#taco shell shield

[pigeonmama]

I DID IT.

I FINALLY DID IT.

I WATCHED THUNDERBOLTS* WITH PEOPLE I LOVE AND WE ARE IN TEARS 😭

THE PURPOSE OF MY LIFE HAS BEEN ACHIEVED.

well I primarily went to see my husband, my eternal love and diva- j.b.b.

spoiler below:

WHAT WAS THAT END CREDITS SCENE?????

I SQUEAKED FR

BARNES' HAIR LOOKED SO FUCKING GOOD THO

[marvelouslymarly]

The Sentry!Bob turning Walker's shield into a hard-shell taco was deliberate payback for when John told him he must've "skipped arm, chest AND leg day" while trying to help him climb out of the elevator shaft and you guys can't tell me otherwise!

Bob's glare was speaking VOLUMES about how they wouldn't be ready for what he's hiding under those scrubs bc my man didn't even know what he could do himself!

[prettygirl-gabi]

What am I gonna do

Pairing: Paige Bueckers x Reader

Fandom:WNBA-Dallas Wings

Summary: Childhood friends, hidden feelings, one game, one necklace, everything changes…

🏷️: @paigeshirleytemple , @cowboybueckers , @unknowgirlypop , @yailtsv , @nicebellee , @sitawita , @thatonesuschix , @vamptizm , @elalfywhore , @starfulani , @authentic-girl03 , @paxaz535 , @azziswrld , @jadasogay , @paigeluvvr , @melpthatsme , @lessi-lover , @courtsidewithlani , @elswhore , @italyyy , @lightsgore , @private-but-not-a-secret , @aubreygriffin , @issilovesherself , @graceeeeeesblog , @sayurireidotcom , @zizi-bee-yapping

There are three places I always end up after school: my classroom, my place and the Bueckers’ house.

Second grade in Hopkins keeps me busy—glitter glue disasters, working on the core subjects, and a never-ending stream of knock-knock jokes.

But somehow, I still make time for Sunday dinners with Bob, his wife, and Drew.

Paige’s family.

Paige’s house.

It’s funny.

Paige hasn’t lived in it for years, but somehow her presence lingers.

I guess it always will.

“Y/N!” Drew’s voice crackled through my phone speaker one Monday night after bedtime stories and grading spelling tests.

“Paige’s team is playing the Lynx this week. It’s basically her homecoming! You have to come with me! You promised!”

“I did not,” I said, but I was already smiling. “You begged last time and I said I’d think about it.”

“Well think faster. Please? She hasn’t played in Minnesota yet. It’s her rookie year. It’s history.”

God, he had that same spark Paige used to have when she was twelve—wide-eyed, earnest, unstoppable.

And just like with her, I couldn’t say no.

“Fine. I’ll come.”

“Let’s gooo!”

I hung up with a shake of my head, not knowing what was waiting for me the next day.

Tuesday started like normal: math centers, a spilled juice box, a mini-fire in the staff microwave (thanks, Miss Connelly).

After school, I baked—my usual lemon bars—figuring I’d drop them off at my second home-the Bueckers’ place before heading home to change for Taco Tuesday.

The house felt weirdly quiet when I unlocked the door with the spare key Ive had since middle school, no Drew charging to the door. I slipped inside—Bob always told me not to knock, since I had a key. Something about me being family —and I left the pan on the counter with a sticky note.

As I turned to go, the door opened, keys jingling in the door.

Paige.

Hair pulled into a bun, hoodie slung over her shoulder, WNBA-issued duffle in hand.

I froze in the hallway, with an empty pan from last weeks cookies in my grip like a shield.

She stopped in her tracks, eyes flicking to the pan, then to me.

We didn’t speak.

Just nodded.

A silent hello heavy with years of almosts and could’ve-beens.

Then I left.

Drew showed up at my door a few hours later, bouncing on his toes.

“Taco Tuesday! C’mon!”

I followed him, still a little rattled from the silent run-in. I hadn’t really seen Paige in years. Social media glimpses, sure. But in person? In her childhood home?

She was at the table when we walked in, laughing at something Bob said, plate half-filled with taco shells and shredded lettuce.

“Hey,” she said when she saw me. Softly.

I nodded. “Hey.”

We sat.

Ate.

Talked around each other.

My fork clinked too loudly against the plate.

Paige asked about my class like we were strangers, not people who once knew everything about each other.

But I stayed.

Because Drew begged me to play Fortnite like we always did.

And after, like it was the most natural thing in the world, Paige offered to walk me home.

Just like old times.

The night air was cool, the sidewalks quiet. For a moment, I forgot that we hadn’t done this in years.

“You remember when we used to race home from the park?” she asked suddenly.

I smiled. “You always cheated.”

She laughed. “I was faster.”

“You cut corners.”

She shrugged. “Still beat you.”

We stopped at the corner near my apartment, and something shifted in the air. That quiet, cautious thing that always danced between us.

“Y/N…” she started, shoving her hands in her hoodie pocket. “Why’d we drift apart?”

I looked at her. Really looked.

“Because I had a crush on you.”

The words came out too easy, like they’d been waiting. Maybe they had.

She blinked.

“And every time I thought you might feel the same,” I went on, “you’d friend-zone me. Hard. I figured it wasn’t going away, so I distanced myself.”

Paige swallowed. “I didn’t know…”

“Maybe you didn’t want to.”

Silence.

Then I stepped toward my door. “Goodnight, Paige.”

“Y/N, wait—”

But I was already inside.

Paige’s POV

I stood there for a minute, staring at the closed door like it might open again.

It didn’t.

When I got back to the house, Drew was on the couch, controller in hand.

“Did you walk her back?” he asked.

“Yeah.”

“She still plays with me every week, even when she’s tired. She’s gonna be at the game, you know.”

I looked up. “What?”

“I convinced her. She’s coming with me.”

My heart thudded.

That night, in my childhood room that used to be ours-in a way that only we knew, I pulled out my phone and sent a message.

Me: Hey, I know I’m only in town just for today and tomorrow morning I’ll be heading to Minneapolis for basketball stuff before the game. So if there’s any chance we could talk tonight, let’s talk.

Ten minutes later, my phone buzzed.

Y/N: Sure. Come when you feel like. Door’s unlocked. Just tell me once you enter so I know it’s you.

Y/N’s POV

She knocked once anyway.

I was curled up on the couch with a mug of tea, a candle flickering beside me. The room smelled like lavender and lemon from the dessert I never finished.

Paige stepped inside, a little hesitant. She looked out of place and too familiar all at once.

“You really kept the door unlocked,” she said.

I shrugged. “Didn’t think you’d rob me.”

We sat across from each other. Talked. Not about basketball or school. About everything else.

About how she felt like she wasn’t living up to the hype.

How Dallas didn’t feel like home yet.

How being back in Hopkins made everything simpler and harder at the same time.

“You were my best friend,” she said quietly. “And I think… I was scared.”

“Scared of what?”

“That you were more than that.”

My breath caught.

“I felt something,” she said, eyes never leaving mine. “But I was fifteen and dumb and afraid to lose you. So I pretended I didn’t.”

I didn’t know what to say.

Paige stood slowly, brushing imaginary lint off her thigh.

As she stood to leave, she paused in my doorway.

“There’s something I gave you once,” she said. “Christmas, right before everything changed. A necklace.”

I remembered it instantly. A small gold chain with a tiny charm shaped like an infinity symbol. I kept it in a box in my nightstand, untouched, untarnished.

“If you still feel the same way,” she said, eyes searching mine, “wear it to the game.”

I swallowed.

“And if I don’t?” I asked, heart pounding.

Paige gave a sad smile. “Then I’ll know I waited too long.”

She stepped out into the night.

I closed the door, leaned back against it, and stared at the ceiling.

Then I walked to my nightstand. Opened the drawer. Pulled out the little box with the necklace I never had the heart to throw away.

It shimmered faintly in the lamplight.

My hands trembled.

Tomorrow was game day.

What am I gonna do?

To Be Continued…

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                 -Thank You For Reading!💚💙

                             -prettygirl-gabi✨️💗

[gay-dorito-dust]

John; has anyone seen my shield?

Yelena: no

Ava: it’s quite jarring to see you without it honestly, thought it was permanently attached to your body like some shell. But no, I haven’t.

Alexei: no.

Bob: I’m sure you’ll find it. Sooner or later.

You: your looking for your shield? that bent out of place, taco looking hunk of metal that you had yet to have mended for months now, the very same hunk of metal you leave lying about like ones does with a pair of shoes? That shield that I might have sent hurtling through an open window just now?

John: what?

You: I mean no. Good look finding it though.

*john walks off*

Bob: it was you wasn’t it.

You: he was pissing me off!

Ava: so you threw it out of a window? Am I hearing this correctly.

You: seeing how he uses that thing I thought it would just come right back!

Yelena: and where is it right now?

You: well-

Someone in the street: HEY! WHO THREW A TACO SHIELD INTO MY CAR?

You: there’s your answer.

[midnight-shadow-cafe]

Blue Shells and Pillow Wars

Pairing: Poly!141 x Reader

Warnings: Mild swearing, suggestive flirting, playful violence (pillow fights), food mention, chaotic group dynamics, fluff overload

Author's Note: I think some Mario Kart was long overdue

Summary: A rainy night in, pizza boxes everywhere, and four elite soldiers acting like children over Mario Kart. You thought it’d be relaxing… until the blue shell hit.

Masterlist

MDNI18+MDNI18+MDNI18+MDNI18+MDNI18+

The apartment smelled like buttery popcorn and rain.

Outside, the storm clung to the windows in sheets, casting shifting patterns across the ceiling. Inside, warm lamps pooled golden light onto the living room carpet, half-covered in pillows, throw blankets, and the occasional sock. The coffee table was crowded with soda cans, greasy pizza boxes, and a bowl of gummi worms slowly melting together into an unholy mass.

You sat cross-legged on the floor in the middle of the chaos, controller clutched tight in your hands, heart pounding.

“Who the hell threw that red shell at me?” you demanded, voice sharp over the squeals and chaotic music of Mario Kart 8.

“That’d be me,” Johnny MacTavish—Soap—chirped, lounging sideways on the couch like a smug little gremlin. His bare feet dangled over Price’s lap, and he had a slice of pizza folded in half like a taco.

“You bastard!” you shouted, half-laughing, lunging to toss a couch pillow at him. It hit him square in the face, launching his pizza slice skyward in slow motion. Kyle—Gaz—who was perched on the arm of the couch beside him, snatched it out of mid-air with one hand.

“No food left behind,” Gaz said solemnly, biting into it with a victorious crunch.

Price chuckled low from his spot in the center of the couch, where he sat like a benevolent king in sweatpants, controller resting on one knee, his other hand wrapped around a beer. “You’re all bloody children.”

“And you suck at drifting,” Soap fired back.

“Oi,” Price muttered, raising an eyebrow. “Don’t forget who pays for your bloody Nintendo Online subscription.”

You smirked at that and elbowed Soap in the leg.

Simon—Ghost—sat beside you on the floor, long legs stretched out, broad back braced against the ottoman. He was the calmest of the group by far, but the death grip he had on his controller told a different story. His in-game character—Donkey Kong in a baby buggy—was currently in second place.

You?

Clinging to first by a thread.

“Ghost,” you warned him, “don’t you dare use that shell.”

He didn’t answer—just tilted his head slightly. That unreadable little smirk pulled at the corner of his lips.

“Simon,” you said more sharply, “I swear—”

Your kart was rounding the final lap of Rainbow Road, stars streaking past in a blur of neon light.

And then it happened.

The blue shell appeared above your head.

“NOOOO—!” You let out a screech, jerking your whole body like that would somehow make your character move faster.

The explosion sent your kart spinning into the void of space.

Ghost—stone-faced—cruised past you in slow motion. “Better luck next time, sweetheart.”

“I hate you,” you said, flinging your controller into the blanket pile.

Soap laughed so hard he choked on his soda. Gaz actually fell off the armrest, dragging a throw blanket with him.

Price leaned over and plucked your controller out of the cushions. “Game’s still on,” he murmured, nudging your shoulder. “One more round?”

You turned to him, your mouth a grim line. “It’s personal now.”

He looked far too pleased with himself.

—

Half an hour later, the living room had devolved into full anarchy.

Gaz had two joy-cons taped together with electrical tape from the junk drawer. Soap was on his stomach under the coffee table with a bag of Doritos and three water bottles he refused to share. You were squished between Ghost’s legs, leaning back against his chest like a human stress ball, because Ghost was apparently a very physical gamer.

“Get in front of me, love,” he whispered in your ear, a hand squeezing your thigh. “I’ll shield you from incoming fire.”

“That’s what you said last time,” you hissed.

“Yeah, and it worked,” he said smugly, even though it definitely hadn’t.

Behind you, you could feel the rumble of his quiet laugh in his chest.

Price had switched to Waluigi and was absolutely dominating, expression calm, focused, like he was planning a covert op instead of gunning down his teammates with green shells. When he drifted around a corner and used a mushroom boost to cut across the grass, you knew he’d spent too much time on YouTube tutorials.

“You’ve practiced,” Gaz accused.

Price raised one eyebrow. “I prepare for all missions.”

Soap burst out laughing. “You’re such a dad.”

“I am your daddy,” Price said with a wink.

Everyone groaned in unison, including Ghost, who murmured, “I’m muting him.”

—

Eventually, victory was declared.

Price took home the trophy, you managed a hard-earned second, and Soap swore vengeance on Rainbow Road.

The room slowly quieted into that cozy kind of mess you only get after hours of laughter and snacks and teasing. You lay stretched across the floor with your head in Ghost’s lap, his big hand absently tracing patterns on your hip. Gaz was half-asleep with his head on your stomach, one hand still clutching the Dorito bag. Soap was nestled under a pile of throw blankets like a gremlin in hibernation.

Price passed out pillows and turned off the TV, the room dimming to the soft glow of stormlight and the warm flicker of the electric fireplace.

You sighed, nestling deeper into the blanket pile, surrounded by the weight and warmth of all of them. It was messy, chaotic, loud—but it was home.

Ghost brushed a strand of hair from your face and whispered, “Still mad I blew you up?”

You narrowed your eyes at him, but the corner of your mouth twitched. “You’re sleeping on the floor.”

He smirked. “You say that every time.”

“And I mean it.”

A pause. Then he leaned down and kissed your forehead.

“Worth it.”

Hope you enjoyed! Please consider liking and reposting! -Midnight💜

[goldenandvoid]

@liigamentum

Bob hovered just outside the room, clutching a mug of tea he didn’t remember making, debating for the sixth time whether to turn around and pretend this whole thing never happened.

Instead, he shuffled in a few steps, eyes darting to the very bent, very sad-looking shield propped against the wall. He winced. It really did look like a taco shell. A bad one. The kind that cracks down the middle and ruins your whole meal.

“Hey, uh… John,” he started, voice too soft at first, then too loud when he corrected it. “So, I was just thinking—well, remembering, actually—about the, uh… shield. Your shield. The one I bent. With my… hands. Um. Sorry again.”

Bob gave a quick, breathless laugh that didn’t help anything.

“I didn’t mean to do the whole… taco-fold thing. I was kind of mid-freakout-slash-supernova, and, yeah, poor shield got caught in the middle.”

He rubbed the back of his neck, looking everywhere but at Walker. “Anyway, I could try to fix it? Maybe? I mean, I’ve got the strength, and I’ve been practicing being more… gentle with things. Like, I haven’t broken a doorknob in two weeks. So. Progress?”

[voidsentprinces]

I give you a hamburger you are back in the praetorium gaius is dressed like a mcflurry, somewhere someone misses when you had to do mechanics in crystal tower...I give you a hamburger, you're in elf france...its like france with elves...you are traveling with a boy who was put in charge of a paramilitary, a dragon fucker cultist and a dragon hater cultist, your best friend dies when the burger king strikes him down with cheeto fries...i give you a hamburger...a blond murder DD bombshell calls you weak sauce...you travel to doma...your butch lesbian partner kicks a cat fish in the face...he explodes into pickles...I give you a hamburger...Ronald McDonald is telling you about the birth of the universe and why two gods fighting is your fault, he shoots your cat boy and then feeds you lucking charms...but they don't serve lucky charms at taco bell...you throw your friends taco supreme at him...it punches a hole right through him...he disappears in a fountain of volcano sauce...saying, this is why taco bell wins the fast food wars...you are disturbed...i give you a hamburger...Ronald McDonald has been replaced by scrappy doo...he is cosplaying Tom Cruise's Lestate from Interview with a Vampire...he has a pizza hut shield and a broken baguette...you fight on top of the starbuck's tower...your catboy sends him to the after life...I give you a hamburger...chuck e cheese returned with the blond murder dd bomb shell...he wants to end it all because you didnt play his fnaf mod...his answer instead of therapy is to pilot Ronald McDonald's Christmas Goat...the birds eat away at his carapace...the birds eat away everything before it can burn...your vanilla triple almond milk frappe with pumpkin is actually a baja blast with some mcdonalds coffee in it...i give you a hamburger...Ronald McDonald and Mayor McCheese join you in the Papa Johns flower fields...Papa Johns tells you about this cool bird he made...Twitteion...Twitteion learns about Homestuck and decides to destroy the universe...you try to placate her with applebee's but she wants fucking chili's instead...you are force to defeat Twitteion...when the blond murder dd bombshell shows up dressed like the dragon from shrek...he asks you why you haven't deleted your Twitteion account and moved to bsky...you drown him in a vat of gatorade...Twitteion is now called herself X...you and blond murder dd bombshell defeat X...you make a bsky account and then fight over whether or not he knows the three shell method...somewhere a baby cries...and the evil has been defeated...i give you hamburger...the plot kind of meanders around introducing the golden arches and grimmus now rules McDonalds but with the help of Goth NonBinary IHOP...you defeat them all...they are now surviving curry at IHOP...you don't know why...somewhere Wendy's is mocking you for eating curry at a Pancake restaurant...i give you a hamburger...Del Taco introduces you to a lion woman...she needs your help reclaiming the Fast Food throne...you say you're on vacation...she takes you to six flags water park...you smuggle in a taco surpreme...Dominos crushes your taco...and the lion woman runs away from a llama...someone is making emperor new groove references...while telling you about the omegaverse...a different catboy shows up...and helps you shoot Dominos...i give you a hamburger...Wendy's is now here taking you across Disneyland...for some reason Mickey Mouse is putting on A Knight's Tale...but he's changed the script out for Dude Where's My Car...you try and stop him...he doesn't listen...Wendy's gets mad at you for killing Mickey Mouse...you tell her public domain has already done that...so she summons her true form...youtube algorithm...i give you a hamburger...Wendy's returns and with the aid of the Noid...steals back an hour glass on your person and forces you to play against an Elden Ring boss...while the living true Wendy's forgets shes not in Panera anymore...and gives you the wrong advice...I give you a hamburger...

[imjustbuckybarnes]

do you have any funny stories to tell about the new avengers?

We all take turns messing with John's "shield." It's still shaped like a taco shell, so Ava will fill it with random things to make it look more like a taco. Bob bent it back into a circle and made Walker watch as he bent it back it a taco shape. Alexei likes to use it as a door wedge. Yelena will try and put it on Walker like a saddle. I'll just remind him that it sucks and occasionally hide it where I know he won't check.

[servrz]

anyways, i've decided to turn my little patch review thing into a full-fledged series. who knows, maybe i'll start turning them into youtube videos! it would be a fun series of content to make. with this patch being an entire new season, this review will be REALLY long, but mid-season patches should be much shorter since they have less content overall. well, i've stalled long enough! so, without further ado...

stevie's siege review - operation twin shells (y9s3)

the third season of rainbow six siege's ninth year, named operation twin shells, is slated to release on tuesday, september 10th, 2024. after reading through the patch notes, watching the reveal, playing around with things on the test server, and jerking off to clips of the 2020 six invitational, i've prepared a review for the wonderful community of siegeheads out there. it should tell you about all the major changes and additions to expect, how they affect the landscape of the game, and whether i personally believe it's good or not (which is actually completely objective because my opinion is the only right one). so, here we go!

new operator

the first part of the new season's review is, of course, the new operator. a crippled defender hailing from the olive oil capital of the world, the greek goddess skopos enters the fray, despite being paralyzed from the waist down. lore-wise, she is a legendary former rainbow operator, and is rejoining the ranks of their program.

so let's address the two big questions right now: first of all, i do NOT hate disabled people. in fact, i'm really glad we're seeing even more diverse representation in siege's portfolio of operators, it's a really cool and creative addition to the game. any jokes i make are entirely for comedic effect and made in good humor.

now with that being said, the answer to the second question is no, we will NOT be able to zoom around the map on her electronic wheelchair, meaning she is unfortunately not going to be the game's first 5-speed operator. instead, she will be a 2 speed, 2 armor defender. now, you might be confused. "how is this possible? if we can't zip around on her mariokart, does she just crawl around? does another operator have to give her a piggyback ride? even then, how the fuck is she a 2-speed if she's completely immobile?" well, silly, the answer should be obvious, especially given the tactical and completely realistic military theme of the game: she has two fucking robots that she can switch control of at will.

that's right, stephanie hawking over here is the first siege operator that isn't even on the MAP. she's remotely controlling her robots and using them to conduct a military operation from the taco bell 4 miles down the road. theability to hot-swap control between the robots is one of the most unique and innovative mechanics in siege's history, and a new gun in skopos's hands-- or rather, her robots' lifeless, metallic claws-- may prove to be one of the best weapons in the defensive arsenal.

skopos's unique ability is two v10 pantheon shells, a pair of robots with a couple of greek names that i'll never remember. i'm just gonna refer to them as beep and boop. one robot is controlled at a time, while the inactive shell crouches down and basically has a deployable shield in front of it. skopos's robots are as close to teleportation as we can get in siege: you can switch control between these robots at will, which is a pretty quick process but not instantaneous. the inactive shell is not invincible, and if it's killed, skopos is simply stuck using the active shell. if skopos's active robot is killed, she is considered dead for the round, and cannot control the inactive robot. so anyone who thought that skopos would give you a second life, i hope you're sorely disappointed.

skopos's loadout is incredibly limited, but packs some good firepower. she is stuck with only one primary and one secondary, with the primary being the brand-new pcx-33 assault rifle. this weapon is all around very similar to vigil's k1a, in terms of damage, fire rate, recoil, and everything. her sole secondary is the oft-recycled p229 pistol, while her two options of secondary utility are impact grenades and proximity alarms. despite having two completely separate robots in two different physical locations, ammunition and gadgets are shared amongst beep and boop. while it's not exactly realistic, it's best for balancing purposes.

overall, skopos's ability brings a new dimension to the game that we haven't seen before, since it pretty much facilitates teleportation from one side of the map to the other. i think this ability, if used properly, is gonna be CRAZY EFFECTIVE in the roam and flank game. if skopos is deep roaming and she gets caught in a bind, not only does she have impacts to attempt an escape, but she can always fall back on her other robot. pinned by a couple of attackers? huddle back into a corner and switch control from beep to boop. even if beep gets destroyed, you're STILL ALIVE, and that's the most valuable part of it all. now, let's say for a second that beep didn't get destroyed. as boop, you're holding site, and the attackers are starting to get close and pressure their way in. you have the option to switch back to beep, and if the attackers didn't properly account for that possibility, you can come from behind and stab them in the back. hell, if you're still on the roam, the inactive shell can STILL be a big help in the form of a deployable shield. it'll likely take a lot of practice and a good understanding of the robot-switching mechanic to really nail skopos down, but i can see her becoming a very effective operator in the right situation and in a smart player's hands. now, she can be countered in a variety of ways. brava has a unique interaction with the shells, which can lead to some dire consequences if skopos doesn't deal with it. the inactive shell can also be taken care of in a variety of ways, other than being shot directly-- explosives, and claymores in particular, have proven to be a very formidable foe of a hibernating beep or boop. caution when placing and switching between the shells, along with good teamplay and communication, is going to be the key to maximizing skopos's potential. with her ability aside, the pcx is also a very strong weapon, i compared it to the k1a earlier. it's basically that gun with more manageable recoil, as if the k1a wasn't a great and relatively easy-to-control weapon already. i have a feeling that we're gonna see some adjustments to the pcx in the form of nerfs down the line, but as of right now, it's a very good weapon-- one of the best on the defensive side of the ball. skopos as a whole is a very mobile character that can provide a lot of value, especially as a deep roamer or late-round flanker. she comes across to me as an easy to learn, hard to master operator that's going to take players a decent amount of practice and understanding to use in the most effective way. once people start to get her mechanics down, however, she should become one of the stronger roaming defenders in the current landscape of siege.

siege cup

ohhhh, baby. it's FINALLY HERE. after nine years without a competitive tournament baked into the game itself, ubisoft is getting the ball rolling on the siege cup. there have been plenty of ways to compete in a siege tourney throughout the years. faceit, esl, playstation's tournament system, and other services have been hubs of competitive siege over the years, and many of them were supported by ubisoft in a variety of ways. but the process of playing comp-style siege is being streamlined, and soon, every five stack that meets the siege cup's requirements will be able to participate in a biweekly bracket for siege supremacy.

now, the siege cup is being launched in its beta-- for at least this season, it will only be available for pc players that either sign up and get accepted for beta access, or have a teammate who has done so. which makes sense, since a console version would likely be harder to monitor and make changes to. so console players, don't blow your load just yet. keep that edge streak going for a little while longer, the siege cup should be cumming coming to you soon.

as previously stated, the siege cup will be open to teams of five. no four stacks with a random, no solo queueing-- you need a five stack to participate. furthermore, in order to create a team, you need to sign up and get accepted for siege cup beta access on the ubisoft website. only the creator of a team has to get accepted for your stack to play-- people without beta access can join said team. however, every player has to meet a few basic criteria to participate: at least clearance level 50, and "have played more than 10 ranked matches prior to the tournament." whether this means 10 ranked matches ever, or 10 ranked matches this season, or 10 ranked matches within a certain time threshold, i couldn't tell you for sure.

the siege cup is skill-based, meaning that your team will be matched up against teams of a similar level. so if you completely suck, you'll be matched up against other shitters, while good players will be in the cracked lobbies. i sure hope smurfing doesn't end up ruining this thing (it inevitably will).

with the siege cup comes a new currency: competitive coins. you can earn these by participating in the cup and playing ranked. at least in the siege cup, the amount of competitive coins you get is relative to your team's performance and placement. these coins can be used to get competitive packs, also earned from playing the siege cup and ranked, and can also be used to unlock specific items from the new competitive pack collection. based on the phrasing on the ubisoft website, it seems like the competitive collection will change with each new season.

balancing and designer's notes

now, onto the designer's notes, which detail all of the changes that are on the way to existing content in the vast game of siege.

starting with the win delta graphs, the only thing that stands out to me like a sore thumb is that solis has TANKED. her pick rate is so far down, it surprises me even with the nerfs (MORE OF WHICH ARE COMING. WILL TALK ABOUT THEM LATER)

now, the balancing changes were summed up in the operation patch notes as follows:

Dokkaebi Dokkaebi starts with 0 Logic Bomb charges that fill over time up to 2 charges maximum. Nokk Nokk's Hel Presence Reduction only depletes when the ability protects them from being viewed by observation tools. The time to refill has been increased. Solis SPEC-IO Electro-Sensor only detects electronic devices in the central view, and a function called Overclock replaces the scan to reveal the identity of detected devices. Overclock has limited uses, can't be turned off, and alerts nearby enemy Observation Tools of Solis' presence. Proximity Alarm Proximity Alarm no longer grants score points after being triggered. Claymore Claymores now instantly explode instead of after a short delay.

dokkaebi change is good overall, i just feel it's not enough. and they acknowledged that-- "we've decided to focus on a more substantial change - one that addresses most of the existing issues and frustrations - for a future patch." the whole gaining-calls-over-time thing is definitely a step in the right direction, but not an insanely drastic change that could end up being completely overkill *ahem SOLIS ahem*. i like what they're doing, i just feel like more is going to need to be done down the line.

i am not really a fan of the nokk changes. half the identity of her gadget was the noise reduction, and now they're deciding to "move away from the silent approach" or whatever the fuck they said. ok..? if you don't want her to be able to SILENTLY sneak up on enemies, why not just make her QUIETER then? she doesn't have to be completely silent for her to be stealthy, just make her quieter than a standard operator. i think that's a good middle ground. the problem with her gadget was not that it wasn't good enough at evading surveillance tools, the beef that everyone had with it was the REMOVAL OF THE NOISE REDUCTION. these changes are trying to solve a problem that doesn't exist. either way, i feel like the changes they made are pretty mid. doesn't do much to make me want to play nokk again.

they said that the fmg's recoil was being reduced, and to be fair, the fmg-9 is a pretty decent part of what makes nokk mediocre at best. she doesn't have a lot of firepower at her disposal, and the fmg has been underwhelming for many seasons now. on paper, a recoil reduction should help-- but after trying it out on the test server, it doesn't feel like they changed the recoil AT ALL. it is virtually IDENTICAL to the fmg recoil on the live build. if they're not gonna make significant changes to the fmg, then i think it's time to expand nokk's loadout. the gun sucks, and ubisoft refuses to do anything to make it adequate. the six-12 is fun to play, but as an attacker, nokk should have a viable full-auto option. and it's not like doing something to the fmg would impact another operator, it isn't used by any smoke player with a pulse and at least three functioning brain cells. please, just give nokk another fucking primary at this point.

solis... oh, solis. look what they've done to you. as if "phase one" of the nerfs wasn't enough, they've gone and put the nail in the coffin with this one. for those who are unaware, i'll try to concisely debrief you on the changes that are being made to solis this upcoming season, sparing some detail since it's a bit complicated-- her gadget is basically being completely redesigned. the purpose remains the same, but the functionality is completely backwards. the center rounded rectangle area is now the only part of the screen that detects gadgets when the spec-io is active, and solis will no longer know exactly what gadget she is looking at. in order to identify that a gadget is a thermite charge or a zero cam or otherwise, she will need to use the scan-- which is now called "overclock." she can "overclock" three times a round, starting with one charge and gaining one every 25 seconds. additionally, any observation tools inside of solis's scanner range will be notified that she has detected the camera via "overclock." there are a few other things, but that's the gist of it. first of all, i will NOT call it fucking "overclock." it is SCAN, it has always been SCAN, and it will ALWAYS BE SCAN. second of all, this is just flat-out stupid. the first round of nerfs were seen as EXCESSIVE, and they STILL decide to go through with the second round. that's bullshit. but yeah, this is it. solis is cooked, rip solis, it was fun while it lasted. her fall from grace will be studied by scholars years down the line, and will forever remain etched into the memories of siege's stinky player base.

i don't really have a particular opinion on the removal of the claymore delay. i mean, on one hand, it does give a small boost to the largely-underpowered attacking side, so that's a plus. but i also feel like baiting a claymore was a skill, and although it was tough to nail down, people who took the time to learn it should be able to utilize it in an effort to get around a claymore. but i don't really care either way. it's one of those changes that i don't feel strongly about and i'm not gonna complain about, it just kinda... is. yknow?

the removal of prox alarm points is just 110% sensible lmao. the prox/nitro combo on sentry was absolutely lethal, but took no effort and/or risk to really pull off. it was too easy of a strat to find a ton of success with, and now you have to put a little more effort into making it go right. basically, it's not just a braindead strategy that ends in an easy kill anymore. just all around a pretty common sense change that i don't think any real siege player will complain about.

the final change of this patch is the one that i'm sure you'd expect me to be the most upset about: the r4-c nerf. so, i'm just gonna keep it a hundred with you-- i don't really care. not something you thought you'd hear out of me, but it's true, i don't mind this r4-c nerf. "but why, steve? you're the champion of that gun, you take more pride in your r4-c black ice then you would your firstborn child. why don't you care about the nerf?" and the answer to that is quite simply that they could have done much worse. look at the win delta, ash's win rate is middle-of-the-road, but she STILL has the highest pick rate of any attacking operator. it's been that way for a while, i believe. personally, i think that points more to the fact that there aren't any other entry operators that can be used as a similarly effective alternative to ash, but ubisoft has traditionally viewed it as ash being "overpowered." instead of creating new entry fraggers or buffing underwhelming entry operators to reel in ash's pick rate, it seems typical of ubisoft to nerf her. we've seen it in the past-- they took the acog from her r4-c. then, they nerfed its recoil MULTIPLE TIMES, to the point that it became impractical and unusable. even though they did plenty more to ash, the r4-c nerfs ran her into the GROUND for a very, very long time. only in recent years has she seen a resurgence, largely due to the recoil readjustments that happened in operation brutal swarm. so ubisoft could have done anything to the r4-c, including a dreaded recoil nerf. i've always said that if they need to nerf that gun, they should either take its acog away again or reduce the mag size like they did with jager. hell, if they need to nerf ash as a whole, make her a two speed! i'm fine with that. but overall, i'm just glad that they decided to go with a magazine reduction instead of the lazy and likely overkill route of the dreaded recoil increase. as an ash player, i will accept this change.

other changes

there is a variety of other, smaller changes this season that don't really fall into any of the major categories i've outlined for y'all.

the versus ai playlist is apparently in its "2.0" phase, which just means that you can play as the defenders now. similar to the start of the ai playlist, when you would only play against one team of the same five defenders, the ai attacker operator pool is limited to five attackers. ubisoft seems committed to improving the ai playlist in the long run, however, so i'd imagine that it will expand very soon. the playlist will function basically identically to a casual match, switching between the attackers and defenders every two rounds. i think this is good for the newer players of the game, i'm glad to see that the devs are committed to onboarding to build the future generation of siegeheads.

while you queue for a match, you can now practice your aim and recoil control in the shooting range. it's a simple quality of life change that i'm sure a lot of people will enjoy. i personally don't mind just sitting and waiting, i usually scroll through twitter or something while i'm in a queue. i'll probably continue to do just that, since i warm up with a t-hunt beforehand anyway (i refuse to call it training grounds), but i understand that lots of folks will probably put it to use. it's a simple, but objectively good change that i think a decent chunk of the community will smile about.

there's a new after action report screen! instead of just showing player cards, the post-game screen will display 3d models of your team's operators, and each player will be given some sort of accolade, reminiscent of a csgo post-match screen. the xp and rank screen is also more intuitive and informative. personally, i'm not really a fan of the after action screen because it reminds me more of a crappy mobile game than a triple-a first person shooter. this might be just me, though, as people seem to like it quite a bit. it is admittedly a refreshing new look, and does give the post-match sequence a bit more personality.

drones are getting a cool little ability, a temporary speed boost. this aims to make drones more mobile and allow them to escape the defenders' sight quicker, increasing their survivability. it's a good change, which i think is a solid little buff to the attacking side, which is relatively weak when you compare it to the defenders.

ubisoft is implementing a new anti-toxicity measure regarding reverse friendly fire. instead of deactivating rff automatically when a player revives a teammate that they downed, a vote will be held to forgive said player or stick them with rff for the remainder of the match. the little toxic prick inside of me is gonna miss being able to teamkill mic-spamming assholes with relative ease, but i know it's a good change for the game's health and toxicity issues overall.

a small quality of life change that made me smirk: there is a button to mark all new locker items as seen, so you can get rid of the annoying yellow dot with ease. i love it.

there are a couple graphics changes coming to the game, the first of which i absolutely love (and i'm sure a lot of people will too): there will be an option to disable motion blur. i HATE motion blur in comp shooters and other competitive games, just because it impedes vision. even if disabling motion blur only gives me a very slight visual advantage, i will take it. and given how a lot of siege players can get pretty nitpicky about performance and visual advantages, i'd think that many people will be following suit and getting rid of the blur. they also did something i'm actually really pissed off about-- directx 12 is the new graphics api for siege, with directx 11 remaining an option. this isn't inherently bad, but they also decided to throw vulkan in the can. i won't get into the technical stuff regarding this change, just know that i liked vulkan and i'm mad that it's gone.

the final change i'd like to touch on, they've added built-in 1v1 playlists in the custom game menu. you can choose a short or long match, which end when a player wins 4 or 8 rounds, respectively. i think it's just a nice, convenient addition for people that wanna have a little fun with their friends or "prove their superiority" against some random shit talker. i put that in quotations because 1v1's aren't really a test of siege skill, but that's a conversation for another time. good change!

final impressions

overall, i think this season looks solid. skopos adds a new dimension to the game that should become very effective if used properly. the siege cup, if executed properly, should become an amazing competitive experience that's conveniently built into the game. i look forward to participating in it and seeing the competitive environment it creates. where i'm torn, however, is at the balancing changes. the dokk nerf is a small step towards where she needs to be, but a great step nonetheless, and i think it shows restraint and proves that ubisoft can nerf operators without ruining them entirely. the prox alarm change is good, the claymore change can be viewed as a net positive. hell, i'd even argue that the r4-c mag reduction is a good thing. but there are a few really shitty decisions, most notably ROUND FUCKING TWO of the solis nerfs. the nokk changes are pretty dogshit too, and the fmg alterations do absolutely nothing to improve the gun. the changes cover the whole spectrum in my opinion, ranging from very good to very bad. the cute little quality of life changes and additions should make things more convenient and easy to use, as well as add some pizzazz to the game to keep it interesting. no matter what, i feel like twin shells is going to be a really interesting season. whether that is a good or bad kind of interesting remains to be seen. i'm excited nonetheless, and can't wait to see you guys in the queue!

[anthonyed]

On daily basis, 24/7 since he got out of his self imposed prison, Bucky Barnes has retired to become a hermit.

Unlike the definition "reclusive", he's more of a literal hermit. As in, he disappears into a swath of blanket/hoodie/whatever that's heavy and comfy materials available in the tower.

This means that for a super soldier of his mass and size, he purchases tons of oversized hoodies which could drown him in. You know, in case he desires an expediated disappearance from certain social situations/people (also read: 99% of the time).

Tony Stark however, is an exclusive exclusion to that regulation. One is because he is Bucky's boyfriend and two, because Bucky truly enjoys his eccentric presence.

He thinks Tony is pretty with a brilliant mind, tantalizing vocabulary, wonderful stories and a truly captivating personality.

Whenever he's in Tony's presence, he feels both enriched and enlightened. Like he just got some kind of vitamin booster to make him a better person.

He loves Tony for many reasons and is in love with Tony because who and how he is as a person; insecurities with bouts of grandiose personality and massively depracating self-sabotaging personality among all the afore mentioned good things included.

Tony is also fantastic because the first thing he did when he saw Bucky burrowed in his blanket cave was to not look him with pity like everyone else does, but to elbow his way into Bucky's self made coccoon because "Why do you get to have all the comfort when I paid for it."

And then it casually grew into a habit of Tony worming his way into Bucky's shell to watch movies, share pizzas and tacos and eventually to sleep. And the third one, mind you, baffled Bucky so much that he lost his own sleep for the rest of the week.

How could this guy with his funny beard and techno babble, this guy whomst parents I murdered, could trust me enough to lose his conciousness in my presence.

He lost his mind finding a reason for a while there; staring at Tony intently (until Tony threw paper balls at his scrunched up face) as if deciphering his motion could give an answer proved to be an asshat of a solution so, Bucky dropped that heavy duty and tentatively began trusting himself too.

Because, if his worst guilt could give him a second chance, so why can't he as well.

The thing is, his worst guilt later grew to become his best everything. Casual touches became shy kisses and those kisses grew to become more intimate; tasting of skin and of euphoria and Bucky began seeing stars on Tony's penthouse ceiling.

Point is, Tony is Bucky's only exception to his anything and almost everything because even when he's so gone inside his shell, shielded from the entire world and even when Tony couldn't enter those giant gates he'd put around himself, he'd wake up from his nightmares due time and when he does, Tony would be right there beside him; burrowed in Bucky's hoodie and ocean of blankets with the AC turned so high that neither of them would sweat and Bucky would just love and love him that much and more until his heart starts aching so sweetly.

[apricusnights]

Tournament Finale

“That’s it...give me a shot..” Keeping her distance from the giant Morely but it did have her attention more than anything else. She had fired several shots off at this point and chipped away small pieces of Morely’s shell. What she was waiting for though..that had been revealed to her. She loaded a somewhat unusual round into her rifle and braced herself on the ground. The rifle seemed to twist and turn, shifting into something that could only be described as an anti-armored vehicle rifle. 

She waited for a moment when the hot sauce started to spray before pulling the trigger, the massive round she fired went through the hot sauce and directly into the Taco’s eye, sending metal flying everywhere.

“I’ve had enough of this fucking thing!” Rushing forward, swinging the gigantic axe he carried and slamming it against the giant Morely’s leg. The more and more he did, the more and more he started to chip off. That wasn’t the point though..the point was to rile himself up. His awakened ability starting to flare as the heat around him increased. The angrier he got, the hotter it became. Soon enough it would start to eat away at the metal abomination.

Meanwhile she’d opted to stay away from the Taco battle. Instead firing pot shots to break as many shields as she possibly could. The goal was to get points, that’s all that mattered in the end. Still, when she saw Molly engage with Whitney she went to find a better position. She was going to let Molly have her fun but the second she could, she planned on taking the green haired girl out of the equation.

“This is some bullshit!” Dodging incoming attacks from all sides while trying to concentrate on not getting punched by a giant taco. He had just barely managed to avoid whatever the fuck sprayed down from it...thankfully. Still, he could hardly even get a shot off with all the chaos going on around him. He felt himself suddenly pulled off to the side as a chain wrapped around his arm and swung him back. He recovered quickly and switched his weapon to it’s axe form. “Should have figured it would be you two..”

“What? Still mad about what happened to your boyfriend? We had nothing to do with that, in fact we liked him. And this..well this is just business. Diamond District needs more points and everyone is too distracted by the taco..makes for easy pickings.”

Pulling the chain on her weapon back and swinging it around while looking at Sunil “I don’t really care about the district, this is just fun for me! You look like you’re gonna put up a fight at least! Come on..show me what you got..”

“Ridiculous!” Flipping out of the way of an attack and swinging her blade down “I didn’t come here to kill a giant taco. Of course it had to be Styles...bet he’s having the time of his fucking life up there controlling this thing!”

“Focus on the robot, I’ll handle the stragglers from other teams. Try to leave some of it functioning if you can help it.” Watching Stefanie lob explosives at the robot and break parts of it away. “Mr. Ciar will likely want to examine what’s left once this is over!”

[islandcontractors]

Finding A Brightwaters Roofing Contractor Without Any Hassles

During the land of zoos and wildlife, can there perhaps be a business which will take care of housing for you personally? Brightwaters is a town teeming with taco locations and the occasional Shamu mascot sighting, but Additionally it is an awesome location to live in. Which has a tropical environment that is delicate all the time with the calendar year, it is advisable to choose Brightwaters as your hometown before long. To get the initial step toward constructing your house, you'll want to search for a Brightwaters roofing contractor to assist you to out.

Accurate, roofing may very well be the the very least of the anxieties as you try to develop your house from scratch, but you should remember that your roof is your initial and very last line of defense from The weather. It must be intended so that the roof is shielded from the alternating humidity and dryness characteristic of Brightwaters climate. So as to make the most beneficial style in your roof, you need contractors who know the Brightwaters location flawlessly, and that are prepared to invest hrs perfecting your roof making sure that it can final quite a long time.

The Brightwaters Roofing Contractors Affiliation

Thanks to the efforts on the SDRCA, or perhaps the

Brightwaters Roofing Contractors

Affiliation, there are actually requirements that roofing contractors must try for if they have to work within the Brightwaters location. The SDRCA has been around due to the fact 1957, and it aims to don't just establish a set of roofing requirements and techniques, but to coach the general public and enable it to be more conscious of the various forms of roofs, and the value of using a superior roof around a person's head. It users are all insured, accredited roofers, so if you want roofing assistance, going through the Affiliation can be a good move on your part.

Although it might seem like an exclusive club, the SDRCA supports Competitors and free of charge business. Additionally, it encourages that its contractors will offer evidence that the businesses they get the job done for are insured, certified, and bonded. Additionally, the SDRCA needs that roofing contractors and their staff are respectful and courteous. What could possibly be a lot more disconcerting than a roofing professional who makes you want to blow your top?

You will find four most important SDRCA memberships. Affiliate customers in the SDRCA offer assistance to contractors. Such users are in demand of producing gutters or offering insurance coverage. The contractor members encompass the roofing contractors by themselves, as well as the list of contractors in Brightwaters is available over the official SDRCA site, from the to Z. Producer members are the businesses which make the roofing supplies, or provide design metals or tiles to the creating of roofs. Last of all, provider members encompass merchants inside the Brightwaters region that cater into the demands of building providers and homeowners who would like to do their repairs on their own.

The provider associates record can be accessible on the SDRCA internet site, so In case you are into Do it yourself, you should check with the list of outlets. You'll find roofing wholesale stores in San Marcos and Spring Valley, together with provide suppliers in El Cajon, San Marcos, and Nationwide Town which you could visit to Get the supplies.

Speaking to the Contractor

For those who have a

Brightwaters roofing contractor

in your mind, There are some thoughts you have to talk to, along with files that you've the license to desire as being a homeowner. Initially, the State of California troubles a C-39, or a roofing contractor's license, as well as a present-day city license. Check out if the contractor's licenses are already renewed, As well as in what cities the licenses are applicable.

For your own private monetary defense, Look at Should your contractor has Legal responsibility and Personnel' Compensation Insurance policies, in addition to a business-furnished first Certification of Insurance for each roofing employee. You may additionally need to look at the qualifications of the corporation, so ask for a list of the business's previous prospects. Furthermore, have a look at your payment scheme: you should not shell out any amount of money in full until finally the roofing is concluded.

Obtain your roofing deal straight. You need to have commence and end dates, in addition to a assurance with the roof and a warranty for your roof producer. In addition, you will need roofing permits, and it is actually your contractor's job to obtain them. According to the SDRCA, Skilled roofing contractors must have all the right licenses, devoted to executing superior quality do the job, oriented towards a customer care mentality, moral in all their dealings, responsible, and dedicated to the roofing industry.

If you are looking for a Brightwaters roofing contractor, search on-line directories for contractors and their specific locations, or log on to the Formal web page of your SDRCA. This great site can present you with many of the one-way links to users with the SDRCA, which often can guarantee you a high quality occupation in your roof. With a great roof, you can have an awesome dwelling.

[envyplays]

Pokemon Cafe Osaka

The Pokemon Cafe is a permanent fixture in the Daimaru shopping complex in Shinsaibashi Osaka. The cafe was only recently established on September 20th 2019 and will remain in Osaka for the foreseeable future.

This cafe tends to be extremely busy, especially among tourists, and as such requires a reservation ahead of time. I recommend booking this cafe several weeks ahead due to its popularity, especially if you're going on a weekend.

Next up let's take a look at the previous limited menu. This special menu is the 3rd iteration of a custom menu and is in celebration of the release of Pokemon Sword & Shield. This menu ran from March 3rd 2020 until May 29th 2020.

Pikachu's (Gigantamax version) mischievous taco rice. A filling plate of taco rice in the image of Gigantamax Eevee♪

Eevee's (Gigantamax version) cheerful hamburg stew plate. A filling stew plate in the image of Gigantamax Eevee♪

Woof♪ Again today, Yamper's excited Sandwich picnic plate. Again today, Yamper's excited Sandwich picnic plate♪ Enjoy a variety of foods with this Yamper inspired dish☆

Zigzagoon (Galar variant)'s Zig zag cookie tiramisu. Enjoy eating this zig zagged cookies and cream tiramisu in the shape of Galarian Zigzagoon☆

Ice-face Eiscue's jiggly panna cotta. It's Eiscue's jiggly panna cotta♪ If you eat away at the panna cotta carefully, you'll see...

This new menu also includes some new coasters and lunch mats featuring Galar Pokemon and Gigantamax Eevee & Pikachu, as well as a mystery coaster...

---

I visited this cafe twice during its run, first on March 20th 2020, and again on May 22nd 2020, in order to try as many of the menu items as I could.

The entry into this cafe is staggered, and they have a sign outside the entrance letting you know when its your turn to enter. Be sure to bring your phone with your reservation email number on it as the staff will ask for it as you enter.

The inside of the cafe is small, but full of charm. It's covered in Pokemon decorations, from framed artwork to locations in the corner set up for photo opportunities. To top it off, they played trailers for Pokemon Sword and Shield on TVs on the wall, as well as music over the speakers, giving a feeling of childish excitement for any Pokemon fan.

Because I went to the cafe during the outbreak of Corona virus, the cafe was extremely empty during my 2nd visit in May (There was only 3 people in the cafe during my timeslot). This made the experience more enjoyable for me, personally, and the best part was that they had placed Pokemon plush dolls on every other chair for social distancing purposes. It was as if you were enjoying your meal with a little Pokemon buddy!

As for what I ordered, during my first trip I got the following dishes:

First I ordered the Gigantamax Eevee plate. The neck floof was made from soft taco shell, underneath was a bowl of meat stew. The body and head was slices of bread, and it was garnished with roast potatoes, fresh cherry tomatoes and boiled broccoli. Unfortunately this dish wasn't for me, I didn't particularly enjoy the taste of the meat stew all that much, it was simply too plain and lacking in flavor. However the presentation was very cute and creative.

For dessert, I ordered the Galarian Zigzagoon cookie. This was a mix of cookie biscuit, cake, and cookies & cream cream. This was much more enjoyable as I'm a big fan of cookies & cream. It was almost too cute to eat! I very much enjoyed this dish.

And as for the drink, I picked the Articuno ice cream float. Simple but nice and refreshing!

As for my second visit, this time I went with the Gigantamax Pikachu dish. This dish was much more enjoyable, with a good amount of spice to the taco mince. Together with the refreshing salad and cheese, it was overall a nice dish. I also appreciate that they provide you with extra mince and meatballs, as there’s certainly not enough on the plate compared with the amount of rice!

For dessert I ordered the Eiscue dish. Once again the Pokemon cafe nails its dessert. With a moist sponge and a wonderful panna cotta, it was very enjoyable. And for a little surprise, there are two layers of panna cotta, removing the top layer reveals a little Noice Face made from white chocolate!

Lastly I picked the Zapdos drink this time, and once again it was just a general but refreshing drink.

Overall, I do believe that the Pokemon cafe is more focused on presentation rather than taste when it comes to their dishes unfortunately. But I have faith in their desserts, as from my current experience, those have both been the highlight of my experience.

Being in the cafe itself and experiencing that childhood excitement and love for Pokemon once again, however, makes it all worth the trip.

[galwednesday]

I wish you would write wholesome Shrinkyclinks! Modern AU or WS!Bucky or anything :) especially anything where people take Bucky as super intimidating and seemingly Not For Steve but he's actually soft-spoken and embarrassingly in love with his bf. Also inspiration art, take out the parentheses: coldcigarettes(.)tumblr(.)com/post/155362763256/you-know-how-i-never-do-comics-well-ive-done-one

What I ended up with is a little askew from the prompt, but it is Shrinkyclinks with besotted WS!Bucky and people being surprised Steve is his boyfriend, just with the surprise going the other direction.

Sam did one more circuit in the air just to confirm that everything was under control. The wannabe-despot of the week was being loaded into the back of a SHIELD van in handcuffs, and the three bioengineered chimeras she’d released in Central Park were all safely contained. They were part hyena, part cat, and part…actually, Sam had no idea what the hell was making them glow faintly purple, but he was pretty sure it wasn’t normal cat or hyena behavior.

Fortunately, the chimeras weren’t nearly as aggressive as their creator had hoped. Once the Avengers had herded them into a sunny area by a fountain, the chimeras had settled down to bask on the warm stone, ignoring their creator’s increasingly frustrated commands to make with the rampaging already.

“Can we keep them?” Clint was shooting boomerang arrows from the top of the fountain. One of the chimeras was lying on its back, batting lazily at the arrows passing overhead. “I’ll feed them and walk them and not let them maul any civilians, can we keep them, sir, pretty please with a cherry on top?”

“No,” Coulson said. Sam could see him standing by the SHIELD van, arms folded as he watched Clint.

“I want this one.” Natasha sat on the ground by the fountain, posture relaxed, apparently ignoring the chimera five feet to her left. The chimera ignored her back, except to twitch an ear in her direction.

“No,” Coulson repeated, but only after a pause long enough signal defeat.

Natasha rolled slowly onto her side. The chimera tracked the movement, then put its head down on its paws and half-closed its eyes. “I’m naming her Boadicea.”

“So we’re done here? We’re done here,” Sam said, and turned his comm off before he could get sucked into the argument.

He touched down outside the SHIELD perimeter, where Tony was shedding his suit like a lobster shucking off its shell one segment at a time. Each piece folded up neatly into the briefcase at his feet. The Winter Soldier was standing next to him, his face blank but calm.

The Soldier had been an official part of the team for a few months now. Sam still didn’t have much of a read on him. The Soldier had been invaluable during the whole Hydra/SHIELD clusterfuck, and that was enough to earn him a lot of goodwill, but just about the only things Sam knew about the Soldier were his fighting style and his call sign.

“Hey, Cap,” Tony greeted him. “Where are the spy kids? Let’s do post-battle brunch, I’m starving.”

“They’re trying to convince Coulson to let the mad science experiments follow them home.”

“Good luck to them, but God help them if they try to keep them in the Tower, Pepper put her foot down about pets. You buy out one animal shelter because the cages are too small and all the animals look sad and suddenly everyone thinks you’re a hoarder. I don’t get what the big deal was, we weren’t using that floor of the Tower for anything important anyway. Tacos?” Tony suggested. “I’m thinking that place by Fordham. BattleBot, you in?”

“Can’t,” the Soldier said, typing something into his phone. “I have a date.”

Tony stopped talking for an entire three seconds. “You. Have a date.”

The Soldier looked up and blinked, clearly nonplussed to find Sam and Tony both staring at him. “Yes.”

“With who?”

“My boyfriend.”

“You have a boyfriend. You have a boyfriend?” Tony looked like he’d just walked into a lamppost, and then the lamppost had handed him a birthday present.

The Soldier’s brow furrowed. “Is that a problem?”

“Hey, this isn’t disapproval on my face, this is flabbergast. Flabbergastness? Flabbergosity?” Tony waved a dismissive hand. “I’m just a teeny bit surprised, no need to do that thing with your face where your eyebrows try to merge with your nose. Details! I need details!”

“Tony,” Sam tried.

Tony ignored him. “Is your boyfriend also a former brainwashed Soviet assassin?”

“No.” The Soldier’s stance eased. His phone chirped and he went back to typing.

“I guess that was a longshot. Is he a Marine?”

“No.”

“A fireman?”

“No.”

“Mixed martial-arts instructor?”

“He’s a painter.”

“Pics or it didn’t happen,” Tony demanded.

“Tony,” Sam sighed, but the Soldier was already holding out his phone. Tony barely resisted grabbing it. (People who grabbed things from the Soldier had a tendency to break fingers; granted, they were usually bad guys going for the Soldier’s weapons, but there was no telling exactly how the Soldier would react to a grab in a non-combat situation, and Sam for one would not want to be the first person to test it).

“That’s your boyfriend?” Tony said incredulously. “Him? No way. I don’t believe it.”

The Soldier’s eyebrows were advancing south again. “Why not?”

“Why not? Look at him, he’s adorable.”

“Yes,” the Soldier agreed, mollified.

Sam gave up on resisting his own curiosity and leaned over Tony’s shoulder. The Soldier obligingly held out his phone, which displayed a picture of a short, skinny guy with a neat blond crew cut. He was wearing a plaid flannel shirt and giving the camera a grin and a dorky peace sign.

“When are we meeting him?” Tony said. “Is it now? Can we meet him now? Does he like tacos?”

The Soldier gave them both an evaluating look. Sam tried to radiate friendly acceptance and not show that he was dying of curiosity almost as badly as Tony was.

“Yes,” the Soldier said eventually.

“Yes, he likes tacos, or yes, we can meet him now?”

“Yes.” The Soldier’s phone chirped again. He glanced at it and said, “He’s nearby. He’ll meet us there.”

The Soldier started walking. Tony and Sam fell in beside him, Tony throwing new questions at the Soldier with every step.

“Where did you meet?”

“JDate.”

“Seriously?”

“No.”

“Are you actually Jewish, though?”

The Soldier shrugged. “It’s complicated.”

“Same.” Tony held out a fist. The Soldier bumped it without looking up from his phone. “How long have you been dating?”

“Five months.”

“Five months! You need to tell me these things, this is information I needed to know, I thought we were friends.”

“Why would you think that,” the Soldier said, so flatly that Sam was almost entirely sure he was joking.

“I’m hurt, Ice-T, I’m wounded and distraught. If I ask you about your sex life are you going to punch me?”

“Yes.”

Tony’s eyes narrowed in calculation. “With which arm?”

“You guys hear that?” Sam interrupted. Angry shouts were echoing down the street ahead of them. He put a hand down to the shield at his side to check its position, his wingpack a reassuring weight on his back. A particularly loud yell was followed by a loud thud and the sound of glass breaking, like a waiter dropping a tray of glasses. “What is that?”

A beatific smile spread across the Soldier’s face. “That’s Steve.”

“What?” Sam said, but the Soldier had already broken into a run.

The commotion was coming from the taco place. Sam rounded the corner at a jog just in time to see a tiny guy pick himself up from the ground and hurtle forward into a much bigger man’s kneecaps, tackling him to the sidewalk. The contents of a knocked-over recycling bin were spilling into the street, sprays of glass marking bottles that had broken on impact.

The Soldier dove swiftly into the tangle of bodies and hauled the big guy up by his collar. “What did he do?” he asked the other man.

“Got handsy with a server,” the man replied. His nose was bleeding, but he didn’t seem to notice. He grinned at the Soldier, and suddenly Sam recognized him. This was Steve? “You want to sit on him until the cops come?”

The Soldier put the man in an armlock and didn’t move an inch, no matter how much the man struggled, until the NYPD showed up. Sam adopted his most Captain America voice and reassured the bystanders that everything was under control. The crowd petered out once the fighting was over, not even the spectacle of three Avengers helping with a citizen’s arrest enough to meet New Yorkers’ jaded standards for a free show.

Once the cops had loaded the still-protesting brawler into the back of their car, the Soldier gave Steve a thorough once-over, eyes lingering on the smear of blood under his nose. He pulled Steve into a careful hug. Sam tried not to stare at the novel sight of the Soldier initiating non-violent physical contact. “Ribs?”

“Totally fine.” Steve gave the Soldier an extra squeeze before letting go. “What about you, did you get hurt at all?”

“Strained knee. Your nose is bleeding.”

“Shit.” Steve swiped at the blood under his nose, made a face at his messy hand, and gave Sam and Tony a little wave instead of trying to shake hands. The Soldier dug into one of his belt pouches and handed Steve a wet wipe. “Hey, you must be Bucky’s coworkers. Nice to meet you.”

“You, too,” Tony said. It was more of a question than a statement. “Who the hell is Bucky?”

“Me,” the Soldier said.

Tony and Sam exchanged a look. Steve just cleaned his hands and threw the wet wipe away.

“Is that something we should call you, too?” Sam asked.

The Soldier shrugged. “Sure.”

“And hey, you should’ve said your knee was hurt,” Sam told the Soldier as they filed into the taco place–told Bucky, and that was going to be a weird adjustment. “We could’ve given you a lift.”

“It’ll heal,” Bucky said, entirely unconcerned.

“You guys shouldn’t rely on air support so much,” Steve said, eyes wandering over the menu. “Your team has so many fliers that it’s weakening your ground game.”

“Excuse me?” Tony said.

“You almost lost the third chimera when it went under tree cover because Iron Man and Captain America were both in the air, and Hawkeye and the Soldier were in elevated sniper stands. If the Black Widow hadn’t been in that quadrant already, the chimera would’ve made it past the SHIELD perimeter. Hey, Bucky, have you ever had mole?”

“No,” Bucky said. He was standing sideways in line, his back to the wall–and to Steve, Sam noted, who was apparently allowed inside his blind spot. “Is it good?”

“Yeah, I think you’ll like it. Want to split mole and pulled pork?”

“Yes.” Bucky slipped out of the line and went to stake out a booth.

“I know we make it look easy,” Tony said, “but saving the world on a weekly basis is actually kind of difficult, and we’re pretty good at it by now.”

“Oh, sure. All of you are brilliantly effective at what you do, but that means you’re not working as a group as well as you could. You’re all playing to your individual strengths instead of cohering as a unit. Hi, could I get one order of mole tacos and one of pulled pork?” Steve asked the cashier, his voice abruptly polite.

Sam distracted Tony with questions about Pepper’s latest gallery opening until they got their food and sat down. Bucky had managed to claim a corner booth by the kitchen and was sitting on the bench that faced the front doors. Steve climbed over his lap to get into the corner seat. Bucky slid a little further in after Steve sat down, in a move that Sam interpreted as 30% doting boyfriend seeking closeness, 70% bodyguard blocking potential lines of fire.

“Okay, so you think our ground game is weak.” Tony steepled his fingers over his plate and narrowly avoided putting an elbow in the guacamole cup. “Elaborate.”

“You don’t need two fliers and two snipers on a five-person team. The Iron Man suit is a walking tank, Captain America’s shield is a perfect melee weapon, and Hawkeye and the Winter Soldier are both hand-to-hand combat experts. There’s no reason any one of you couldn’t fight in close quarters. You need to vary your approach before the people you’re fighting catch on and start staging battles in places where long-distance engagement is impossible.” Steve dragged the wadded-up tortilla end of his taco through a smear of sour cream on his plate and passed it to Bucky, who stuffed it into his mouth without comment. “Any time you can’t fight from the air, you’re at a real disadvantage. Bucky told me about what happened in the sewers last August.”

Sam’s face wrinkled at the memory. Clint had almost gotten eaten by an alligator-dinosaur-thing, and the smell had clung to Sam’s costume for weeks.

“Oh, you heard all about it?” Tony said. “Fine, bantamweight, lay it on me. What would you have done instead?”

Steve’s smile went sharp. “Well,” he said, and shoved everything out of the middle of the table. “For starters–”

Sam pulled his taco plate into his lap to keep it out of the way of the rapidly unfolding model of the sewers, which Steve assembled out of straws and sugar packets. Steve moved the salt and pepper shakers (Iron Man and the Winter Soldier) through the grid, while the straw wrapper (Black Widow) slipped ahead to provide recon and a plastic knife and spoon (Hawkeye and Captain America) guarded the exits. Tony challenged every call he made, and Steve pushed right back, questioning Tony’s assumptions and demonstrating his own reasoning. Sam ate his tacos and put in his own two cents whenever he could get a word in edgewise.

Sam’s attention was split between the conversation and surreptitiously watching Bucky. Bucky didn’t react to anything that was said, although Sam was sure he heard every word. He looked more relaxed than Sam had ever seen him, like the sound of Steve and Tony bickering was a zen meditation podcast.

“Huh,” Tony said, halfway through their fifth iteration. “You have a point.”

“Yep.” Steve sat back in his seat and stretched out his back, all that startlingly intense focus draining from his posture. It was amazing how quickly he went back to looking like a nerdy grad student. Sam might have been fooled, if he hadn’t just heard Steve argue Tony Stark to a standstill, and if Steve didn’t have dried blood ringing his nostrils.

“You said he was a painter,” Tony told Bucky accusingly.

“He is,” Bucky said. “He also has a PhD in history with a specialty in wartime tactics and strategy.”

“Seriously, how did you two meet?” Tony asked.

“I saved him from a mugger,” Steve said.

Tony stared at them. “I honestly can’t tell whether you guys are fucking with me right now.”

“I know,” Bucky said serenely.

“Hey, Steve, you want a job?” Sam asked, because unlike some people, he had his priorities straight.

“I already have a job.”

“Come on, don’t tell me you just pulled that analysis out of your ass, you’ve been thinking about this,” Tony said.

“How would you feel about working freelance?” Sam asked. “You could do strategy consulting, be our eye in the sky on missions–”

“Help keep your Bucky-boo-boo safe,” Tony interrupted.

Steve gave him a level look, then turned to Bucky. “I see what you mean.”

“I’m choosing to interpret that as a compliment,” Tony said.

“Yeah, okay, let’s talk terms. Churros first, though. You want churros?” Steve asked Bucky, who nodded.

“I could–” Bucky started, but Steve was already climbing over his legs to get out of the booth.

“I got it.” Steve leaned over the back of the booth and kissed the top of Bucky’s head. He didn’t have to lean down very far. “You take a load off, rest that knee.”

Tony watched Steve go up to the counter, then turned to Bucky. “Okay, nevermind,” he said. “I get it. He’s scrappy, huh?”

“Buddy, you got no idea,” Bucky said, and stole the half-eaten taco right off of Tony’s plate.

[marvelslegacies]

Jarome | Fate and Felicity | Past Paragraph

And in other news, the local Walmart’s latest- Patrick, your genius is showing.. -All for nineteen ninety-nine!

“Wait, go back!” An 8-year-old Jarome whined, watching the television flicker off and be recolored with a new scene. He wanted to watch Spongebob, but Degrassi was on and that was Felicity’s favorite show. “Felicity! Go baaaack!” Jarome cried as pitifully as he could, hoping Mom or Dad would intervene and tell Felicity to change the channel back to Nickelodeon. “No, Jarome.” she hissed powerfully, still flipping channels, “The new season of Degrassi starts tonight and I am not missing it!”

Jarome crossed both his arms harshly across his chest, sunk into the couch and scowled until his cheeks ached. “I hate you.” he muttered through clenched teeth, a common utterance at this age, one that had become only more popular with the news that the Blakely family would have a new addition in 3 short months. Mom was pregnant. Jarome couldn’t imagine how much everyone would ignore him once their new baby brother or sister was born… he already came in second on everything with one sibling as it was.

“Mooom!” Felicity called out, her thumb still jamming over the button on the remote, “Jarome’s saying mean things to me again!” His face instantly changed at the fear of being scolded by his mother, but it soon turned back to bitterness when he hollered, “Felicity’s hogging the TV and being unfair!” To this Felicity responded, “I am not!” Mom, of course, sided with Felicity and told Jarome that once Degrassi was over Jarome could have the TV for the rest of the night. Jarome got up and sulked up to his bedroom to wait out the hour-long event.

In the kitchen, Jarome’s mother hummed an old song by Journey as she fried pancake batter in a buttered pan on the stove. She had just flipped a pancake over to reveal a fluffy, golden brown underbelly when the fire alarm chirped its shrill warning from out in the hallway. Mrs. Blakely sighed.

The noise could be heard from upstairs, but Jarome wasn’t worried by it. He was too irked at his dumb big sister to get himself worked up over the shrill chirping. He had enough life experience to understand that the fire alarm would go off rarely and of those rare occasions, there was almost never a fire. Folding his pillow over his head so it wrapped around like a taco shell, he held an opened palm over one side to keep the pillow in place. “Stupid sisters, stupid parents, stupid TV…” he grumbled absent-mindedly.

Placing a cool, wet cloth over the fire alarm in the hallway caused the chirping to cease. Mrs. Blakely smiled to herself and rubbed her budding belly gently. Holding the lower of her back, she eased herself down from a chair she’d borrowed from her own dining room and began to drag the antique piece back to its set in a room at the end of the hall. A shriek split through the air followed by a whoosh, now grayed out with thick smoke. Felicity stared into the blinding light of wild flames licking away at the kitchen cabinets.

“Felicity!” Mrs. Blakely demanded in a panicked tone as she found her daughter, standing opposite her at the other end of the hallway. Felicity stood facing the open doorway to the kitchen, being swallowed by thick, graying smoke, with her arms covering her face to guard against the heat. “Felicity! Get away from there!” Her mother cried, desperately striding up the hall to shield her child from the explosion that she knew was inevitable. The poor pregnant woman was a few feet away when the explosion thrust the little girl back into the living room, and she collided with her pregnant mother, knocking them both to the ground.

Hearing a ruckus that Jarome could not fathom, he roused himself out of bed and gingerly made his way to the bedroom door, still angry. He didn’t want to go back down stairs in his sour mood but found himself worrying too much not to go down stairs. So he unlocked his bedroom door and stepped out onto the indoor balcony, underfoot was the living room now clouded with smoke and blaring painfully with heat.

“Mom?! Felicity?!” Jarome cried out, racing awkwardly across the balcony to the staircase which wound down into the living room. Jarome was nearly blinded once he reached the foot of the stairs and began choking from the smoke. “Felicity?” he croaked, seeing a hunched over figure by the couch. He willed his feet to move forward, into the breathless hell. He could hear a commercial playing to his left and swiped about with his hand until he found the television. Dragging his fingers to the corner of the box, he shut it off and asked again, tears in his stinging eyes, “Felicity?”

Huddled over the limp body, a weeping woman cradled and caressed the lifeless figure, praying to a God who’d put her on hold. “Wake up, baby, wake up!” Mrs. Blakely’s voice shook violently but she never stopped spilling out words of desperate encouragement. Jarome got closer, and closer, but could not find the courage to speak… he reached out a silenced hand, pleading for his mother to turn her attention to him instead of…

Run, little brother. Jarome’s breath flooded from his mouth instantly at the sound, he had been raised up into the air and was spun around by an unseen force, he searched for the voice. It had come from behind and was unmistakably Felicity’s. The voice began to speak again but was drowned out by a coughing fit, Jarome’s eyes sunk into sorrow as he spun back around, suddenly feeling the warm floor beneath his feet. He’d made himself dizzy in the process, his lungs were shriveling up inside his chest. He looked at his mother’s face, she laid down next to her daughter, their soot-covered faces an inch from the ground as the pair wheezed and convulsed. “Mommy.” he cried, sputtering. Every time he sucked in a breath to cry for his family’s pain he choked harder on the black smoke.

Run, little brother! commanded the voice of Felicity, despite her body still lying limp. Jarome cried something incoherent and rushed, stumbling and clumsy, to the back door where the fire had not yet spread. He rammed his own body into the back door before stopping to grip the doorknob and twist. His face was pressed up against the glass, dusted over in smoke somehow and he saw the blurry reflection of his sister but dared not look behind him. He spun the knob as hard as he could and forced himself out of the house.Smoke leaked out in his wake, another explosion sent his small body flying across the backyard when Jarome first learned to throw a football. Blood was dripping down his upper lip from his left nostril and copper filled the space between his teeth. He saw Felicity once more, but faded away and pale like a ghostly spirit. You’re safe now, little brother. She, it, whatever it was… smiled and dissipated. Jarome only didn’t cry because he could not do so without bringing upon himself another coughing fit. Sirens. Important men announcing important things. He stumbled in a daze for a while, shuffling the long way around to the front of the house until his own eyes met with that of another man, a firefighter, here to help… he collapsed.

[apricusdays]

It was not horror. It was not danger. It was not anything but simple hate.

The monstrous creations of Ciar Industries stood as close to the line of sentience as the city allowed without rightfully consigning Tiberius Ciar to the sword. They moved. They talked. They had responses to questions and orders- they almost lived. 

It was that sin that Castor despised so much. People who hid behind the letter of what they did and damned the spirit; all while having the gall to proclaim they do no wrong. It was just a symptom of Ciar’s hypocrisy and heresy. 

A symptom the templars would nonetheless exorcise. The carnage was immediate. The robotic mascots were harmless and defenseless. Still, Castor charged without pity or hesitation. His blades swung in precise arcs all around him. A blinding series of flashes followed in his wake as he rushed from horde to horde. The pile of scrap, sparks, and internal coupon dispensers littered the streets like a decidedly un-tacorific path of unending conquest. The screams and wails of the heretical monsters did not daunt him no matter how well recorded nor did the shouts of angry passerbys sprayed by taco sauce. That the masses must suffer so that the greater good be done was never a task done with pride or glee- but it was what was needed to be a templar.

Brother Castor darted ahead, a malfunctioning creature billowing smoke created a screen that would shield the eyes of the innocent from the harsh reality of divine punishment. His eyes, however, saw only the truth; and Creation’s gift to him allowed his sight to go unimpeded. He slashed and stabbed and eyes, shells, limbs, and simulacra of forbidden deliciousness that made up the front of the horrid beasts. The carnage continued in a fever pitch that rose as the chorus of the divine rang in the distance. He could see a pale blue light pierce the cloud of smoke. Undaunted, he charged and flung himself over the top of it.

And stopped. Then a sphere surrounded him with emblems of shields surrounding him.

“What is the meaning of this!” 

The smoke cleared and Brother Jerome held out a book with glowing runes and stared up at the templar. “Are you done?” He surveyed the carnage with more than a little irritation. “Brother Solomon is likely to ask who will be cleaning all of this up. I hope you thought of that before you went on your rampage.”

“This is Ciar’s unholy doing. Surely you must see that!”

“As surely as I’m going to regret walking through this on my bad leg...” Jerome responded flatly, “And considering I’m using my only available defense matrix to restrain you from causing any more pieces of mascot to fly into store windows, it’s going to be a long and slow trip. Now sit there and think about what you’ve done... You’re in menu candidacy now and I suspect Sister Violet will come up with something very embarrassing. Complain and I’ll start spinning you. Laterally. Let’s go.”