#he's the faction's cool dad

[sparkleresthold]

More SG foolishness 💙💛

[todayisafridaynight]

I’m fairly new to the fandom, but I do have a question if you can answer it! Why do people ship Daigo with Aoki / Masato? I tried looking to see if they’ve interacted before, but couldn’t find anything! Sorry for asking I’m just </3 dumb AND I LOVE YOUR ART OF THEM!!! Nerd looking ahhhhhh

hi ! welcome to the community i hope you're having a lovely time so far and ty for enjoyin my stuff :) no need for apologies it's a very fair question to have :]

i cant speak for everyone (all. ten people into masadai anyway) but Personally To Me i just think the idea of them together is very funny. thats quite literally it im afraid..

[teatraps]

Gotta rant about Edgar Valden rq

Cause seriously, his character is so cool to me. Like, you have the basic rundown. Rich kid ran away from home because he was dissatisfied with his life there. But then, all of that ends up just being a red herring. The “dissatisfaction” which always came off as him just being in his own head and looking down on others because he thinks he’s better than them gets flipped on its head with his 3rd letter. All of his trash talk makes so much more sense. He wasn’t just saying he didn’t care about other people’s opinions or money or fame because he was super self absorbed. He was saying that because he knew first hand the damage chasing money, fame, and power can cause. Really thinking about it, his father basically killed his entire family for status. And then, the slight implication that Edgar’s dad knew what Sarai was doing to Edgar the whole time. Now, it’s vague about what Sarai did to Edgar, but it was obviously bad enough to deteriorate his mental health to the point of having hallucinations. All that, and his dad never got rid of Sarai. Never fired him. Nothing. Which makes sense, because having a super talented artist in the family looks good for status, why would his dad care. He couldn’t care enough to let his wife rest to get better from her illness, or to actually look for his youngest child when she went missing.

For the little we do know about Sarai, we know he taught Edgar that praise is the highest form of love. Again, playing into the idea that Edgar was brought up to try and appease others and try to get status and fame. This is even kinda hinted at in his very first letter when he tells Ella that he’s going to become a famous artist, a goal he ends up feeling disillusioned by. The fact he still kept painting even after no longer wanting fame and recognition shows his love for painting was rooted in something much deeper than that. Then, referencing back to his deductions where he says that life is beautiful and the brush can preserve that beauty, it shows exactly what it was that keeps him going with art. He thinks life is beautiful. A simple reason, but a lovely one nonetheless. He cherishes the beautiful moments like the time he had with his mother or Ella.

This also could change what he even meant by looking for inspiration when going to the manor. When he talks about how he finds no inspiration in his home, it’s not something as simple as everything is just boring. He talks about how the culture of the aristocracy is just straight up draining for him. The greed. The constant push for more money and status, even at the cost of loved ones. The shallowness. There’s no beauty in it, he can’t find inspiration in it. Even as he signs off his farewell letter, he implies he would never go back home. He’s not just running off on some little trip to find inspiration and go home right after. He was straight up cutting off the life he once knew because it wasn’t really a life at all. As he puts it, he was just another decoration for his dad. For most of his life, he was kind of treated as less than human. More like a party trick for his dad to show off and gain their family more status.

And while we don’t know much about his role in game 5, the context of the game makes him stand out a lot. Outside of the fact that Edgar wasn’t in a faction at the start and the only character truly confirmed dead, his goals are also completely different from the rest of the group and he thematically differs from the others. Every other character is in some way trying to fix some “issue” with themself to try to assimilate into a group they were ostracized from (I say issue in quotes because it’s usually something out of their control that they honestly shouldn’t have been blamed for). Chloe trying to become Vera to be accepted, Jose trying to get his first officer title back and rejoin the aristocracy (or his alcoholism in order to maintain his station as a first officer in the first place), Kevin trying to prove to himself that he’s reached a point where he could’ve protected Angelina so he can face her tribe, and Patricia trying to rid herself of her curse in order to be accepted into her mother’s village. Meanwhile, there’s Edgar who was wanted by his community, but not taken care of by them. All five of them have a similar goal, to get some form of community and support, but Edgar is in a much different position from the rest of his team since he is more confident in himself and who he is. It’s never been called into question, and I don’t think that’s a negative trait either since every time someone in game 5 tries to correct their “flaw” it causes more harm than good. From Chloe killing her sister who was innocent, to Jose accidentally poisoning Kevin who was innocent, Patricia killing Edgar even though he didn’t do anything to her, and even Kevin being self destructive in drinking the poison. Not to mention three out of four of them feel regret and unfulfilled after they do it (and the one I’m not counting is Patricia because it’s not fully confirmed, but tbh there are things that foreshadow her not feeling fulfilled either so you could make it four out of four). Edgar, at least on the surface, didn’t internalize that there was something wrong with him that made the people around him treat him like trash, mainly because he was always desired by the people around him. These people still weren’t good for him though, leading to the lack of inspiration they give him. As he says, he’s looking for “fresh colors” and Edgar only refers to colors when he’s talking about someone he cared for (his mom = green, Ella = white, Sarai = red). Edgar looking for fresh colors could probably roughly translate to looking for new companionship with people that actually care about him.

If I really wanted to get into the internalizing thing tho, I’d probably say his willingness to sacrifice himself probably comes from…

1. Being so used to getting treated like a tool his entire life he thinks it’s the standard to a degree (hence why he’ll complain about having to play hero roles but still gets them regularly anyway)

2. Being unable to truly repent to Patricia because he can’t bring himself to apologize for killing Sarai (and he shouldn’t tbh, especially considering that was like his first act of true autonomy)

3. And lastly, just not really having anywhere to go after the manor. His goalpost ended at the manor while the other four saw it more as a stepping stone to get to other places.

And that’s not even getting into his overall lore relevance because let’s not act like he didn’t imply the Deross family are family friends of the Valden family in his 3rd letter. PLUS he has ties to Barriere.

He’s always got this slightly hopeful air to him, like he’s always looking up. It’s honestly just a really nice breather from the usual doom and gloom of idv’s storyline (granted his story is still depressing asf, but for idv standards it’s pretty happy. Like his 3rd letter where he just goes no contact with his dad is probably one of the healthiest things I’ve ever seen an idv character do). Even in the end, he gets the ending he wanted. He finds the inspiration he was looking for, but tbh I don’t think it was death that he was trying to achieve. His deaths are always portrayed as sacrifices specifically. It’s usually not something he really wants to do. Runaway didn’t want to risk his life and put himself in danger with mir, but he does it because he doesn’t want to abandon the followers to a cult. Censer didn’t want to die, he still really wanted to see his creator’s wish come true, but he accepts death if it will bring it closer to coming true. Even in his experiment file, Orpheus says Edgar accepted it at the end, so he decides to accept it at the end of the game. Most likely for some greater goal that hasn’t been revealed yet since Orpheus was hella vague in his experiment file.

I could honestly go on and on about how well executed his whole character is too. With how well they played into double entendres with his words and used a lot of art metaphors to sort of hide his actual character so on the surface you wouldn’t clock it immediately. Or the carefully picked art references they used in his trailer that all tie into his character really well (I still think he has one of the best trailers to date). To even the way his birthday letters are released, and keeping his perspective on game 5 hidden despite probably having the most reliable account, instead having other characters describe him to play into the misdirection.

I could literally talk for hours about Edgar Valden, he is the idv character of all time and I love him sm

[brushie-art]

Charlotte's a bit of an oddity in my world.

For starters, half-demons shouldn't even be possible. So the fact that she's standing here is a miracle. Demons are just clumps of magic that have solidified and gained consciousness. They are not flesh and blood creatures, even if they look like them. So a human can't get a demon pregnant and vice-versa, and regular demon reproduction is a whole different process. But her parents were pretty determined to have a kid.

Her Mom was a human called "The Great Witch of Ash", a brilliant woman, who mastered a lot of human magic later in her life. Also learned a thing or two about demon magic from her husband.

Her Dad is a former incubus from the Wrath Faction who used to be called "The Angry Hammer". Nowadays he works as Hell's Chainsmith, crafting the restraints that keep Hell from spinning off into the Great Storm. He's known as "The Grand Demon of a Hundred Hammers" (which he insists is an exaggeration).

And somehow, through their collaboration, Charlotte came into this world as the first half-human half-demon baby.

The strange circumstances of her birth do come with a bunch of cool stuff as well as a bunch of problems:

> Increased lifespan. > She can feed off her own emotions to power her demonic magic.

> She is one of the few demons who can actually learn human magic.

> Demonic shapeshifting is off the table for her cuz her human bits aren't as malleable as regular magic-composed demon flesh. So she settles for human illusions and is still trying to figure out human shapeshifting.

> Her human constitution can't fully handle her demonic magic.

> She isn't as durable or quick to get back on her feet as normal demons.

Her life is in a whole different genre than my other characters. I've really got to find the time to expand on it more.

[creativitysparks4everxoxo]

IT'S TIME TO DISCUSS TFE S2A!!!

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SPOILERS...OBVIOUSLY...

First of all, despite what some TFE fans have said, I gotta say, S2A has heavily exceeded my expectations! I was nervous because it did not get marketed enough (wtf Paramount+??!!) and because of the early rumours regarding certain things happening. But I thoroughly enjoyed most of the episodes (even the trailer filler episode). It really felt like I was watching S1A all over again. I found S2A refreshing and wholesome.

Here is a scattered list of some of the many moments/things that stood out to me...

AHHH! MO'S BRAIDS! Gah! I love them so much! I absolutely love her new hairstyle in season 2. Okay spacebuns! 🥰 Our little sweetie has grown up a bit and her new hairstyle looks so nice! I really like the attention to detail on her braids, her edges and baby hairs. You can tell that the character designers actually did their research on black hairstyles, and I really appreciate that because so many shows get it so wrong and they are just downright disrespectful.

SHOCKWAVE'S HESITATION!!!! HE HAD A CLEAR SHOT AND HE WAS GOING TO ATTACK, but then he just...didn't.

I was wondering how the weird tension between Shockwave, the Terrans and Malto Kids would be resolved. In S1C we see Shockwave working with the Terrans and Malto Kids to help take down Croft and her army. But you can tell that this was mainly because they shared a common enemy and because the season was ending.

But now even with Shockwave working under Starscream's command, he still hesitated and just let Twitch and Robby pass. He had the element of surprise, he watched them steal the shards and he could have easily ambushed them. He just...didn't. I am hoping that this gets explored further in the season and we get more of Shockwave.

BREAKDOWN CALLING AFTERMATH 'SON'!!! 🥺🥺🥺 And calling him kid!!! 🥺🥺🥺 I don't know, this is just so adorable to me. Regardless of the faction, clearly all the Cybertronians view the Terrans as children. Even though I found Aftermath to be very irritating, I thought it was really sweet how fast Breakdown tried to protect him and how he had grown to care for him. That fake father/son montage and the 'son' bomb took me out. I was laughing so hard. 🤣

✨️ALEX MALTO'S MAGICAL BOY TRANSFORMATION SEQUENCE!!!✨️

I kid you not, I had to pause the episode because I was laughing so hard! I could not breathe! 🤣 It was so sudden! It was so smooth! Alex was READY! You know he's been waiting for the day that he can finally reveal his Magical Boy uniform! I love it! Everyone's reaction was perfect! Megatron was so done with Alex. 🤣

And Nightshade giving their father a boost after Alex struggled to climb up the wall during the race is just so wholesome! 🥺 I'm so glad we got to see more of Alex interacting with his children in this batch of episodes. He gave so much enthusiastic, concerned, loving dad energy in this batch of episodes, it was beautiful.

TWITCH VS SPITFIRE!!!

That was so intense! It was really cool seeing them fight and use their different abilities against each other. Seeing Twitch get competitive with her basically evil twin sister was fun to watch. Twitch's competive nature really came out because THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE!!! Loll despite how hard Twitch had to fight, she definitely proved to Spitfire and to herself that she is the 'better drone'. I found it interesting that instead of Robby being the one to point out that Twitch is really Spitfire, it was actually Wheeljack. It was nice that he used his Dad 2 nickname to confirm his suspicions. He's clearly taken a liking to it. ☺️But I'm glad that Robby had his moment to determine which Twitch is the real Twitch.

Swindle interacting with a human and not trying to squish the human??? Yeah, I was shocked when I watched 'The Butterfly Effect' and saw Swindle interacting with Fairmaestro. But then seeing Swindle basically try to swindle Fairmaestro was the perfect 'Aha!' moment.

I really like TFE's version of Cosmos, and I wish he had more than one appearance in this batch of episodes! He just disappeared after his debut episode, but I wanted more of him! His design is very nice too. He is a perfect round boi. But how the heck did he get captured by Fairmaestro? How long was he under his control? If he joined the Autobots after the Maltos rescued him, why wasn't he in any other episodes with the other Autobots? 🤔 But also, I love the way he handled Fairmaestro and dumped his ass in the dunk tank. Since Fairmaestro easily escaped Jon's custody, I wonder if we'll see more of him.

Starscream as the main antagonist. Hmmm. I gotta say, while it's refreshing that we finally got a new main villain, it's also disappointing that it ended up being Starscream. Starscream caused so much chaos in S2A and sure, it's Starscream. What do you expect? He's always been untrustworthy, violent and unpredictable. But really? Did he seriously have to go back to being the villain after he had a bonding moment with Hashtag? After he worked with the Malto family because he realized that there are much larger threats out there. I'm assuming that he had to fuck up shit in the beginning of season 2 to make way for a serious redemption arc later on. I assume an even bigger threat will enter the scene soon. I sure hope so, because Screamy hit an all time low when he brutally took out the Chaos Terrans. That was just...wow. 😨

Dot Malto being the 'villain' and spraying her kids with the hose during the competition was hilarious. We love a good badass mom moment. 🤭

Contrary to what some people have said, I actually don't mind the Malto Kids at all, or their new power upgrades. They've dealt with so much shit in S1, so it only makes sense that they will eventually get some upgrades and powers to help protect themselves. They act like how kids their age would act irl, so of course they're going to have their annoying, problematic moments where they get themselves into a lot of trouble. The only difference is, they have a lot more sense and they acknowledge when it's time to stop and get serious. Even though it's really obvious that TFE is marketed towards kids, I like that it puts emphasis on family, teamwork, and it has its fair share of cheesy moments. It's very reminiscent of TFA.

I really enjoyed Hashtag and Mo's bonding episode. Even though Robby and Mo have a strong connection to Twitch and Thrash because they are the first Terrans that were born, it's nice to see the Malto Kids interact with their other Terran siblings as well. We almost always see Mo with Thrash or Robby with Twitch, so to see different dynamics among the Terrans and their human siblings is refreshing. And yessss! Hashtag calling Mo her little big sister and Mo calling Hashtag her big little sister is just too great!

Hashtag's new alt mode is so shiny! I love it! It's a nice upgrade, and I like her new root mode design too. I thought it was interesting that she got a new virtual assistant with her systems upgrade.

Cyber-syncing!!! I feel like it was only a matter of time before it was introduced. Something tells me that we're going to have more moments when cyber-syncing will be needed to take down a foe. It was an interesting addition to the Terrans and Malto Kids' existing abilities. I wonder if we'll see more cyber-syncing combos, like maybe a Hashtag/Nightshade/Robby/Mo combo. Or a Jawbreaker/Twitch/Robby/Mo combo. Or just more cyber-syncing in general. I did find Jawbreaker's sync with Aftermath to be very forced and unnecessary. I get that he felt left out in that episode, but it just feels like it was so unnecessary to the plot and it just felt like bad comedy relief.

Overall, I actually really enjoyed S2A. There were only a few episodes and moments that I found meh, but for the most part it was a good watch and it's about to be on repeat while I patiently wait for Transformers One and S2B to come out.

[hestzhyen]

Chapter 45 Uh, Seriously?! Posting

So! Full speed ahead it is, internet void! What a dense chapter.

First up, John Hishaku and the Samurai Murderer Guy that was at Chihiro's house in chapter 2.

Guess we'll see more of him soon, how fun! It's not quite clear how many people are talking here, but Hishaku scheming is afoot and the game is on. The only question is how fucked the Kamunabi is going to be by the end of the arc IMO.

And don't think I missed that vase reappearing. My nemesis. The spiky boi on the mid-left drove me insane as soon as the raws dropped but I would like to tentatively propose that it is a kiku (chrysanthemum). Different colors have very different meanings so I still admit defeat on that front. But kiku are usually associated with mourning or Imperial imagery, so that's cool. I demand a treat if this flower arrangement turns out to be the world's subtlest hint that the Hishaku are related to an old regime or breakaway faction of the government.

But yeah... so much cuteness this week. Very welcome after the rich drama from the past few chapters.

Boys who commit patricide together fall asleep mid-conversation wake up together, apparently. And for all the fan artists/fanfic writers out there, it's now canon that both of them are wearing long-sleeved shirts under the other layers. I was kind of hoping for Chihiro to be wearing one of his dad's shirts but this is more in character...

Fine, okay, it's probably for convenience's sake since apparently these guys can only rest for one night before jumping into the lion's den. But I'm flabbergasted by their soulmate coding. I kind of expected Hakuri to pass out, but Chihiro conking out at the same time in the same pose is too damn cute! Barely over a week together and they've already perfectly synced their sleep schedules and postures lol.

I find it deeply amusing that the entire flashback sequence at the end of chapter 44 was purely for the reader's benefit though. Seriously! Hakuri asked Chihiro "So... what comes next?" and then they both immediately passed out sitting up. So the last four pages were there just to spare us from even more infodumping in this chapter, which is much appreciated.

That's something that Hokazono-sensei also did at the end of the vs. Sojo arc in chapter 18. 10 pages to him exploding, 7 to the situation at the Kamunabi (which will now come into play! EXCELLENT LAYERING OF DETAILS!). I don't know if I'm smart or educated enough to do a full analysis on the techniques he's using, but I love the style. He doesn't let the emotional points linger too long or waste a single goddamn panel in this manga. Yeah, I want more time with the characters outside of serious plot moments, but there's not much else for me to complain about. The need isn't particularly dire anyway since every scene is efficient in giving us characterization and info at the same time (example later this rant).

So yeah. Thanks to that excellent pacing decision, we get to witness this crowning moment of heartwarming:

LOOK AT THESE DORKS. LOOK AT THEM. I LOVE EVERY SINGLE ONE. Thank you for this moment of Team Goldfish x Hiyuki and Tafuku bliss.

And look at the food on the table! Hiyuki and Tafuku have earned a measure of trust with Team Goldfish! Just a bit, but Shiba definitely wouldn't have let them stay the night and eat with them if he felt they were dangerous.

It's also so sweet that Char's comfortable sitting in big bro Tafuku's lap... she's come a long way since her debut as a scared, scruffy orphan. Wonder where the gang is hanging though. Someone's apartment, I guess? A nearby hotel? More insignificant details this annoying reader wants to know...

TW for SF5-era tournament enthusiasts: That Stage appears in the first panel.

Did anyone have bets on Shiba wrecking Hiyuki in Street Fighter while waiting for Hakuri and Chihiro to wake up? I didn't, but I love it. And this scene highlights something I've really come to appreciate about Kagurabachi's writing: it's incredibly efficient. Almost every scene has more than one thing being conveyed at a time. For instance, here we learn that Hiyuki sucks at Street Fighter compared to Shiba but is too stubborn to quit (comedy & character consistency) and still doesn't know he's ex-Kamunabi (serious). This in turn tells us that Shiba's probably got something to hide from active Kamunabi personnel. After all, it's not like the org itself is a secret, and we wouldn't see Hiyuki questioning him twice if his circumstances weren't suspicious. So Shiba's subplot thickens while we laugh at the gag- peak efficiency.

The cuteness, though... the sweetness of this chapter, man!

Chihiro respecting Yuu's nickname and correcting Hakuri with such a gentle expression is incredibly adorable. He's so relaxed here... but oh wait, there's... chibi Hakuri and Chihiro apologizing for worrying Uncle Shiba?!

Chihiro and his new #1 enabler owe more than an apology but it's good enough for now.

This break wasn't quite long enough to reset the tension in my opinion, but it absolutely delivered on character moments. We definitely needed this after all the big feels from the previous few chapters. I wish there was more time devoted to letting us calm down before ramping up again but what we got here is pretty good.

And so we jump feet-first into laying the groundwork for the Kamunabi arc. A nice, efficient recap of the situation leads us into some additional context and a surprising bit of Shiba characterization. Whatever beef he's got with the Kamunabi feels quite personal for a guy who plays it cool and loose most of the time. We know he's glad he quit because they're too uptight, but there's gotta be more to it than that- he's subtly trying to steer Chihiro away from them while Hiyuki is having none of it here. I want to gently snap this man in half to make him spill his secrets...

At the end of the day, though, Shiba's not going to stop Chihiro from joining the Kamunabi. That's been his thing since Chapter 1: if Chihiro makes up his mind to do something, Shiba will offer advice and make suggestions but ultimately leave the decisions up to him. I wonder how much of his guilt over Kunishige's death plays into that...

Then!

PFFT. "I know what I'm doing here seems risky and unwise but It's fine, trust me. I've got Hakuri." OKAY BUDDY. You've been able to do a hell of a lot since you met this kid haven't you? It's like meeting him changed the trajectory of your life as much as you changed his.

Shiba's expression is very interesting to me. He's like "ah, I get it..." and he's not thrilled in the slightest. Adding Hakuri to the team means Chihiro can be even more reckless than ever before; what little influence he had over Chihiro's safety is all but gone now. And Hakuri himself won't try to stop Chihiro from putting his life on the line- he'll risk his own to help him do it! All this while they're poised to go somewhere he probably can't follow... poor Mr. Shiba.

And then!! AND THEN!!!

Chapter 32: Smile Unlocked (once has no meaning...)

Chapter 36: Smile Lost (twice is a coincidence...)

Chapter 38: Locked In (three times is a pattern...)

Chapter 45: Smile Restored (four times is fate)

The one pulling the other forward is always on the right, leading the reader as well.

When one calls, the other answers. What one starts, the other finishes. A and Un. And this time Hakuri echoes Chihiro's "you got it" catchphrase back to him! I hope this is their thing now, like the "How's my timing?/Perfect" bit that Shiba and Chihiro had.

I'm going absolutely insane over this interaction though. It's the first time Chihiro's gotten to hear someone affirm that they'll see things through with him at his own request (on-screen at least). The first time he's outright said he needs someone, even. And of course Hakuri responds so enthusiastically- he's finally wanted. Just a few days ago he thought he'd never amount to anything. But he's got so much hope thanks to Chihiro's faith in him now.

"What I need in my life is a samurai! THAT'S YOU!" is finally answered with "I'm going to need your help again." hnnnngh what in the hell is this chapter.

Platonic, familial, romantic- however you want to see their relationship, these guys are meant to be together. If I ever start to doubt Hakuri's importance again just smack me right upside the head- he's truly Chihiro's other half now. Let's cheer them on and hope nothing horrible happens to Hakuri ever again! Protect the smile of the boy who would die for you on command, Chihiro. You've been warned.

Protected Bearers

Cool stuff ahead, and tough times to go with them. I doubt things will be as simple as Chihiro successfully making his case and being allowed to start trying to Talk no Jutsu the former wielders. This arc seems like it could easily be longer and more complicated than the previous two combined. I kind of hope it is, just to get more time with everyone. I've never loved a cast of characters this much.

That said... In another series I'd be sure Chihiro would visit each area one by one in their own mini arc, but Kagurabachi is probably going to subvert the expectation somehow. We got previews of the areas so we'll be seeing all of them. Probably (we goddamn better after that gorgeous spread showing them off.), but not in the way we'd expect. This story is so fast I kind of expect us to blitz through all of them in a handful of chapters each... guess it depends on how in-depth we get with the bearers themselves.

As we originally saw them in chapter 18. The slightly updated designs from this chapter are pretty nifty.

I'm 100% sure the order they're presented here corresponds with the areas shown on the spread immediately afterwards. So eye scars is stuck in a temple, the girl is stuck in an onsen, kabuki monk guy is stuck in what looks like a floating shrine, and sushi chef is in... a sushi restaurant. Wow shocker.

I'm going to make the assumption that they got to choose where they were imprisoned for the rest of their lives. Maybe it was the government's way of expressing gratitude for helping the war effort? Which makes Magatsumi's wielder (the Sword Master) being sealed up like a nasty curse all the more intriguing... he's clearly fucked up but was he always that way or did the sword corrode his mind? Is there more to the lifelong contract with these swords than just being the only person who can use them? I better get some answers!

Anyway.

So Kunishige personally knew and chose these people... I wonder how meeting them will deepen Chihiro's understanding of his father's legacy. I sincerely doubt that all of them will make it easy for him to recover the blade they're tied to, but we'll hopefully learn a lot while Chihiro makes his attempts. Really seems like we are set up for Kunishige and Seitei War backstory so I am hype. Dead DILF lore! DEAD DILF LORE!

Hiyuki and Kamunabi Thoughts

Hiyuki also had some interesting moments this chapter. She understands that the current stalemate with the Hishaku has tied the Kamunabi's hands for the most part, forcing them to do less than savory things (like bidding on the Shinuchi) to keep the peace. And despite her hotblooded outburst before the auction, she still has rock solid faith in her org's mission. So I don't think she'll defect easily so as long as she believes the mission is doable under better circumstances.

And it seems like she thinks Chihiro might be the right catalyst for change... hmm. She's essentially using him as a chaos agent to shake up the status quo because he proved himself to her. She finds him worthy of deciding how to handle the blades, so now she's giving him and Hakuri the opportunity prove themselves to her leaders. Very cool. There's some rather deep stuff going on with her.

Hiyuki's much more establishment-oriented than her personality and actions suggest. I get the sense that she's there as an idealist who is willing to upset the status quo to see the mission through. A true believer in a bureaucratic institution- love that type of conflict. Can't wait to see more of her in this arc!

So now we're set to see Chihiro's philosophy and methods on trial. Super intriguing stuff and I'll definitely be looking at the questions each Kamunabi leader is asking to try and suss out their allegiance. Playing Guess the Traitor this arc is gonna be a lot of fun (I hope)!

Speaking of which... Azami as the traitor allegations don't move me, but I do think he'll be restricted this arc due to the ongoing investigation into his clandestine activities. Chihiro could well be on his own without an adult to watch out for him. At least he and Hakuri will be there for each other. ...With no one to try and stop them from doing reckless stunts. Uh oh.

So that's a wrap on this fuckhuge ramble. Hope the breakneck pace slows down just a smidge but I'm still very onboard with whatever is coming next. Thanks for allowing me to ramble as always, void.

[vasyandii]

Hi, Vasya! I’m sorry, if you wrote it somewhere and I just missed it, but I was wondering, what are Naks relationships with other Chimera members (ok, Krueger is obvious and I remember you writing about Syd). Is it ‘just business’ for her or are they her friends? What does she think of them? Thank you so much!

Hi Thank you so much for the Ask!! Im going to section out by each individual operator if that's okay (I'm really bad at explaining things so please bear with me ;-;)

NAK'S RELATIONSHIPS WITH CHIMERA MEMBERS (+How I think Nak would draw them)

Beforehand: These are just my personal Headcanons from how I interpret their characters and voicelines!

SYD

I briefly mentioned Syd being someone Nak views as an older sister figure in her Bio so I'd like to touch more on that-

Nak, She sees Syd as a sister because Syd's the first person she's comfortable enough to talk about her personal experiences and cares enough about her that Nak shows interest in what Syd as to say. For a long while didn't have a healthy support system before she fled Laos . Being introduced to Syd, she was reluctant and dismissive for the first week or so. However, seeing how Syd was trying to at least be on good terms with her, she thought it was safe enough to give it a chance.

Syd (from her voicelines) is outgoing, friendly, strong-willed, and determined. Nikolai probably asked her to intergrate Nak into the group. Both of them being from wealthy families of people with political/military influence is something they have in common. She understood to an extent why Nak had difficulty trusting people (Not including the whole Naga Trauma stuff) and was willing to take up the challenge.

They hang out during breaks, Nak gets to experience Normal life stuff like a Girls Night, doing her hair, going shopping.

YEGOR

Yegor, having 3 kids himself, probably has an instinct to protect and look out for those who are younger in the field (from His interactions with Rodion and his discomfort with using children during interrogation). He's lowkey concerned abt Nak because she's one of the youngest members in the faction. He knows how people in their early 20s would act from his personal experience but Nak doesn't fit the mold and it's worrying, even if he doesn't say it.

Nak has cried because he called her "kid", she didn't even realize she was crying from that. It was like an inner child healing experience. She initially didn't like him because she felt like he was "treating her as if she's a child" but grew to respect him since they have pasts in organized crime and he feels like her idea of a dad.

NIKOLAI

Nikolai is hard on Nak (alot of cleaning duties, etc.) Because she's one of the youngest people in the faction. " If you wann work here you gotta be good at your job" mindset. He knows that she's a good operator so he pushes her to do her best, with boundaries of course.

Nak thinks of Nikolai as a better version of Naga. She says he's a pain in the ass but really respects him; He got her a job, he accommodated for her issues with routine mental check ups, and his methods with missions is efficient and more her style. She's called him Dad on accident a handful of times, I don't think Nikolai bothered to correct her though.

ISKRA

Iskra doesn't have an opinion on Nak, she respects Nak's ability as an operator but thinks she's a bit strange

Nak thinks Iskra is so cool. She doesn't know how to talk to her because she thinks Iskra is really pretty and admires her relationships with the other female operators. She wants to be friends with her.

Farah

Farah doesn't have an opinion in Nak, doesn't know her that well.

Nak is a bit intimidated by Farah because of her Accomplishments, respects her as an operator

Krueger

She thinks he's stupid and dumb (they kiss)

If you made it this far thank you or reading, the post corrupted initially so that's why it's longer 😭😭

[givethemsmut]

Dom Mysterio x Reader

Chapter Eleven | Where It All Started…

I watched Dom talk to some beauty with a full face of makeup and outfit so put together I felt underdressed in Dom’s hoodie. Suddenly I felt insecure and small so I stayed put. Sitting on the black case used to store equipment I crossed my legs under me waiting for Dom to be done.

Still shaking off Randy’s veiled threats I scrolled on my phone, buy more things for the house, and plan for our baby.

It wasn’t until Randy walked by, again, asking me to wish him luck. Looking at him confused he elaborated: “Didn’t he tell you? I’m his new arch enemy… I get to ruin his fight. Maybe his life.”

Randy didn’t want me, he just wanted to make sure Dom stayed under his boot. Keeping him in his place as the next legacy up for success.

Quickly standing up I clutched at Randy, begging him to rethink this. I knew Randy was vindictive in the worst ways.

Security stopped me from going further when Randy’s music hit and I watched him rush to the ring from the sidelines.

Costing Dom the match, he grabbed a mic, “I’m tired of your ungrateful ass. Beautiful girlfriend, baby on the way, legacy dad, top tier faction and yet night after night I have to hear you complain. I’m tired of it. I’m gonna give you plenty to complain about.”

I was there when Dom came backstage and I could see the anger all over his face. I rushed him skidding my hand in his. “Dom, why didn’t you tell me?”

“Why? You’re the one who gave them the idea when they saw our fight over you at the hotel.” He was sweaty, rage smeared his features and there was nothing I recognized right now. 

“Dom. I need to talk to you privately. Right now.” I followed him off the backstage platform, begging him to stop, while Randy walked through the same way only he wasn’t silent. At all.

“One of those things you can complain about? Ask your girlfriend. Can’t wait to see your face.” 

Randy badgered him and Dom powered towards him, throwing fists and elbows. “Be fucking jealous. I have everything you don’t.”

Security pushed me out of the way and cameras appeared trying to capture the fight. Randy got the last hit in when Dom laid on the dirty floor for longer than needed. When I rushed to his side the cameras zoomed in on Dom before he pushed the camera away.

Finally getting up, Dom took my arm into his grip and dragged me to a private dressing room before slamming the door. Driving his fist against the door he didn’t even turn to face me before speaking, “What does he know that I don’t? Whatever secrets you have aren’t going to be secret anymore.”

“Dom. It was a long time ago. We were babies, living in that condo during your training. None of it was planned.” I stalled trying to avoid saying the sour words.

Turning around his eyes pierced me, “Just say it.”

“It was a mistake, Dominik. We weren’t together.”

“Fucking. Say. It.” He demanded.

“During the Hall of Fame that year Randy kept hitting on me, we had some drinks… we ended up fooling around.” I stood there shaking, trying to keep my composure. 

“You put me through hell the last few days. Demanding I tell you every little detail and here you are confessing to fucking Randy Orton. Was it worth it, sweetheart? Are you ready to relive it on national television?�� His voice was laced with venom and I knew better to get smart with any kind of comeback. His body loomed over mine, his mouth tight and his body tense.

“Dom. We weren’t together,” my words shook but I had to say them.

“So I’m the villain, baby? I fucked up because we were together? We’ve been together since we were fourteen. Whether you want to admit it or not. It’s always been us.” Snarling the words in my face I clamped my eyes down. “Start talking. Whatever secrets you still have.”

“Don’t do this, Dominik.” I begged him. 

“I need to fucking cool off. I expect answers.” Walking past me, his shoulder checking mine, I lost my balance. Pivoting I watched Dom pull off his sweaty shirt and peel off his ring attire entirely. I followed him further into the locker room, where the showers sat at the back of the room. 

Hitting the wall with his fist I watched him twist the knob of the shower before pushing down his boxer briefs. Leaning against the wall I forced my eyes down.

“We were drunk. He kept touching me. I thought we’d make out or something but then it escalated…”

Standing under the water with the shower curtain open I was forced to watch his reaction to my confession. “Escalated how? He fucked you?”

“You’ve fucked plenty of girls who weren’t me. Including Marie.” I shot back.

His hands pushed back his hair under the water and I watched his muscles stretch. “On purpose. To hurt you. To make you jealous. None of it ever worked. I didn't even know about Randy so what was your excuse?”

“It’s hard to explain… you won’t understand…”

“I’m familiar with the concept of sex, sweetheart. He fucked you from behind? Missionary? You rode him? It’s not that complicated.” 

Stepping forward I tried to find the words when Dominik’s hand dragged me inside the shower. “Stop trying to not hurt my feelings. Just say it.”

“I rode him but not like that. He didn’t go inside me. It’s hard to explain. I’m so sorry, Dom. It wasn’t like that. It was just a drunken mistake.”

“You expect me to believe you didn’t touch him?”

“As much as she didn’t touch you…” I bit back waiting for his cruelty. 

His hand squeezed my features and I was soaked by the water. “Your pussy is never not going to be mine. It’s been mine since we were fucking fourteen. You can fight it, you can pretend, you can have my babies but nothing you do is going to erase my fucking name on that pussy.”

Dom had a few girls in his lifetime. Not enough to be a player at all but he took pride in being able to make me come without trying. Knowing someone else made me come only tortured him more than our youth.

Leaving me there under the shower head in my clothes he walked away before stopping. “Oh sweetheart? If I see him near you again I’ll fucking go to jail for hurting him. Trust me. See you on the bus in twenty.”

I believed Dom. He was nice until he wasn’t. There was an anger that lived inside of him and it liked to fight. 

When I left the shower I took a deep breath trying to compose myself when I saw a beat pile of clothes folded, a pair of sweats and Dom’s merch shirt. Thankfully I peeled my moist clothes off as fast as I could but it didn’t stop someone from walking in.

“Oi! Sorry!” His accent laid it on thick when I looked up to see one of the guys Dom worked with. His back read Judgement Day in purple and I relaxed a little more.

“I’m almost done. I was exactly supposed to get wet so I didn’t know where the towels were.” I pulled the shirt over my breasts and they shrugged trying not to rush me.

“I don’t want any problems. Dom is not someone I fuck with when it comes to you.”

I was curious when I asked, “what do you mean?”

Finally turning around with his hand over his eyes I let him know I was all set before he looked at me. “He already gave us the speech. You’ve been together since fourteen and if we even look at you sideways we’re dead. He doesn’t play when it comes to you.”

It made me want to smile but we were in a good space. Randy was something from the past trying to bring us down and Dom cheated on me. We were barely surviving and I was pregnant. Nothing was ideal.

Leaving his friend in the dressing room I headed for the outside when Dom was standing there with our bags changed out of his ring outfit. “Ready? Bus tonight. We’ll figure the rest out later.”

“Dom, I wasn’t traveling with you. You already have people you’re traveling with. That’s not fair to them.”

Rhea ended up in the doorway with open arms, “Congrats, girl! I’m so happy for you guys to have a mini Dom Dom!”

Feeling obligated I climbed the stairs to the bus. It was a trailer on wheels, endless room and bunks lining the sides. Following Rhea I parked myself on the couch. 

“Obviously, you guys should take the big bed in the back. I’ll wear headphones tonight.” She said her words with laughter in-between. 

I immediately felt awkward at the joke that we would be having sex on a bus filled with his coworkers. My cheeks flamed up and I announced I wasn’t feeling well before walking towards the back. I expected Dom to follow but after everything I couldn’t punish him for needing space either. 

Crawling onto the big bed I cuddled up to a pillow in my same clothes feeling guilty that their bodies ached while I ended up in the big bed. It made no sense. I wasn’t even showing yet. I scrolled through my phone until Dominik snuck in and shut the door behind him.

I tried not to look in his direction when he crawled onto the bed, crawling over me, and forcing me to pay attention. Twisting over his hands smoothed up my arms, clenching my wrists against the bed. “It doesn’t matter what happened in the past. None of it matters now. You’re having my baby.”

“The past for me is years. Yours is last month.” I spat at him between us.

“Is it easier for you if I fucked her? Is it easier if you fuck Randy? What do you want from me, baby? All I want is you, us. Just tell me what to do. I can’t even touch you. Is that what I have to do? Hold you down and force myself between your legs?” I could see the anger ignite in his eyes when his grip around my wrists got tighter.

“Dom. We’ve been using sex as the answer for years. It doesn’t solve everything.”

“Then fucking forgive me!” His face nudged into my neck and I felt his kisses trail down to my chest. “I'm not leaving. I’m not letting you leave me over a mistake.”

After the silence between us swelled he spoke again, “You’ve always driven me crazy. We’ve never been apart. I needed you…”

“You could have called, texted, FaceTimed me… I would have jumped on a plane for you. I would have done anything for you, Dom.” I pleaded with the vulnerable parts of him.

“I know, baby. I know. I was trying not to jerk off and it only made it worse. I was looking at pictures on my phone while she was talking to me, I don’t even know what she was saying before she kissed me. With my eyes closed I could imagine it was you. Do you remember that one time at the condo? You were shaking and you couldn’t focus. I was hurting like that.” His mouth trailed his kisses down my clothed body.

Trying to relax I tried to get him to stop but it was pointless. “That was different.”

“How? You showed up in my room practically fucking naked begging me to fuck you. I was suffering, I didn’t even get to ask you to let me, baby. I need you.”

[ flashback ]

We had lived together on our own in Florida for a year before things got harder. Dominik was always tempting me, flirting with me, and testing every reserve I had until I couldn’t take it anymore.

I was masterbating twice a day just to find any piece of relief when life got in the way. I had gone a week without any relief and Dom was not helping. 

Walking around in boxer briefs and a plain white shirt I felt myself inch deeper into the couch. Trying to look uninterested but still able to steal looks without being noticed. 

It wasn’t until Dom fell to the couch next to me with his chicken nuggets cluttering a plate. “Want some?”

Shaking my head I stayed silent and curled up in the corner making sure there was enough space between us. We had stopped toying with each other, stopped flirting, stopped acting like reckless kids like back home. We were giving each other space but that didn’t mean every time I saw Dom I didn’t feel my knees go weak.

His hand landed on my thigh, squeezing me enough to force me to look at him. “Catch me up. This week has been hell at the gym. Look at this sick bruise.”

Pulling up his shirt with one hand I saw the bruise hug his hip, all purple and angry. Gasping at the site I asked if he was okay when he so casually responded, “Pull those down a little.”

Hesitantly I let my fingers reach out, touching the waist band and tugging them down to see the bruise only got worse. “Dom.”

“I’m okay, babe. Just comes with the territory.” Pushing up his hips he looked down at the wear and tear with a smile on his face. “I’m finally earning some war wounds.”

I don’t know if I was stressed or hormonal but the tears clouded my vision and I plowed my face into the crook of his shoulder. Sobbing into him I felt a flood gate break realizing what his life was going to be when he only drifted further away. He was going to be on the road, getting hurt, meeting other girls and forgetting me. All of that caved me in. 

Putting down his plate his hands wrapped around me, “Hey, what happened? I’m okay. I promise.”

“It’s not that. It’s everything.” Explaining all my fears he paused, forcing my chin up. “I can’t promise that. I wish I could but I know eventually if we don’t end up together we’ll end up in other people’s beds. Trust me, I don’t want to fuck anyone else.”

Letting me cry into his body I felt myself relax just enough to fall asleep. When I woke up I was tucked in, a blanket laying over me heavily and it was dark throughout our condo. All I could see was the dim glow of light coming from Dom’s room at the end of the hallway. 

Picking myself up I felt all those fears only motivate me when I quietly walked to my room. Rummaging through my clothes I found a black thong and a mesh overlay that showed off everything. A thin see through material was the only thing covering my body.

Nervously I pushed Dom’s door open and stood there in the doorway waiting for him to notice me. Flicking the TV to mute he sat up in his bed, “Don’t do that to me.”

“Do what?” I asked innocently, my finger twisted up in the long ribbon holding the front together. 

“Show me everything I can’t have, baby.”

Pulling the ribbon I let it open carefully, slowly. The material scraping against my hard nipples before it opened. “I don’t want someone else being there for you… I don’t want someone seeing your bruises…”

Sitting in the center of his bed, Dom scrubbed his face wildly like he was going to magically wake up from a dream. “What are we going to do about that?”

Leaning back against the headboard cockily I couldn’t take my eyes off him. I let the cover fall down my shoulder, exposing my entire chest. “Dom,” I whined while fidgeting in the doorway. I wanted to crawl on the bed but I couldn’t get my shaking legs to move. “It’s not working. I can’t keep lying to myself…” I confessed.

“Your legs are shaking…” his hand gripped himself through his covers over his lap. “Mi amore. You made it clear I should stop trying.”

Sneaking into his bed I let the cover up drop to the floor completely first. “You don’t understand, Dom. I need you. I can’t… no one is you.”

Laying there so still my knees rubbed together.  Facing me his tongue swiped his lips, “Okay, tell me the rules.”

Reaching out for his shirt I tugged it gently, “I need you to make love to me. No more games or fucking. I’ve always loved you, Dominik. I just never felt good enough for you.”

“Fuck,” his head drooped to my shoulder. “I wish you said something sooner. Marie texted me… we’ve been talking.”

Suddenly I felt stupid and exposed laying in Dom’s bed. He wasn’t flirting. He simply wanted to show me his beaten body as a trophy. “Oh. I should go. I’m so sorry,” I slipped out of his bed and hurried for the door. 

I had waited a year to decide I needed him just for him to find sanctuary in his ex. I did it to myself. 

“Wait, wait, baby. I’m sorry.” His hand landed on my hip, keeping me in his bed and it only made the rejection worse. “I don’t want to hurt her.”

“You’re right, I’m too late.”

Getting on his knees he ended up on top of me. “I’m not a cheater.”

My hands grasped onto his shirt like a lifeline. “I know, Dom. I can keep a secret, baby. Just between us.” My mouth found his neck and I could help it when my lips trailed kisses to his jaw.

“Fuck, mi amore. We shouldn’t…” Nothing about his words screamed desire or torture enough to finally fall into bed. It was heartbreaking. It was simply sex. 

“I love you, Dom. You’ve never made love to me…” letting my knees brush the outside of his hips I arched my back, pushing my chest into his. “Please, Dom.”

“We’re older now. I don’t wanna hurt her again. We’ve been talking for a few months now.” He said sharply, protective even.

Jealousy swept my body and my hands roamed under his shirt, trying to push it off him until he gave up. Tracing his tattoos with my finger I whispered, “She’s back in Cali, we’re in Florida. I won’t tell, Dom. No one knows me like you do. I don’t want anyone else.”

“Goddamn it. What do you need from me, baby?” All the sexuality suddenly felt transactional instead.

Slipping my hand between us I stroked him inside his underwear. “You. This,” I whimpered before kissing his neck again. 

“What if I can’t fuck you?”

“Just kiss me, Dom.” His mouth found mine and it was almost instantly that his tongue was pressing against mine. My hands begged his hips to hump me.

“Fuck,” he pulled away just enough to feel like rejection.

“Don’t stop. Please baby.” I begged as I pushed the band on his boxers down until his cock fell out. 

“You want that, baby girl? Feel that? That tight ass pussy, am I gonna fit baby?”

Shaking my head, I separated my legs to show him how wet I am. 

“There we go, mi amore. Fuck. Is that what you want? You want to come on my cock baby? Come here, ride this.”

Twisting over he pulled me onto his lap, “that’s it baby.”

“Dom?” I asked before I sat on his lap. Looking up at me he shook his head, pressing back into his hands. “You were hard when I came in… because of her?”

“Yes. She sent me a photo. It doesn’t change that you’ll always turn me on too.”

He felt bad for me. This was pity sex. He wasn’t aching for me the way I was for him. 

Leaning down, our foreheads touched and my lips found his briefly. “You were right, Dom. We missed our time.” 

Dom pushed me off his lap. “You always do this. Make up excuses, run away scared. Marie wouldn’t have affected you at all before. Now she’s an issue? I wasted so much time chasing you.”

I let Dom leave without an argument. That was the last night we spoke for a while and the next time I did Marie was his serious girlfriend coming home for the holidays. 

[allwormdiet]

Arc 5: Hive, Concluding Thoughts

Boy this arc had a little bit of everything, huh?

Okay, lemme go back through my posts for this arc, that interruption in the middle of the blogging put a fucking hole in my recollection

Somer's Rock was a neat sequence, as much as I hated having to put up with the fucking Nazis seeing the disparate factions of the city come together in service to the city's stability, and then of course it's immediately undercut by the fact that the bulk of those factions are immediately planning to use this alliance to seize greater power for themselves. Way to show that the system works and then immediately show that the system is ripe for exploitation and abuse.

I think at this point I've settled on the idea that the Merchants are, at this point, bit players who haven't warranted much attention until this alliance business. Maybe they'll matter more down the road, maybe they won't, but they're little fish in a medium pond and the Undersiders have sharper teeth than they do at this point, which is saying something. Still stupid as fuck that the leadership are all getting high on their own supply, but I guess when you're the cape you get to call the shots.

Once that's settled, we come back around to Taylor's civilian life, and god. Fucking. Damn Emma Barnes. What is up with this girl where she feels as diabolical as the fucking villains? Her dad can't be the only thing, obviously it's not great that he's threatening a criminal trial in order to keep his daughter from consequences but if he was a catalyst for her change it would've been well before high school. I guess Sophia is the only variable that we know about, but Sophia doesn't seem to give that much of a shit compared to Emma, so what gives?

The entire meeting with the school is fucking agonizing. The system is failing Taylor Hebert at every step, if anyone with authority did anything to back her up she could've been so much happier, but of course that didn't happen. Like, no fucking wonder she found her solace outside the system; there's no place for her inside of it.

Maintaining that Mr. Gladly ought to die screaming, hope that manifests

I like most of the team-up that we get to see, obviously Kaiser and the fucking Nazi twins are lousy to deal with but at least two of them got their fucking asses whooped by Lung, so silver lining

I like Newter, little nervous about the drugging people thing but as long as we're keeping things consensual (outside of fights, I mean) then no complaints. Kicked fucking ass during the fight, too, that was rad. Labyrinth is hard to judge given that she wasn't super present, but her power's neat and I'm glad they got her out of the asylum. Sundancer has a fucking sickass power and I'm sad that she's having a bad time with her team, be nice if she could just ditch them or something if they're such a bad time. Coil's mercs are fucking hardcore, where did he even find a guy who could still perform marksmanship with a busted leg?

The raid on the warehouse was cool, another great display of Skitter's power and versatility

Oni Lee is a terrifying son of a bitch, that fight was tense right up until Skitter figured out how to crack his power and coordinate the others to take him down. She's a natural leader when she's given the opportunity, it's a shame she's been so isolated for so long.

For all that Taylor has gripes about the extra effort to save Newter being a waste of time, she didn't know about his disease immunity and she probably wouldn't have felt good about herself if she'd skimped out on the extra sanitation.

Also, interesting to see that Taylor has a reason, however small, for being so weird about drugs and drug users. I just thought that was her being judgmental, and... okay it's still partly her being judgmental, but there's more going on.

And then there's Lung. Holy fucking shit, Lung, you only had fifty guys under your command before Bakuda went on her recruitment drive and you only bothered to take the Docks? Dude you could be putting up numbers across the entire city if you wanted to, so what's going on that you don't want to? Is it contentment? Can you be content when you've apparently conquered multiple other gangs?

Setting that all aside, this motherfucker puts on a hell of a show when he's fighting. Lung gets the absolute shit kicked out of him, gets impaled repeatedly, gets cooked to shit by the power of the Sun in the palm of your hand, and it takes Newter's hallucinogen to actually topple him. He straight up has them all dead to rights before Taylor snatches victory from the jaws of defeat, that was going to end so fucking poorly otherwise.

The eye thing is. Okay so I still don't know if that's Taylor's inclination, Lung's luck, or both. I don't know if Lung is gonna get to stick around for long after a defeat this thorough but maybe they'll keep gouging them out when he's in the Birdcage, I dunno. Meanwhile I suspect that Taylor is only going to move onward and upward when it comes to inflicting bodily harm on people, but if eyes continue to feature... I dunno, it'll be telling at least.

And then more hangtime with Rachel! Learning more about her, how she thinks and operates. God willing between the fight and these revelations Taylor figures out how to smooth out their interactions and actually be, like, friends. The thing with the jacket was cute.

And then with the interlude there's two big highlights. First and foremost is obviously Gregor the Snail, which. I like his vibe. I like his vibe a lot. He seems like a very cool dude to hang out with, and I feel bad that he has to put up with so much shit as a "monster cape." Fucking shit luck on that one, hope his life gets easier at some point.

Second is what I'm guessing is Cauldron. Not only bottling up powers but selling them, or else distributing them to their own ends, and using human experimentation to refine the process without much care for what happens to the victims. Not comforted at all by the fact that they apparently can just give people retrograde amnesia, that's a fucking alarming power for a parahuman to have and I shudder at the abuses they could get away with as long as that's in their toolkit.

...Man. Buying yourself a superpower. That's fucked, is what it is. All the benefits and you don't have to suffer immense trauma.

Hoh boy, okay, no use speculating on that much longer. Arc 6 next, and once again utterly goddamn flummoxed at what's supposed to come next. Coil maybe? He's been properly introduced and I know he's going to matter more down the road, so maybe this is the point where he starts gaining further prominence? That can't be the entire arc though, there's gotta be more going on than that, but fuck me if I can predict what it is.

Only one thing to do if I want to find out.

[disappointingcabbage]

TDP Season 6 Episode 1 live reaction, spoilers under the cut

Who is this man crying?

What the fuck it’s Aaravos

Ok so Aaravos showing actual emotion was not on my 2024 bingo card

Genuinely why does his crying sound autotuned

There’s another startouched elf??? Who is she?????

Why is the intro still Viren getting statued??? He’s dead

Oh ok his statue got disintegrated

Yup he’s dead

Terry my beloved

O h n o he’s gonna find viren’s body

Bro why are you sobbing over this racist motherfucker

WAIT WHAT

HE’S ALIVE ????? WHY IS HE ALIVE????

oh no Claudia’s covered in blood

NOOO THE LITTLE MOTH GREMLIN SHE DID THE SACRIFICE

Oh damn Viren is fully redemption arcing and he has Regrets

“No parent wants their child to suffer for them” first of all tell that to Soren. Atone for your bullshit. Second of all you’ve clearly never met my mother

Ah shit Aaravos convinced Claudia to let him out

Viren’s actually putting his foot down and saying no. I never would have predicted this pre-s5 but now it makes total sense and I love that the writers are sticking with his character development

Oh ew this show is actually going to get me to like Viren I hate that

He’s going to Katolis to turn himself in. Based tbh.

Claudia what the fuck though like girlie your whole point of everything was to get your dad back and he’s fine now why are you still going along with Aaravos

Oof her voice acting in this scene is incredible though

Also she’s still missing that leg. I hope she gets either a cool prosthetic or an even cooler mobility aid.

Soren has opening blindfolded for some reason. The reason is either going to be A Secret Meeting for Very Not Good Ominous Reasons or something very funny

Based on the tone of the scene I’m assuming it’s the funny option

LMAO LORD BREADSANDWICH SOREN I LOVE YOU

Oh it’s just a season 5 recap in the high mage’s office

Oooh they’re deciding what to do with aaravos’s prison

I get he’s on the high council and all but why is Barius here???

Callum wants to destroy the prison, Opeli wants to assemble a multi-kingdom task force to protect it, and Barius wants to hide it

I’m with Callum or Barius tbh, the multi kingdom task force idea exposes too many people to potentially be manipulated by aaravos.

However, hiding it means that it can be found probably and exposes everyone who already knows about it to Aaravos, and destroying it runs the risk of freeing him accidentally.

Soren with the LOTR reference 💀

Rayla has the same issues as me with destroying it

Ezran has decided to hide it in katolis, smart choice

oh no, Zym’s sad about Zubeia

Callum wants to visit this ancient faction of skywing elves for info on A) yeeting the pearl out of existence and B) un-coining Rayla’s family (please let them out)

Callum is right to be afraid of aaravos manipulating him tbh

Awww one of the baitlings sleeps in Callum’s bed

Oh god aaravos nightmares oh FUCK WHY ARE YOU SLEEPWALKING

what the fuck what the fuck whY IS HE IN THE PEAR WHAT WAS THAT IMAGE OF AARAVOS YEETING THE PEARL F E A R

Rayla do NOT dismiss Callum’s concerns like that

“I have an idea” *fucking sprints away to enact said idea without elaborating* peak autism moment

I’m sorry, you want to stop aaravos with the power of pastries?

“Sometimes I wonder where my mom is too” SOBBING

awwwww bait has a little four poster bed that’s so cute

AHDIEJXIEKF BARIUS DID AN “is it real or is it cake” WITH A FUCKING PEARL DECOY IM WHEEZING

Ooh anti spell blankie

“I have my blankie 😎” Callum I would die for you

Soren and zym are going on a quest to find Zubeia and Callum and Rayla are going to see the Celestial Elves but more importantly, each questing squad is taking a baby bait with them!!

If the one going with Soren isn’t Hat I will be very disappointed

Claudia why are you ominously standing over Terry and trauma dumping

Claudia what are you doing with the staff

Claudia no please don’t hurt him if you hurt him it’s transphobic

Oh ok she’s just walking her toxic ass out of the relationship cool

Terry don’t wait for her she doesn’t deserve it

[chococustard]

Your Genshin kids are adorable! I love the Priscilla/Yuying/Claire friendship you alluded to in the last art dump (poor Diluc… your daughter just has an instinct for divine beings)

But on the topic of poor Diluc, how do their parents react to the friendship? Diluc and Wriothesley seem like they would be good friends since they have a lot in common but everyone else basically represents every faction in the game.

You got Neuvillette, a dragon sovereign seeking to judge the archons for their crimes; Zhongli, an archon who presumably destroyed Khaenri'ah 500 years ago; Kaeya, a Khaenri'ah spy who is a descendant of the man who founded the abyss order; and Childe, a fatui harbinger who fell into the abyss.

Would they try and keep it together for the sake of their kids? (I love the idea that the three girls are there going :3 while their parents are glaring daggers at each other) Would they find some sort of common ground? Would they recognize each other immediately but think the others don’t know so they come up with increasingly ridiculous ways to hide it? How did Wriothesley and Neuvillette react to the incident with Claire and Yuying? (Can you tell I like the angst?)

hi hi!! thank you so much im glad you like them!!! bc we have limited knowledge atm there's a lot of questions posed that cannot be answered and considering how new fontaine is idk anything for sure //shakes hoyo

they try to keep cordial for the kids tm or at least not to be bad influences in front of them. extra notes under the cut:)

diluc met nv first when he brought claire to fontaine for a business trip and she just, drags in a half dragon to him yelling "i made a new friend!:D" then he met nv and he knew. just knew, these people ain't human. found out they're dragons. "great," he sighed once more.

kae plays his quartermaster persona to a t. when he first meets wriolette he puts on the charm. nv only knows him for via the knights and wrio rarely goes above ground. so like, they're cool with him. mostly. they both do questionable shit that nv can't personally approve of but hey. they ain't his problem. (on that note i like to think he'd be good friends with jean:)) (does nv know about kaeya's khaenrian blood? does he know about khaenri'ah in general? i dont have him)

kaeya and wrio has this, kind of friendship that's like, there's a tension there. they're both people with reputations, but also, like that tm. they're cordial and they get along but there's. SOMETHING.

meanwhile diluc meeting wrio? he's ELATED. man has good taste in tea. they spar sometimes. FINALLY, SOMEONE NORMAL.

wrio is happy in general his baby is making friends meanwhile nv is: to claire: good child:) to yuying, the daughter of one of the usurpers: hmmmm :| (he knows the child did nothing wrong and she's a good kid in general) contrast to diluc he actually LIKES childe. for one he helped with the narwhal thing, and the fatui helped during the crisis and childe himself never did anything bad personally so they're chill. he will sometimes humor his requests to fight if he's free. then decks him. the adeptus power up juice doesn't help much rip. the girls like to play with his hair.

zhongli knows kaeya's khaenrian. kaeya at some point finds out zhongli is rex lapis. they. they have to keep it together. one of them is under nda. outside of that, there's a reason kaeya is liked by the old timers of mond.

zhongli and nv:

nv finds out eventually. and for the sake of his daughter, dont worry about it. they'd bond over old people things probably. nv should meet yanfei and they should be friends if anything cause zl is a menace and they'd be passive aggressive w each other. (i need info but it would be so funny for their kids to go my dads stronger! and make them fight each)

via claire, AGAIN, she invites her bestie yy and the new friend from fontaine to her bday party cause SURE WHY THE FUCK NOT. and those 2 non humans meet and GASP, you're just like me!

post accident tm, what do you even say to that. how do you even react to that

early on in yuying and claire's friendship, on a windy summer day, diluc slowly gets used to having to be cordial with a harbinger. a harbinger who who married a god. someone who will live longer than him. he spoke to childe, as they watch their daughters laugh and run through the grapevines, "one day, when i'm no longer around, please look after my daughter."

[starry-bugs]

is fit still the equivalent of a war vet in demonoier au ? is fitpac a thing ?

yes and yes! 2b2t was a war faction, kind of similar to what bad and cellbit were in, only with a lot less rules. it was hell, and fit's glad to have left it behind him.

and fit and pac are heavily flirting in the background of this au! they meet when fit needs some repairs done on his arm, and pac just so happens to be the guy to do it. they both kind of fell pretty hard right at the start

ramon was not impressed until he was allowed to sit in on the intern program at chume labs, and even then he wants no funny business! even if pac is pretty cool and makes his dad happy

fit and pac are also each other's date for spiderbit's wedding

[moononmyfloor]

Dashing Youth Ep 36-40 Commentary

Ep 1-10, Ep 11-16, Ep 17-21, Ep 22-25, Ep 26-32, Ep 33-35

Ep 36

This ep had nothing much of interest for me, all this talk of "bringing Ye Dingzhi back to the rightful path" is boring af like you never asked him what is it exactly that he wants, not before, not now

The part where Dongjun cultivates at the edge where mortal world meets the start of heavens was very cool, if a story wants to convince me that he rebuilt his lost cultivation in a year, this place is as good as it gets for the purpose.

Evil sister being permanently imprisoned and left to rot than being granted an immediate death is super satisfying

This part was pretty sweet, the way he closed his eyes and put his stubbly chin in her palms

Ep 37

When I watched He Yu's Dashing Youth interviews etc, I thought he sounded unusually straightforward and frank for an idol actor. And then I looked at his profile and realised that dude is an Architecture graduate and went to Vancouver for further studies and then returned to China to participate in acting workshops. Well THAT explains a lot of things. For example, how he carries himself with such gravitas and confidence despite being a new actor, he basically stole the show from HMH from the very ep 1 imo and that did not happen just because he looks good, because everyone looks amazeballs in this show anyway.

Not to mention "hurt young dad trying his best" is not a role you often see among Chinese idol dramaland main characters, and even rarer for a newbie actor to take on such a role. Like he came in and served. End of the story.

FINALLY. The two most grounded characters of the show meet up! Funny how at first I shipped them with Dongjun and as time went on the less interesting let alone shippy Dongjun felt and now I can't help but imagine, what if these two met earlier, instead?

And gods, this is exactly what I love about Changfeng. Despite being the sweetest baby of the show, he's incredibly realistic and doesn't care for the popular beliefs let alone factions. He'd rather have a face-to-face with the problem at hand and form his opinion.

"Hey buddy, wanna spar?" Just like that. Unafraid and non-judgemental, because he has not formed any yet, because he doesn't have a reason to. And he instantly won over Dingzhi who rarely trusts anyone. Too bad they met only now.

Aww, I feel like this is a nudge to their other-selves in I Am Nobody, right?

"I've stopped saying corny things and have turned mature because any sentence could be your last in the battlefield, and ends up getting carved on your tombstone."

-insert gremlin laugh-

Yeah Mengsha, that's exactly what will be on your grave. "HAHAHAHAHA"

PFft I love him.

Yeah she found that man and then he died. Huhu.

The rest of the ep is about the so called righteous party trying to beat the hot young dad with their sheer incompetence and that wasn't interesting enough to comment on.

Ep 38

Putting the disturbed souls to rest in the name of his daughter, that's Sikong Changfeng. It sounds kinda morbid on paper, but in truth only the most purest, benevolent person in the world would be able to do that. I was reminded of The Untamed for a second there.

Daring the monarchy from atop the palace gate, as the most peerless person in jianghu atm. I think both Master Li and Master Rain Demon would be proud of you.

Yknow, for Dingzhi who suffered from wishy washy treatment from most people all his life (yes, that includes you too Dongjun), a clear yes/no answer to this question would've been a mercy.

Ep 39

This was unexpectedly hilarious lol

Little girl u are pissing me off. You weren't born when the definitions of right and wrong were created in the world.

"What is wrong is wrong" bruh shut up, you are embarrassing your dad and not in the serotonin-inducing way he always embarrassed himself.

And I called Dongjun blindly idealistic.

Speaking of whom, Dongjun and Yue Yao actually kinda redeemed themselves for me again in this ep, by proving that even at this point, the "righteousness" he cares for is for his Yun ge to get the happiness he deserves.

Would've been better if you actively stepped up earlier than this to safeguard the happiness that he and Wenjun had found by a margin, tho. You had years of opportunity and now it's too late.

For softhearted lackeys, Wuxin's gay uncles are pretty alright regarding being grounded characters. They don't have lots of choices to work with, but at least they aren't led around by nose with all the pointless politics and try their best to follow their hearts.

Ep 40

Yeah yeah, blame the woman in the end. The sad thing is that he's a historian, and it's not a surprise that this came out of his mouth.

Rocket science

Same as with Hanyi, I was mad at Ye Xiaofan too like kid what point exactly are you trying to prove to your ge by appearing like this at this moment, but then he redeemed himself and I'm very happy about that. Give him treats.

Ok I'm crying. Wenjun's conviction and determination in the final act makes me forgive her again. Honestly, I wouldn't have disliked her even a little bit if not for that lazy stupidity the show made her commit in ep 33 anyway.

But alas, it's too late. My baby 😭

Good to hear Yue Yao's sister died, even glad that screentime wasn't spared to see it happen because I really don't give a fuck.

Finally, Dongjun meets his ge's child. Lil Wuxin cowering away from him at first served him right.

It's so sad how Wuxin lost his parents and adoptive uncles all together within such a brief period of time. I remember disliking the uncles when they took Wuxin away in BoY, but now I understand them even though it was AGAIN at the expense of Wuxin's rights to be with the people he wants to at that moment. It's sad that whatever person Wuxin would grow emotionally attached to, he has to part from them because of others' arrangements.

Woah, you two have been canoodling around in your fairy carriage for the whole world to see for years and you haven't been married yet? Scandalous, Dongjun 😂

Final Verdict

Despite the lazy and unconvincing middle eps, the final stretch is near perfect, the characters I've grown to have beef with (Dongjun, Wenjun) redeemed themselves, Yue Yao grew a little bit more of personality, the amazing main characters remained amazing (Dingzhi, Changfeng) and so did the amazing side characters (Lei Mengsha, Master Li, Luo Qingyang, Jade deity). Well, I suppose they've written themselves to a corner with Prince Langya, he feels definitely less glorious of a person than he was treated in BoY, after seeing Dashing Youth. So I'm ok with not seeing his character wrap-up here.

I started with giving this a 8.5/10 and ended with a 7.5/10, but overall I really enjoyed the themes of how different generations of people answer times of suppression, and balance morality, friendship and family, and what exactly is the end goal of a martial artist. The people were extremely pleasant to look at, the fight CGIs were epic visual feasts, and I did enjoy myself a lot considering how I rarely watch idol Wuxia/Xianxia/Xuanhuan.

[whiskeyswriting]

Natural | Chapter 1: Natural

{ Masterlist }

📝A/N: Song lyrics incorporated will be in bold and blue. Flashbacks will be italicized. Any lines or scenes used from the books and/or movies will be done in green. I do not own the characters of the Divergent series. The credit for that goes to Veronica Roth for creating the series. As such, anything in green or blue are the intellectual property of their respective owners.

〽️🖤🔪〽️🖤🔪〽️🖤🔪〽️🖤🔪〽️🖤🔪〽️🖤🔪

This is it. The moment your future, and that of all the factions, changes forever. You hear your name called again during the choosing ceremony.

As you walk towards the stage, your blue sweater clinging to your body, you recall that the choice of faction was already made by you. For a few years now, your life and training and education had been leading to this moment.

As you grab the knife in your hand, you take a moment to look over the five metal bowls. Each one contains a substance that represents each faction: gray stones for Abnegation, water for Erudite, earth for Amity, lit coals for Dauntless, and glass for Candor.

Taking the knife in your hand, you remind yourself that the cut will sting. Your training, however, kicks in before you can hesitate. You press the cool metal deeper into the palm of your hand and then drag it down until you see the blood pooling into your palm. Before it can fall onto your clothing or the floor, you move your hand so that the blood drips over the coals of Dauntless.

〽️🖤🔪〽️🖤🔪〽️🖤🔪〽️🖤🔪〽️🖤🔪〽️🖤🔪〽️🖤🔪〽️🖤

Three Years Ago

“You can do this! You know how to cheat the aptitude test. You’ve already learned knife throwing. Now it’s hand-to-hand combat,” you hear your father exclaim.

You stand in the middle of the room facing the boxing bag. Hands bare and knuckles already red and bloodied, you make sure to keep your feet firmly planted and keep your core tense to ground yourself. Closing your eyes, your stop to focus on the sounds and air around you. Before the hit comes, you feel the change in the air of someone being in front of you. You turn to your left and bring your arms up to block the blow.

Ducking, you punch your opponent’s stomach and you focus on the air that rushes out of them. You then sweep your leg under theirs and they fall. Finally opening your eyes, you move to wrestle them to keep them on the ground. What surprises you is the kick to your back which causes you to loosen your grip on them.

“You will have to learn to take hits as well as giving them. You already chose Dauntless. You have three years to prepare for your initiation,” your father tells you as he helps you up from the floor.

You nod and grab your water bottle and drink. “We still don’t know what exactly it is that Jeanine is trying to create. I’ve been following them to see but have found nothing so far.”

“Just be careful. We can’t risk you getting caught and our plans falling through.”

You both walk in silence back to the living room.

“Dad? What if I can’t succeed in this…? What if out of the 10 other the factions have been and are being trained… what if I’m the one to fail?” You ask after a few minutes.

Normally, your Erudite training would suffice in keeping you confident. However, you were facing an uncertain future which caused your inner Candor to speak up.

"Love, you were not selected for this just because you're the daughter of two divergent and Erudite leaders. You were selected because you have always demonstrated your intelligence, bravery, and honesty when dealing with others. Those are the qualities of a true Dauntless leader that will restore our city to the original purpose for its founding.”

〽️🖤🔪〽️🖤🔪〽️🖤🔪〽️🖤🔪〽️🖤🔪〽️🖤🔪〽️🖤🔪〽️🖤

After the Choosing Ceremony, you joined the other initiates in running to jump on the train. The adrenaline rushes as you, purposefully, jumped in at the last minute, just before the platform ended. You stay standing by the open door feeling the air rushing and letting the sound of the passing buildings calm you for what was to come.

An exhilarated shout comes out from you as you jump from the train to the top of the building. You knew you were here for a reason. You were trained for this moment. Leaving behind your family and friends in Erudite was not easy, but you knew the importance of you being Dauntless now.

The training, however, did not show you how to tamper down your excited energy. 'Oh well. I'm still me,' you think as you start listening to what is going on around you.

“Several stories below us is the members’ entrance to our compound. If you can’t muster the will to jump off, you don’t belong here.” You tuned out the rest of the speech as you made your way to the front of the group of initiates.

You knew what the leaders were trying to do: intimidate from the beginning to identify the weak initiates.

Next to Max, whom you had learned was one of the Dauntless leaders, stood a young man with piercings over his right brow and tattoos on his neck. There was something about him that called out to you, making him seem familiar, but you couldn’t pinpoint it at the moment. ‘Cute… but not my reason for being here,’ you think to yourself.

You don’t hesitate as you push your way to the front. Smiling, you stand on the ledge face up. “Took an oath by the blood on my hand, won't break it,” you say, and with a wink towards the young tattooed man you let yourself fall backward.

Max and the other Dauntless leaders look over the edge in disbelief.

“She’s a natural,” Max tells the rest. “She will be your biggest competition during the first stage of initiation. Now who is willing to go against her and jump next?”

As the initiates slowly make the jump, Max directs Eric and one of the other leaders to keep an eye on you throughout initiation. “She’ll be trouble if her smirk was anything to go by.”

At that, Eric’s interest was slightly piqued. From the moment you jumped from the train his eyes fell on you. The blue of your sweater reminded him of a place he once called home. But this is his home now and he refuses to let anything or anyone distract him from completing his mission.

〽️🖤🔪〽️🖤🔪〽️🖤🔪〽️🖤🔪〽️🖤🔪〽️🖤🔪〽️🖤🔪〽️🖤

Tag List: @taina-eny @ghostedgrim @l0nelygamer

[silviakundera]

Joy of Life Episode 18 liveblogging

This is my first watch, so don't tell me secrets ;)

Big brother Lin gets super ominous and gives 🍗 a sword. She's appropriately creeped out

I appreciate how at first Fan Xian declared, my mom had outstanding goals but they got her killed and I just want to survive... But he's finding it very hard to live in this world and surpress the urge to demand better.

I agree with Sister Ruoruo that ML can't get his girl if he kills her brother. But idk if the brother is just a stooge following orders or the real culprit. Maybe confirm first, then decide. Though regardless he can still fight the system & get his vengeance by destroying the CP faction

OMG IT'S UNCLE WU

Uncle Wu I can't believe u betrayed Marvolous Mom's principles like this?! Not you! ML is as shook as I am. But idk I guess he was always a robot.

Ok so Big Brother Lin has a random farmer killed just for seeing his face - just in case anyone was wavering on him being a villain. I still don't know if he's the real culprit we want, but he's definitely a baddie.

🍗's bestie: cool with murdering nobodies; draws the line at treason with war on the horizon

Uncle Wu?! So ok he's gonna obliterate Lin Gong's camp before ML even gets there

Second Prince offering to help. He's figured out ML enough that he just admits to selfish desires. And ML won't take the help but admits that he'd prefer our fanfic addict to be the crown prince... The Forbidden Bromance is back ON.

Lin Gong's vision is tragically narrow and he pays with his life. The man will never understand why pleading his status and promising the world to this blind man is just wasted breath. So yeah, I agree with Uncle Wu here. Just kill. The county and its inhabitants are better off with him gone.

Look ML and his 🍗 girl are cute and all but I trust Uncle Wu's judgment. And likely ML couldn't live with himself if he turned a blind eye. If a happy marriage is off... sucks for him but this would not be good in-laws to have

lmao did Uncle Wu just send Lord Zhu the location to pick up the bodies?

Huh?! Why is the Second Prince being framed? Now is ML going to have to rescue him?

Ahhhhhhhhhhh Uncle Wu, that totally wasn't fair of ML to ask where you were when he almost died. That's not his fault.

They have 2 places to look for the key to mom's indestructible box. Yes let's try the one that's not the palace first.

Dad totally suspects he's lying and won't direct him to mom's old house

I suspect that when he visits the Crown Prince, he's gonna be told the CP didn't actually order his murder - which is why he and Lin Gong were overhead arguing. But maybe I'm way off.

[steelthroat]

My Transformers ocs and their origins:

1) Flange: he is a gladiator, he was born to romance Megatron in a silly fic of mine (which I'm still writing) he's the only one I've drawn lol. He exists in his own AU and doesn't have a faction in the regular timeline he's kind of paired off with my next oc and is a Decepticon.

2) Abode or Wheelpad (I'm still deciding): he's an Autobot, he's got a worried-dad kind of personality, his alt-mode is a yellow Fiat Doblò, he's very kind, he is primarily a courier and he takes his job very seriously. He rarely rests and is very responsible, but he's also prone to cracking dad jokes and can be awkward and shy. Flange likes him a lot and finds him cute, but Abode/Wheelpad thinks he's trouble. He still looks out for the reckless Decepticon because if he doesn't, who else will? They ended up living together after the war because they couldn't afford to live alone due to "the incident". Chaos ensues, I have a lot more to say about him.

3) Rocker: (he/they) still deciding on his alt-mode, but he's a grounder either 2 or 4 wheeler. Punk, likes racing, youthful personality but he knows how to be serious. He's an Autobot but he didn't fight in the war because he was unconscious for most of it after almost being blown up... he woke up during the last years of it and he was very out of touch with everything. He's still fighting with his grief, survivor guilt and his trust issue after his friend Starship became a Seeker but they're the only friend left/who is willing to take care of him and stay with him during the hardest time of his life

He and Starship were born after listening to "we built this city" by Starship, I have a mental animation about them...

4) Starship: flyer, met Rocker before the war and they were inseparable. They are a lively mech, with big dreams and hopes for the future. They became a Decepticon hoping to change society for the better, they don't believe they would have fared any better with the Autobots, but they regret separating from Rocker. They didn't fight for most of the war since their fighting skills were... huh... well they were better off as a courier or whatever else they could do, but not fighting, they were a disgrace as a Seeker and his time under Starscream's command was short-lived. After the war they found Rocker again during the worst moment of his life, he didn't initially want anything to do with them but Starship would rather die than separate from him again... they have come a long way since then, but there's still a lot of work and therapy waiting for the 2 of them.

5) Recoil(idk probably gonna change her name): she is a grounder, she is still a wip and I'm still working on her storyline since but I have a blurry vision of a design in mind for her! She's very cool and composed, but she also has a lot of anger inside of her which she uses when she has to fight(she goes apeshit). She's a decepticon and I'm still deciding if she's gonna defect or not. She I a natural born commander, very authoritative, she doesn't have problems working under pressure, she IS the pressure. I have a lot to say about her but for now this is gonna be it ;)