#but we can still charge our devices

[gem-in-the-horizon]

liveblogging my struggles!! power has been out since i woke up so going on five hours now. theoretically it will be back on in an hour. however, they also said that four hours ago so who knows!

at this point, it is now dark out so we get to scramble with flashlights. it's also barely above freezing right now, which is usually but not ideal when you have No Power and Shitty Windows that let out too much warm air and let in too much wind.

mind you, my situation is not dire. just mildly unpleasant. I do however, for some odd reason, find myself with a lot of inspiration for another "snowday" fic

[thatsparrow]

me and my mom after (checks watch) 58 hours without power

[catherinerabbit]

my college has no power but we still have classes. i just want a fuckin hot chocolate o(╥﹏╥)o

[internetskiff]

The most powerful ability exclusive to humanity in the Half Life/Portal shared universe is our ability to just throw bullshit at the wall and see what sticks. Aperture "OSHA are the devil" Science have managed to create completely safe interconnected points in space. The same company that turns people's blood into gasoline and shoves lions and humans into the same enclosed space for the vague concept of "Science". Meanwhile Black Mesa still has to use Xen as a crossing and their teleportation device requires an entire reactor with a village's worth of staff constantly maintaining it, just to end up having most of said staff abducted by onion-headed aliens. Even the resistance hasn't managed to create completely stable teleporters with a compressed Xen relay, meanwhile Aperture just went "oh dude let's shove a black hole into a non-waterproof gun" and have just created a teleportation method that just removes Xen from the equation entirely. Doesn't change the fact they bullshat so bad they basically got themselves gassed to death, but still.

The Resistance are a good example of this too. The Combine seem to have a complete set-in-stone thought process and understanding of science which meant they didn't even begin to explore local teleportation via Xen, meanwhile a group of random human mechanics and scientists have managed to cobble together at least two semi-functional local teleporters out of scrap metal and stolen Combine tech, to the point the All-Consuming Interdimensional Empire had to straight up copy their homework. And that isn't even the only time they seem to be taking human shit to just copy the blueprints.

They 100% just yoinked the entire damn car out of that garage just to take a crack at reverse-engineering the Tau Cannon attached to it. Even Resistance weaponry somehow manages to rival or at least stand equal to Combine tech - and we're talking improvised crossbows that shoot superheated rods of rebar at the target compared to high-tech rifles that can discharge orbs of pure dark energy. The collapse of the entire Citadel is basically set into motion as a result of a cobbled together Rebel device placed into extremely capable hands.

The events of the Portal games are a case of extremely elaborate machinelike planning versus pure human improvisation, with Chell's entire escape in the first game involving her simply weaseling her way through small cracks that GLaDOS missed while setting up her ambushes, eventually turning her own rocket turret against her to destroy her.

I suppose you could argue this falls flat in Portal 2 with Wheatley, but it's important to remember he's designed to be an utter idiot, so it's safe to say he wouldn't obsess over the larger picture like GLaDOS to the point where he fails to see the cracks. Yes, he's the one that breaks Chell out of the test chambers again, and yes, he's the one that came up with the sabotage plot - but it's important to note while he knows what to target in the sabotage, when we actually get there he doesn't quite know how to sabotage it, leaving Chell to figure it out on her own. She botches the Turret Quality Control Line with some minor guidance, but it's basically completely up to her to figure out how to cut off the Neurotoxin Supply. It's through her improvisation that Wheatley even manages to get into GLaDOS' chamber, tumbling through her neurotoxin vent and shattering the glass cage she trapped Chell inside of. It's through Chell's improvisation that the Core Transfer even occurs in the first place.

The script is flipped specifically when Wheatley takes charge, because oops - turns out a mind capable of focusing on the bigger picture might be pretty important when it comes to running an entire facility powered by it's own Reactor. Wheatley just completely zeroes in on his own personal pleasure, hacking up test chambers and the objects within them to try and figure out the easiest way to get his solution euphoria as quick as possible.

Still, something that's pretty interesting is that only Wheatley has ever managed to create a trap that's impossible to foresee and avoid, something GLaDOS has repeatedly failed to do to the point she ends up commending him. I believe this is because his way of thinking is a lot closer to Chell's compared to GLaDOS'. He puts up way more of a fight as the two run through the facility trying to get to him, seemingly improvising on the spot just like Chell has been over the course of the two games. Even his lair would be impossible to survive if it weren't for a single Conversion Gel pipe he somehow failed to notice and remove.

Whether in a laboratory deep beneath the soil or an alien tower tall enough to split the clouds, the ingenuity of even a single person is enough to topple a tower or destroy a supercomputer 3 times over.

Marc Laidlaw put what I'm trying to say into a single sentence when writing for the BreenGrub twitter account:

"The superstructure is riddled with cracks."

[mostlysignssomeportents]

American education has all the downsides of standardization, none of the upsides

Catch me in Miami! I'll be at Books and Books in Coral Gables on Jan 22 at 8PM.

We moved to America in 2015, in time for my kid to start third grade. Now she's a year away from graduating high school (!) and I've had a front-row seat for the US K-12 system in a district rated as one of the best in the country. There were ups and downs, but high school has been a monster.

We're a decade and a half into the "common core" experiment in educational standardization. The majority of the country has now signed up to a standardized and rigid curriculum that treats overworked teachers as untrustworthy slackers who need to be disciplined by measuring their output through standard lessons and evaluations:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Core

This system is rigid enough, but it gets even worse at the secondary level, especially when combined with the Advanced Placement (AP) courses, which adds another layer of inflexible benchmarks to the highest-stakes, most anxiety-provoking classes in the system:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Placement

It is a system singularly lacking in grace. Ironically, this unforgiving system was sold as a way of correcting the injustice at the heart of the US public education system, which funds schools based on local taxation. That means that rich neighborhoods have better funded schools. Rather than equalizing public educational funding, the standardizers promised to ensure the quality of instruction at the worst-funded schools by measuring the educational outcomes with standard tools.

But the joke's on the middle-class families who backed standardized instruction over standardized funding. Their own kids need slack as much as anyone's, and a system that promises to put the nation's kids through the same benchmarks on the same timetable is bad for everyone:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/11/28/give-me-slack-2/

Undoing this is above my pay-grade. I've already got more causes to crusade on than I have time for. But there is a piece of tantalyzingly low-hanging fruit that is dangling right there, and even though I'm not gonna pick it, I can't get it out of my head, so I figured I'd write about it and hope I can lazyweb it into existence.

The thing is, there's a reason that standardization takes hold in so many domains. Agreeing on a common standard enables collaboration by many entities without any need for explicit agreements or coordination. The existence of the ANSI/SAE J563 standard automobile auxiliary power outlet (AKA "car cigarette lighter") didn't just allow many manufacturers to make replacement lighter plugs. The existence of a standardized receptacle delivering standardized voltage to standardized contacts let all kinds of gadgets be designed to fit in that socket.

Standards crystallize the space of all possible ways of solving a problem into a range of solutions. This inevitably has a downside, because the standardized range might not be optimal for all applications. Think of the EU's requirement for USB-C charger tips on all devices. There's a lot of reasons that manufacturers prefer different charger tips for different gadgets. Some of those reasons are bad (gouging you on replacement chargers), but some are good (unique form-factor, specific smart-charging needs). USB-C is a very flexible standard (indeed, it's so flexible that some people complain that it's not a standard at all!) but there are some applications where the optimal solution is outside its parameters.

And still, I think that the standardization on USB-C is a force for good. I have drawers full of gadgets that need proprietary charger tips, and other drawers full of chargers with proprietary tips, and damned if I can make half of them match up. We've continued our pandemic lockdown tradition of my wife cutting my hair in the back yard, and just tracking the three different charger tips for the three clippers she uses is an ongoing source of frustration. I'd happily trade slightly sub-optimal charging for just being able to plug any of those clippers into the same cable I charge my headphones, phone, tablet and laptop on.

The standardization of American education has produced all the downsides of standardization – a rigid, often suboptimal, one-size-fits-all system – without the benefits. With teachers across America teaching in lockstep, often from the same set texts (especially in the AP courses), there's a massive opportunity for a commons to go with the common core.

For example, the AP English and History classes my kid takes use standard texts that are often centuries old and hard to puzzle out. I watched my kid struggle with texts for learning about "persuasive rhetoric" like 17th century pamphlets that inspired anti-indigenous pogroms with fictional accounts of "Indian atrocities."

It's good for American schoolkids to learn about the use of these blood libels to excuse genocide, but these pamphlets are a slog. Even with glossaries in the textbooks, it's a slow, word-by-word matter to parse these out. I can't imagine anyone learning a single thing about how speech persuades people just by reading that text.

But there's nothing in the standardized curriculum that prevents teachers from adding more texts to the unit. We live in an unfortunate golden age for persuasive texts that inspire terrible deeds – for example, kids could also read core Pizzagate texts and connect the guy who shot up the pizza parlor to the racists who formed a 17th century lynchmob.

But teachers are incredibly time-constrained. For one thing, at least a third of the AP classroom time seems to be taken up with detailed instructions for writing stilted, stylized "essays" for the AP tests (these are terrible writing, but they're easy to grade in a standardized way).

That's where standardization could actually deliver some benefits. If just one teacher could produce some supplemental materials and accompanying curriculum, the existence of standards means that every other teacher could use it. What's more, any adaptations that teachers make to that unit to make them suited to their kids would also work for the other teachers in the USA. And because the instruction is so rigidly standardized, all of these materials could be keyed to metadata that precisely identified the units they belonged to.

The closest thing we have to this are "marketplaces" where teachers can sell each other their supplementary materials. As far as I can tell, the only people making real money from these marketplaces are the grifters who built them and convinced teachers to paywall the instructional materials that could otherwise form a commons.

Like I said, I've got a completely overfull plate, but if I found myself at loose ends, trying to find a project to devote the rest of my life to, I'd be pitching funders on building a national, open access portal to build an educational commons.

It may be a lot to expect teachers to master the intricacies of peer-based co-production tools like Git, but there's already a system like this that K-8 teachers across the country have mastered: Scratch. Scratch is a graphic programming environment for kids, and starting with 2019's Scratch 3.0, the primary way to access it is via an in-browser version that's hosted at scratch.mit.edu.

Scratch's online version is basically a kid- (and teacher-)friendly version of Github. Find a project you like, make a copy in your own workspace, and then mod it to suit your own needs. The system keeps track of the lineage of different projects and makes it easy for Scratch users to find, adapt, and share their own projects. The wild popularity of this system tells us that this model for a managed digital commons for an educational audience is eminently achievable.

So when students are being asked to study the rhythm of text by counting the numbers of words in the sentences of important speeches, they could supplement that very boring exercise by listening to and analyzing contemporary election speeches, or rap lyrics, or viral influencer videos. Different teachers could fork these units to swap in locally appropriate comparitors – and so could students!

Students could be given extra credit for identifying additional materials that slot into existing curricular projects – Tiktok videos, new chart-topping songs, passages from hot YA novels. These, too, could go into the commons.

This would enlist students in developing and thinking critically about their curriculum, whereas today, these activities are often off-limits to students. For example, my kid's math teachers don't hand back their quizzes after they're graded. The teachers only have one set of quizzes per unit, and letting the kids hold onto them would leak an answer-key for the next batch of test-takers.

I can't imagine learning math this way. "You got three questions wrong but I won't let you see them" is no way to help a student focus on the right areas to improve their understanding.

But there's no reason that math teachers in a commons built around the (unfortunately) rigid procession of concepts and testing couldn't generate procedural quizzes, specified with a simple programming language. These tests could even be automatically graded, and produce classroom stats on which concepts the whole class is struggling with. Each quiz would be different, but cover the same ground.

When I help my kid with her homework, we often find disorganized and scattered elements of this system – a teacher might post extensive notes on teaching a specific unit. A publisher might produce a classroom guide that connects a book to specific parts of the common core. But these are scattered across the web, and they aren't keyed to the specific, standard components of common core and AP.

This is a standardized system that is all costs, no benefits. It has no "architecture of participation" that lets teachers, students, parents, practitioners and even commercial publishers collaborate to produce a commons that all may share and improve upon.

In an ideal world, we'd get rid of standardization in education, pay teachers well, give them the additional time they needed to prepare exciting and relevant curriculum, and fund all our schools based on need, not parents' income.

But in the meanwhile, we could be making lemonade of out lemons. If we're going to have standardization, we should at least have the collaboration standards enable.

I'm Kickstarting the audiobook for The Bezzle, the sequel to Red Team Blues, narrated by @wilwheaton! You can pre-order the audiobook and ebook, DRM free, as well as the hardcover, signed or unsigned. There's also bundles with Red Team Blues in ebook, audio or paperback.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/16/flexibility-in-the-margins/#a-commons

[being-addie]

Sunday Resets

Setting aside time for yourself is so important. I don't think people understand how vital it is to pay attention to your body and just take a day to let your body r-e-l-a-x. We're all so busy fighting to reach the top, that while climbing the corporate ladder, we lose ourselves somewhere along the way. Burnout, depression, and monotony come into play when we don't listen to our bodies telling us they need a break.

Once every two weeks or so, on a Sunday, I turn off all my notifications and have a day dedicated to me. Giving my body some TLC, resting and preparing for the next week. If I have plans on a Sunday, such as brunch or a meeting, I shift that day to Saturday, or at the very least, a day where I have at least 4-5 hours to spend leisurely.

Things I like to do on my Sunday resets:

Wake up early/sleep in: Depending on my mood, and how much sleep I've had during the week, I'll either be up at the crack of dawn or still in bed till it's nearly noon. There's no shame in staying in bed till 11:30 if you're particularly exhausted, but I recommend waking up at least before 11 AM because then you'll feel tired and groggy (of course, this doesn't apply to everyone)

Clean my room: I always make my bed without fail, and if my room is messy, then I'll clean it. Clean the vanity table, my desk, closet, art cupboard and bookshelf, and then the bathroom. If my mom needs help around the house, I do that too.

Food: I make myself a good breakfast, taking time to move around the kitchen and just breathe. I'm getting to eat good food, the sun is shining and I'm alive. It's great. Sometimes my dad cooks for the whole family and we just sit and eat together.

The Everything Shower: I take my Everything Shower on Sundays, where I wash my hair, deep condition, use a hair and face mask, exfoliate and do a face massage. I don't shave because I get my waxing done in a salon. I then slather myself in cocoa butter lotion and apply lip balm. Then do my hair routine (curly hair). It takes a few hours, but it's worth it.

The Next Week: I prep for the next week by cooking something I can take to my classes, like granola bars or homemade pita chips. I also sit down and plan my schedule (any dinners, meetings, parties, etc) and make a rough plan of my goals for the week, like assignments and deadlines.

Errands: I usually make a list of things I need to do during the week, like any specific separate groceries that I use, art supplies I'm low on, or needing to top up the air in my tyres. Then I go complete all of those in the afternoon.

Walks: In the evening, I take a walk around the block with a friend. I usually am too busy to do this during the week, so getting some fresh air is always a treat.

Relax: The rest of the evening is spent relaxing. I watch Netflix with my family, chat with my younger sister, read a novel/play the piano/write poetry. We have dinner together and then either watch a movie or just spend the time talking about our week, or the news. It's fun.

Double-check: Before I go to sleep, I make sure to double-check that my work is done, my bag is packed, clothes are folded and all my devices are charged. I'm in bed by 10:30 PM.

Remember that not all Sundays will be like this. Sometimes I'm extremely drained, so I'll sleep in, order food and just lay in bed recuperating. It's okay to take a rest day. This guide is if you want to be more productive, and it helps the week go smoother. Be the person who has their life in charge. You've got this.

<3

[bonny-kookoo]

Hi Bonny! I adore your writing so much! 🫶🏻 I wonder how ILY Jungkook got into buying toys for YN for sexy time. Was there a discussion prior? Can you write something on it especially how he used the remote control vibrator with her? Were they at home or outside? Or just chilling? Thank you! 🙈

A/N: My all-time favorite horny-couple, thanks for requesting something for them haha

Jungkook is like a Pokémon. He's evolving with every day, gaining experience and leveling up with every single hour he's alive- becoming more and more powerful, while staying oddly cute at the same time. If you had to compare him to one, you'd probably choose something like Dragonite, with his big round eyes and powerful body.

Maybe he'd even be the shiny version. Rare and special.

But right now, he's just so- uniquely Jungkook again, as he unboxes the white box with the distinctive writing on the front, fingers trying to find the tape holding everything shut, a pout on his lips. His glasses are sliding down a bit, hair pulled back with one of your hairties, and he's just.. almost innocent looking, sitting there at the kitchen table.

Innocent- if he wasn't unboxing a fucking sex-toy he'd bought for you online.

"Ah, there." He finally finds the tape, ripping it off before he opens the box, the toy safely tucked away in a velvet little bag he unties, to take out the hot pink object for him to inspect. "Oh, that feels nice.." He hums, fingers feeling the smooth surface while you're completely in awe, watching him just.. act as if this is the most normal thing in the world. "You mentioned it, I think, and it was on discount online-" He explains, taking out the instructions before he unlocks his phone to install the app connected to the toy.

That's the thing with Jungkook you still have to learn. Once you mention something to him- something you'd like to do, or something you want, he will almost always try to either buy that thing, do what you'd mentioned with him, or find something close to it instead, if what you wish for isn't in reach for him.

"Jungkook- those are expensive-" You say, sitting down on the kitchen table close to him, while he sets up the device, getting a bit startled when it buzzes to life for a second.

"Oh, it needs to charge first." He says, taking out the charger, that distinctive pout present yet again as he tries to understand the magnetic charging port. "We can try it out some other time when you like. The reviews were good and it wasn't as expensive as they usually are either-" He hums, as you move to sit on his lap, his arms almost instinctively wrapping around you to keep you in place.

"You always listen to me so well, Jungkookie.." You hum into his chest, leaning your head on his shoulder. "You don't have to do stuff like this to make me happy- you know that right?" You ask, and he nods, a hand on your back while the other makes sure to properly connect the charger, red LED glowing to indicate it's status.

"I know." He shrugs. "Take this as.. something for us both." He jokes, before you adjust your legs a little, accidentally sitting right on his crotch in a way that's clearly not comfortable. "Aw fuck!" He laughs, and you can't help but laugh as well.

"God Jungkook, your dick always get's in between our fluffy moments!" You complain, and he rolls his eyes, hands under your thighs adjusting you once more so you don't hurt him. "How did touching a toy make you half-hard again?" You argue, and he instantly gets defensive, scoffing at you.

"I'm not even remotely hard, what are you talking about!" He denies, and you squint your eyes at him suspiciously. "Honestly!" He says, and you lean back at that, arms crossed, shamelessly looking between his legs. You tend to forget that he's pretty.. impressive, even when he isn't hard at all. He's not just a grower, after all.

"Why not?" You suddenly say, and he's taken aback by it for a second. "After all, your princess-perfect-hot-as-fuck-girlfriend is literally on your lap right now." You accuse him, used to playing around like this-

but instead of being shy, your Pokémon-boyfriend must've evolved yet again when you weren't looking. Because he instead helps you sit on the table right in front of him, his hands tugging down your shorts and underwear, not even bothering to tug them off your ankles as he leans forwards, tongue wetting his lips.

"Well right now, she's sitting on the table." He corrects you, and you're still too stunned to speak as he spreads your legs, before he tucks your shirt underneath your bra to keep it out of the way. "Looking like a full-course meal.." he hums, before he pushes his chair back a bit to have better leverage, slowly leaning forwards, after he puts his glasses down next to you on the kitchen table.

"..and I'm feeling really hungry right now."

[wolfjackle-creates]

Bring Me Home Arc 2 Part 5

It's Wednesday again, you know what that means! I'm going to officially start calling this Arc 2 instead of Chapter 2 because it's too long already and I only *just* get to the plot with the end of this segment.

Story Summary: Tim and Danny are both neglected by parents who care more about their work than their families. They deal with this by spending too much time online and find each other playing MMORPGs. They keep up their friendship as Tim becomes Robin and Danny becomes Phantom and don't bother keeping secrets from each other.

First, Previous

Word Count 1.3k words

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Tim clenched his teeth, but allowed himself to be pulled to the counter where they ordered an obscene amount of food thanks to the appetite of four metas. He insisted on using B’s card to pay for everyone.

Sam didn’t even wait for their food to be ready before she started questioning Conner.

“What do you think of rich people?” she demanded.

“Um… What?” Conner looked to Tim, eyes wide, clearly lost as to what he should answer.

Tim just shrugged.

“What. Do. You. Think of rich people? It’s not a hard question. I’m just trying to gage your actual punkness.”

“I don’t… I mean, Mr. Wayne is cool. I’ve met him a few times and he’s always been nice to me. But Lex Luthor… He’s the worst.” Even now, Conner couldn’t help but shudder when he thought of his creator and Tim scowled into his soda.

“Don’t mince words, Kon,” Tim said. “Luthor should be shot and dropped in the deepest part of the ocean.”

Conner laughed and pointed to Tim. “Yeah, that.”

“Hmmm… It’s a start.” Sam nodded. “Really, there’s only one rule to being punk and everything else derives from that: the man sucks.”

“The man?”

And there it was. Conner was still learning a lot of slang. “She means the people in charge. That you can’t trust the government or people in authority to actually have your best interests at heart or to do the right thing.”

“Oh!” Conner’s eyes lit up in understanding. “Well, obviously! I’ve always had to look after myself. At least until I met you guys.”

Cassie elbowed him. “And now you’re stuck with us for life. You’re ours.”

“Damn right!” Bart held out a fist to Conner who bumped it with his own.

Danny laughed. “You weren’t exaggerating, Secrets. You guys really are ride-or-die.”

Tim looked over his friends and couldn’t hold back a soft smile. “Damn right we are. Just like you three.”

“Well, we know something about the ‘or die,’” said Danny.

Tim rolled his eyes. “You’re worse than Dick.”

Tucker’s mouth was open as he looked between them. “They know?”

“Yeah,” said Danny. “Tim’s known since, like, a week after the accident. And when they came by my house, my parents decided to show off the home defense system. Couldn’t keep it a secret after that.”

Based on Sam’s wince, she knew exactly what the home defense system could do to Danny. Tucker pulled out one of his devices and started typing on it. “Will you finally let me do something about that?”

Danny just rolled his eyes. “I’m fine, Tucker. Sam. Tim. All of you. My parent’s inventions never work right. Or they don’t know how to actually use them. They didn’t think the thermoses worked at first, for God’s sake!”

“Right.” Tucker rolled his eyes. “Because their guns have never worked. Tim, can I have your number and email? Maybe if we all get on him he’ll listen to sense one of these days.”

“Oooh!” Cassie bounced in her seat. “I’ll help! We’ve lots of experience in that with Tim. He’s also the worst at calculating reasonable risks.”

“Great!” Tucker typed her number and email into his PDA and they started setting up group chats. Bart joined in by discussing some of Tim’s more ridiculous civilian escapades.

Tim exchanged a look with Danny. This was so not going to end well.

“Well, while they’re sorting that out, more about punk!” Sam pulled Conner deeper into a conversation about fighting for freedom and liberty and how her ultra recyclo-vegetarianism fit into her beliefs.

Tim sighed and said, “Well, at least they’re getting along?”

Danny groaned and held his head in his hands. “We’re so going to regret introducing them, aren’t we?”

“I already do.”

And then their order was called. Of course Bart was at the counter before any of the rest had even registered it was their order, but Conner and Cassie jumped up to follow and help him carry it.

Sam tried to go help but Tim held out a hand. “They’ve got it, trust me. Having more people will just make it harder for them.”

She still stood, but by the time she turned to help, the others were already returning with hands full of loaded trays. She scowled as she settled back down.

“We would’ve helped,” she said as the others set the food down.

Bart waved her off. “We got it! Sides, most of this is for me, Conner, and Cassie.”

Danny shook his head. “I ordered just as much as you!”

Tucker agreed, “And I ordered almost as much.”

Cassie shrugged as she rooted through bags and grabbed her orders. “Well we got there first. Come on, I’m hungry. Quit arguing and grab your food!”

Danny passed one bag to Sam, “One salad for you.” And a second bag found it’s way in front of Tim. “And a nasty burger for you. You’ll never want to eat a batburger again after this!”

Tim rolled his eyes, but obligingly unwrapped the burger and took a bite. He hummed in appreciation. It really was a solid burger and the sauce was quite good. “I do like it, I’ll give you that. But I still prefer Batburger.”

“Ugh, you’re hopeless!” Turning his back to Tim, Danny addressed the others. “What about you three? Batburger or Nasty Burger?”

Conner shrugged, “This is great, but it’ll always be Batburger for me, too.”

Cassie elbowed him as she finished her bite. “That’s only because you and Tim get midnight burgers there too often and you are mixing up the taste with the memories. These are clearly better.”

Bart had already finished his first burger and was licking his fingers clean. “Yep. These are absolutely better.”

Tim threw an arm around Danny’s shoulders. “Fifty-fifty split! Means we can’t make a decision until you come to Gotham and try one yourself.”

“Oh, that’s what it means, does it? And when do you think I’ll make it to Gotham?”

“Any time you want! You can stay with me. Hell, I’ll even pick you up and bring you there.”

Danny grinned. “If I ever can guarantee a break from ghost attacks, I might take you up on that.”

“Right,” said Sam to Conner. “While they’re flirting”—she expertly ignored Tim and Danny’s spluttered protests—“have you ever tried wearing makeup? I think you’d look killer in eyeliner.”

Meanwhile, Tucker pulled out his PDA and some headphones and started showing a video to Cassie and Bart who shifted to better see the screen.

Tim took a large bite of his burger, unsure what to say to Danny after Sam’s comment.

Danny didn’t seem to have the same reservations and shifted so he could press his shoulder against Tim’s. “Sorry. She and Tuck like to tease me. They’ve been calling you my internet boyfriend for ages.”

That admission made his face heat even more, but Tim tried to shrug it off. “It’s fine.” He knew from Dick that if he continued to protest, everyone would just take it as further confirmation they were right.

Danny shrugged and grabbed another container. Tucker tried to protest, but Danny ignored him. “Here, try a chili cheese fry; they’re great.”

Tim let out a breath and grabbed a fry, getting chili and cheese all over his hands as he did. “Thanks.”

Somehow, the group managed to not get yelled at for an hour as they laughed and joked in the corner booth, but eventually an employee came over to ask if they needed anything else. Danny ordered a milkshake for Jazz, and the group filed out. Night had set in fully while they’d been eating and Tim looked up at the sky. The stars really were much more visible here than in Gotham.

And that was when a large, swirling-green gash opened up in the night sky and dozens of ghosts started pouring through.

-----

Next

Sam is so going to try and radicalize Conner. Tim is just gonna let it happen. At least this radicalization is better than what he'd been exposed to previously.

Tag List Part 1

@gremlin-bot, @bonebrokebuddy, @britcision, @lady-time-lord-, @welcometosasakiworld, @akikkobara, @phoenixdemonqueen, @dolfay, @skulld3mort-1fan, @we-ezer, @markus209, @sjrose1216, @onyxlightdragon, @dragonsrequiem, @jesus-camp-the-sequel, @spidey29phangirl, @kyrianclawraith, @evilminji, @introvert-even-on-the-internet, @emergentpanda-blog, @lexdamo, @v-inari, @idontgetpaidenoughforthisshit, @longlivethefallen, @undead-essence, @xye-chan, @liandrin, @seraphinedemort, @kisatamao, @schalensitzbucket, @caelestisdreamer, @runfromthemedic, @nutcase8691, @channajen, @tonicmii, @ambiguouslyominous, @vythika96, @addie-lover-of-stories, @ironicvixen, @violetfox2, @pickleking8, @mysticalcomputerdetective, @ark12, @mygood-bitch99, @squirrel-wolf, @satisfactionbroughtmeback, @sometimesthingsfallapart, @automaticsoulharmony, @d4ydr34min9, @revnantdpxdclover, @midigeria, @raginblastocyst, @feral-bunny31, @lunaria618, @ghostreblogging, @ace-aro-as-shit

[byers-bowlcut]

I sometimes think about how one of the reasons theories about byler are considered "reaches" is because bylers like to be really loud about the details, and subtext, and many things that could be up to interpretation.

I think the vast majority of us are queer and see the simple narrative- so the LITERAL STORY, aka what's right in our faces, as far too obvious that we don't even need to elaborate or emphasize on it. but see, we forget we're arguing with an audience who didn't realize will was gay and in love with mike until season 4 episode 8, or worse: until his actor had to go on an INTERVIEW and "clarify" it 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️ as if it wasn't dead obvious years ago lol. many bylers are at the point where it's like- "ok yeah the basic story points to byler, boring, yawn we all know that... BUT DID YOU NOTICE THE COLOUR OF THEIR SHIRTS AND-" you get the gist lol.

Like it's still crazy to me how even the most obvious romantically charged moments and narrative devices used to build byler up go over other people's heads.

I mean... a vow to go "crazy together"? a confession of mike saying that being friends with will was the BEST THING he ever did, which pulled will out of possession?? sleeping at will's bedside multiple times, and taking him home?? acting insanely weird after learning will painted something for a girl? All their fights being depicted or shot like romantic breakups/arguments?? Mike being able to say ily after he heard Will's veiled confession for him and thought those feelings were from El? (perfect plot device for byler endgame btw 💯). The one person who Mike can actually talk to and be vulnerable around being Will? Will bringing out mike's truest and best version of himself (very unlike the self destructive or insecure nature brought out in his current relationship)? The pairing whose relationship has been emphasized in the story since the literal FIRST ONE ON ONE INTERACTION in this whole damn show???

But yeah, this all really seems to go over the audience's heads. Because even with will being confirmed as in love with mike, it doesn't seem to be enough for the audience to recontextualize mike and will's past moments through a romantic lens... like damn. heteronormativity is really a drug huh

[reasonsforhope]

"It may sound surprising, but when times are tough and there is no other food available, some soil bacteria can consume traces of hydrogen in the air as an energy source.

In fact, bacteria remove a staggering 70 million tonnes of hydrogen yearly from the atmosphere, a process that literally shapes the composition of the air we breathe.

We have isolated an enzyme that enables some bacteria to consume hydrogen and extract energy from it, and found it can produce an electric current directly when exposed to even minute amounts of hydrogen.

As we report in a new paper in Nature, the enzyme may have considerable potential to power small, sustainable air-powered devices in future.

Bacterial genes contain the secret for turning air into electricity

Prompted by this discovery, we analysed the genetic code of a soil bacterium called Mycobacterium smegmatis, which consumes hydrogen from air.

Written into these genes is the blueprint for producing the molecular machine responsible for consuming hydrogen and converting it into energy for the bacterium. This machine is an enzyme called a “hydrogenase”, and we named it Huc for short.

Hydrogen is the simplest molecule, made of two positively charged protons held together by a bond formed by two negatively charged electrons. Huc breaks this bond, the protons part ways, and the electrons are released...

The molecular blueprint for extracting hydrogen from air

With Huc isolated, we set about studying it in earnest, to discover what exactly the enzyme is capable of. How can it turn the hydrogen in the air into a sustainable source of electricity?

Remarkably, we found that even when isolated from the bacteria, Huc can consume hydrogen at concentrations far lower even than the tiny traces in the air. In fact, Huc still consumed whiffs of hydrogen too faint to be detected by our gas chromatograph, a highly sensitive instrument we use to measure gas concentrations...

Enzymes could use air to power the devices of tomorrow

It’s early days for this research, and several technical challenges need to be overcome to realise the potential of Huc.

For one thing, we will need to significantly increase the scale of Huc production. In the lab we produce Huc in milligram quantities, but we want to scale this up to grams and ultimately kilograms.

However, our work demonstrates that Huc functions like a “natural battery” producing a sustained electrical current from air or added hydrogen.

As a result, Huc has considerable potential in developing small, sustainable air-powered devices as an alternative to solar power.

The amount of energy provided by hydrogen in the air would be small, but likely sufficient to power a biometric monitor, clock, LED globe or simple computer. With more hydrogen, Huc produces more electricity and could potentially power larger devices.

Another application would be the development of Huc-based bioelectric sensors for detecting hydrogen, which could be incredibly sensitive. Huc could be invaluable for detecting leaks in the infrastructure of our burgeoning hydrogen economy or in a medical setting.

In short, this research shows how a fundamental discovery about how bacteria in soils feed themselves can lead to a reimagining of the chemistry of life. Ultimately it may also lead to the development of technologies for the future."

-via The Conversation, March 8, 2023. Article written by the authors of the study.

[buckybarnesisdaddy]

Summer Lovin’ pt 1

Summary: Getting into the villa took more work than expected. What didn’t surprise you though was the drama that would ensue, you just didn’t think it would all involve you.

Pairing: those are surprises at the moment! 🤭 Everly(reader) X ???, Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson, Jake Jensen, Natasha Romanoff, Wanda Maximoff, Peggy Carter, Colin Shea, brief mention of Brock Rumlow. Also original characters.

Rating: Mature!

Warnings: talks of sex, making out, lap dances, petting, PTSD talks. Talks of war, trauma, bombs, war time violence. Graphic talk of injuries.

A/N: there is so much I want to give a heads up for, not bad just some choices I made. So I’ll do that at the end. 😉

Masterlist

You take a deep breath as you climb out of the car. Your bags disappear as a production assistant ushers you down the walk way. “So you will stand here and we are gonna ask you a few questions, okay?” The camera man in front of you has a blank stare as he zooms in closer, the production assistant gives you a look from behind the camera, she motions for you to smile.

“I’m sorry, are we starting now? Like right now?” You ask as you look around, trying to take in the view for just a second. The assistant taps the camera man’s shoulder and motions for him to back up.

“Yes, we are starting now. But we can give you a minute if you need it.” She assures you, thanking her with a smile. “How about while we wait, you tell me about yourself. I actually don’t know anything about you, so leave nothing out.” The assistant chirps happily. You nod and smooth out your sun dress, your fingers fidgeting with the wrinkles.

“Oh, um okay. I thought everyone would know every nitty gritty detail of our lives before we got on set.”

“Villa,” the assistant corrects you. “It will make it feel more like home.” She smiles. You nod as you look around.

“Right, Villa. The Love Island Villa.” You say quietly as you turn around and look at the looming mansion behind you. The assistant motions to the camera man to start rolling again, but this time he backs up and makes sure to not be seen. The cobblestone driveway clicks beneath your heels as you shuffle around in place. Gazing up at the two story mansion before you, modern but still home like. The black and gray color that make up the exterior contrasts all the bright pink, orange, and yellow that make up the furnishings, and decor. The windows reflect the sun brightly and the greenery perfectly placed along the balconies and tresses are lush and full of life, and quietly under all the excess noise coming from the camera crew and the production team, you can hear the roar and crash of the ocean waves. You take a deep breath and turn back to the production assistant. “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name before.” You ask, extending your hand for a shake. She smiles and reaches her hand out to yours.

“Annie” She offers. You nod and shake her hand.

“It’s nice to meet you Annie, I’m Everly.”

“Nice to meet you, Everly. Now how about you tell us about yourself.”

🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩

You spend the next hour making an intro video that will be played on TV. After that Annie sits you down and explains the rules of the show. “Okay, No leaving the villa before the end of filming, unless of course you are voted off. Have physical altercations of you will be removed from the villa by police and charges may potentially be filed. You can’t have your own personal phone or communication device of any kind. We will provide you with one while you are here and it is solely for the purpose of texting between production and the participants. You must adhere and pass all drug and STD testing while you are here or else you will be removed from the island. And lastly, have fun!” You hear everything Annie is saying and you just nod.

“Do people really fail their STD screenings when coming in?” You ask and Annie laughs.

“You’re be surprised! It also depends on what it is. If it’s easily treatable then we may keep you and just quarantine you.” You lightly laugh.

“Well I don’t plan on getting one.” Annie laughs.

“No one plans on getting and STD, Everly.” She guides you back to the car. “Alright, now that we’ve got you checked in and set up, we wait!” You scrunch your eyebrows.

“Wait?? I thought-“ you point to the villa.

“Oh don’t worry, you are on the island.” You take a breath at Annie’s reassurance, you’re not sure why, you didn’t even sign up for this stupid love show, your friends did it for you. “But production of reviewing all your information and the other girls information as we can decide what order to introduce you to each other.” Annie smiles and then whispers, “But you have nothing to worry about, you’re total bombshell material.” And with that Annie is gone.

**** 1 month ago****

“Nooooo!!” You drunkenly whine. “Sarah why?!” Sarah, your best friend since childhood laughs.

“Because! The last man you let touch you was that pathetic excuse of a boyfriend you had! You need love, Evie!” Sarah says sweetly as you pout and pour another glass of wine.

“I don’t Need anything.” You correct her and she raises her hands in surrender.

“Okay true, you don’t need a man or love. But it couldn’t hurt to let yourself have it. Just because you don’t need it doesn’t mean it isn’t nice to have.” You grumble, knowing Sarah is right. “This is a fun and easy way to get back into the dating world, and to meet a lot of hot guys while you’re at it! After everything with Colin and don’t even get me started on Brock-” You sigh.

“Yeah I guess.” You laugh to yourself. “You know what? You’re right! Why should Colin be the last guy who’s ever touched me?! He doesn’t deserve that title!” You exclaim, the wine finally settling in and carrying you to the loud drunk stage.

“Yes, that’s the spirit! Now, let me tell you all about the island.” Sarah giggles as she explain her favorite guilty pleasure TV show.

“So it’s like the Bachelor but better?”

“Yes!! And babes,” Sarah looks you up and down. “You are bombshell material!!” Sarah hypes you up. “Those eyes and that hair! Those lips and hips! Those boys will be eating out of the palm of your hand and those girls are gonna be Mad!” Sarah laugh and you giggle.

“I don’t want to make enemies!” You laugh nervously.

“To quote the age old, love island proverb, ‘it’s love Island, not friendship island.’” You bust out laughing, the wine finally making you lose your mind and Sarah is right there with you.

****

You smile as you think back to that night. Sarah had helped you with your shopping spree the next day. Bathing suits, dresses, cute outfits. All of it perfectly fitting your style and helping you stay true to who you are. You fidget with your sundress again as you look down at your freshly tanned legs and painted toes. You been sitting for almost an hour with no word from Annie, maybe they looked at all your stuff and changed their minds. Now they are hoping you get the hint and leave. “No, Everly. Don’t think like that. They would have brought your luggage back if that were the case. Stop worrying.” You say to yourself. You think about how your mom reacted when you told her you’d be gone for 8 weeks to be on a dating show. She about blew a gasket and then she laughed and cried and wished you good luck. Your sister promised to keep detailed notes so she could tease you mercilessly once you got back. Your dad and brother promised to not watch a single episode after they googled and realized what all could happen on the show. Your dad said, “I’ll meet whoever wins your heart after the fact. I don’t need to see you swapping spit with him.” You laugh out loud at that memory.

About five minutes later Annie walks back in. “Okay Everly! You ready to get changed? We have this bathing suit for you.” She holds up one from your suitcase.

“Did you go through my stuff?” You ask as you take the swimsuit from her.

“We have to make sure no contraband is snuck in. Don’t worry, we don’t touch any self care items we find.” She winks and your face goes red. You didn’t pack anything like that but you know Sarah and your sister, Lizzy were snooping around your bag before you got picked up. “Oh god, what did they put in there?” You mumble to yourself and Annie laughs having heard you.

“Well if it was your friends that snuck that certain item inside then they want you to have a great time, regardless of finding love of not.” You blush bright red and dart into the changing room.

You slip on your bikini, it’s royal blue and fits you perfectly. The bottom is full around your butt with the slightest bit of a cheeky cut. You adjust them again as you recall telling Sarah ‘none of those boys have earned seeing any more of my ass.’ As you look at yourself in the mirror you stand by your decision. The top perfectly supports your breast and honestly makes them look irresistible. You slip on your sandals and walk out to meet Annie. “Oh perfect! Although, are you sure you don’t want these heels?” She holds up a pair you brought from home.

“I’m sure, I want to keep the sandals for now.” Annie nods and then takes you folded up clothes.

“Okay, these will be placed in the bedroom with your suitcase,” she holds up your clothes. “Now we are going to film your entrance and then you walking into the villa. After that, you’re on your own until we check in with you. Okay?”

“Okay.” You take a breath and wait for them to say action.

You push open the main door and are immediately greeted with a giant neon sign that says ‘Love’. You smile and start to feel a little excited. You hear some others moving around upstairs so you make your way up. Passing by the living room, decorated ceiling to floor with pink, orange, yellow, and green and the kitchen with neon lights along the kitchen island and another neon sign that says ‘snacks’, you find the stairwell rather plain. But it open up to a giant room filled with 4 large beds. The floor is marble and there is a nice sized carpet in the middle of the room. The four beds face each other, two on one wall and two on the other, with a grand chandelier in the middle of the ceiling providing the light. At the very back there is an opening into the bathroom. A walk into shower, big enough for 2 and a tub big enough for 4, thankfully there seems to be a separate area for the actual toilets which there are three stalls in a little hallway on the other side of the shower. The shower is nestled in the corner with tiled walls except for the glass door and the tub sits under a large window that looks out over the yard. With further examination you see that there is in fact a door to the bathroom that can be locked, and that sets your mind more at ease.

You take another look at your surroundings and notice no one else is around. “So not the bombshell,” you sigh. “Great.” You explore some more when you hear people moving around again. “Hello?!” You call out, hoping to get an answer.

“Did you hear that?!” Says one girl with a sweet voice. It’s a little deeper and it has a Smokey sound to it, but still inviting.

“Yeah, it sounded like another girl!” The next girl says, her voice is lighter and softer, like velvet. You can’t tell there is the slightest bit of an accent.

“Oh great, the bombshell arrived.” The last girl says is a very proper British accent.

“Cut it out, let go find her and introduce ourselves.” The first girl says. You take a deep breath and prepare for whoever is about to walk out of the closet. First is a shorter woman, she has beautiful hair that is red at the roots and blonde on the ends, she’s obviously let it grow out and she’s absolutely owning it. She walks with grace and poise as she crosses the room to you.

“Hi, I’m Natasha. And you are?”

“Everly! It’s nice to meet you.” You smile at her and her friendly attitude.

“Likewise.” Natasha offers. Two more woman come walking out of the dressing room. One with bright red hair and soulful eyes and the other with brown curls and red lipstick.

“Did I hear your name is Everly?” The other red head asks, you nod. “It’s nice to meet you, I’m Wanda.” She moves in and hugs you, you’re a little taken aback but you don’t mind. The other woman stares at you over Wanda’s shoulder before she smiles and introduces herself.

“I’m Margret, but most people call me Peggy.” Her voice sounds familiar but you think nothing of it, You smile and wave

“Nice to meet you.” looking around and sighing. “So how long have y’all been here?” Natasha settles on the bed behind her.

“Not too long. Enough to get settled and get ready to meet the boys.” She smirks. “But before we do that we need to know more about you! Tell us a little something, Everly!” You laugh and shrug,

“Not much to tell! I am a physical therapist and I work primarily with Veterans who have been through a life changing physical trauma.” Natasha and Wanda beam at you and Peggy just gives a tight smile, you realize she looks familiar too but you can’t place her. “I had a boyfriend of 2 years until I found him in bed with someone else back in December. I dumbed him and have been healing ever since. My friend nominated me for the show and after some soul searching I decided I am ready to give this all a try, hopefully find Love and if not then at least have a good summer.” Natasha looks at Wanda with a smile.

“So you’re here for love too!?” Wanda asks.

“Of course, I mean that’s the name of the game, right?” You joke and she nods.

“I’m ready to settle down.” Wanda says. “Natasha here is on the love hunt too.” Wanda teases and Natasha laughs and rolls her eyes.

“I am open to finding love but if all I have is a summer of fun then so be it. Isn’t that right Peggy?” Natasha turns to the tight lipped, familiar lady standing on the other side of the group.

“Definitely, we are all here for our own agendas and our own lives. Whatever our reasons are, are our own.” Peggy says as she crosses her arms. You look at Natasha’s who gives you a face and you hide your laughter.

“Well said, Peggy.” Natasha answers. “Anyway, Everly what is your type?”

“My type?” You ask.

“Yeah! Like mine is nerdy and sweet.” Wanda offers. “Natasha’s is moody and loyal.”

“You make my type sound like a dog.” Natasha jokes and you three laugh.

“Oh I didn’t mean it like that!” Wanda exclaims. “If anyone’s type is like a dog it’s Peggy’s! Protective but able to take orders?!” The girls laughs and Peggy roles her eyes.

“I would have much appreciated if you had kept my ‘type’ to yourself.” Peggy crosses her arms. Wanda is about to apologize but Natasha stops her.

“Oh calm down Peggy. It’s a type of man, not your bank codes.” At that Peggy does crack a smile. “We are just having some fun, lighten up! It is too early to be making enemies and something tells me Everly is gonna be someone you want to be friends with.” Natasha winks as she looks at you and asks you again. “So Everly, what’s your type?!” You blush and look at your feet and then back at her.

“Well I am a hopeless romantic. The idea of meeting someone in a coffee shop and spending the whole day with them because the conversation and company is just that good? That makes me melt. So my type is the romantic, passionate, sweet type.” Wanda smiles and looks like she’s gonna melt where she is.

“Yes! Someone to sweep you off your feet and then defend you honor all at the same time.” You laugh and nod.

“Yeah, something like that.” Suddenly a phone dinging gets all of your attention.

“It’s my phone!” Wanda excitedly exclaims as she read sit out loud.

*Wanda, the boys are waiting downstairs for you to make your move. #showthemwhatyou’vegot*

Wanda looks up and about squeals from happiness. “I’ll see you all outside!” Wanda hurries down the stairs and outside. Natasha grabs your arm and drags you closer to the window.

“Can you see them?!” Natasha asks.

“No, not a one. But we will see them soon!” You answer back as you try to Crain your neck just enough to catch a glimpse. Natasha’s phone dings.

“Some of us sooner rather than later.” Natasha teases. “See you down there!” She runs down the stairs. You sit in silence with Peggy who looks like she’d rather be anywhere else.

“So what do you do, Peggy?” She looks over at you and politely smiles.

“I am a military contractor.” Peggy says. You nod not having a clue what that means. The awkward silence is broken by your phone dinging.

“Huh,” she smiles up at you, “guess they are saving the best till last.” You don’t even bother to look at her, you just read your phone.

*Everly, it’s time for a bombshell like you to shake things up. Two of the four boys are coupled up but those boys could still step forward and fight for a chance to couple up with you. #Gogetthem #bombshellalert #summerlovin’

🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩

You feel butterflies in your stomach and you take a deep breath. “Okay, Everly. Let’s do this.” You walk downstairs and out to the back doors. You take another breath and decide to give it your best sexy strut. The big white doors open and the sun shines on your face, the warmth sends tingles down your spine. You toss your hair around a little as you start your entrance. Making sure you add a little bounce to your step as you descend the concrete stairs to the grassy yard. You take another deep breath, “hiya boys!” You holler and wave as you get closer. The four men in front of you stand with their eyes locked and jaws dropped. “I heard y’all were ready for some summer Lovin’. I’m Everly, nice to meet you.” You wink and walk even closer. Natasha cat calls you and Wanda cheers. The boys are mesmerized by you and just watches your every move.

“Hi, I’m Steve.” The tall, blonde, chiseled man to your right offers a bright smile as he itches to move closer to you. His eyes are a pretty blue and his smile is bright and infectious.

“Hi Steve.” You bite your lip a little and then smile.

“And I’m Bucky.” Says the tall, brunette, and just as chiseled man to the right of Steve. His eyes are a pale blue and his voice is so smooth, you can already imagine what sweet nothings would sound like coming from that voice. He holds himself proud and strong, you can tell he is a sturdy man. Natasha laughs and nudges his arm. She cocks her eyebrow and Bucky blushes as he looks back at you. You smirk and give a little wave and wink which seem to do the trick.

“Hi Bucky.” The next man is tall and blonde but his hair is shorter and a little spiky. His glasses are round a look absolutely adorable on him. He is a little nerdy looking but in a way that you totally love. He fumbles a little and looks between you and Wanda. Wanda smiles and gives him a nod.

“I’m Jake- and wow! Oh I’m sorry-” He looks at Wanda who nudges him.

“No I agree,” she looks back at you and smiles. “Wow is right.” You notice Steve fidgeting and you can feel Bucky’s eyes admiring your form. You dart your eyes to the side and he knows he was caught. You smile to let him know that you don’t mind it at all before you shift your eyes back to Jake.

“Well, thank you, Jake. That was really sweet.” You coo as sweetly as you can before you walk in front of the last man in line. He is of course, tall, his skin is beautiful and glowing in the sun. His abs are incredible and he stands as though he was military. He smiles and has the smallest gap in his front teeth. It’s kinda cute.

“Hi, I’m Sam.” He says as he stands straighter and looks you up and down.

“Hi Sam.” You offer back with a nice smile. You look at the boys and give them all a contemplative look. You are very interested in all of them but you don’t want to ruffle any feathers, at least not on the first day that is. “Okay, I am going to couple up with-“ You see Natasha elbow Bucky and he jumps forward.

“Now wait, you’re supposed to ask us to step forward if we are into you.” He gives you a shy little smile. You blush and look at Sam and Steve who just shrug. Sam steps forward, Bucky eyes him and steps forward as well. You are caught off guard, of course you want men fighting for your heart, it’s nice to be wanted. But so publicly and at the express of the new friends you’ve made.

“Now boys, hold on-“ you start but are interrupted by Steve.

“Well if we are really doing this,” Steve says as he walks forward. Jake shuffles around and Wanda squeezes his hand.

“Step forward if you want, Jake. It’s okay, it’s the first 30 minutes of knowing each other, no one should be too attached at the moment.” Jake shuffles forward and stands shoulder to shoulder with the other three men. You blush and look at each guy overwhelmed by their interest in you.

“Well, I am very flattered but I don’t want to step on any toes.” You start to explain again when Natasha interrupts you.

“No need to worry, Everly. We just met these guys and we have all summer to woo and win them back if you take them.” She winks and you laugh.

“Well how about you tell me about yourselves.” You say and Sam speaks up first.

“I am a retired airman. Now I work in security. I’ve got a boat I love to work on back home and I’ve got jokes for days.” He smiles and you laugh, teasing him a bit.

“So it takes you days to tell a singular joke? Must not be that funny.” You wink and Sam laughs as he shuffles around.

“Oh we’re gonna have fun.” You shrug and move on to the next.

“Jake? What about you?” Jake smiles and adjusts his glasses.

“Well I’m retired military as well. Actually I’m supposed to be dead.” You gasp and he shrugs. “Anyway, I have a niece I am crazy about and I’m really good with computers and tech.” He smiles proudly and you can’t help but smile back.

“I’m sure your niece is very proud of you.” You assure him and Jake beams back at you. You then turn to Bucky.

“Oh my turn? Right, so I am a retired army Sergeant. I now work as a carpenter, me and my buddy started a construction company a few years back and it’s going pretty well. I also do some freelance security work.” You laugh as you ask.

“What does that mean?”

Bucky smirks at you. “If I told you then I’d have to kill you.” He winks and you blush and promptly look at Steve.

“I am a retired army Captain,” he looks at Bucky as he emphasizes his higher rank, and Bucky lightly laughs and shakes his head. “Funny enough I also work in carpentry and have a business with my buddy. Who I also work in freelance security with on the side.” Everyone looks at each other and then back at Bucky and Steve.

“Wait,” you ask. “You two are friends? And know each other from the outside?” Steve and Bucky laugh and nod.

“Yeah, Buck and I go way back.” Steve answers as he squeezes Steve’s shoulder.

“Childhood friends and all. Someone had to keep him from getting his teeth kicked in.” Bucky says as he puts Steve in a headlock. Sam and Jake are laughing, the girls are all in shock and Steve pushes Bucky off of him with a loud laugh. You look at Natasha and she cocks an eyebrow.

“You’re also all veterans, huh? Everly what was it that you do again?” Natasha taking on the role of best/worst wingman in the world. You clear your throat and wish away the blush rising in your cheeks.

“I’m a physical therapist. I work with Veterans who have experienced life changing physical trauma.” All four boys look at you in awe.

“WOW, that’s amazing.” Sam says.

“Could have used one of those when I got out.” Jake says jokingly.

“I bet you’ve helped a lot of men and women get back a little piece of themselves.” Steve admires.

“I know the work you do, mine changed my life after my accident.” Bucky admits, that’s when you notice the faint, white scarring across the left side of his chest and left arm. Your professional curiosity is about to get the better of you but you quickly snap back to the task at hand.

“I do what I can, I hope I’ve made a difference.” You gently smile at Bucky and he gazes back. Natasha clears her throat.

“So Everly, you gonna steal one of our guys?” You look at Natasha and then back at Bucky and Steve. You smirk and playfully answer back.

“Now Natasha, it wouldn’t be any fun if I stole them, they may choose me on their own.” You wink and Natasha give a playful laugh. Bucky looks like he’s about to melt where he is and Steve looks about ready to jump out of his skin. “Well I don’t want to ruffle feathers and we have all summer, plus this guy looks about as sweet as a golden retriever and I need that energy in my life.” Wanda looks a little worried, thinking you’ve got eyes for Jake. You assure her by flicking your gaze to the man you are choosing. “I want to couple up with Steve.” Steve punches the air and gives you a big hug as you jog over to him. You stand by his side as you wait to Peggy to make her entrance. She comes waltzing down the stairs and you feel Steve shift around a little but then he looks at you with his deep blue eyes and you melt. He takes your hand and give it a reassuring squeeze. You then hear Bucky whisper to Steve, “I thought they usually saved the Bombshell for last? After Everly my head is spinning so much I can’t bring myself to focus.” Steve agrees. You blush and try not to let it go to your head.

“Well, hello boys.” Peggy says sweetly. “Seems most of you are coupled up,” her gaze flicks to Steve, “but we could change that. Step forward if you fancy me.” Sam steps forward and so does Jake. She looks at Steve and then her eyes float to you. You can tell Peggy is gonna cause some trouble in the future. “Hmmm I think I will couple up with this tall, handsome man right here.” She takes Sam’s arm and Jake shuffles back to Wanda who promptly wraps her arms around his. You get a text.

*Islanders, these will be your couples until the next recoupling. Which may be sooner rather than later. Take some time to know your partner and the fellow islanders. #flirtaway #mixitup*

You turn and look at Steve, he smiles down at you and then looks around to find a place to talk. “The daybeds look like a nice quiet place to talk, wanna?” He asks and you nod.

“Lead the way.” You two make you way across the lawn and pass the pool to the little covered patio on the other end of the lawn. The daybeds lay three in a row and face the rest of the yard. Steve sits down first and you crawl on the bed next to him. As you get settled you meet his gaze and his eyes flick from yours to your lips and then back again. Blushing and looking away, Steve lightly laughs, “So, tell me a little about yourself, Everly.” He reclines and rests one arm across his chest and the other behind his head. His smile is warm and he stares at you like you’re the most important person in the world, you feel butterflies erupt in your stomach as you meet his gaze.

“Well, as I said before I am a physical therapist but I also do some writing on the side. Helps take my mind off of work and lets me escape a little.” Steve raises his eyebrows in surprise.

“A writer too? WOW, what kind of stuff do you write?” He asks as he sits forward, even more intrigued.

“Romance of course!” You tease and Steve laughs. “But really, it’s love stories and teeth rotting sweetness. Just something to lighten up my mood after a hard day.” Steve beams at you and reaches out to squeeze your hand. “Humm what else? I have a sister and brother that I adore and my parents have been married for almost 30 years. I’m pretty easygoing, I love to spend time with friends and my loved ones.”

“Do you live near your family?” Steve asks as he rubs his thumb over the back of your hand.

“I do, but not so close that they would drop by unannounced.” Steve laughs and nods.

“I know what you mean. My mom lives across town and I make sure it stays that way. Don’t get me wrong, I adore my mom, but sometimes you need your own space.”

“Yes!” You exclaim. “Sorry,” you apologize for your loudness, looking around to see if anyone was disturbed by the outburst. All you see is Peggy staring at the two of you. “Umm sorry,” you laugh, “But I totally get that. My sister drops by sometimes unannounced and well let’s just say she has seen some things.” You blush and Steve lets out a loud laugh.

“Oh really?! What kinda things?” He smirks and leans a little closer, itching for the juicy details. You blush even more.

“Umm like an afternoon delight in the kitchen.” You cover your face and Steve pulls your hands away.

“Hey, no need to be shy!” He smiles kindly at you. “Would it make you feel better if I told you an embarrassing sex story too?” You laugh.

“Absolutely!” You cross your legs and lean your elbow on your knees and as you gaze up at him. He laughs and starts to blush himself.

“Well I was still enlisted when this happened. We were out on assignment and were waiting for the all clear to move in on our target. We were board and well, one of the M.A.S.H surgeons decided it would be fun to play strip poker. One thing led to another and me and her were in the back of the humvee going all the way.” You interrupt him.

“Steve this just sounds like your bragging about getting laid in a war zone.” You tease and Steve holds a hand up.

“Hold on, I’m not done.” He laughs and looks up at the sky, “Right as we were about to finish, the back door to the humvee opens.” You gasp and Steve nods, “yup, apparently while we were naked they radioed that we had to move out immediately. Everyone was geared up and ready to go but when they opened the door all they saw was my ass-“ Just then You hear Bucky and Natasha walking over, Bucky decides to finish the story for Steve.

“Yup! And that’s why we lovingly called him America’s ass the rest of his enlistment.” Bucky grins and pats Steve’s back. You try not to laugh as you look at a blushing Steve. He just nods and gives you permission, and you can’t hold it in anymore.

“Oh my god, that’s horrible. And kinda funny.” You laugh and Steve smiles, he likes your laugh, it’s sweet and light. He could listen to you laugh all day.

“I’m a big boy, I can handle being laughed at. But can you Bucky? Should I tell Natasha your embarrassing sex story?”

Nat laughs and looks between the two of them. “You two swap sex stories?” You giggle as you look back at Steve.

“Well yeah, don’t you?” He teases Natasha and she nods in agreement. “So Bucky are you gonna tell it or should I?” Bucky shrugs and looks at you with a smirk.

“Go ahead Stevie.”

“Stevie?” You question with a smirk of your own, Steve blushes and nods.

“Something my mom and my overprotective best friend always called me growing up. Now it’s just whipped out in times where he wants to be condescending.” Bucky laughs and agrees.

“Well I like it, Stevie.” You reach out and ruffle his hair and he catches your hand and give sit a kiss. “But back to the topic at hand, Bucky’s embarrassing sex story!” The four of you laugh and Bucky raises his hands.

“I was with a girl and her dad caught us. Walked right in there for a visit and apparently he had a key. And we were taking advantage of the great lighting in the living room of her apartment.” Natasha gasps.

“Wait?! As in like videos?!” Natasha asks, Bucky blushes and you want to see him do it again.

“If I said no would you believe me?” Bucky says to Nat and she laughs out loud.

“What?!? Like only fans???” Natasha asks, not weirded out at all but interested.

“Yes but it wasn’t mine. It was hers and it was a 1 time thing. We met at a bar and we were gonna hook up so she asked if wouldn’t mind being filmed. I said I didn’t care as long as my face and voice weren’t shown. So we set it all up and got to business. Her dad caught us before we could finish. So the video was deleted and that was my short, non-existent only fan’s career.” Your jaw is dropped and Natasha is laughing. Steve can’t breathe he is laughing so hard. “Anyway, it was for the best cause that was my first and only 1 night stand.” Natasha stops laughing.

“Wait really? Not trying to shame you, just wondering why.” Natasha asks as she takes his hand in hers. He smiles at her and then his gaze flicks to you before he answers.

“I’m more of the romantic type. I can flirt the pants off any women in a heartbeat but 99.9% of the time I then promptly ‘put them back on’. I’m kinda old fashioned in that way, I like it to mean something. Actually now that I think about it that story is kinda sad cause I was going through some shit and I was kinda in a spiral.” Bucky looks from you to Steve. He then lightly laughs. “Way to bring the mood down, Buck.”

“No, you didn’t, Bucky.” You assure him, taking his hand and giving it a squeeze. “Thanks for sharing. And I think that’s sweet about wanting it to mean something, I’m like that too, hopeless romantic and all.” Bucky’s eyes light up in a way that only you catch. He nods.

“Thanks, Everly.” He then looks at Natasha. “So, what’s your story?” Before she can answer her phone dings. “Saved by the bell!” She laughs and opened the message as she screams for the other to join.

“I got a text!!” Wanda and Peggy run over, followed by Sam and Jake.

*Islanders, head to the fire pit for a steamy game of Truth or Dare. If the fire isn’t burning by the end then a switch up may be coming your way. #Hotandheavy #getthefirestarted #sparksareflying*

You and Steve look at each other and then back at Natasha and Bucky. “Sounds like if there aren’t sparks flying then that decoupling might happen sooner than we expected.” Bucky says as he looks at you and then back at Natasha. “We should probably head over.” He says as he stands up, you three follow him over to the fire pit. It’s sits right below the deck and has a built in bench that circles around half of the fire. The cushions are soft and brightly colored to match the rest of the house. You sit next to Steve and feel Peggy’s eyes on you. You glance her way and she avoids your gaze. Steve notices your face and gives you a nudge.

“Everything okay?” You meet his gaze and offer a small smile.

“Yeah, just I seem to have already made an enemy without even trying.” Nodding your head in Peggy’s direction as you whisper. Steve hums and takes your hand in his.

“I’m sorry, anything I can do?” He rubs the back of your hand with his thumb and you blush a little.

“Maybe get those sparks flying so we can stay together?” You give a flirty look and Steve bites his lip as he watches you.

“Oh I can definitely do that.” He smirks as he leans in closer, so close his lips graze your temple. “But maybe I should wait for the game to start.” He pulls back and winks and you just melt. You look across the fire pit and see Bucky, his eyes are soft as he watches you and your stomach does a flip. You give a small smile and Bucky has to bite his lip so he doesn’t break out the biggest smile. He clears his throat and looks at Natasha.

“So how do we play?” His phone dings, “Guess I could have waited 1 second and I would have gotten my answer.” He laughs and opens up the message.

*Islanders, each person will get a chance to pick a truth or dare card. Each card is a steamy dare or a sexy truth. Now let’s get the fire started because whoever you have the most chemistry with is who you will go on a date with tonight, and it might not be who you are partnered up with. #isithotinhere #letsgetstarted*

Bucky meets your gaze and you shift around a little. His eyes are so captivating but you can’t get caught gazing at him when Steve needs to be your focus. You turn your gaze to Steve and he smiles down at you. “Okay, who goes first?” Steve asks, his phone dings and he reads the message, “Looks like it’s me.” He smirks as he walks up to the deck of cards on the edge of the fire pit. Drawing the first card and a letting a big smile break across his face. “I got a dare card and it says ‘kiss the hottest girl for at least 15 seconds’. They don’t have to tell me twice.” Steve turns and looks at you, he walks over and pulls you up from your seat, your heartbeats faster and your gaze flicks to his lips as he leans in closer. Soft gentle lips graze yours and at first it’s sweet and tame. Then his arms wrap around your body and pulls you closer as his tongue gently pushes against your bottom lip, you hold back the moan that’s about to escape you when you hear the timer go off. Everyone cheers and claps. Sam whistles and Jake says some joke about it not counting if there wasn’t tongue. You blush as you pull back and open your eyes. Steve has the cutest blush breaking across his cheeks and nose, give him a ‘sun-kissed’ look and it’s so cute you could melt. You sit and pull Steve to sit down with you, holding his hand and trying to hide your blush from everyone else. Natasha meets your gaze and gives you a killer smirk.

“So Everly, sparks?” She asks and you blush even more. Steve lightly laughs and looks down at you.

“I’d say there were sparks flying, huh?” You nod and Steve pats your thigh as you two sit back.

“Okay, my turn!” Jake shoots up and grabs a card, “Truth! ‘Have you ever faked it to get out of a horrible lay?’ Well I feel this would have been a question for one of the ladies, but surprisingly I have.” Jake looks at Wanda and she just laughs.

“Wait, how?!” She asks, you’re genuinely curious too.

“Well, we weren’t naked yet and I felt horrible about doing it but I also didn’t want to sleep with her if I wasn’t into it. So I just kinda-“

“Oh my god,” Sam exclaims. “You faked getting off in your pants to get out of having sex?!” He looks at Jake and Jake hangs his head.

“Yeah, I did.” The boys laugh, Wanda speaks up.

“I mean it’s sweet you didn’t sleep with her when you knew you weren’t into it. But you could have told her the truth too.” Jake nods and agrees.

“I know that now! Then I was 17 and just wanted to get out of there and get home.” Jake explains. Wanda rubs his back and gently smiles at him.

“It’s okay, Jakey.” She assures him and Jake blushes and acts all shy. Bucky laughs and shakes his head. Natasha stands up and grabs a card. Her perfectly sculpted eyebrow cocks as she reads the card. “Huh, I got a dare and it’s says, ‘Sit in a boys lap who isn’t your partner for 2 rounds.’ Sorry Buck.” She smirks as she walks towards Steve. “I hope you don’t mind,” she sits on Steve’s laps and gets herself comfy. “Rules are rules.” She shrugs and you laugh and shrug. Steve looks anything but uncomfortable. You just roll your eyes and laugh. Nat continues to move around a little at a time, knowing exactly what she’s doing. Sam goes and his was a truth. He had to share what a perfect date would look like. “And then we’d end it back at my place,” he looks at Peggy. “What do you think of that?” She shrugs.

“Seems okay.” She focuses back on the others and Sam sighs and looks over at Bucky, who offers him a pat on the shoulder. It’s your turn and as you walk up everyone cheers you on, you do a little dance as you get closer and it has everyone in stitches and cheering even more.

“She’s got the moves!” Bucky yells as he smirks. You look back at him and wink.

“You ain’t seen nothing yet.” You flick your hair and seductively bend down to get a card. You know your ass looks good and you know Steve and Bucky are looking at it. Hell maybe even Sam. “It’s a dare-oh Lordy it’s a spicy one. ‘Make out with someone who isn’t your partner for at least 30 seconds.’ Hmmm decisions, decisions.” You look around at everyone and their hopeful faces. Steve pipes up.

“Come on Everly, take your pick. You should pick me no matter what the cards say.” He winks. You laugh and turn to face him.

“Just for that I should make out with Natasha while she’s still in your lap, just to tease you.”

“Please do that!” Sam almost yells.

“Oh god yes!” Jake exclaims.

“Don’t tease us!” Bucky warns

“I’m game if you are.” Natasha smirks. You giggle at all the reactions.

“I won’t do that, mainly because I am straight but also because I’m sure these boys would explode in their pants, and for real this time, right Jake?” You tease and he blushes while everyone else laughs. You throw him a wink and he smiles. “But I’ll give you this.” You walk over and gently peck Natasha’s lips. It’s over before it begins but it affects the boys all the same.

“Shit,” Steve mumbles and you hear the other boys curse beneath their breaths too.

“Now onto the actual dare.” You turn your attention to Bucky. You walk over and move right between is legs. He is laid back casually as he watches you lean closer and closer. As you start to climb in his lap and straddle him his ‘cool vibrato’ breaks and you see his pupils dilate. His eyes flick from your lips to your eyes and then back to your lips. He moves his hands from the back of the bench and slowly moves them up your back, watching your eyes to see if it’s okay. You gently smirk, “this okay, Buck?” Without answering he crashes his lips to yours as you wrap your arms around his neck. He moves his hands to your head, threading his fingers in your hair. You move your hands around his shoulders and feel his chest rise and fall beneath your fingers as he nudges your lips with his tongue. Without a second thought you let him and he licks into your mouth, both of you completely lost to the moment. When you break apart you are gasping for air and your lips are a little swollen. Bucky’s pupils are blown wide and you can feel his heart pounding beneath your hands. Everyone is cheering and whistling as you two come back to earth, under his breath so no one else can hear him, Bucky says.

“Fireworks, absolute fireworks. You just lit up my world, Everly.” You blush and give his chest the slightest squeeze wanting him to know you feel the same way. You quickly climb off and walk back to Steve. You meet Natasha’s gaze and she gives you a knowing look as she passes by and smiles to reassure you that she would have done the same thing. You find your seat next to Steve and shyly look up at him.

“Hi,” you say and he lightly laughs.

“Hey,” there is the slightest bit of worry in his eyes and you reach out and squeeze his knee. “Wish that had been me.” Steve admits and you smile before you let your gaze fall to the ground and then back at Bucky. You turn back to Steve and whisper.

“There still plenty of time left in the game, I’m sure we will get a chance.” You kiss his cheek and he blushes and nods.

The rest of the game isn’t as exciting. Wanda does a little dance for Jake who absolutely loves it. Natasha shares about her threesome experience. Sam has a dare that makes him get close and personal with Peggy who doesn’t hate it but definitely doesn’t love it. The whole time Peggy has her eyes on you. You Ignored her sighs as you settled next to Steve. Even when Bucky and Steve went again and chose you to carry out their dares with. One was to dance with you and the other was to make direct eye contact with you for a full minute. Bucky’s eyes are incredibly beautiful and you didn’t have any issues. Steve knows just how to move and he got your blood pumping towards the end. The whole time Peggy sat there, tight lipped and looking at you like you had killed her dog. When it’s her turn she stands up and grabs her card. “It’s a dare, ‘Kiss your partner until the other islands say stop.’ Well, I-”she looks at Sam and then back at everyone else. She doesn’t speak she just makes a b-line to Steve grabs his face and plants a big kiss on him. And Steve makes the mistakes of going along, his hands along her body and kissing her back.

“Whoa?!” Yells Sam.

“The card said your partner, Peggy! Steve?!” You exclaim, jumping up from where you are sitting. Natasha and Bucky walks towards the scene right as Peggy steps away. She gives a smug grin to you all.

“I know what my card said. I also know what I wanted. I’m fine with breaking the rules to get what I want.” She saunters back over to Sam who stands up and walks to the other side of the fire pit. Steve stands there shocked, with his hair messed up and red lipstick all over his lips. He looks down at you and sees the hurt in your eyes.

“Everly, I’m sorry. But it’s part of the game.” Before you could speak Natasha is standing up for you.

“No me sitting on your lap or Everly making out with Bucky was a part of the game. You helping Peggy break the rules and obviously enjoying it while doing it, that isn’t a part of the game.” You look at Peggy and her smug look, all you want to do is cry. You don’t know why, you just met Steve and it’s not that deep or special, but it’s something about the way Peggy looks at you and seemed to hate you from the moment you met. A text interrupts your thoughts. Sam speaks up.

“It’s mine.”

*Islanders, the game is over. The dates tonight are as follows.*

“Anyone have a text yet?” Jake asks. His phone dings, “oh I do!” He reads it out. “Jake and Wanda. We got a date!” Wanda smiles and kisses his cheek. Sam’s phone dings.

“Let’s get this over with,” he reads it and his eyebrows raise. “Sam and Natasha.” He looks at Natasha and she gives him a flirty wave and wink. “Well, alright.” Sam’s mood looks like it’s improved quite a bit. Steve’s phone dings.

“Steve and-“ he stops and looks up at you and gives you a sorrowful look. “And Peggy.” Your heart sinks and Peggy jumps up and comes to sit on the other side of Steve. You wait and wait and no text comes. Jake gets another one.

*Islanders, those are all the dates. Please head to the room to get ready. #Dates #loveisintheair

You try not to cry, it shouldn’t hurt but it does. In the shows eyes you didn’t have chemistry enough with anyone not Steve and not even Bucky. You feel sick to your stomach and can’t meet anyone’s gaze. Steve tries to talk to you but you just pull away because you can’t let him see you cry. Right before your voice breaks you croak out a, “go have fun, find me when you get back.” And with a kiss on the cheek you disappear to hide until they are gone. You sit up on the terrace and wait to hear their voices drift away as they all leave through the front door, the cars staring and driving away, leaving behind only the sounds of the ocean and your quiet sobs. Sitting there watching the sun set you remember that 1) you need to eat and 2) you aren’t here alone. So you make your way to the kitchen to whip up dinner and then you go to find Bucky. He’s sitting by the pool with his legs dangling in the water. He hears you walking up and he turns around to look at you before he waves you closer.

“Come join me, Evie.” You smile at the sweet nickname he just gave you.

“Thanks, Buck.” You offer back and he lightly laughs. Leaning back on his hands and watching as you sit next to him.

“Well, no matter what that dumbass game says, I think we had some pretty fire chemistry, don’t you?” He says, trying to lighten the mood. You give a sad smile and nod. Bucky sits up and nudges your shoulder. “Hey, talk to me. What’s going on?” You shake your head, “Look I know Steve can be a dreamy guy,” you laugh and wipe a tear away. “But even he isn’t good enough to have a beautiful girl like yourself crying over him.” You sigh and wipe away more tears.

“It’s not that, I umm-“ you take a deep breath and look at Bucky. You can tell he is trustworthy and kind, the way his eyes dance over you and not in a sexual way but in a protective and caring way. “I had a boyfriend, we broke up back in December because he was cheating on me. I found him with the women in our bed.” You can feel Bucky straighten up next to you, he puts his hands in his lap and you can tell he is squeezing his hands together. The thought of another man hurting you that way makes him angry, and that is incredibly comforting. “I thought I heard something so I stood by the door and waited. I heard a women say, ‘I know and I don’t care.’ Amongst other things. So, I walked in while they were in the throws, I wanted to make sure he saw me as I walked to the bedside table and grabbed my charger and bags before I glanced at her and then just stormed out.” Bucky puts an arm around you and rubs your shoulder before he leans in and kisses your head.

“I’m so sorry, Evie.” Bucky whispers against your skin.

“So Peggy swooping in and stealing Steve and Steve just going along with it,” you look up at Bucky, “well it opened up some old wounds.” You sigh again, “and I know that’s how this show goes and I know we’ve known each other for not even a day but it still hurt, you know?” Bucky nods.

“Yeah, I do.” Bucky looks at your lips and then back at your eyes. “I’m sorry he made you cry and I’m sorry Steve did too.” He leans in closer. “No man should ever make such a sweet, beautiful girl like you, cry.” And right when you think he’s gonna kiss you, he lifts up and kisses your forehead. A sweet and very kind gesture. “Well since we have this place to ourselves, let’s get to know one another, huh? No more tears unless they are from laughing too hard.” Bucky suggests and you agree.

“You’re right! Even if we apparently had the worst chemistry of the entire bunch, we can still have fun!” You laugh and so does Bucky. He shakes his head.

“Nah, we had chemistry, I think they did that for dramatic effect. And it worked. But now we are here, by ourselves for hours.” He smiles and raises his eyebrows and suggestively. “Whatever shall we do?!” You smirk and lean in really close, close enough to almost kiss him but you don’t.

“We should,” you say slowly. And Bucky nods.

“Yeah?” Bucky asks.

“Totally stake claim on the good beds and eat the best ice cream before those losers get a chance.” You giggle and Bucky nods.

“You read my mind!” He laughs and stands up, pulling you up with him. “Let’s go!” Dashing off to the kitchen you eat the dinner you made and talk about your jobs. “I love what I do and it pays well. But there’s just something about building something from scratch- something about creating that is its own kind of therapy, you know?” You agree and just smile and listen as Bucky goes on about the business he has. “So you work with Veterans?” You nod and sit back, pushing away your empty plate.

“Yeah, a lot of men and women who have lost limbs or have gone through some type of trauma that affects their mobility.” You look at Bucky as he nods and finishes his last bite. You bite your lip, trying to decide if you should ask about his injury or not. If working with Vets has taught you anything it’s that you don’t just casually bring up things that could trigger their PTSD. Bucky looks up at you and he can tell what you’re debating in your head. He smiles and sits back.

“You can ask, I can handle it.” You gently smile and sit forward.

“What happened? What was your official injury?” Bucky takes a drink of water and then sits forward to meet you halfway across the table.

“Roadside IED. Humvee hit it while we were making our rounds. It wasn’t there earlier that day but it was that afternoon. I’m a sniper, well was a sniper, so I was sitting in the nest on top on the car. We hit the bomb and I went flying, as did the car. I woke up and my left arm was hanging on by the bone and only the bone. There was also a large part of the Humvee keeping me pinned. I was in and out so I don’t know how long I was there but I know Steve was the one who saved me.”

“Really?” You ask, trying to control the emotion in your voice. Bucky nods.

“He was back at base and when we didn’t check in they sent out the search team. Knowing I was out there Steve demanded to be a part of it.” Bucky laughs. “He found me and damn near tore every muscle in his arms trying to lift that piece of Humvee off me. He saved me and got me back to base. From there we I was stabilized and sent home. It’s only a miracle that they saved my arm.”

“You have full range of motion and sensations?” Bucky smiles and looks down at his empty plate and then back up at you.

“If you’re asking as a professional? Yes, I can move and feel everything and I have my regular check ups to make sure there is no late onset nerve damage.” His tongue darts out quickly wetting his bottom lip, “if you asking as the woman I’m trying to win the heart of? Yes, I can pick you up carry you upstairs and feel every inch of your body if you’d let me.” Your heartbeat quickens and your eyes flicker to his lips and then meet his gaze again. He smirks and then sits back as you quickly regain your composure. You blush and get up to grab the ice cream.

🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩

“You like mint?!?” You exclaim as Bucky takes a bite. He laughs and defends his choice.

“Not exclusively but maybe I’m just wanting to freshen my breath in case you wanna repeat our dare from earlier. Or make me prove that my range of motion and sensations are fully intact!” You giggle and run away from him as he chases you, trying to kiss you. You run to the pool and one thing led to another as you both go crashing in. You emerge gasping for air and laughing so hard as Bucky pulls you closer. Your laughter dies down as you gaze into each others eyes, growing closer and closer as he backs you up against the pool wall, taking your face in his hands and leaning in. Right as your lips are about to meet, your phone dings. Coming back to your senses you climb out and grab your phone reading the text.

*Everly and Bucky, you guessed correctly. You two had the most chemistry out of all 4 couples and we thought you deserved some private time while the others enjoyed their group date. But the privacy is almost over as the other islanders are on their way back. #Sparkswereflying #recouplinganyone?*

You look back at Bucky and he walks closer to you. Taking your face in his hands. “Well now I won’t feel bad about doing this,” he kisses you as his hands dance across your skin and your arms wrap around his neck. He moans into the kiss as your bodies move closer and you gasp as he bites your bottom lip before soothing it with another kiss. When you pull apart you stare into each other’s eyes and know that this summer is only about to get more interesting. Bucky moves back in but you stop him.

“I can’t- I know Steve and I aren’t exclusive but- I chose him, Bucky. I have to try, please understand.” Bucky sighs as he takes your hand.

“He’s on another date as we speak.” Bucky says.

“And technically so am I. How do you think he will feel when he finds out we got a private date, away from prying eyes.” Bucky sighs again and shakes his head.

“Okay, fine but you can’t deny what we have, Everly.” He pulls you closer and brushes your wet hair away from your face. “And I’m not giving up, I’ll be here. Natasha is great and I’d probably fall for her if you weren’t here but I meant what I said after that dare.” Your breath catches, it’s the first day, could you really have found it all on day one? “You lit up my world, Evie. And I’ll go about this however you need it. But I’m not giving up.” You let out a shakey breath and pull him into one last kiss before pulling apart and putting some space between you two just as the front door opens and the three couples come walking inside, loud as ever.

“Hey! What did you two get up to?!” Natasha yells as she motions to your soaking wet clothes. Steve walks closer and eyes you two intensely. You both laugh and play it off pretty well.

“Oh, well we were having a debate over which ice cream was better and it got heated and Bucky chased me and made me fall in the pool. I made him jump in too as pay back for ruining this perfect outfit.” You give Bucky a playful shove and he picks you up and hauls you over his shoulder, ready to throw you in again.

“You wanna go in again?!” He teases and you yell and try to wiggle free. He tickles your sides. “I don’t know, what do you think Steve?!” Steve laughs.

“Okay Buck, put her down. I think you’ve tortured her enough tonight.” Steve walks closer and pulls you into his arms and kisses your forehead. You feel Peggy’s glare bore into your back as Steve ushers you away. You look back and see Bucky watch you walk away with Steve. Nat and Wanda come up to comfort him and usher him towards the kitchen. “So how was your time here?” Steve asks once you get settled on the day beds.

“Good, got to know Bucky a little bit. Can see why you two have been friends for so long.” Steve nods. “He also told me the story about his arm.” Steve sighs and squeezes your hand.

“Yeah that was a scary time. But thanks to people like you,” he kisses your hand. “He is back to his old self.” Steve looks down at you and his eyes flick to your lips. “Man I really want to kiss you right now.” Your heartbeat quickens.

“You do?” You ask, a little unsure. Steve nods and closes the distance between both of you. Your lips crash to his and he slips his hand behind your head. He pulls you closer and you feel your cheeks starting to heat up. He pulls away too soon and rubs his thumb across your cheek.

“Wow, now that was worth the wait.” You blush and curl up next to him as you gaze at the stars.

“So how was your date?” You feel Steve shift and tense up. He clears his throat and you sit up to look at him.

“Well I want to be honest with you,” he hesitates, “Peggy kissed me and I didn’t exactly stop her.” That angers you more than it should and you don’t know why. Especially considering what you and Bucky got up to.

“I really like and care about you but I’d be lying if I said Peggy didn’t turn my head a little.” You sit back and create some distance. “I’m sorry, Everly. I just want to be honest.” You nod and sigh.

“No I appreciate that. And I guess I should be too.” You take a breath. “Bucky and I kissed while everyone was gone. We got to talking and flirting, we had a heart to heart because I was sad after yall left and well we kissed.” You meet Steve’s gaze and he seems a little upset but about as much as you were at his news about Peggy. He then sighs and leans his head back.

“Was your head turned?” Steve asks and musters up the courage to look at you.

“A little, yeah. But I told him that I chose you and I wanted to see where things go- if there is anything here, you know?” You explain and Steve nods.

“Yeah I get that.” He takes your hand. “Thank you for being honest.” You gently smile and kiss his cheek.

“Always,”

“Good to know. So are you gonna tell me why you were upset?” Steve asks as You lean back and stare at the stars.

“Just something earlier today reminded me of my ex who cheated on me. It made me more emotional than it should have. Not sure why though,” you shrug it off. “Anyway, Bucky helped and talked me through it.” You smile at the sky and Steve catches the fondness that washes over your face as you think of Bucky. He wished it didn’t hurt.

“Well I’m glad, Bucky is a great man.” Steve says as he pulls your attention back to him. “So are we all in until a recoupling potentially pulls us apart?” You smile and look at Steve, you see Bucky over his shoulder and he seems to walking your way. He gets there before you could answer Steve.

“Hey! A couple of us are gonna have a late night swim.” His gaze dances over you. “You two wanna join?” You look at Steve and you can tell he’d much rather talk but something in your eyes must have told him differently because he looks a little sad and then answers for the both of you.

“Sure!”

You are getting changed into a bathing suit as you hear two people in the bedroom.

“Did you tell her?!”

“No! Why would I?!”

“Because-“ you accidentally knock over a can of hairspray and it clangs loudly. The people who were talking quickly rush out of the room before you can see who they were. Thinking nothing of it you head down to the pool where the party seems to be in full swing.

“Oh there she is!!” Bucky cheers and whistles.“The party has arrived! Everyone Evie can do an excellent cannonball, saw it myself.” Bucky teases about earlier. You walk over and he knows what’s about to happen and he accepts his fate as you push on his chest and he backflops into the pool. You laugh and jump in after him. Natasha swims over and gives you a look that tells you, she knows everything.

“So a little birdy told me that had we been gone longer then we might have needed to treat this pool.” You blush and shake your head.

“No, nothing like that was gonna happen.”

“But something did.” She smirks. She sees your guilty face. “Oh that face better not be for me, because Bucky is hot, I’ll give you that but I’m not feeling it. So you are not stepping on my toes.” You sigh out of relief.

“I told Steve that my head may have turned.” You admit. Natasha hums.

“And how did he take it?” She asks.

“Pretty well. Said his might have too. But we still wanted to try while we are together.” You say and Natasha nods.

“So where is he?” You look around realizing he isn’t there. “He should be here with you, in the pool, grinding all over each other in the water.” You laugh and look around again.

“I actually don’t know where he is.” You go to climb out. “I’m gonna go see if I can find him.”

You grab a towel and head to the day beds and what you find as you get closer makes your blood boil and your heart breaks. Peggy is straddling Steve and making out with him while she moves his hands over her body. You hear Steve trying to get her to stop, to slow down, telling her that he is with you and that he likes you. “I’m with Everly, I like her-“ but she’s not listening, not respecting his wishes. You are speechless and then you hear her say it, “I know, and I don’t care. Touch me.”

It all comes back to you, standing in the hallway of your own apartment as Colin fucks some girl in the bed you share. “You know this will never go anywhere. I love Everly.” Her laugh and response, “I know, and I don’t care. Touch me.” You storm in to grab your stuff and you see her brown curls draped over your pillow and her legs around your boyfriend. Peggy was the women who fucked your boyfriend.

“YOU FUCKING BITCH!!!”

Next

A/N: So I don’t like Peggy is you couldn’t tell 🤭. Also I know Colin is actually a sweetheart but let’s just say this was during his fuck boy phase. 🤷🏼‍♀️.

Taglist: @hisredheadedgoddess28 @cadencejames87 @jessieasher1616 @janineb86 @cjand10 @slytherinqueen4life @theinheriteddutchess @rainydayandmondays @georgiapeach30513 anyone else who wants to be tagged to contact me! 🥰

[ratwithhands]

1 - Diantha security detail comic

2 + 3 - Emmet's UDF uniform vs Kalosian Guard uniform

4 - Lore/Background comic

Hooo boy ok so this idea has been simmering on the backburner for a while now. So Legends Z-A had its trailer released a few days back and I figured I'd make something around it. I know logically it's going to be a game set in the past but I found myself wanting to work on something more futuristic/sci-fi which is why we have our little Cyber Emmet here.

There's a lot of different things to mention so I'm just gonna break them down by the images.

1:

Diantha is attending a conference/ceremony where she will be discussing the plans for the urbanization of Kalos with the assistance of neighbouring tech giant and long time trade partner Unova. As a sign of goodwill, the Unovan Defense Force sent several people to either work as security or to help organize and prepare the ceremony. Among the list of people is Emmet, who was recently "working with" the UDF, and who is going to serve as Diantha's bodyguard for the event

Emmet's uniform was made by a mix of Unovan and Kalosian designers. It's meant to mimic the shapes while still keeping aspects of his Unovan uniform (mainly the collar, cuffs, and silver trim). He is carrying a handgun from his UDF uniform, however due to the public nature of the event, he is using his charge pistol instead of his wired pistol. He's also using a different face shield, using a silver one as opposed to his black one, since it better matches the uniform he's wearing for the event

Diantha's fur coat still has the angel wing shape. This isn't lore relevant I just couldn't fit the full thing onto the panel but it's definitely there

2 + 3:

Emmet uses a wired pistol (left side holster) and a charge pistol (right side holster). Both are standard issue firearms used by the UDF, however charge pistols are more common thanks to them being easy to hold and carry. A wired pistol connects to a battery pack of some kind to fire at a greater speed, whereas a charge pistol will generate its own power but take longer to fire and load. Emmet's wired pistol connects to the battery network that powers his body, allowing him to take advantage of his fast reflexes by using his faster weapon

Emmet doesn't get anything to wear for his Unovan uniform! Part of the contract he signed for his cybernetics states that he can't cover the prostheses unless it could lead to a breach in confidentiality (such as going to a foreign region or appearing in public outside of work reasons) since he's meant to effectively advertise the quality and construction of the body built for him. Of course he refuses to go outside completely naked to fight so the UDF got him a cropped version of his coat and shoes so he can have some more cover

The face shield is meant more for form than function. Technically the only purpose they serve is to cover his face when he's out on patrol, though it can also act as a screen to show him information about what he's seeing (kind of like an AR headset). He could technically get the screen function though cornea implants but he's not doing that + he wants the anonymity provided by the shield

Sections of the body can split open or be removed. The front abdominal panel can do both due to the different processing mechanisms inside needing easy access for repair/maintenance. Limbs can be swapped for different prostheses provided they have a compatible socket

The sockets in Emmet's back can be used to power other weapons/devices if he has a compatible cable. Emmet was given a bag of different attachments and cables to hook into his back so he can power a range of things from phones to laser rifles

He has removable skin. Any shot of him with the black body is the body without skin. In situations where he could possibly have skin showing or he is required to wear something that shows more skin, he'll have material rolled over the sections of his body that will be visible so they look more normal

4:

Emmet got run over by a train ♥ long story short is that he went to rescue a passenger who had fallen off the platform and miscalculated how much time he had before the train pulled in. Once he got stabilized in the hospital afterwards, he only has around 30% of his original body intact, along with some sections they were able to somewhat repair but required new hardware being installed in order to return their function. Anything under the waist and a large portion of his arms were crushed beyond repair and as such, he's been connected to different machine to mimic the functions of his organs

The UDF (in a rather scummy play) contacted Emmet for business, asking him to sign a contract that would ensure he would live by letting them test their confidential new tech on him. He is the only ethical candidate they have for testing such prostheses so to get him to agree, they offer to cover the cost of everything relating to his health and work, as well as paying him a salary for the trouble. Since the only other options are "die slowly" or "lose all self sufficiency and go bankrupt living in hospital", he agrees, and so begins his second job as a living experiment and tool for the UDF

I think that's the most I've written for one post yikes. This isn't even everything but I'll cut it here because my hands are not pleased with me typing.

I still have a lot to think about for this concept, mostly what kind of work Emmet will do while overseas in Kalos and whether something dangerous enough will happen to warrant him using his body for what it was made for. That might be funny, only two settings and they're "I love macarons :)" and bloodshed.

Anyways hope you guys enjoyed this dump, feel free to ask on anything (it helps me write too ^^). See you later and have a nice day!

[boots-with-the-fur-club]

Next part of the hand saga!

Prev, Next

@daboyau

@phoebepheebsphibs

@littlemissartemisia

@that0n3shr00mi3guy

“Answer our other questions first! I don’t trust you after everything you’ve done! After everything you’ve caused! You….you helped kill my brother!” Donnie screeches, hand on his tech bō shaking so badly out of anger he worries he might break it.

“I never meant for you to be harmed this way. You won’t believe me when I say it, but none of this was born from malice. I haven’t spoken until now because there was no need to. As for why I’ve been tormenting you….it’s for a reason you are not going to easily accept.”

“Just say it already!” Leon insists.

“I did it because I was asked to.”

Raph nearly hits the hand with his fist, just barely hitting the ground next to it.

“You think we asked for this!?”

“No. You didn’t. Someone else did.“

“Who!? Who would ask for this to happen to us!? To everyone else!?” Donnie asks.

“To put it simply, the people who made you.”

“W-We don’t even know our original parents….” Mikey comments.

“No, not just you. Your entire world. Everyone in this competition is formed from a collection of ideas from an author or authors. These authors gave you the titles you go by. They sent you here to compete. To meet other characters in their own stories. To promote their own stories. That’s how this started. No Fun in Fungus, they simply sent an “ask” of mushrooms, spores. Then your author wanted more, one for each of you.”

“What possible reason could there be for doing this to us!?” Donnie grits his teeth.

“To give more to your story. To bring you all closer together. I too was created in this way, for this purpose. I have merely been a tool to different beings. It may sound ridiculous, maybe even insensitive, tragic, but you should consider what you have gotten. What you’ve learned. When Karai was brought here, you were even told not to think too hard about such a concept.”

Each of the brothers want to make the argument that it’s crazy, but they do in fact remember what the competition mod said to them.

“Even Misa giving you those flowers was an ask sent by an author. These asks…..they were all in good fun. Hurting you was just to make comfort all the better. You were never supposed to die. You were never even supposed to be seriously injured. I just enjoyed seeing all the stories coming from the spores so much. It’s gone too far. It’s why I want to help now, before someone is killed in a way they can’t come back from. No Fun in Fungus was already over, they were supposed to rest. You all still have a lot of story left to tell, it’s not supposed to end here.”

The four of them take in this crazy amount of information they’ve just been told. Can they really trust the hand after all they’ve been through?

“What can you even do to help?” Leon questions angrily.

“The spores are not the only item I possess, as you know. I am intertwined into your and No Fun in Fungus’ storylines. For that reason, I am able to bring out what is called a plot device.” The hand moves to the side, revealing TNT charges connected to an empty base.

“There’s nothing in there.” Donnies says dryly.

“Sometimes plot devices are there to urge the story forward in different ways. In order for this to work, I need mystic energy from each of you. That may be difficult for Michelangelo in his current state, perhaps I could find another one-“

“Mikey, my brother I love so much, I did not bring you back from the dead for you to kill yourself again. Lay. Down.” Leon threatens.

Mikey lays back down.

“It does not have to be him. Because of your being separated at first, you haven’t had the chance to completely understand ninpo. It seems only Mikey truly has.” The hand explains.

“You mean the sacrificial martyrs? Why would we want to know about them? Mikey’s been doing that way too much already!” Leon complains.

“Hamato have sacrificed themselves numerous times, that is true. You’ve seen it be true. Ninpo isn’t inherently about dying for a cause. It’s just how it’s been used a lot, considered the only way. It also has been used to save. Out of love. You’ve seen that too. Ninpo is about the connection to your family. That’s why Donatello was able to use it. That’s why Mikey woke up and used it. When you’re about to lose who you hold dear, your connection strengthens more than ever.”

DvD glances at Mikey. They stare at each other for a second or two. It’s true that they’ve been through an experience nobody else could, or should, truly replicate.

Maybe DvD sort of understands why the NFIF group are the way they are. Obviously he knows how it feels to want to protect his brothers after almost losing them, but what he’s learning is why they’re so willing to throw away their lives even for people who just look vaguely like family.

It’s so much easier to experience pain than to experience someone you love going through pain.

It’s a sentiment he wouldn’t have even considered before everything they’ve been through. Something Draxum never would have let him ponder.

He loves his family.

It’s messed up, they lost years of being able to know each other, there was so much distrust, and things aren’t even close to perfect right now.

But this is his family.

Even April, who has zero blood relation to them but still went through all this just to help.

Misa, who’s yearned for family and takes the role of an elder sibling because she wants to take care of others despite her young age.

Karai, who is related to them but wasn’t originally even supposed to know them if her mission had succeeded.

Something he’d protect with his life.

The hand brings the container closer. DvD looks back at it and hesitantly puts his hand on it. A purple, glowy, shiny substance pours inside. He takes it back after a moment, feeling like he was drained a little bit, but otherwise fine.

Raph and Leo look down at it in surprise before the latter takes on more of a bitter expression.

“I’m the one who took care of Mikey. I protected him. I did my best every single day for years to feed him, clothe him, give him what he needs. I was there for him longer than any of you. Why don’t I have powers like him and Donnie? Are….are they closer….than we are?” Leon frowns deeply.

“No! Leo, I love you just as much! I promise! That’s not how it is-!” Mikey voice cracks from how raw his throat still is.

Raph gently rubs his shell.

“He’s right. Connection to family doesn’t mean how much you love them, but how you think about yourself in relation to them. Insecurity about your place in it.” The hand stares.

Leo feels all eyes on him and starts messing with the material on his pants to avoid addressing what was just said.

“Welp, no insecurity here. Must be something else.”

“The fate of the multiverse might be in danger at this point, you’re going to avoid talking about what we already practically know? Why you left Mikey before-“

“I don’t want to talk about it!” Leo yells, interrupting.

He holds onto Mikey tighter.

Mikey presses his cheek against Leo’s and nuzzles into it as much as possible.

“I….I haven’t….gotten over anything. When I got spored, it reminded me of everything I’m afraid of. I….I…..still can’t accept that any of you love me! I-It’s hard work to even like me, loving me? I-Impossible! Nobody actually does! I-I made Mikey feel like he has to be loyal to me because I took him in. I forced him to never leave me and then I left him! And then he forgave me because he’s so nice and lovable! He’s a pretty painted picture but I’m just a bunch of shredded pieces that I can’t tape back together! Why can’t someone just finally sweep it all up into the trash!?” Leo sobs.

Raph, Donnie and Mikey’s jaws all drop. They’ve been aware of just how hard it’s been for Leo to understand that he’s wanted, a real, true part of the family. What they didn’t know is just how lowly he really thinks of himself.

Leo sniffles.

“I’m cursed. I always have been. Even if I am a part of this family, I shouldn’t be. Look what happened! To Mikey! To gram-gram! To all of you! Not just now, but before too! And you saw what happened to the NFIF guys! Leo helped feed me and Mikey and then he went missing and I just know whatever is happening in that room to him is awful! NFIF Raph held me and tried to protect me and he’s still back there too! You’re all going to get hurt or die or worse with me around! I-I should be alone, I should at least be punished for everything I’ve-!”

DvD, surprisingly, is the one who pulls Leo into as tight of a hug as he can manage without hurting him.

“Shut up.”

“Wh-What? Is….is this supposed to make me feel better or are you angry?”

“Both! The only person who thinks you’re not worth anything is you! How dare you say that I don’t care about you!? I do! You should care about you too! You want to stop being a burden!? Then don’t make us live without you! If you weren’t here, Mikey would be dead right now. If he hadn’t wanted to be with you and didn’t leave those families, we wouldn’t have this family. We wouldn’t have found each other. Give yourself more credit.”

Leo goes back to hiccuping sobs as he buries his face in DvD’s shoulder.

Mikey starts crying as well, despite how much he’s already been doing.

“I-I’ll rip up my picture a-and we can make one up ourselves! I-I can give you tape! J-Just please, d-don’t go again! I-I love you so much!”

Leo pulls him more into the hug, they wet each other’s faces with their tears.

Raph wraps around them all.

“You told that other me before about how you know he’s not a bad guy. How we’ve all made mistakes. You should give yourself the same benefit of the doubt. You aren’t cursed, bad things……just happen. A lot. What was going to happen to the NFIF guys would have without meeting you. But now because they met us, we can help them. There’s not a day that goes by where I’m not glad you’re in the family, Leo. I love that I know you. I love you.” He rest his chin on top of Leo’s head.

Leo and Mikey keep crying until they’ve finally calmed down.

The hand once again offers the container towards Leo.

“How….do I do it?”

“Think of your family as a something within you, and release it. Raphael, you as well.” The hand urges.

“What? Me? But didn’t have any breakthrough or anything…..”

“Right now is the moment you feel closest to your family. It may also help to remember who is not here, and wanting to get her back.”

Leo and Raph nod, both placing their hands on the container. Red and blue pours in before the hand takes it away.

“Where…..are you going to find a replacement for me?” Mikey brings up.

April suddenly bursts inside the room.

“You guys! He took Misa!”

April had kept walking until they could no long hear Mikey scream. It took everything she had to not go back to help. Misa wanted to go back too, but as grown up as she thinks she is, nobody should be seeing that.

Nobody should be experiencing that.

It’s not like the turtles were adults either. They shouldn’t have to listen to their brother scream and beg for the nightmare to end. It’s something they have to do though because the only good adult they have around has been taken.

It’s painful to not be able to do anything else, but this is incredibly important. Misa needs her right now.

“Is….little big brother….going to be okay?” Misa asks, looking up at her with wide eyes.

“He’s got everyone else with him, they’re going to do whatever he needs them to.” April assures.

Misa looks down.

“I want to help Raphie too.”

April bites them inside of her cheek. Guilt for leaving him is gnawing at her as well. Wasn’t there anything else she could have done? All that guy has being doing this whole competition is trying to protect everyone from the spores.

Who protects him?

“We’re going to, when we have a plan.”

“But….but it’s going to be too late!” Misa whines.

“Hey, we don’t know that. Maybe….maybe the void guys helped out and he’s coming back to us now!” April suggests, vaguely aware it’s probably a huge lie.

Misa pouts until footsteps draw her and April’s attention.

“Raphie!!” Misa shouts excitedly shouts, wriggling out of April’s arms.

“Misa! Wait!” April reaches out too late.

The young girl runs up to NFIF Raph who picks her up. They smile at each other.

“Hey, kid. Glad I found ya. I have something real important I need you to do.”

“How can Misa help?”

“I need to borrow your portal sword.”

Misa gladly hands it to him.

April sees a glowing, blue tear roll down his cheek.

“Misa! Get away from him!”

Misa looks at her in confusion before seeing Raph’s eyes fill with blue. She begins grabbing at her sword but he keeps it out of her reach. He then holds her tight, close to his plastron and tucked under his arm.

Raph’s smile falls. The glowing tears fall freely down his cheeks with no signs of stopping. He looks over at April with a sorrowful expression.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t keep my promise. I really tried. I just….there’s no reason for me to fight anymore. My family is all back there. Even if I did fight, everything I do fails.”

“Raph! That’s not true! Fight it, we can save your brothers together! You don’t have to do this!”

“No, doing this is the only way he won’t hurt Misa. It had to be me. All we need is the sword and to use her as bait. She’ll be okay. I’d promise, but….my promises don’t mean much…..” He opens a portal.

“No! Raph! Misa!” April poofs to get close, but ends up falling on top of nothing after the portal disappears.

“Where did he take her!? Back to that room!? Are they sporing her again!? She can’t survive that! Mikey didn’t!” DvD panics.

“Hold on, what do you mean he didn’t-WHY IS THE HAND HERE!? IS THAT TNT!?” April points.

“Be not afraid-“

“IT TALKS!?”

UIFY Raph explains what happened. April feels like her feet are stuck to the floor. It’s only been 15 minutes and things somehow turned even more disastrous.

“H-How are we going get more ninpo!? That could kill Mikey again!”

“It can come from you-“ The hand starts.

April slams her hand onto the container.

“I want to save them! Please work! Do your magic thingy!”

Shockingly, it does work. Green pours into the container and the colors all being swirling with each other. They glow even brighter.

“This should be enough. I can set up the charge behind the wall that houses the main mushroom.”

“Wait, won’t that hurt the other me?” Leo brings up.

“He’s survived worse.”

“That’s not a good reason!”

“He’ll be alive and the spores will be gone. Is that not what you want?”

“It is, but-!”

The lights suddenly shut off.

DvD quickly turns on the light from his phone.

“Oh what now!?”

“Hello everyone in the competition! It’s your new overlord, Audrey III!” Donnie’s voice calls from a speaker in the room.

Oh no.

DvD quickly searches the room for some medical masks which he puts on and passes out to his brothers and April once they’re found. If he thinks what’s about to happen is really happening, they need protection.

Leo careful puts Mikey’s on for him and then carries him on his back as they all leave the room.

There’s panic and chaos everywhere from the sudden darkness. People are bumping into things and shouting.

The nearby vents start releasing the familiar, sickening spores.

“Don’t resist. Or do, your fear is tastier that way.”

[ramblesbiab]

i desperately need to be the leader of a human uprising against a world which has been largely overtaken by robots and there's one specific robot girl who's a prominent leader in the robot forces. She hates me, I hate her, and years go by as we keep fighting each other. I think we're getting closer, we have to be. We can't let those things win.

Then, finally, it comes. Our largest scale attack. We charge, all at once, on the largest base of operations for the robots, running on adrenaline and hope, desperate, desperate hope, for the future of humanity.

And they obliterate us. They obliterate me, leaving me bloody and barely alive, lying on the battlefield knowing we'd failed. Then, a figure stands over me, and as I blackout, I can feel myself being picked up.

When I wake up, something feels wrong. I'm in pain, sure, but not nearly enough for the abuse I just took, and I assume I must be dead. Then I see her. The robot girl leader, at a work table across the room. Humming a softly digital tune to herself, until I make the surface I'm on creak and she startles.

She explains that I was in critical condition. That I was going to die if I didn't have parts of me replaced, so she did it. I can't think about the disgust of being part machine now from the sheer surprise that she - helped me? My worst enemy saved my fucking life?!

Like she's reading my thoughts, she snaps at me to shut up before I can ever say anything. It's unclear what happens next. If I can leave, if the other robots know I'm here. If her goal is to torture me, so dying wasn't an option, or if there's some other strange reason she wants me alive.

I spend a few unbearably contentious nights in the workshop I woke up in, sleeping on the same table my operation took place. Feeling the machines moving inside me so unnaturally every time I close my eyes. She keeps not saying anything, only giving me glances from the side, not saying I can go but not telling me to stay, either.

One day, I move closer to her worktable. Watching the way her robotic fingers move with such grace. It's mesmerizing.

She finally speaks up to tell me it's rude to stare. But I keep watching, and she does nothing to prevent it. I swear there's a soft smirk on those grey lips of hers.

It's odd to me, how I know what she's working on. About all the devices she's always tinkering with, from all the observing I did while planning the uprising. I know so much about a robot woman I've yet to have a conversation with, at least one that wasn't yelled over the sounds of gunfire and explosions.

I can't bear the silence, nor the occasional sarcastic remarks. So I crack. "What are we?" I ask after another few days. She freezes perfectly in place, or so I think, until I notice the shake to her hand, such an oddly human response to the question. More human then most of the monsters who were willing to join my uprising.

"I'm still figuring that out," she whispers. She goes back to work. After a few minutes, she starts to hum, like I'm not here. Or - like it's okay that I'm here. I let a smile creep onto my face.

We're getting somewhere.

( if it's not obvious this is very inspired by portal 2 and also this portal 2 fanfic: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8896805/27/Of-Robots-and-Women )

[binnies-minsung-fanclub]

SKZ girlies

What if- and hear me out -we just sit and think about the differences between each member’s girlfriends as a whole? Like, they all have girlfriends and the SKZ girlies (that’s what we shall call them) are all super close besties at this point. Just like each member basically has a role in the group, each SKZ girlie has a role.

No warnings...this is all mundane and cute things, nothing filthy. Enjoy!

Let’s begin!

Bang Chan’s girlie:

She’s the mom.

Let’s face it, whoever Chan ends up with automatically takes on the role of being the group’s mother. She’s very maternal, patient, extremely caring, and serious. She can be fun at the right times, but otherwise she’s in charge of keeping the peace so Chan can work without interruptions. She’s also very doting, meaning she will baby the members to the point of spoiling them. And don’t even mention one of them being hurt. She will run around the place with a first aid kit like a frantic mother looking for her lost and injured child.

She’s equally as much a workaholic as Channie.

On top of being a mother of (let’s face it) 14 kids (the members plus their partners), she is a working mom. Granted, she works from home…or the studio…or from backstage while the guys are on tour…or basically anywhere! She’s never without her laptop, phone and tablet, constantly working on each device simultaneously. Don’t worry, she is still aware of what is going on around her, and she makes all the time in the world for her boyfriend and his members, including their partners. She plans all the events to make sure they aren’t missing anything in each other’s lives.

Insomniac extraordinaire.

Just like Channie, she doesn’t sleep often. All too often, one of the other girlies has to remind her to sleep. Her excuse? “I’ll sleep when I finish this” or “I’ll get some shut eye when Channie makes me cuddle him”. Does he make her? No, but she wouldn’t deny him those precious moments together, and it’s those moments that make her fall asleep so easily. Can we blame her? Being in his arms would be the best sleeping aid in the universe.

Lee Know’s girlie:

Quiet observer.

She’s exactly like a cat, and Lee Know loves it. She will sit and observe, content and quiet the entire time. She isn’t quiet the whole time, though. She will join in the conversation or laugh at the jokes being made, but she mostly just sits and watches, like a cat watching its prey. She pays very close attention to each person, gauging them silently. To some, she seems intimidating. She’s really not, though, that’s just a misunderstanding.

A big softie.

This one kind of ties in with our previous one. She seems intimidating, but she’s actually a big softie. She cares for each member in various ways. Remember how we established she is an observer? This is where it comes in handy. She pays attention to each member (both the guys and the girlies) in order to show she cares for them each in different ways. Whether it be a new paint brush set for Hyunjin, or a new necklace for the maknae’s girlie, she knows exactly what to get each person in their group.

She can COOK.

She has taken over as the cook in the group, replacing Lee Know and Felix easy. She’s so good, the guys often beg her to make specific dishes. She and Lee Know even have cooking dates, instead of going out for dinner. They will stay in and cook a meal together, finding it the best way to spend quality time together and make it memorable. She always makes sure to put some of their meals back for the others, though, making sure they always get their share.

Changbin’s girlie:

Loud (but in a cute way).

Just like her Binnie, this girlie is loud in the best way. Some of the others call her obnoxious, but to Changbin his baby is adorable. Especially when she laughs, because she laughs unapologetically and with her whole being. And she loves to make others laugh with her loud antics. She will do whatever she can, as loud as she can, to make them all laugh along with her.

Smart to the extreme.

Don’t challenge her, because if you do you will become embarrassed with how much this girlie knows. She can, and will, outsmart you with no shame, but she doesn’t want to make you feel dumb. She still cares, so she will try her best to teach you so the next time you will feel equal.

Gym Rat for fun.

She loves going to the gym! Working out is her therapy. She doesn’t do it to lose weight or gain muscle, but maintaining her health is important to her. Just like any short girlie (because she’s short, I mean she’s with our shortest short king, come on) she has that short fuse to match it. Little Firecracker, as Binnie calls her. She accompanies Binnie, or 3Racha at times, to the gym and lets the stress sweat out of her. Sometimes, if it’s just her and Binnie, she will even let him bench press her for fun.

Hyunjin’s girlie:

Simp for Romance.

Probably the similarity between the two, this girlie just loves love. Hopeless romantic, always with her head in the clouds, reading about it, etc. Love is just, well, lovely. She even goes so far as to learn Hyunjin’s love language and share hers with him. And she isn’t against getting flowers for her man, either. Again, she loves love, and she will do whatever to show her Hyunjin how much romance means to her. Valentine’s Day will be extravagant when she plans it, and she might even ask for Chan’s girlie to help her with the planning, if she isn’t too busy with her lover, that is.

Calm and collected.

Often times this is mistaken as ‘maturity’, but really this girlie is just super calm and collected. She has that aura of peace about her that doesn’t ever seem to break. Yes, she can laugh at the jokes and get loud just like the others, but she isn’t the dramatic type. She doesn’t go overboard with her actions, and she prefers to have clarity when looking at any situation. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t enjoy watching her boyfriend be dramatic, though. His theatrics make her laugh too much.

Clumsy.

Where Hyunjin is graceful, his girlie is…well, not so much. Listen, she looks graceful, she just can’t seem to act the part. What was that Doja Cat lyric again? ‘I’m clumsy, I made friends with the floor’. Yep, that’s Hyunjin’s girlie. She seems to be the most accident prone girlie, getting constant attention from Chan’s girlie for medical needs. And instead of Hyunjin shaking his head over it, or getting upset, he laughs it off with her. “That’s my girl, learning to walk still.” But when she is graceful, no matter how rare the moment, she embodies it like a goddess.

Han’s girlie:

Sleep Queen.

You know how in just about every SKZ Talker, you will find a sleeping Quokka? Yeah, expect that times 2 now! Han’s girlie is the sleep queen and will fall asleep just about anywhere, especially with her man. You notice a large nest of blankets and pillows? Expect to find Han and his girlie cuddled up in that nest, napping away as if they are hibernating. And when they finally emerge from their nest, they can both be found sleepily stuffing their cheeks with food. Pretty sure Hyunjin has pointed out that they look the same even.

Anime Lover.

What could go better with cuddles in their nest other than a nap? Anime! It doesn’t matter how many times they have seen it; they will watch every single Studio Ghibli movie over and over again. Yes, they watch other anime too, but nothing beats the storyline and art of Studio Ghibli. It’s actually how they bonded when they first met. Anime is what brought this girlie to her Han Quokka.

Shyyyyyy.

She is…shy. She’s a little, giggly, quiet mess. Especially when meeting someone new. When she first met Han, she couldn’t stop smiling and giggling, and she was always whispering to him instead of speaking out loud. It took her awhile to come out of her shell, but she is still quite shy. She doesn’t even like taking pictures often. Best representation of her would be Fluttershy from My Little Pony. Sweet, soft voice, not very outspoken, avoids any and all drama and conflict. Yeah. But Han loves her and wouldn’t change how she is no matter what.

Felix’s girlie:

Literal Sunshine 2.

We all know how Felix is nicknamed ‘Sunshine’ of the group. Well, turn on the high beams, because his girlie is just as bright and happy. She smiles a lot, and she’s always kind. You need a hug? She’s right there. Need to talk and let out your feelings? Give her a call, day or night. She is the ultimate friend, and it shows. Her consideration knows no bounds, and she cares so deeply for her friends. She is warmth and sunshine in a human being just like her boyfriend.

Gamer.

She games. Any game. You name it, she’s probably played it. She games with the guys, too. Most of the time, she annihilates them with her skills. This makes Felix proud to call her his, because she can keep up with the top dogs of gaming and match them tit for tat. “That’s my girl!” would ring in the headset as they play, his voice proud while the others sigh in defeat and groan from losing to a girl. Often times, the guys would joke that Felix rides her coat tails, but she simply reminds them that they would be too if they were teamed up with her simply because they lost to her. A little cocky, but it’s the truth.

ALLLL THE CUDDLES.

She is a cuddle bug! Her love language is definitely Physical Touch, because if you can’t find her and Felix baking, gaming or doing anything else, they are most likely cuddling somewhere just hanging out. This is perfect for Felix, too, since he loves to cuddle. If they are out in public, she’s under his arm or holding his hand for that physical contact. She even picked up the habit of massaging Felix’s hands or shoulders, just like he does to the others. It’s just some kind of physical contact, and it’s bliss to her.

Seungmin’s girlie:

Nonchalant Affection.

You know those couples- I know you’ve seen them -where they don’t even act like normal couples? Okay, well, if you haven’t you are about to, because Seungmin and his girlie don’t show affection like others do. I mean, yeah, they kiss and hold hands, but it’s more…well, nonchalant. ‘Did they just kiss?’ *shrug* yeah, and? ‘Are they holding hands while walking together? So cute!’ It’s just hand holding. Don’t get me wrong, they smile about it because it is cute, but when other people make a big deal of it, it’s just not the same.

Side note: I am a firm believer that Seungmin and his girlie would say stuff like “I love you and stuff” or “I miss you or whatever” and it would just be their thing. To others, it would sound so unromantic, but to them it is the declarations of their feelings for each other.

Sassy.

You guys thought Seungmin was sassy, just wait until you meet his other half. She is the sass queen and wears the crown proudly. You want to make jokes? Step aside, your queen has arrived. Seungmin even told her about how he calls Chan ‘old man’, so she started calling his girlie ‘Granny’. There has even been times where her sass and mouth have gotten her in trouble with the SKZ manager. It’s just like she doesn’t have a filter, but Seungmin don’t mind. As a matter of fact, he finds it completely hilarious and entertaining.

Immature (in a good way).

Kind of goes hand in hand with her being the sass queen, her immaturity makes for great jokes and pranks. She would be considered the ‘class clown’ in the SKZ girlie group, and her favorite thing to do is make Seungmin laugh. She just adores his laughter so much; she can’t help it. So, she constantly tells jokes and pranks the others just to hear his laughter in the end. Wholesome, I know.

I.N’s girlie:

Fashionista.

I.N met his match with his girlie. You wouldn’t catch his girlie dead without looking like she just stepped out of a fashion magazine. Even her casual attire is fashion forward! Doesn’t matter where they are going, or what they are doing, she has to look her best. Just going to the airport? Comfort chic, baby. Just going to the park? Casual chic, darling. And it’s not that she’s materialistic, she just knows how to look good is all.

Insta Baddie.

This ties in with the one above, but it’s not like she needs to be a fashionista to be the insta baddie she is. Her Instagram is full of her being the bad bitch she was born to be. She looks the part, too. Don’t mess with the maknae of either group, or else you will regret it later. She knows she’s hot, and if you disagree just don’t voice it out loud. Keep that to yourself, buddy, especially if you value your life. And this isn’t to say she’s conceited or vain, she just knows who she is.

Literally ‘baby’.

She’s the youngest in the girlie group, too, and she gets spoiled because of it. The attention she gets from the SKZ girlies is quite literally princess treatment. Not that she asks for it, but she gets it either way. Chan’s girlie and Lee Know’s girlie both treat her like their unofficial love child, even. She even calls them ‘mom’ at times for the laughs.

**A.N.: this is clearly a work of fiction and very much my opinion and few of this specific idea!

@bangtanmix73 this one is for you though, bestie!

@tivana2020 I'm thinking you will like this idea too!

Love you both! 🩷🫶🏻

[banana-breaded]

Bryce Lawrence was an excellent plot device

both in how he represented the failings of the Twelfth Legion and how he presented Nico with a clear enemy in "HoO".

Starting with the latter, Bryce pursued Nico and co. in order to find Reyna and bring her back to the Romans to be unjustly tried and convicted. For what? He didn't know. Not until he overheard her confiding her darkest secret into Nico. Upon hearing this information he scorns Reyna for her past, for something that wasn't her fault or even bad, and promises that she will feel pain and shame when he informs everyone of it.

Quoting directly, Bryce says, "I can't wait until your little secret comes out."

This sentiment is then repeated in italics, serving to represent Nico's thoughts (since it's in his point of view) and how he therefore zeroed in on this statement. He did so because of his outrage for how his friend (!) was being treated, yes, but also because of how the statement mirrored his greatest fear.

Nico was petrified of his own secret being revealed, and being presented with a callous, cruel person who would obviously not accept him and instead revel in his despair was, as seen in the book, a switch being flipped for him. It's mentioned that whenever Nico felt like someone was judging him, he'd usually push them away by yelling at them. This means his typical response was one of anger, and in this case the anger was entirely justified.

Nico was tired of lurking in shadows, tired of fading away. Symbolically, he felt as if he couldn't be himself, not in broad daylight, in the view of others. He was tired of hate and grief welling up inside of him and not having an outlet, having someone to talk to because of his inner turmoil (though he was getting there with Reyna).

In that way, I think him disposing of Bryce was a release. To do so, he revealed all of his secrets, all of his darker emotions (which was most of them) and completely eviscerated a target, a clear enemy, in the process. I think that how easily this was done also serves to show that Bryce is nowhere near strong enough to endure what Nico has.

He did this not only to protect his friends, but to stand up for himself. Murder is usually not a condone-able thing, but since Bryce was explicitly portrayed as an unrepentant killer who delighted in harming and slaying innocents even if it meant ending the world, we can give Nico a pass on this one.

On a side note, I actually think Nico's way of getting rid of him, albeit dark, was merciful. Bryce was transformed into a nameless, voiceless, presumably personality-less spirit. This indicates that he probably ended up in Asphodel rather than the Fields of Punishment, where he was undoubtedly going otherwise. Personally, I think an eternity of nothingness is preferable over an eternity of excruciating pain, so Bryce got off easy.

And to address that first initial point, I think it's incredible that for all of the rules and structure of Camp Jupiter, they still manage to fail on so many fronts. Like in the case of how easy it was for a corrupt Apollo legacy to seize power, for one, and how that same legacy would be able to impale a fellow camper and get away with it.

No wonder Octavian took such a liking to Bryce.

Another failure would be how they decided that, rather than trying to detain or reform a murderer, it would be better just to unleash him onto an unsuspecting world of mortals. "Not our problem now, even though this unstable and cruel person who is more powerful than the average citizen, and who has a history of killing things, is now allowed to rampage without being monitored." Wouldn't you know, he ended up being a problem for the good guys (and likely committed several atrocities in the period in which he was left unchecked). Who woulda thunk it?

Needless to say, Nico's story has always been the most emotionally charged, the most filled with symbolism and growth, and the least fun for a character to experience*. No wonder he's such a fan favorite.

*seriously, everyone else had several wacky, zany adventures along side a large group of close friends, and the silliest things that ever happened to him up to this point were being turned into corn (not pleasant) and wearing funky shirts, and in the first scenario the people with him didn't even really want to be near him. and of course, he went through an ordeal, so yeah, not fun.