sure she knows it and doesn't care what other people (read: Richie and Scott) think about it. The first one takes place the night they get back from Matanzas, and I just love the little bit I've written so far. I know 2 that I'm going to write so far, so...3 to go.

Kate Meets Vanessa Post S3

So I started writing this around Valentine's Day this year, and I might keep it as a Valentine's Day fic no matter what, but basically, in a grand universal coincidence, Vanessa strolls into Jed's just because she's stopping for lunch on her way to...somewhere. She meets Kate, who is covering the bar for Kalinda and Greer (a culebra OC that I will one day actually formally introduce in my fics, I promise), who are downstairs "checking on inventory" read: screwing in a maintenance closet because it's Valentine's Day, and then Seth comes out and there's a little, very awkward reunion, and basically Vanessa is the MOST amused, Seth is the MOST uncomfortable and Kate's just like...okay? And? Also, Seth is still bitter about Vanessa taking the tire iron to his car back in early S1.

The SK/Detroit 187 Fusion

Seth is a detective in Houston PD, who comes into the office one day to discover they...hired an intern? Said intern is Kate Fuller, a grad student at the University of Houston, who is working on her master's thesis by studying something related to crime (duh). Seth thinks she's a Disney princess in human form and they're very antagonistic with one another, but also he likes her way more than he thinks he should (but feels a LOT better about it when he finds out she's 23, not like...barely legal to drink or anything. Angst happens when a gang (Malvado's, but Carlos' branch of it) attacks Kate's family and kills her parents, and Seth takes her to Eddie and Richie for protection while he and his partner, Ximena, and the rest of the department solve the case and put Carlos' crew away.

SK Post 2x02 AU

After Kate and Seth part ways in 2x02, Kate goes back to Bethel, but Scott isn't there (so Jessica lives). She ends up in Houston for two years, working at a gym and keeping her to the ground looking for word about her brother, until one night, she's attacked by a bunch of Culebras, and is saved by Seth, Richie, and Kisa. She finds out that Carlos and Malvado are after her because she's the key to the way to the Blood Well, and Carlos and Malvado's henchwoman, the one and only Sonja, draws them all back to Bethel by putting Jessica in danger, and...it's all going to come to a head in some way that involves them saving Jessica from Sonja and killing Malvado and stopping the events of S3 from ever having to happen.

SK Season 1 AU

I don't know if i'm ever going to go anywhere with this, but I had this thought of...what is Carlos as Kyle wasn't a dick to Kate, and he took her to Mexico instead of Kate going back with Jacob and Scott. She ends up at the Twister before Seth and Richie do, and spends time with Kisa before she goes out to perform, and somehow it ends up with Kate going through the labyrinth with the brothers? I don't know. Something like that.

The FDTD/The Punisher Crossover That Starts Off In New York

So this is one of 2 crossovers I have for SK-meets-Kastle, but I love it. This is post 2x02, and Kate ends up in New York after not being able to find Scott back in Bethel. She ends up going to work as NM&P's assistant, and befriends Karen. To get to know one another better, Karen takes Kate to Josie's, where Kate discovers that Josie is a culebra, and Josie promises to keep Kate's secret. One day, this...guy shows up at the office, asking to talk to Karen, and Karen kicks Kate out of the office while they talk, and when she comes back, the guy is gone and Karen doesn't want to talk about it. (It's Frank, of course it's Frank). Also featuring one day where Frank is on the roof, Matt gets wind of it and goes up there to confront him about seeing Karen again and comes back with a black eye, and Kate is V confused whereas Karen is 10000000% pissed off at them both. Not long after, Kate and Karen are out one night, and they're attacked by a bunch of culebras. Frank helps intervene while Kate really is the one to save the day...and then she has to explain culebras to them. Of course, Karen saw aliens fall out of a portal above Stark Tower, so...snake vampires? Whatever. Kate calls Freddie to figure out why she was attacked and it turns out Carlos and Malvado are after her (and, later found out Karen too). Kate, Karen and Frank end up in Texas and things all come to a head at the blood well, as it does, and while Carlos shoots Kate in front of Seth, Richie, and Scott (which, BAD IDEA), Kate falls into the blood well, and when she's pulled out, she's healed. But...she also has something inside her that wants to destroy the world, and everyone has to race against time to figure out how to get Amaru out of Kate before she takes over completely and destroys them all. They figure out a way, but it has an...interesting side effect for Kate and Seth. Also, this is the one where Maggie takes one look at Freddie and Ximena and shrugs and says, "You know what? Porque no los dos?"

So yeah, there you go!

(Also, I thought about also including the Amaru isn't evil, she's just cranky and wants to go home, S3 AU, but we just talked about it yesterday, so I figured it doesn't count hahaaha.)

send me a book emoji of any kind and i will tell you about a fic idea i have

[grimmseye]

Business

Read on Ao3 Here

Rating: Gen

Fandom: She-ra

Relationships: Hordak & Entrapta, Hordak/Entrapta (pre-relationship

Chapter Characters: Hordak, Entrapta

Chapter Tags/Warnings: Once again, 1500+ words of Hordak’s thoughts about Entrapta, Season 1, The Battle of Bright Moon

— — — — — — — —

 They were so close — the closest they have ever been. Outside was a breathtaking scene: the glow of the Fright Zone, black clouds funneling about, shards of red light fracturing the sky and casting his empire in its glow.

 It was marvelous.

 As he stood on a high balcony, Hordak realized he couldn’t recall the last he’d breathed open air. His days would keep him locked tight inside his lab, occupied with projects or pain, but this was a sight to behold. He only wished he could see its true glory, in what were soon to be the ruins of Bright Moon. Were his armor functioning properly, he would be there now, commanding troops in the field to ensure victory.

 As it was, he could only wait and direct from afar. Force Captain Catra had proved to be an effective leader, despite her record showing no such conditioning. All of Shadow Weaver’s focus had gone to She-ra,neglecting four cadets in favor of a future traitor. And yet, he’d found she needed little intervention in his observations of her work. This had been her discovery, after all. Catra could be trusted with the frontal assault on Bright Moon. It was her fellow captains who needed a guiding hand.

 Almost on cue, his communications pad chirped. It was an alarm, a reminder. His troops were due to make their first strike soon.

 Hordak took one last, lingering glance at the sky. It was an image he hoped his brother would one day see through his eyes, the fruits of his labor. And not just his, but those he held at his side. Force Captain Catra, whom his empire had raised, who had in turn found the key to their success and led them to victory now.

 He committed this moment to memory, and then headed for the Black Garnet chamber.

 Princess Entrapta had commandeered the room for this assault. A web of monitors had been arranged to display various video feeds through his soldiers’ helmets. They were still in the Whispering Woods, nearly unrecognizable through the blizzard. From a speaker in a console below came a voice: “Arriving in Bright Moon in ten minutes. Force Captains Catra, Scorpia, Howler, Grizzlor, are you ready?”  

 Catra was the first to respond. “Ready. Cannons will be set to charge two minutes to arrival.”  

 The others echoed similar statements. As they spoke, the audio feed buzzed out as it was overridden by Catra’s line. “Entrapta, report.”  

 At that, a grate moved. Hordak’s eye ridge lifted as he saw a stout form drop from the ceiling, hair extended like great limbs to carry her body from above and below. She swung in midair, going from a headfirst drop to let her shoes hit the floor, bouncing to the console and leaning down towards its mic. “Everything is going great!” She chirped. “The power drain has stabilized. It should only take a few minutes for the Moonstone to become vulnerable; without it’s magical support, it will become brittle enough for focused fire to shatter it.”

 It was unexpected how her voice went soft instead of peaking into a shout. Imp’s recordings had given a certain impression of Dryl’s princess, the little fiend finding it amusing to capture her excitable moments and shriek them back into Hordak’s ears. Yet now, from her profile, Hordak saw her face go blank.

 A tendril of hair pulled her mask into place, and she continued, voice still chipper, “Anyway, you said I should tell you when there’s nothing new to report so: there’s nothing new to report! Good luck Catra!” She toggled a button, linking another communications line. “And good luck Scorpia!”

“Awww, thanks. Good luck with your, um, science!” came Force Captain Scorpia’s voice.

 “Thanks!” Entrapta said. Another lock of hair turned a knob, quieting the audio feeds until they dimmed to a background murmur.

 Hordak took that moment to announce himself, heavy footfalls catching the princess’ attention. He folded his arms behind his back, keeping his posture straight and looking down his nasal ridge towards her as she turned.

 “Oh, Lord Hordak! Hello!” Her mask flipped up in an instant, and rather than a bow she greeted him with a beaming grin. “Have you come to observe the experiment?”

 He might have corrected her if there weren’t more pressing matters. Instead, Hordak narrowed his eyes, giving a curt, “Indeed.”

 “Great!” A tendril of hair reached for his wrist. He growled and smacked it away, making Entrapta cringe. “Oh, sorry!” She gave an apologetic grin, redirecting her hair to point to the monitors. “I meant to tell you that you can watch everything right here. There’s audio as well but I’d appreciate it if you used the headset instead of the speakers, all the chatter makes it hard to focus.”

 He grunted, finding the headset as she requested. He left one ear uncovered, listening to the stream of voices through the other. All the while, eyes tracked the princess as she worked. From time to time she would spot him looking, give a smile, and then return to her task.

 It was unusual. Hordak was used to his gaze earning him flinches and pale complexions, but Princess Entrapta hardly seemed to mind his presence. She narrated as she worked, a stream of noise he found far more interesting than the captains’ pre-battle checklist.

 Her commentary about the Garnet’s status had his gaze shifting to it, the looming crystal now rigged with cables. They couldn’t bore into it, but the First Ones’ tech the princess had acquired allowed them to somehow integrate tech without installing ports. How Entrapta was combining magic with technology, he wasn’t completely certain.

 It was aggravating.

 “Princess Entrapta,” Hordak called, then realized that in looking away, he’d lost track of her. It took him a few moments for him to spot her, dangling upside down where one cable ran into the ceiling. Her gaze was directed towards him, so he continued, “I would like you to walk me through precisely what you have done with the Black Garnet.”

 The haste of their mission meant she hadn’t submitted a proper report. It was humiliating to not understand how they’d gotten this close to victory. To think that this princess had knowledge he lacked, on this primitive world.

 When he realized she wasn’t speaking, Hordak scowled. “That was an      order.    I hope I do not need to remind you that authority in the Fright Zone is held by me.” And not any wretched princess.    

 “Oh, I understand!” Entrapta said, her voice muffled. He looked to her again, finding her hands covering her mouth, eyes squinted up like she was — smiling?  

 She flipped in midair, landing heavily on the floor and bouncing in place, her hands squeezing around a thick lock of hair thrown in front of her shoulder. “Sorry, I just — you want me to explain?” Her voice came out in a gush, eyes wide.

 “That is what I said,” Hordak ground out. “In as much detail as possible.”

 There was a — squealing. He squinted, realized she was emitting the noise, and was about to inquire about her condition when she leaped for a table. She scooped no less than four data pads up, flipping rapidly through each one and shoving them in his face. He squinted, pushing one tendril back so he could actually take in the screen.

 It was, to put it simply, brilliant. She had to have been experimenting with First Ones’ tech for a long time to have such a sophisticated understanding of how it worked. She was a princess without a Runestone, and yet her breakdown of magic nearly had it making sense. Despite its erratic nature, there were rules it followed — the conditions that made a storm, that formed gales lightning. It was more than he could process all at once, he would need more detail in the future, but the broad picture? Suddenly magic had stopped being something volatile and unknowable, and started being another force of nature.

 It was a ping to his direct communication line that finally interrupted them, irritation spiking through him before he remembered what was on the line. Time had slid by without his noticing.

 He answered to a display of Force Captain Catra, a smile twisting her lips.

 “Lord Hordak,” she started, “we’re two minutes out from Bright Moon. Cannons are charging currently. After the first volley we’ll be sending in the first wave of foot soldiers. We’ll blaze through the city and move directly for the castle from the front. Aerial transport will deliver our troops from the sides and back. I’ll be occupying She-ra while our drones go for the Moonstone.” Her smile grew, vicious. “We’re ready.”

 There was such vitriol in those last words. Hordak echoed her expression, teeth bared in a smile. “Then proceed.”

 The video ended, and he turned his gaze back to the various screens to watch soldiers take their final positions, illuminated by the cannons’ glow.

 “When we are victorious,” Hordak said, looking down at Entrapta, “I will require a full report on what we’ve just discussed.”

 She was still smiling at him. Discomfort started to well in his chest, chased by annoyance. This wasn’t the sharp grin that came with new discovery or conquering enemies — it was soft. He couldn’t comprehend what could possibly be provoking such an expression.

 “Sure thing,” she said. After a pause, she added, “Thanks, by the way. I don’t usually get to talk with people about this stuff. Bow kind of got it, but we really only talked for a few minutes.” Her smile faded for a moment, but then her expression brightened. “But Catra and Scorpia ask me about my projects, and Scorpia even listens, even if she doesn’t get it. And you do. Get it, I mean.” The smile grew. “It’s been fun talking with you.”

Fun. He squinted at her. “This is for the purpose of conquering Etheria, not for fun,” he sneered, crossing his arms.

 “Maybe not, but I still enjoyed it at least.” She shrugged, then walked over towards the monitors. On the screen, through one soldier’s visor, he could see as they broke the boundary of the woods, the cliffs of Bright Moon rising up and topped with its opulent castle. The scene was bathed in the toxic glow of plasma, brightening as each cannon signaled its charge.

 Entrapta flipped her mask down as the first shots rained against the cliffs, and into the city built upon them.

[softgreensakura]

Cool Pokemon AU dream thing I had!!

Welp, pokemon is kinda consuming my one braincell rn, so lemme tell you about this interesting dream I had today. I know someone out there would appreciate it. And the add ons I came up with after the dream finished.

Human character based content ahead, because I just think they're neat, and they deserve the best. Also this is gameverse because I do not care about the anime, nor have I read much of the manga.

Dream of December 3rd, 2021.

An AU of sorts was introduced: a Corruption AU. In this AU, some kind of malevolent force was corrupting prominent trainers all around the world. There were multiple ways in which corruption came about, but ultimately, once a trainer got corrupted, they sought to spread it like a disease.

Naturally, a resistance formed. It consisted of prominent trainers that knew of the corruption and had the power to prevent it. Protagonists were noteworthy members of the resistance, and four in particular were highlighted in the dream: Brendan, Dawn, Calem and Serena.

~Act 1: Dawn of Discovery~

Brendan didn't last long. He got corrupted on the sidelines. Meanwhile, Dawn had discovered a major breakthrough in the investigation into the origin of the corruption and the malevolent forces behind them.

She found a woman in a location that heavily resembled that one location in The Simpsons: Hit and Run with the train tracks and stuff you could drive through. If you know, you know. Google Images wasn't very helpful here.

There was some kind of wormhole in one of those open train things, and Dawn followed the lady into the wormhole. If she could reach the woman and win a battle against her, she would find a way to break through the defences of the bad guys for sure. A high speed wormhole chase unfolded before my very unconscious eyes..

~Act 2: The Blazing Building~

Calem and Serena were assigned to a building that belonged to Lysandre of Team Flare. No, it was not the cafe he owns. It was some random building that resembled the building where Sam and Max's office is.

I do not know the specifics of their mission. What exactly were they looking for? Was Lysandre there? Were they supposed to confront and fight him? What exactly was his connection with the malevolent force behind the corruption that currently spread like smoke in a blazing building?

None of that mattered because the building was about to collapse. And Serena was lost inside.

Calem knew he only had a few minutes before he had to evacuate, but he had to find Serena before the building got to her. With Greninja in front, and Meowstic in his arms, they searched every corner time allowed them to. But with the smoke now a thick fog, and bits of ceiling already fallen, it was becoming increasingly clear that this mission was set to fail regardless of whether or not both trainers made it out.

Having narrowly missed his own demise, ***

***Future Cerise here. Tumblr deleted this bit. That's a shame. Lemme try and finish it. If you can see it now, good.

Having narrowly missed his own demise, Calem wished he swapped places with Serena. She's DEAD, man. Holy shit. The boy is TRAUMATISED. There's no way to bring someone back from the dead, that's for sure.

The weight of his failure was unbearably heavy, and there was no turning back either. Time only allowed for one single tear. It went plop on the concrete step.

Then RED of all people appeared.

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

~Act 3: ~

BRUHHHH IT GOT DELETED LMAOOOO

anyway lemme summarise this real quick because I ain't rewriting it. If you can see this, good. That's what I want.

Red appeared, crowd went wild, Calem was like what???? So he approached Red, who started talking (you KNOW he never talks). The crowd went so crazy some people fainted.

And it was at that moment Calem realised, he fucked up.

Because THE living legend Red got CORRUPTED! And he knew his corruption target was going to appear when he appeared.

It was a hypnosis type corruption, meaning that those who had this corruption had a device with them. The device shines a faint white light from its LED screen that becomes brighter the longer you look at it. And bam, corruption.

Calem avoided making eye contact with Red. His life literally depended on it. ------------

And hopefully you can see that bit now. The end.

[addierose444]

A Typical Week: Spring 2021

Before getting into the actual content, I thought I would just point out that this is my 100th blog post! You can check out the full list here. 

As noted in my fall 2020 version of this post, my week is primarily dictated by my current course schedule. (To check out all of my past courses, click here). Furthermore, the way I write these posts is to focus on academics as they're a big part of my life, but also the most natural thing to write about publicly. This post should give you a realistic sense of the structure of my week and courses. I thought it may be useful to contrast expectations and reality when it comes to productivity. Early in the semester, I mapped out my idealized homework schedule around my meetings and assignment deadlines. The first row lists deadlines. The other rows are split by my meals (lunch and dinner). Even if I don’t strictly follow the schedule, spending the time to map things out is quite useful. To write about my real schedule, I actually looked back through data from my time tracking application, Toggl Track. I know this is a very long post, but it wasn’t really interesting enough to become a two-parter. 

A typical school day starts off with my 9:00 (or 9:10) alarm. I also often have a second alarm set for 9:15 as a backup. Here at college, I simply use the default clock app on my phone and have it play from my favorites playlist on Spotify. I very occasionally need to wake up earlier to finish up an assignment as midnight is my strict cutoff for doing work. I know a consistent sleep schedule is very important, but it’s definitely something I struggle with.

Monday:

My week begins with a 9:20 math class. The specific course is math methods which as previously explained is an applied math course from the physics department that is required for physics and engineering majors. We usually start off by going over the pre-class check in (PCCI) and/or other questions students have. This review is followed by a lecture on new material. Throughout the class, we work through example problems in breakout rooms (on Zoom whiteboards) and answer multiple-choice questions using the poll feature. (The poll questions are anonymous and ungraded). Partway through the class, we get a 4-minute break. One nice thing about this class is that we actually thoroughly go through the example problems when we regroup as an entire class. This is important because, without feedback, practice is of limited utility. Furthermore, going over the problem gives me a chance to get everything into my notes. The integration of lectures with practice is something I really appreciate about this course. In past math classes, the format has been a lecture followed by a worksheet of practice problems. While that model sometimes makes sense, I much prefer this integrated approach.  One issue with leaving practice until the end is that you sometimes run out of time and don’t catch knowledge gaps until the end of class. After math methods, I get a 20-minute break during which I often listen to the latest episode of The Daily (a short new podcast from the New York Times). 

Next up is my philosophy of logic class which starts with a few minutes of breathing and stretching. On the first day of class, I thought this was a really strange thing, but have come to appreciate it. Afterward, we go over any relevant announcements and sometimes debrief the previous class. This class is different from my other classes in that it is reading and discussion-based. We spend most of the class in the main room strengthening our understanding of the reading through full class discussions and mini-lectures. Even though the class is already very small (13 students), we also make use of breakout rooms to work through study questions. Our tests are pyramid style which means we spend one class period working independently and another class on the same questions in a small group. We also have short quizzes, called mini check-ins,  every few weeks. Next up is lunch during which I sometimes listen to a podcast or audiobook. You can check out some of my favorite podcasts and books of 2020 at the associated links.

After lunch, I have my computer systems lab. The teaching assistant of my lab section starts off with a quick introduction to the assignment. We then work independently and ask questions as they come up. Even though we don’t really work collaboratively the lab is sort of fun because it’s less formal than a regular class. For the first part of the semester, the lab assignments often took way longer than the allotted time (and sometimes longer than our projects) so I often spent more of the afternoon finishing up the assignment. Fortunately, the course staff was made aware of this issue and adjusted accordingly. Just for some context, this course is a UMass class which is why there is a whole course team and teaching assistants. To read more about Five College course registration click here. At Smith, while some classes have teaching assistants who help out during class, all of the classes are taught and run by our actual professors. We also have student tutors as an academic resource outside of class. To read more about academic support systems at Smith, click here. 

After finishing up my lab assignment, I start in on my math methods PCCI. A typical PCCI consists of reading a section or two of the textbook (written by our professor) and completing a short practice problem or so-called discovery exercise. Depending on the week, I either start in on my reading assignment for my computer systems class or logic class. At 4:00, I have my weekly one-on-one meeting with my supervisor for my ResLife job. Following the meeting, I relax by listening to music or an audiobook. At 5:00, I order, pick up, and eat my dinner. After dinner, I complete any remaining readings for my computer systems and logic classes. If I haven’t yet completed my lab assignment or have an exam the following day, I devote some of the night to circuits. Otherwise, I may work on a computer systems project or theory of computation assignment. 

Tuesday:

Tuesday’s are my busiest day of the week in terms of class hours. With that said, it’s nothing compared to my Thursdays last fall. I start Tuesdays off with my circuits class. During class, we learn new circuit theory and circuit analysis techniques. We also go through example problems. While we often run out of time to fully work through the extra practice problems in breakout rooms, fortunately, my professor posts videos going over those problems. After taking our feedback into account, we now get a break partway through the class. Each lecture covers a lot of material, so the brain/screen break is much appreciated. To check in on how the class is feeling about various concepts, our professor has us use the annotation feature on a scale from totally get it to totally lost. 

After circuits is my 20-minute break followed by my theory of computation lecture. The theoretical nature of the material means that it really is a lecture. While we obviously go through examples, there aren’t really practice problems as there would be in a math class. We use the chat to some extent in all of my classes, but to a greater degree in this course. Next up is lunch and a COVID test. At 1:40 I am back to circuits for the lab. Most of the labs are virtual with physical lab equipment, but a few have been in-person so that we could use special equipment. Ironically, one of our in-person labs was actually fully virtual in terms of lab equipment. (We were sitting on the lawn outside of Ford together and running circuit simulators on our laptops). Fortunately, we don’t usually need to stay until 4:30. I tend to just collect my data, ask some questions about the material, and then finish up the write-up at a later point in time. This time block is also the one used whenever we have an exam. 

I always start by doing the textbook reading for circuits. I don’t read super closely, but it’s still a good primer for the next class. In terms of other work, Tuesdays are a bit more unpredictable and really depend on how much I got done over the weekend. Specifically, while I usually finish my math methods assignment over the weekend, occasionally I need to finish it up on Tuesday evenings. Likewise, for circuits, I sometimes finish the last few problems on a Tuesday evening. At 7:00, I have a staff meeting with the other community advisors in my neighborhood and our supervisor. Our meetings usually take place over Zoom, but our most recent one was in-person with ice cream from Herrell’s which was a lot of fun. You can read about some other Northampton food locations (restaurants, cafes, and more) here. In weeks where I haven’t yet started my computer systems work, I do what I would usually have done on a Monday on a Tuesday. 

Wednesday:

Wednesdays are similar to Mondays without the computer systems lab and ResLife meeting. In the afternoon I often attend office hours for my theory of computation class to ask questions about the weekly assignment. Even though I don’t have my logic class until the following Monday, I usually just do the reading on Wednesday afternoon. On Wednesday evenings, I typically work through my circuits revisions. I also tend to do a good chunk of my computer systems coursework. This consists of watching lecture videos, taking notes, and taking lesson quizzes. Furthermore, I have definitely spent some Wednesday evenings working through computer systems projects. 

Thursday:

Thursdays are like Tuesdays without the circuits lab. Even though I have the whole afternoon free, unfortunately, I am sometimes having to finish up my theory of computation assignment. It’s also common for me to start working on the new math methods problem set. In the case of this Thursday, I played some guitar and then started writing this post. I also do my circuits reading for Tuesday and take the quick lab quiz. If I have any remaining computer systems coursework, I do that as well.  

Friday:

This semester I only have one class on Fridays, math methods. After class, I get a COVID test and an early lunch. I know it seems crazy how many free afternoons I have given that I am taking 22 credits and am a double STEM major. However, part of this is explained by my UMass computer systems course being asynchronous and the fact that I completed the one-credit companion course in C programming before my Smith semester started. My computer systems class was originally scheduled to meet Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons. Even though I wish the class was synchronous, the flexibility of an asynchronous class has been much appreciated. Furthermore, the class was in a terrible time block that would have caused me to miss most of house tea. Back to what a Friday afternoon looks like! After completing my PCCI for math methods, I often rewatch the lecture videos for computer systems (on double speed) and then take the weekly quiz. I next pick up tea snacks from Cutter-Z and attend house tea at 4:30. After tea, I order dinner and often eat it in the living room with housemates. Fridays are definitely my least productive day and I have definitely taken a few weekly quizzes on Saturday after having planned to take them on Friday. Instead of doing real work, I often spend Friday afternoons writing blog posts. As for this post, I wrote most of it yesterday but spent a good chunk of Friday afternoon on it as well. 

Saturday:

Despite my best efforts to have a consistent sleep schedule, I often sleep in on Saturdays until 10:00. I then have a leisurely hour or so of listening to an audiobook. At 11:00, I get an early lunch. As mentioned in the Friday description, I sometimes end up taking my weekly quiz for computer systems on Saturday. When I have tests in math methods, I typically take them on Saturday night. (The tests are timed but are self-scheduled over the given weekend which includes Friday). When there is not a math test, I often work on my math problem set in the afternoon. Every few weeks, I host POCheese at 4:00. This week we are actually going to be meeting at 5:00 for a ramen night! At 6:00 I have a uke club meeting over Zoom. In weeks where I have already finished my math problem set and don’t have a test, I start in on my circuits problem set.

Sunday:

Sundays start like Saturdays in that I often have a leisurely morning. At 11:00 I get a COVID test and an early lunch. Sundays are almost always devoted to my circuits. This includes working through the problems set, the lab writeup, or studying for an upcoming exam. If my Saturday wasn’t as productive as intended, I do the homework described in that section. At 6:00 I have a Society of Women Engineers (SWE) board meeting. At 7:00, I either lead a community meeting (part of my ResLife job) or attend house council. Afterward, I fill out my weekly report (also part of my ResLife job).