#considering they do this kinda pain at random intervals

[whatwhat-is-the-stuck]

just finished johns part

of act 1. I have the page open on Rose’s second page now.  I always wondered why the characters never questioned why a video game was able to manipulate the world around them.  Of course now I realize this is less to do with the characters themselves and more to do with the way the story was being developed at the time: via fan contributions.  It’s all very silly and not making very much of the “sense” as they call it, which is fitting.  anyways, just wanted to reflect on that. my eyes hurt.

[thanksjro]

MTMTE #21:  The Sound of Breaking Glass, a prose story- James Did, in Fact, Put That Baby in That Robot

It’s after the fight with Tyrest and his goons, but before Cyclonus stabs Tailgate with a sword for medical purposes. The portal has stopped working, Skids isn’t making any sense, and Rodimus is about to do one of the scariest things you can do as an adult person.

He’s going to make several business-related phone calls.

Perceptor trying to be funny is the oddest take I’ve seen in a bit. I was completely unaware that he had a sense of humor.

Rodimus is looking pretty rough from that nonsense he pulled in the space-crucifix, but he doesn’t want to bother Ratchet, since Tailgate’s still looking like he’s gonna bite it at this point. Besides he’s still got work to do- he fully intends on getting the space bridge back in working order.

The bridge, unfortunately, isn’t making it easy for him; thing’s falling apart and bursting into flames at random intervals.

Rodimus wants to make the last few days at least somewhat worthwhile, a sentiment that Minimus catches onto, and doesn’t seem to agree with. What would it mean, if they were able to say “well, Tailgate, half a religious order, and the concept of trust in the law are dead, but at least we got to finish off our road trip in record time!”? Food for thought, Minimus, I’ll give you that.

Brainstorm runs through the room like a maniac, over the metaphorical moon about something, as he interrupts the conversation. Once he’s gone, Minimus asks about his outer shell, I guess because he feels naked without it. As he collects his belongings, Rodimus brings up their earlier conversation, and reaffirms that he wants to make up for what’s happened. Minimus acknowledges his words, but doesn’t really offer anything in return.

Back over on the Lost Light, we get subjected to a title drop.

Rung is meeting Fort Max in the hollowed-out remains of Swerve’s, because his office is full of corpses. This is a sort-of continuation of their conversation in the brig, where Rung forgave Fort Max for being a big part of why he got shot. They have a brief discussion about where Max’s head is at, and whether or not he’s ready to get back into the workforce after the nightmare hellscape that was Garrus-9. Rung seems to think that the fact that Fort Max is considering his mental health in the first place is a good sign, and offers his services should he be needed.

Too bad they’re going to have to tele-con, since Fort Max is being sent off the ship for his new job.

Over at Rodimus’ office, Rodimus considers hiring Atomizer to redecorate his pad- even though they seem to have very similar tastes when it comes to paintjobs- because he just isn’t feeling the sick flames and hot pink interior anymore.

I see Rodimus is taking the “no fun allowed” route to personal growth. Wonder how long that’ll last.

He has a think about the last conversation he had with Drift before he threw him off the ship, the memory laced with “Overlord murdered a lot of people because of me” guilt. Drift hadn’t been thrilled about the prospect of Rodimus’ inquiry, and made that much known, then volunteered to be the scapegoat. Rodimus hated this idea, horrified by the idea of letting Drift take the fall for him, after all the work he’d put in to try and be liked by people after the whole “Deadlock” thing.

Then Drift revealed that he’s got another reason for not letting Rodimus get kicked off the ship.

Back at Swerve’s, the man himself has made an appearance, interrupting the meeting between Rung and Fort Max, and proceeding to make a fool of himself by way of slapstick. It’s okay though, because he’s too high on actually feeling good about himself for once in his miserable life to feel physical pain.

Rodimus more or less insinuated this exact idea back in issue #17, and it made him so upset he was about to close his bar completely down over it. Good to see our robot Pagliacci bouncing back so nicely.

Brainstorm enters the scene like a vengeful spirit, and I guess Rung and Fort Max just disappear into the aether as he has a little chat with Swerve. Turns out that someone went and took a peek inside the super-secret, possibly-sun-destroying briefcase Brainstorm keeps on his person at all times, and he wants to know who. It was probably a little easier to swing than usual, given that Brainstorm had given up the springs on the clasps of the thing to help break everyone out of moon jail, and he probably had to take at least a little time to recover from his soul halfway evaporating out of his eyes.

Swerve makes a joke, because he has a lot of trouble handling serious situations, then we get confirmation that Brainstorm kidnapped a fucking zygote from the moon.

Brainstorm has a baby inside him.

James, I’m begging you, we can’t keep doing this.

Later, Ratchet’s checking on Tailgate after his stabbing/stabbing repair/cybercrosis cure injection.

Swerve what the FUCK do you think you’re doing with that medical biowaste?

Minimus comes in, looking very silly, as he’s having a heck of a time putting the Magnus Armor back on.

Minimus would like some help getting dressed, and, because clothes for space robots seem to skew more towards body parts than anything else, he’s come to the best doctor on the Lost Light.

(Nobody tell First Aid I said that. I fear his wrath.)

Ratchet is surprisingly handy with the Armor, and it’s revealed that he’s known about Ultra Magnus actually being a completely different, much smaller guy, since the very start.

As in, when Tyrest first started pulling this nonsense.

He didn’t say anything to anyone because he didn’t see the point, then lets Minimus know that he’s his favorite, which gives him a much-needed ego-boost. Minimus wanders off to go put the rest of his clothes on, leaving Ratchet to pull a body out of the morgue that isn’t dead.

Later, on Luna 1, we get to see Rodimus get bummed out about the baby moon not flaring back up. It’s not for lack of trying- he’s crawling around on the ground, rubbing his face in the dirt, all while Getaway watches- but it doesn’t seem like the babies are coming back. Getaway thinks it’s weird that it just kinda turned off, but then again this wasn’t exactly a typical situation, now was it? He tries igniting the Hot Spot himself, planting the first seed of his primus apotheosis diagnosis years from now, then asks our dear captain what’s next on the agenda.

Rodimus, saddened by the loss of literally a billion lives, shakes out his pocket onto the ground.

Don’t worry, the Matrix was in there, so it was totally respectful of the dead. Fort Max rides up, playfully threatening to arrest Rodimus for littering, and we finally get to know what his new career path is.

Duly Appointed Enforcer of the Tyrest Accord.

Also, he brought a friend.

Red Alert, jumping right back into his work, has decided to stay with Fort Max on Luna 1, to chase bad guys and help the Circle of Light recover/prepare for attack. Then he tells Rodimus to turn his phone back on, because Perceptor’s been trying to call him for a while now.

Back at Tyrest’s sweet digs, Perceptor’s gotten the communications system working, and is ready to call Cybertron. Cybertron, who probably thinks they all died back in issue #1, despite Blaster’s best efforts in issue #13 and #15. Blaster did not help with this project, probably because he was busy getting his tiddy compartment fixed.

Perceptor dials, everyone wonders what Bumblebee’s been up to, they get their hopes up, and we get one hell of a reveal for anyone who hasn’t been following along with the sister series up to this point.

Ah, that’s right, I’ve got to do a lightning round for RID, don’t I?

In the Postscript of this prose story, we meet Outrigger, a member of the Circle of Light who will be established as a big honkin’ dork the more we learn about him. He’s just run into Red Alert’s office to tell him about Tyrest having moved. This is a very odd occurrence indeed, as Tyrest was shot in the spine, and should not be able to move. 

The two of them head over to where Tyrest is being held, only to find he’s disappeared from a locked room.

Well, shit.

[theshatteredrose]

Relic Keepers: Awakening of the Red Lily (Chapter 6) - Original Fiction

AN: Hope you enjoy reading~

Ao3 | Wattpad | Inkitt | FictionPress

~

Chapter 6:

Eishirou tried to concentrate on his tablet, but the firm grip that Zayne had on his hand was somewhat distracting. The grip was tight, but not painful. Yet his heart raced at the touch regardless, which was honestly pretty stupid. Zayne just wanted to ensure his safety. And what easier way to ensure that he didn’t fall through a hole in the floor or trip and hurt himself than physically keeping a hold of him?

That explanation, though, made him feel…disappointed. For some inexplicable reason.

He had to get that out of his head. He was in a mine, at least twenty-feet underground, with Zayne as his only companion and bodyguard. Oh, they were also lost. And there were massive centipede-like ShadowDwellers trundling about at the speed of a freight train.

He clearly had other things to worry about.

And not how warm Zayne’s hand was around his…

…Gah.

Zayne’s hand suddenly tightened around his as he tugged him protectively to his side. “Careful, there’s a hole in the wall here,” he explained lowly.

Lifting his gaze from his tablet, he saw that Zayne wasn’t exaggerating. There was a large hole in the wall. From floor to ceiling. And about…seven feet in width.

Eishirou glanced around at the ground before the hole. There were bits of stones and debris splayed out from the hole and into the hallway where they stood. In a matter akin to a force striking the wall from the other side.

He kinda had an idea as to what could have been responsible.

“It…looks like that centipede ShadowDweller smashed through this at one point.”

Zayne frowned. “That means we’re potentially in its way again.”

“It…looks lighter in here,” Eishirou mused aloud. “It might lead us out.”

Zayne wasn’t exactly thrilled but what other options did they have at this point?

“I guess there’s only one way to find out,” he muttered as he cautiously stepped into the new darken tunnel, keeping Eishirou close to him as he did so.

He spent a few moments looking at their new surroundings, gazing up and down, left and right. Searching for anything that could be a threat. Listening intently.

So, Eishirou kept his mouth shut, waiting for the Elite to take the lead once more. When, finally, Zayne chose a direction and they continued their trek through the unknown tunnels.

Their surroundings had changed subtly, and yet significantly. The stone walls weren’t perfectly carved, or symmetric. The pathways weren’t created in a grid pattern. Facing north to south, or west to east.

The one thing he noticed immediately was the lack of destruction. The hole lead straight into a wall. No signs of damage to be found. If a centipede ShadowDweller was responsible, then why did it just create a hole and leave?

Strange.

The second thing he noticed was that the stone corridors had turned into winding tunnels. Imperfect in structure. The floor beneath their feet sloped upwards and downwards at random intervals. There were no wooden support beams to be seen. And the deafening silence had given way to the sound of dripping water from somewhere. He wasn’t entire how close or how far; the acoustics within caves made accurately pin-pointing anything quite difficult.

And Eishirou little to no experience with caves.

It would have been easy to assume that the paths they now walked where natural. Likely to have been created over time. Or by the very ShadowDweller they had hid from.

Only…

“Torches.”

“Hm?” Zayne uttered.

Eishirou pointed to the objects that were spaced out along the walls at certain intervals. Within hollowed out nooks upon the stone walls was a wooden stick draped in thick, tar-laden cloth. He remembered seeing such things in his previous research. They were objects that ancient peoples used to illuminate their paths.

“Those things set into the wall. They’re torches. Not like the ones we know. If you set the end of fire, it acts like a torch.”

Zayne nodded his head idly, only mildly interested as his caution was in high gear. “There’s a line of them,” he commented.

“Yeah,” Eishirou replied as he glanced down at his tablet to note that they were heading north. “I think we’re in a new-no older part of the underground tunnels. If we follow the torches, they might lead us to something.”

“A door, I hope,” Zayne commented dryly as he continued to lead the way.

“Yeah, so do I.”

Someone, at some point, had been down in these tunnels. And the torches had to begin and end somewhere. Hopefully, by following them, it will lead them to a way out.

After a few minutes of cautious walking, Zayne pulled him to a stop once more. There wasn’t protectiveness in his posture this time. But curiosity.

“Look at this,” he said simply as he pointed to the wall next to him.

Eishirou immediately peered around. And by the blue light of his mana wings, he saw that had caught his attention. “Cave paintings.”

Though the etching were faded due to time, the figures found were easy to recognize. Brown figures of humans with spears and weapons appeared to be in a battle. Facing off against three others. Creatures that were large and painted with rich, black paint. Purposely so. As if the ancient painter had wanted to emphasize how dark those very creatures were.

And those creatures…

“They look like ShadowDwellers,” Zayne stated.

Eishirou nodded his head in agreement and snapped a quick photo of the figures with his tablet. He’d look at it in greater detail back at the Academy. “They do.”

The centipede. Scorpions. The third was the form of a spider. A large spider that towered over everything within the painting.

He couldn’t help but wonder; Were they native to the area at some point in history? Or were they myths and legends brought to life because of the Bombardment?

Maybe the stones and paintings could tell him? If there was enough mana, that was.

Setting his tablet within his bag, Eishirou placed his hand against the cool stone and closed his eyes. He tried to connect with the mana hidden within the stones. Yet, he wasn’t able to. “Hah, there’s a little bit of mana here, but not enough to pull a recording. So, we can only speculate what they mean.”

“Pull a recording?” Zayne abruptly asked, reminding Eishirou that he hadn’t had the chance to explain earlier.

“Oh, it’s another skill that I have. With the use of mana and under the right circumstances, I can literally pull information from an object. Sometimes I receive images in my mind. Sometimes voices from long ago. The information I receive depends on the nature of the mana stored inside.”

In spite of the dim lighting, Zayne actually looked impressed. “You mean you can actually see or hear events from the past?”

Eishirou nodded. “That’s right. It’s something I’ve been able to do for as long as I can remember.”

Zayne appeared as if he wanted to know more, but abruptly snapped his mouth shut and looked toward the path they had taken. “We’ll talk more once we get out of this shit-hole,” muttered, agitation seemingly masking his unease. He must have also noted the paintings looked like the ShadowDwellers they had encountered thus far.

There was one they hadn’t yet. The one in the form a large, long-legged spider.

…Please don’t let there be a massive spider ShadowDweller waiting for them somewhere in these tunnels.

With their linked hands, Zayne prompted Eishirou to continue moving forward.

Again, they moved as silently as they could manage. Eishirou pulled out his tablet again to keep an eye on the map. Yet, his gaze kept drifting to the surrounding stone walls. As they moved, he noted more and more cave paintings. Some were faded and unrecognisable. Others predicting ancient drawings of humans and what was once considered to be important figureheads.

It was fascinating, he had to admit. He wished he could study them further and tell Jacob about them. But any investigation or research would have to wait.

Poor Jacob. He must be so worried about him. Eishirou hoped that he was ok. And wasn’t attempting to do anything reckless to try to find him.

Zayne’s left mana wing abruptly encircled him, and it wasn’t until he heard the distinct sound of rocks cracking and scraping against each other did Eishirou realise that loose rocks above their heads had chosen the exact moment they stepped beneath them to fall.

He had used his wing to deflect the rocks and prevent them from causing serious damage to Eishirou.

Honestly, Eishirou was so grateful that Zayne was there. If he wasn’t, he had no doubt that he would have been dead by now. It was an unnerving thought, but it was true. If not by the cave-in, then definitely by that centipede ShadowDweller.

“Thanks,” Eishirou said in earnest as Zayne lowered his wing.

Zayne simply nodded his head. “We need to get out of here before there’s another cave in,” he stated as a frown tugged at his lips. “And I think that centipede is getting close again.”

Eishirou couldn’t stop himself from grimacing at the thought. They were lucky that there was a crawlspace in the tunnel wall that allowed them to hide. From the look of these tunnels, they may not be so lucky the next time they encountered the thing.

“What’s that noise?” Zayne suddenly asked, his left wing curled protectively around Eishirou once more. “It’s not that centipede. Is it something else?”

Eishirou listened for a moment. There was…a howling noise. It was slight. With wanes and peaks.

“I think it’s the wind,” Eishirou finally replied.

If so, that meant that there was an opening to the outside word somewhere. They hadn’t heard anything like it before. Could they be heading in the right direction?

“Let’s keep moving,” Zayne said.

The sound of the howling grew louder the further they moved down the tunnel. And the closer they moved toward it, the clearer it was to recognise. It was the wind. Eishirou could even smell it. The grass and fresh air from the forest. There was an opening somewhere.

The question was; how big was it?

The path they were on sloped upwards sharply toward a man-size opening, with unlit touches hanging on either side. From the archway over the opening, Eishirou speculated that what was on the other side wasn’t another tunnel.

A room perhaps?

Cautiously stepping through the opening, they found themselves in something bigger than a room.

“This…It’s a chamber,” Eishirou muttered as he stared up at the high ceiling above their heads. And as he did so, he noticed that there were small open windows at the very peaks of the four walls. “Look, sunlight.”

Zayne uttered a small sigh of relief. “There must be a way to get out of here. If not, I’ll make one.”

Eishirou immediately checked his communicator. There was a small bar of reception. But it was sporadic at best. Still, he should try to get a message out to Jacob. At least tell him that he’s fine.

“I’m going to try to send a message,” he told Zayne.

“Can you send coordinates?”

“I’ll try. I’ll give him what my map is telling me.”

He started the message with a simple “I’m fine”. He mentioned Zayne was with him and they were in an underground passage. He added the coordinates at the end. It was short and to the point. And hopefully enough to ease Jacob’s fears about his safety.

And he figured out where the coordinates led.

Still, they shouldn’t sit and wait for the rescue party to arrive. That centipede ShadowDweller might find them first.

“Look,” Zayne prompted after Eishirou hit send on his communicator. “Another cave painting.”

Eishirou turned to look in the direction Zayne was. What he saw was a surprise. He was expecting the stick figures of the previous paintings. The one before them, however, was far different.

It was located on the western wall of the chamber. Before it, a set of stone stairs leading up to an altar at its base. Long forgotten candles and dried, rotten food scraps littered the altar’s surface.

The painting itself was that of a dark brown, somewhat feminine face. Serene and with eyes closed gently. Hair of many different colours cascaded around the face as a crown of white feathers adorn their brow. The centre piece of that crown was a crimson teardrop. From that grew a flower of vivid red petals.

The colours within the mosaic were intense. Showing no age to how long it had been there. If it weren’t for the several missing pieces of stones.

“It’s a…portrait?” Eishirou muttered as he carefully walked over to stand before the mural. “It must be important. It’s centre feature within this chamber.”

“Not as broken as the stone tablet, but certainly not in one piece,” Zayne added as he kept a sceptical eye on their surroundings.

“No,” Eishirou shook his head and climbed the stairs, hoping to get a better look. As he took the second step, a soft clack near his foot told him that he had kicked a stone. Instinctively, he looked down, hoping that the floor wasn’t about to give way again.

However, the stone that laid near his foot possessed the same vivid colours as the mosaic. “Wait, I think the pieces are scattered around here,” he stated when he noticed other brightly coloured stones. “Let me try putting it together. Maybe it’ll have a hint about how we can get out of here.”

“Fine,” Zayne relented as he moved to join him. “I can’t see a door otherwise.”

Eishirou placed his tablet and communicator into his carry bag before he crouched down and gathered the pieces of coloured stones. He counted six pieces of stone, and funnily enough, there were six gaps within the mosaic.

He took a moment to estimate which piece went where. When he began to replace them, the stones slotted into place easily.

“Now, let me just restore it…”

Eishirou placed both his hands flat against the mosaic. He closed his eyes in order to concentrate, and to feel for the mana that resided within the stone artwork. This time, there were ample amounts of mana for him to work with.

He drew in a deep breath before releasing it slowly.

The cracks and imperfections within the stones glowed a bright green under his hands. Slowly, it began to etch itself back together, returning to its full and original form. The colourful paint grew denser, too.

Before Eishirou could pull his hands away, mana suddenly came rushing into him. Showing itself to him through a series of pictures.

The mosaic in a room filled with gold and treasure. Ancient tribesman honouring the painting. Fresh herbs and bread adorning the altar. Some symbols in a pattern. Someone pressing in tiles on the floor. Stairs. A door. And a golden crown with a red flower resting upon a pedestal.

As suddenly as the recording rushed into him, it left. Causing Eishirou to utter a gasp of surprise and to lurch himself backwards.

Right into Zayne’s waiting arms.

“What happened?” he demanded in a truly concerned way as he practically carried him down the stairs.

“Sorry,” Eishirou immediately muttered as he touched his forehead. “I just saw a recording.”

There were times where he couldn’t control when a recording came to him. This was one of those times. And when they came to him unprepared, they left him feeling lightheaded.

“What did you see?” Zayne asked as he kept a firm arm around his shoulders.

“It was a jumble of still pictures,” he replied as he ran a hand through his hair. “One of them was…a golden crown. Like that of the portrait, but like…real. Wait, I think there’s a set of stairs here. A switch. I saw something in the recording. Pressing in floor tiles on the floor…”

Zayne did a quick survey of their surroundings. “Where about?”

Eishirou gently pushed away from Zayne. And though the Elite was reluctant, he allowed him to stand on his own two feet. He then walked into the centre of the room. He closed his eyes for a moment trying to remember what the recordings had shown to him.

He opened his eyes and walked into the centre of the chamber. And crouched down. He brushed aside the dirt and debris that littered the ground and felt his fingertips brush against small indentations.

“Zayne, can I have a bit more light over here?”

Dutifully, Zayne walked to his side and allowed his mana wings to illuminate the area.

On the floor where Eishirou knelt was three engravings. On three protruding tiles.

Symbols…Oh, the recording! Sun, moon, and star. In that order. He needed to press in the tiles in that order.

While part of him was still very cautious, another part told him that pressing the tiles would be fine. It would lead them back to the outside world. And to safety.

So, he pressed in the tiles one by one.

A loud grinding noise suddenly infiltrated the area. Prompting Zayne to become on guard once more. But as Eishirou looked up toward the wall that faced opposite of the mosaic, he watched as part of the stone wall unexpectedly slid to the side. Like an automatic door.

And behind it was a set of stairs.

“Ah, it worked!” Eishirou said excitedly as he jumped to his feet.

Zayne’s arms were suddenly around him again, prompting him to let out a squeak of surprise. “Let’s go before it closes!”

Well, Eishirou didn’t have much say in it otherwise; Zayne had snared him by the wrist and dragged him toward the stairs. And out into the near blinding light of the sun once more.

They had to push through some thick, green undergrowth. But they were outside. Back in the lush green forest they had entered. The sound of birds chirping and insects buzzing about aimlessly filled his ears. And the scent of fresh air filled his lungs.

To say he was relieved would be an understatement.

“We’re finally out,” Zayne muttered, also sounding relieved.

Glancing behind him, Eishirou noted that the stone door remained open. He pulled out his tablet to make a note of its location. After all was said and done, what they had discovered in that chamber was important. After everything had settled down, Jacob would want to know. Other researchers would want to know.

Now, they just needed to find a way to meet back up with Jacob and the others!

[babygirl06301]

13 Wishes for Season 13

So, I did this last year when I made a wishlist for Mary’s character in season 12 (find it here), and I thought it’d be fun to do the same for this season and see what I come up with!

P.S. There aren’t really any spoilers, so I didn’t tag it, but if you want to wait and read this after you’ve gotten the chance to watch 13x01, you can do so!

1. Jody to finally see the bunker and finally meet Castiel. 

Y’all, I have been waiting so long for this to happen, you don’t realize. From the chatter I’ve been hearing, the Wayward Daughters backdoor pilot is coming after Castiel returns from The Empty. I figured that the backdoor pilot would focus mainly on the ladies with Sam and Dean there mostly as background pieces to sort of pass the torch. But since Castiel is apparently counted as a lead character now, maybe he could be there too? How awesome would it be for Cas to meet Jody and the rest of that cast, huh? They already have a connection through Claire, so why not?   

2. A season-long arc between Sam and Jack

It’s about damn time we got a new dynamic on the show. I’m confident that this will come to pass, but I really would like to see Sam acting as a sort of mentor and friend to Jack. After all, both of these two were/are object of Lucifer’s desire, they both have powers they can’t always control, and they seem to be innately good. Sam could definitely offer advice or even comfort to Jack since he can easily empathize with his situation.

3. An Evil!Jack arc

(This is another one that I’m sure will happen in some form.) Of course I prefer the cinnamon roll of a character that we were introduced to in 13x01, but I feel like his character development would be severely lacking if he didn’t go dark side at some point. I don’t really care how it happens: he feels betrayed by Cas and/or the Winchesters, Lucifer somehow influences him to his side, he thinks he’s doing the right thing when really he’s not (just like his daddy). I don’t care. But I think seeing an evil Jack would be really awesome. 

4. Bobby, Bobby, Bobby

I mean, right? You cannot give us a glimpse of Earth 2 Bobby Singer in 12x23 and not give us more in S13. I know he isn’t the same Bobby that we’ve known this whole time, but honestly, I’m just jazzed to have some of him back. I’m just a little fearful that he’ll be in maybe three episodes tops? And that doesn’t suit me at all. Bring me all the Bobby, please.

5. Returning characters

We’ve all been talking about the possibilities that this other Earth could bring up. A parallel world that’s basically the same as the one we know but without Sam and Dean. So, that means you could bring back... well, anybody. I heard a rumor that Osric was set to come back this season, so maybe we’ll get to see Kevin? Or Charlie? Benny? All I’m saying is if they don’t bring somebody back, I’m gonna be mad. Earth 2 is a total loophole to revisit some fan favorites. And listen, it doesn’t all have to be the good guys. Bring back fuckin’ Abaddon or Azazel or Ruby. Take full advantage of the situation you’ve written yourselves into, writers. Don’t let me down.

6. A real, lasting solution to Castiel’s burdened soul

For the past six fucking seasons Castiel has been on a fucking journey of self-loathing and self-hatred. It’s been exceptionally highlighted in the past two seasons, and not enough has been done to fix it. I’m not trying to downsize all the goodness that came from the Winchesters in S12, but there was also a fair amount of belittling, especially from Dean. Shit, that’s all Cas’s arc has been for the past two seasons. This season, I’d like to see a change. I’d like to see a real, extended conversation with Castiel and Dean (because, let’s be honest, Dean’s opinion means the most to Cas) where Dean sits him down and says something to the effect of “You’ve got to stop trying to prove yourself, Cas. You don’t need to. You have always been the strongest player on the bench, and I need you to believe that. I do.” You know? I just need for someone to put their damn foot down and make Cas see how amazing he is so he stops getting stabbed in the damn chest trying to prove himself.

7. A Sam-centric storyline

I’m gathering that this season is going to be Cas-centric at its forefront, which is beautiful. He deserves that, he’s never had that, it’s his time to shine. However, Sam has been sidelined for too long. I don’t care if it’s a subplot, but I need for Sam to be a part of the actual plot for the first time in forever beyond him fighting alongside Dean. I get it; Sam’s the one who’s got his shit together, so why would he get into the kind of trouble that would warrant a solo story arc? Maybe he doesn’t have to get into any kind of trouble. Maybe he could just become a leader of some sort (like we saw in 12x22). Maybe something with his psychic abilities could be touched on again (which I heard might actually happen). Maybe you could stop painting him as a character to be sidelined and actually give him his own stories again. How ‘bout that, SPN?  

8. Explosions

I don’t really know why, maybe because of the grenade launcher last season, but I really wanna see something blow up. I mean, Jack can do so much, right? So, let’s blow some shit up!

9. Weird demonstrations of Jack’s powers

Like I said, Jack can do a ton of stuff with his powers, so I’d love to see an episode (which is probably the Scooby-Doo episode) where Jack’s powers just fuck something up so badly. He could accidentally turn the Impala pink. He could replace Sam’s fancy shampoo with toothpaste. He could be the reason Cas has highlights this season (but for real, have you noticed Misha’s hair lately?). I just want some funny shit to happen because there’s a juiced up spawn of Satan living in their house.

10. Chuck

I know he’s not going to bring Castiel back. Hell, I’m guessing Cas--and maybe Mary--are gonna save their own damn selves. But, even if it’s just for five minutes, it’d be cool for Chuck to come in like, “Dean, I heard your prayer, but there’s nothing I can do.” And then Dean would 100% try to kill God himself before Chuck poofs away.

11. Teleportation station

Honestly, if Cas is going to be back at full power, I want him to get lit about it. I just want to see him so damn happy to be back, ya know? He’d say, “I’ll drive” before a hunt and then boop Sam, Dean, and Jack to wherever they were going. He could flash his wings at random intervals. Shit, he could break Sam’s friggin’ leg and go, “Wait, watch!” and then heal him. Then Sam would go, “You could already do that, you marble!” And Cas wouldn’t even care because he’s so happy. Tell me that wouldn’t be cute.  

12. Crowley appreciation

Sadly, we all know Mark isn’t coming back to SPN, at least not any time soon. However, we can still give Crowley the respect he deserves this season. I understand that Crowley wasn’t TFW or family or anything, but he was something to Sam and Dean (as we saw in 13x01). I’d just like to see more comments made about wishing Crowley was there to help them with something or absentmindedly saying the kinda miss him. Ya know, just something to show everybody that they haven’t forgotten about him and that he meant something to the Winchesters. 

13. A new grieving process for Dean

I just made a post about this today, but I really want to see Dean grieve differently this season. For one, he’s lost so much at this point that I think it warrants more than the moody, drink the pain away, ignore the crushing feeling of loss, fight through it response that Dean normally has. For two, he made so many steps last season toward a more open and vulnerable expression of his feelings, and brooding doesn’t line up with that. Also, there’s a big difference this time around: Cas. He’s never lost Cas like this before. Not this completely, not for this long, not this far into their relationship. Say what you want, but Dean’s relationships are all different. From Sam to Mary to Crowley to whoever, Dean has a unique relationship with all of them. And losing Cas should result in a different kind of grieving. Especially considering the shit they’ve been through, especially because of all the shit Cas gave up for him. Dean’s lost plenty, but this time needs to be different.

Well, that’s all I got! Let me know if you agree or disagree or think some of these will happen. I’m excited for the season, for sure. Hopefully, it’s everything I’m wishing for! 

[banana-lovesyou]

SCP-AN71

I’m not sure I’ve shared this..?? I might have but I’ma go on a spree and share a bunch of random writings I’ve done.. wait I just realized I did indeed post it before whoops welp you get it again lol “I did a little SCP Foundation Antisepticeye crossover thing and I kinda liked how it turned out it's pretty short but who knows I might build on the idea some day, or maybe you guys would like to try out the concept? If you do make sure to let me know because I'd love to see it :D“- the description for it I guess

I crouched behind an overturned table, my heart thumping painfully quick in my chest almost in tune with the blaring alarms, another peek around the edge of the table told me now was the time to go but I felt my limbs freeze up in fear, If i don't go now he'll surely find me! Come on move dammit! I felt a few warm tears slide down my cheek and I angrily wiped them away then drew in a breath, just as I began the quick move from the table to the couch the sound of the intercom muted the alarms slightly, making my steps seem louder than ever, I dove behind the couch and huddled against it fighting back a sob of fear.

After a few seconds had passed and I was still alive I was finally able to actually hear what the person on the intercom was saying "Subjects: A-N-7-1, R-0-7-7-3-N, and S-4-M.T1 are confirmed as loose on the premise, please exercise caution as you move to the evacuation shelters, it has yet to be confirmed if series D-M are secure, please acq- just fucking find and put on a damn gas mask so this shit doesn't spread if it's out" the speaker seemed to lose their composure at the end and there was a loud static sound as the audio cut off and then looped a few more times, I silently cursed to myself and tried to think of where I might find a gas mask as I slowly and carefully moved over to the floor vent behind the couches, I held my breath as I quietly punched in the access code, these sort of vents went through most of the facility and were used for maintenance purposes however only certain class engineers were given the codes to enter them, some morons in the science division had apparently gotten drunk and went exploring only to get lost and die down there, apparently their skeletons were still down in the lower reaches somewhere..

I shook my head to refocus my mind on the task at hand, as the floor finally slid open I mentally sighed in relief that it was silent, I dropped down into the vent and pulled it shut above me then simply sat there for a moment to catch my breath, the gentle glow of the vent lights played tricks on my eyes as I stared down the long vent corridor, in my mind I saw flashes of blood and death as I remembered how the containment breach began, it was that damn Samti or S-4-M.T1 as the creature was formally named, it had been acting strange apparently and someone thought it might be sick, if only they had left it in it's damn cage Daniel might be.. my husband might be.. I slammed my fist against the vent wall and got onto my hands and knees to begin the long crawl to the evacuation shelter, my eyes pricked with tears and made my nose sting slightly as I fought to hold them in, after a few minutes of crawling however I realized there was no point and I simply let them trickle silently down my face.

I crawled for what seemed like years, the only mark of time being the occasional screams and death throes from above, I eventually found a small equipment station, which was basically a small alcove with a net stretched across it where lazy engineers stored their gear when they didn't feel like maintaining it, officially it was for cases like this or if someone managed to get lost again, there was even supposed to be water and food bars, most of the upper level stations had neither, I'm sure you can guess why. That didn't matter however as all I needed was a working flashlight and a gas mask, the gas masks were scattered all over the site in case of containment breaches it was really no surprise there were some down here as well, I strapped the flashlight to my wrist and stuck the top of the gas mask in my teeth then continued on my way. I stopped at the next intersection and wiped sweat from my brow, it was hot down here, I checked the number marked on the intersection then shut my eyes as I tried to recall the map of the vents, though I wasn't in my own section I had been made to remember the entirety of the upper sections of vent passages, I remember Daniel telling me "You're more likely to get lost topside than down in the vents", the thought of him brought a bitter sweet smile to my lips and my eye twitched slightly ready to produce more tears at a moment's notice, I shook the thought away and once again considered the branching pathways.. only... my eye kept twitching.. annoyed I rubbed my right eye furiously.. it didn't help.. just as the implications hit me the lights in the vent corridors began flickering and I heard a sinister and distorted giggle come from my left.

I audibly gasped as a pair of glowing green eyes appear at the end of the long vent to my left, where the lights had all but gone completely out, I pulled the gas mask on so I wouldn't lose it and lifted myself into a crouched position then quickly but awkwardly waddled down the right vent way, how the hell did he get in here?! The vents should be sealed off! I couldn't think on it more as the light around me began quickly going out only to brightly flare up again in a violent beat, I knew from memory that the next intersection would have an opening to topside and most likely a short run the safety of the evacuation shelter, another giggle had me turn to look before I could stop myself, how could he move so fast?! He had already reached the intersection I'd just left behind and was easily gaining on me, what I saw of him during the intervals of light only spurred me on to greater speeds, even at my rushed pace I knew it would be a close one, just 30 more steps.. another giggle terrifying close, I didn't dare look this time ..20 more steps... I could almost feel his clawed hand on my back... 10 more steps.. the lights went out completely but I didn't need them... Just reach out and press the button.. I pressed the button and nothing happened, I pressed it again and again and the light turned red, tears streaming down my eyes I tried pulling it open myself but nothing, I finally realized how quiet it had become in the darkness, I turned to look behind myself slowly backing up to press myself against the vent wall, I could see nothing in the pitch blackness but I somehow knew he was there..

He opened his glowing green eyes again and I just knew he stared at me with a large toothy grin on his face, I'd seen it in the light before.. he moved closer and I felt a clawed hand on my leg, my breath hitched and my vision swam, fear nearly causing me to pass out then and there, I almost wanted to give in and slip down into the blissful darkness of unconsciousness but something kept me from doing so, he moved closer and I felt his other hand grab my mask and slowly pull it off, now I was faced with the full force of those blue and green eyes only inches from me, beautiful... and terrifying ... I felt my breathing slow and become steady, I felt drawn into those eyes, hypnotised by them, I barely noticed his claw flick across my cheek, didn't even feel the sting of the small cut he made, my vision seemed to be filled with green and blue, faintly I felt a thumb pass over the scratch on my cheek then everything but his eyes faded away...

I blinked hard a few times feeling dizzy.. what happened? I looked around the dimly lit vent ways .. I thought there was someone ... here..? I felt as if a bomb had just gone off nearby, my ears rang and my head felt heavy, I looked around blearily then up at the vent exit above me, I pressed the button and there was a green light and a soft ping as it slid open, huh wasn't that locked.. wait why did I think that..? I tried to clear my head as I slowly climbed out of the vent, there was chaos all around me in the overturned furniture and random splashes of blood but I felt weirdly at peace.. where did I need to go again.. oh yeah.. the evacuation shelter.. I walked slowly towards the shelter as if in a trance, I kept remembering blue and green.. there was something important about that but I couldn't remember what... as I stepped into the small room just before the shelter I looked over to the camera as it emitted a green light to scan me.. there it was again.. green.. this green was different though.. I heard a confirmation buzzer as I was allowed into the shelter.. Green and blue.. blue and green.. a memory stirred of a darkened vent.. fear.. peace.. someone draped a blanket over my shoulders and told me I was safe, safe? the words echoed dully through my mind as the memories slowly clicked back in place, I felt laughter building in my chest .. that's right it's safe... a small giggle escaped me and the others around me gave me a worried look, thinking it was shock, it's safe... but he doesn't want it to be.. my laughter only grew louder as I began clawing at my own skin, try as they might those around me couldn't stop me, my sudden strength seemed unnatural even to me, I kept clawing until I drew blood, I couldn't seem to hold back the laughter as I flung my own blood around like the madman I was, the onlookers horror slowly grew as they saw my eyes slowly begin to glow green, my eyes filled with tears but they were tears of blood...

The horror in the room slowly turned to giggling then laughter as the disease spread, the girl from the vents slowly slid to the ground, her laughter and expression had become painful as her life force drained out of her, her job done.

[coffeebasedrunner-blog]

Edmonton Marathon 2017 Training: Week 9/16 Recap

Just typing out “Week 9” makes me realize that my marathon is in just two months, and that’s an insane thought. It feels like the October day that I registered for the Edmonton Marathon was just last week, yet here we are, running my first really long run of this training program.

I am using the free sub-3:45 training plan provided by RunKeeper, just like last summer, except I’m being a lot more diligent about sticking to my training this time around - so sub-3:45 should be totally doable.

My recap for the week is just below the break!

June 21: Mile Repeats (5x1)

Ugh. Mile repeats. *Shudder*. Not a fan of them at all, but despite the odd stomach ache I had and how weirdly cold it was outside for June in Edmonton, I managed to average around 4:51 min/km for each of the mile repeats. I warmed up with a 2 mile jog and cooled down with a 1 mile… trot, if we’re being honest.

Post-workout breakfast was eggs, whole grain toast with Romanian zacuscă, bacon, kiwi fruit, and a handful of baby carrots and snap peas. Lunch, later in the day, was mushroom and black soybean bowtie pasta salad, grilled chicken breast, and roasted eggplant and zucchini (first image from the right). Finally, dinner was a leftover wrap - whole wheat tortilla filled with a bunch of leftover food I had in the fridge. Classy, I know.

June 22: 6 mi tempo (total 9 mi)

2 mi slow to warm up, 6 mi at a tempo pace averaging around 5:11 min/km, and 1 mi slow to cool down - adding up to 9 mi (14.5 km). Pretty comfortable run, explored deeper into the suburbs of Edmonton and I can confirm that there is in fact no such thing as summer here in Alberta - it is simply construction season.

Post-workout breakfast was oatmeal with peanut butter, plain skyr, ground chia with probiotics, vanilla whey protein, and frozen berries - accompanied, of course, by a cup of coffee mixed with some hot chocolate (because I earned it). Lunch was the same as yesterday (s/o to meal prep). For dinner, I decided to go classic: black forest ham and cheddar sandwich on whole grain bread with avocado, spinach, and some mustard. CAN’T GO WRONG.

June 23: Crosstraining (Strength Conditioning)

Just over an hour of weight training, followed by a quick 10 minute interval session on the elliptical. And let me tell you something: I have never before so graciously LOVED foam rolling. I stumbled upon this newfound passion by forgetting to do it. Ah, my poor quads - it was nice knowing you. Always always foam roll people. Holy cow.

I have a pretty specific strength training routine I follow that helps fine-tune my running technique, which I posted recently! It’s a real doozy, let me tell you.

Post-workout breakfast was the same as yesterday, as was lunch. And… so was dinner actually. What can I say, creature of habit. Today was a really bad day for snacking though.

June 24: 6 mi prep run + core training

Basically, this is going to set me up for tomorrow’s scary af 18 mi (28.98 km) run. This run, averaged at a pace of 5:15 min/km, builds up fatigue that will help simulate how I’ll feel during the race for my long run tomorrow. I also followed this up with some core training because posture is usually the first to go once you get into the 20 km zone.

Breakfast was three mini whole wheat crêpes with plain skyr, ground chia with probiotics, frozen berries, and peanut butter, as well as my trusty coffee (+ some hot chocolate). Lunch was my pasta/chicken/veggie meal prep combo from the days before. Dinner was - YOU GUESSED IT - the classic ham and cheese. Exciting stuff. Cannot wait to grocery shop friends.

June 25: 18 mi long run

Ah, yes, the long awaited 29 km run. Started my morning with the pre-workout snack pictured below - my classic and go-to half sweet bagel (Silver Hills Rappleberry Bagel has been a recent fave, but you can’t go wrong with cinnamon raisin) with cookie butter and strawberry jam, a banana, and a couple AWAKE dark chocolate bites (last image from the right). I also snacked a bit while preparing my running pack (2 L water, 9 oz electrolyte solution, and a package of strawberry Clif Shot BLOKS).

Not gonna lie, I was nervous going into this run. Part of me didn’t really feel prepared, and I was kinda sore from strength training this week. But as soon as my legs started moving… it just felt so natural. By the time I had hit the 9 km mark, I found a comfortable pace and felt like I could run for ages. It’s been a while since I’ve felt so happy and comfortable running. I finished up my 18 mi in just over 2 and a half hours, with an average pace of 5:19 min/km. Considering that this should be my pace for most of my marathon and the pace of a 3:44:30 marathon, I’m pretty happy! My route was a 10.5 km loop repeated twice, then an 8 km loop to finish.

Post-workout breakfast was 3 mini whole-wheat crêpes with plain skyr, ground chia with probiotics, frozen berries, and peanut butter, as well as a black coffee (#bestway) with a biscotti. Lunch was my classic sandwich (with some bread & butter pickles this time because I am #TeamPickles). Dinner was a time for me to get creative because I’m out of meal prep, so it was a huge plate of random stuff: leftover bacon, shredded mozzarella, a roasted pepper, some edamame, sourdough rye crackers, and one lone Babybel that was chilling in the back of my fridge. Hey, not every meal is gonna be pretty.

Reflection

My toughest training week so far, but I feel like I’m coming out of it a lot stronger and I’m feeling so much more confident for this marathon than I did when I woke up this morning. That being said, I’m beyond excited to take my mileage down a notch next week. My legs are in a world of pain. Until next week!

Question: are you #TeamPickles? If not, what’s one widely-disputed food that you do like. Message me your answer, and let me know what you thought of the recap!