#that commencement speech makes me so angry

[cryscendo]

harrison butker had a lot of audacity to talk about gay ppl the way he did only for kurt hummel to be a better kicker than him

[studentbyday]

30 days of intentionality

starting this challenge with the goal of taking it one day at a time. i have a hard time doing that these days. i spend more time ruminating on the past or worrying about the future than staying in the present, even if that's when i'm most content. not sure how i'll format my posts and most likely, i'll only do weekly updates bc daily ones are too overwhelming. i'll just go with the flow, trying to trust that everything will end up as it's meant to be and maybe i'll be more productive as focusing primarily on the present moment becomes a habit.

---

1. suo gân (arr. john williams for the ambrosian junior choir): i believe that if everyone lived by the idea of global citizenship and so saw the humanity in every individual from every background, there would be no war. reading the news fills me with fear, sorrow, and anxiety, but i also feel the responsibility to stay informed. did some studying today, more than yesterday, but it was kind of uncomfortable with the state of global politics lurking in the back of my mind. i'm still a little behind on school.

2. souvenir de paganini (chopin): today is not so bad. i'm making progress academically, but i do need to make time for social activities soon or i will get lonely and lose what little motivation i have very quickly.

3. once upon a december (arr. emile pandolfi): sometimes in the face of events and issues much bigger than myself that i have no control over, i feel like my dreams are pointless bc i think there's no way achieving them or trying to achieve them could possibly empower me to make real and important change that can truly benefit many. who knows if the future would even allow me to get that far. there are many things that could change the course of our lives that we don't have control over. but if others in worse situations than me and others much better informed than me can still have hope, then so can i. i didn't do much other than pharmacology and a little bit of philosophy today. i made more progress in pharmacology than expected, but that's only bc i didn't do any psych work. i also earned a few more mastery points on khan academy's integrated math 1 (not a priority, i know, but i wanted an easy win) and started lab tasks. i'm far from done with that, i need to do a little every day... i don't want to let them down! 🥺 (note to self: lying in bed is maybe NOT a good study break activity bc that just makes me not wanna do anything else after that and it's very very very hard to get out of that procrastination rut once i let myself fall into it.) 4. let's stay together (al green): everything should be going well, except i'm easily overwhelmed, and this time, it wasn't in an openly frazzled way, it was in a tired and slightly defeated "what's the point?" way, so i didn't realize it as quickly as i usually do. after some bed rest, cuddles 🧸, listening to steve jobs' commencement speech, and a little yoga, i felt better. "You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future." was something i didn't know i needed to hear today. i modified my to-do list and found that the list of things i "must do" was nearly as long as the list of things i "want to do" 😅

5. kreutzer sonata, movt. 1 (beethoven): pretty sure i've mentioned some of these songs before but...they really fit the mood! sometimes i feel things so strongly that i develop a tightening in my chest that can only be relieved in a scream... since i can't actually scream and i don't actually really like the physical feeling of it, i scream through exercise and music 😅 beethoven is very nice for when i'm feeling very annoyed or angry, especially if it's an anxious kind of angry or if it's anger at injustice/inequality. i can't find a piano solo version that does the fiery spirit of the violin justice. so in the vague future when i actually play this, either i try (and perhaps fail) to replicate that on the piano, or i find a violinist friend who would want to play with me 😅 right now though, imagining how i would physically create that sound on the piano will have to be enough. the prevailing thought/feeling of the day: sometimes i just really wanna believe in the good in people and believe that i can trust (some of) them. i long for that feeling of safety in a broader irl community that i actually belong in. i'm surprised by how often i long for it. but then my negativity is reinforced by news and people's opinions on it.

6. violin sonata no. 1 in g minor, bwv 1001 (j.s. bach): stuff was done. i felt calm/chill throughout the day, but even tho i feel good whenever that happens, it usually means i don't get an extraordinary amount of things done that day (lol since when do i ever). i'm not sure if it's enough, as there is still lots to do and i'm pretty sure that it's just wishful thinking that i'll achieve all my goals for this week by its end. i need to cut down my goals list to the realistic rather than idealistic version as always (school, lab, and basic self-maintenance tasks) 😅 gaawwwdd i hope i can do this...good night.

7. waltz in a minor, b. 150 (chopin): today and yesterday i have been able to keep my phone time under an hour. the days are blissful (if not at least calmer) and focused. 📚

8. only mine (laufey): cuddles in bed while listening to laufey is so soothing 🧸 takes me back to my childhood listening to lullabies in the dark 🥺 motivation to study is hard to find today. i just want to relax 🥺 i'll just do one tiny thing and see where i wanna go from there...

[eueuphoriaz]

Cold War between Levi and Hange: Part 3.1 - Double Date

Alright... Sasha managed to do something that everyone (probably except Eren and Mikasa) wanted to do - throw a little anger at Levi. So, with that little vent from her, the double date commenced.

Now, I am always curious why Isayama arranged it like that. If it is not for the purpose of a double date, then why would Hange arrange Levi to go with her, when Hange was still, supposedly, angry at him? If there are only 2 senior officers left, and Hange, being the commander now, should accompany Eren and Mikasa to continue the investigation. And it would also make sense to assign Levi to be on the Wall to watch out if the Marleyan Titans are coming back. Yes, Armin is already a Colossus but his power will blow everyone up too. Then we have Jean and Sasha who are injured, and Connie and Floch. From a logical point of view, Levi should stay at the wall because Hange has Mikasa and Eren around in case there are still roaming Titans when they go to the basement.

The other reason I can think of, is that Hange arranged for Levi to go to the basement as a form of fulfilment for Erwin's wish. I am not sure how much Hange knows about Erwin's personal dream to reach the Basement, but she knew that reaching the Basement is important to him and for the whole of the Survey Corps members. And I guess that was why the anime included the flashback of Erwin making reaching the Basement the sole goal of the Survey Corps during his recruitment speech and then switching it to Armin who stood at the Wall, much like Erwin standing at the wall supervising the battle and expedition.

So, Levi managed to get on the double date. The anime expanded the whole scene and focused on Eren and Mikasa as they walked through their memory. I thought it was really done beautifully, as it gives a chance for them to work on their trauma and grief from 5 years ago.

1) Keeping their distance

So, Hange continued to keep her distance from Levi. Here, the third person who jumped off the wall has a cloak. And then we have the scene of the 4 of them after Levi jumped off the wall. So from the positioning of the 4 of them at the wall before they set off, either Hange is avoiding Levi cos she is still angry, or Levi is avoiding Hange to lessen her anger, or both.

I am thinking that in this cold war, Hange is taking on the stance of "ignoring him", while Levi is taking on the stance of "observing and approaching when timing is right".

This can be really far-fetched, and it may just be from an art-making perspective to add dynamism to the action. But here are some observations when they landed.

Hange had landed at a distance slightly away from the camera lens. Her position is similar to where Eren landed. Then Levi landed closer to the lens, which is closer to Hange now, who had landed earlier than him and was jogging to let the momentum run off.

Here is a look to compare the landing position Levi chose (closer to the lens), compared to Eren. The 2 of them are in the same line of travel.

Probably it is due to his manoeuvring skills and that he is smaller so he can travel further. But my Levihan lens is showing me that he wanted to be close to Hange.

So if Hange had been jogging while Levi landed, that would mean that Levi is either ahead of, or next to Hange, after he landed and started jogging. But we see that Hange is still ahead of Levi after she had stopped jogging.

Ok, it could also be that her legs are longer and Levi needed to take more paces to catch up, which means he is still behind her. Or it just look better when animated. But, poor boy jogged to catch up with her is true.

2) Hange's silent treatment

Now, as the double date continued, Hange and Levi walked side by side, but looking at opposite directions. Then we have Levi asking Eren where is his house.

Just want to point out that in the manga, Hange is the one who talked throughout the walk until they reached Eren's house.

So the anime extended this probably to also highlight the tension between Levi and Hange.

Also, I am guessing that Levi asking Eren where is his house is also a test to sense Hange's reaction to him. She basically still did not react to Levi, except to look to Eren after Levi asked the question on where is his house. So, I am guessing that Hange also had this question in her mind but she is choosing to be silent, because she is still angry at Levi.

3) Levi got his answer

Thereafter, we can see Levi walking slightly behind Hange and that gap between them....

Probably he realised then that Hange is giving him the silent treatment and he is also feeling a bit frustrated now. So the space between them got bigger.

Ok, the second frame probably is drawn because it looks nice. But the gap between Levi and Hange.....

And it is not just Levi, as the quartet get closer to Eren's house, we see Hange also widening her distance between Levi. Like, the 2 of them are just dancing tango with each other- i walk behind you, you walk behind me..... much like a binary star system.

So, finally they have reached Eren's house, but Levi is also slowly feeling the frustration of Hange's silent treatment. Unfortunately I have to do a Part 3.2 because there is a photo limit.

---------

Levihan's Cold War [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3.1] [Part 3.2]

[grumpycakes]

SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE VOTE 2, DISASTER BOOGALOO CONT.

DAY 4 • October 20, 2023 • Third Vote, bye bye Jordan

< Previous (Day 3 Oops No Vote)

HOOO BOY MY DUDES.

So for some reason they planned this vote at 10am (cause they hate the west coasters??? Oh. Oh wait yeah, they probably wanted to make it more inconvenient so people want to get it done.)

Also C-Span hecked up??? And didn’t come on till a bit into ten and while the ALTERNATE CHAPLIN WAS ALREADY PRAYING.

This guy is NOT NICE CHILL LADY CHAPLIN. He sounds chill, but he said shit about "We need more of you (God)," and "[Lord] Lead us in your will." which again AGAIN. SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE. AT LEAST nice Lady Chaplin asks god to lead us for what is best for the people. WHERE IS OUR NICE LADY CHAPLIN.

They do the pledge and then do their "Call of the House" (head count buzz in to make sure they have a Quorum/majority of the reps). This also serves to find out what the total number is to base the needed votes for a majority. This is why they let the timer lapse around as long as it was going, to make sure they have all the votes possible for better chances at getting majority.

C-Span actually had journalist/reporters going today??? Which they hadn't all week. But good info was had that I'll add in the takeaways. Made me jump tho during roll call rofl.

We hear that one Republican is out on a """Fact Finding Mission to Israel""" and he is one that votes Jordan so, not great for that. Apparently NORMALLY there are 435 seats for a majority of 218 votes needed, but there's been 2 vacancies so that's why it's been 433. 2 Democrat Representatives are out (V. Gonzales and Payne, no word why but not really an issue). Roll ends with 427 Present (Which would mean 214 to have a majortiy but by final vote it was 429 votes, so really only 4 ppl MIA instead of 6 and 215 needed)

SPEECHES

lolol So McCarthy gave this nomination speech for Jordan and like, I know they don't hate each other but I hope that hurt.

Says, contrary to Dem talking points, Jordoran is an effective legislator (WHICH GETS FUCKING LAUGHTER, AMAZING)

Continues that the Speakership is about compromise and working long hours to get it done (implying Jordan can and has done these things) GETTING MORE LAUGHTER AND CHATTER and McHenry even fucking calls us to order about it lol

"Democrats are attacking Jim" because they don't want secure borders (my dude it is YOUR PARTY not electing him)

Called Jordan selfless (DOUBTFUL)

Quotes people who worked with or under him (stupid and ofc only the good ones)

Goes into an example of Jordan and like, man I hate the way McCarthy speaks/tells stories/way he talks. Grates on my nerves

We've got a job to do (yeah, yet you seem incapable so far)

Does more Jabs at democrats cuase he's exhausting and desperate to blame anyone but his party

BLessedly not the longest but still annoying

Clark, Rep of Massachussets is here to give us a speech (OOOooo she's new to me)

Blah blah 212 consistently, we rock and are united

Republicans are disconnected from the people

Pointed out Jordan voted against healthcare for Mothers, chlidren, elderly and Veterans (haha which got angry dissent noises, sucks to suck)

Also notes he voted against lowering the cost of insulin multiple times

That he's a reproductive healthcare extremist

Reminds us Jordan's an election denier, misinformation spreader, and a threat to our democracy

American people want us to work for them and re-open the house, but the republicans keep fighting each other instead

blissfully short and with a good pace and snappy delivery, I like you Clark

The fucking dems started chanting Jeffries name again and this time McHenry tried to gavel them back to order but tHEY STARTED CHANTING LOUDER FASTER TILL THEY DEVOLVED INTO CHEERING. and Honestly, go off since you have to keep coming back to this bs

VOTING COMMENCES 429 Present • 215 To win •

Jordan can only lose 3 votes

NOTABLE VOTES (key: *change in voing, + same as last vote)

Bacon - McHenry * (Voted for McCarthy last vote, AND WE'RE OFF)

Bilirakis - Jordan +

Bost - MIA/Votes Jordan on recall

Buchannon - Donalds + (-2 votes)

Buck - Emmer + (-3 Jordan can't lose any more votes)

Chavez-DeRemer - McHenry* (-4 murmuring from crowd cause Jordan has lost)

Cohen - "For the 18th time Jeffries" (gets laughter about it)

Conolly - Did his long sentence for Jeffries

D'Esposito - Zelden + (someone tried to clap about it rofl)

Diaz-Balart - Scalise +

Elllsey - Mike Garcia +

Ferguson - Scalise +

Fitzpatrick - McHenry* (NEW DEFECTOR WEE WOO WEE WOO)

Fox - MIA/Votes for Jordan on recall

Garbarino - Zelden +

Gimenez -McCarthy + (loll one of the few that doesn't switch to McHenry)

Gonzales (T) - McCarthy +

Gonzales (V) - MIA/does not vote on recall

Granger - Scalise +

Hunt - MIA/does not vote on recall

Isa - Votes for Jordan but is standing in the democrat side, so the house is temporarily confused at a vote for jordan coming from there, laughter ensues)

James - Donalds* (Voted for Candace Miller of MI last time)

Hearty cheers when Jeffries votes for himself, lack luster cheers and polite clapping when Jordan votes for himself

Kean NJ - McCarthy (NEW DEFECTOR WEE WOO WEE-)

Kelly PA - Scalise* (Oh we decided against Boehner this time???)

Kiggans - McHenry* (haha i'm loving all these people dropping McCarthy for his bud)

Kilde - gets claps for voting Jeffries, unsure why

LaLota - Zelden +

LaMalfa - Jordan + (sticking to it)

Lawler - McHenry* (voted for Granger last time)

MccCarthy - Jordan (gets none attention haha)

Miller-Meeks - McHenry* (Voted Granger last time)

Molinaro - Zelden* (NEW DEFECTOR WEE W-)

Payne - MIA/does not vote on recall

Pelosi gets claps for voting but they're not crazy

Rutherford - Scalise +

Scalise - Jordan +

Spartz - Jordan +

Stauber - Westerman +

VanOrden - MIA/Does not vote on recall (out)

Vargas - yells Jeffries and gets laughter for it

Womack - Scalise +

Recall happens and McHenry does the normal, talk to vote talliers if you missed voting or need to change ur vote.

429 Voted • 215 to win

Jordan - 194 votes (HE LOST 3 MORE PEOPLE)

Jeffries - 210 votes (2 dems missing)

Scalise - 8 votes

McHenry - 6 votes (McHenry laughs as he gets cheers for it and does gently call for order)

Zelden - 4

Donalds - 2 votes

McCarthy - 2 votes

Emmer - 1 vote

Garcia (M) - 1 vote

Westerman - 1 vote

NO MAJORITY, NO SPEAKER CHOSEN McHenry immediately calls recess

TAKEAWAYS AND NEWS

The thursday closed meeting was 4 HOURS and Jordan had a SECONDARY MEETING with the holdouts for 2 MORE HOURS after that. DURING that meeting Jordan was REPORTEDLY told "He'd never be speaker."

Spartz had said that she'd back Jordan one more time, but if he lost again she would vote for someone else.

Jordan supporters said something to the effect of, It's not Jordan's fault Republicans who don't vote for him are getting death threats, it's their fault for not voting for Jordan. (AND LIKE HELLO???) Another Republican lady was like, I get death threats all the time, and I'm sorry for them but suck it up, so .. a lot of sypmathy.

Gaetz and the other 8 repubs that voted to ouster McCarthy (sealing his fates as none of the dems would vote for him) have come forwar offering themselves if that's what it takes to get Jordan nominated. Offering that they'd take sanctions and removal from the conference (basically getting kicked out of the party though they're saying they'd still be repubs??? and it would kick them off of their committee seats... so could we do it anyway??? llol). Gaetz says that he thinks this BS is actually GOOD GOVERNING (sure Jan) and tHEN ASKS, What else do they want, except a pound of our flesh?" (Which like... they want NOT FUCKING J JORDAN AS THE SPEAKER)

Jeffries did a Press conference and offers bipartisan stuff but like, man am I sicsik of that being kinda empty cause the Repubs will never and the Dems wont sacrifice human rights, so it's a moot point.

A lot of Republicans were defending this BS by pointing out how may times McCarthy had to run the vote but like THAT WAS ALSO BAD AND A SHIT SHOW

It was PROJECTED that Jordan would lose 5-8, 10max, voters, he only lost three but still

THE LAST TIME SOMEONE GOT THIS LOW OF VOTES WAS 1923, FINNIS GARRET GOT 195 VOTES. JORDAN SURPASSED HIM... MAKING HISTORY....

Brian Tyler Cohen made a interesting correlation of Jordan being an election denier making sense as he was refusing to accept his losses.

AFTERMATH

The Republicans held another closed door meeting (THEY'VE BEEN CALLING THEM ""FAMILY MEETINGS"") where they held an anonymous vote as to whether or not Jordan should continue as the nominee. HE FUCKING LOST in his OWN PARTY'S MEETING.

HE HAS removed himself as a nominee. We are back to square one.

McHenry announced that they were taking a 72/weekend break and would be back on monday to do a candidate forum (to some dissent, and many lawmakers just WANT THIS DONE WITH)

The repubs that have offered themselves as tribute

(With the assumption that they are boilerplate Repubs. over LGBTQ+, Abortion, Taxes, Immigration, etc etc. *Election denier means they have made statements, did not support the ratifying of the electoral college votes, voted against impeachment and investigations.)

Tom Emmer - not an election denier at minimum, current GOP Whip (assistant leader)

Kevin Hern - Already tried before Scalise got nominated and dropped out (election denier)

Austin Scott - Was close to Jordan in numbers for the repub speaker nominee (didn't argue electoral college shit and has said USA voting is solid, but didn't go after Jan 6/trump)

Byron Donalds - the dude the Fuckaround 8 kiiinda backed against McCarthy in JAN. (election denier)

Jack Bergman - apparently wanted to challenge Jordan but didn't, JUMPED when jordan was out (election denier)

Jodey Arrington - only said he was considering, but apparently others have brought him up as an option (election denier)

Mike Johnson - has been calling around to see if ppl support him as speaker (election denier)

Pete Sessions - ALSO jumped when jordan was out (election denier)

FINAL THOUGHTS

So ends our sordid tale of Jim Jordan. May he feel stupid about this for the rest of time.

No Republican speaker is going to be good but jfc can we not have literal government destroyers????

I guess the pass on the budget was for 45 days, we have spent 18 (to be 20) of them on this bs.

SHOULD I KEEP NAMING THESE VOTE 2, DISASTER BOOGALOO since it is still technically the 2nd speaker vote of this congress, or should I name it something else now that Jordan is out?

Next (Starting Over) >

[aeoki]

Atlantis - Clown: Chapter 9

Location: Seaside Characters: Touri & Wataru Season: Winter

Wataru: But even now, I still remember how beautiful that brilliance was every time I close my eyes. It was bright and dazzling – I was envious of that youthful, burning flame.

I thought I could ignite that flame myself if I couldn’t associate myself with it, so I created the Drama Club.

But I’m horrible when it comes to creating something from scratch… I don’t know if I did a good job.

Besides, even if I worked hard to make something, I would only end up breaking it immediately after. I’ve always been like that, ever since I was a child.

Touri: I–

Wataru: Hm?

Touri: I won’t break that easily.

You know that, don’t you, Senpai? I completed all of your hellish spartan training without complaining.

The great Touri Himemiya is stronger than he looks.

Wataru: Hehehe… Yes, you’re right, “Touri Himemiya-kun”.

I’ll answer the first question you had. To be honest, I don’t like having those dirty and negative feelings such as hatred and loathing.

I love it when it’s from other people, though. It doesn't matter if it’s positive or negative – they’re all emotions, and it’s much better than feeling indifferent.

But I’m an entertainer. If possible, I’d like to keep my audience far away from such things.

That’s why I did my best to act as though those things didn’t exist within me. I tried to convince myself of that.

I wanted to be all smiles all the time. The tears of a clown aren’t real, you know.

But I met Eichi and began leading a life with you all…

I came across the dark parts of this world and that triggered something. It made me realise that there was certainly something unsightly within me – something that made me want to look away.

But I can only speak according to a script. Perhaps it’s because I’ve lived my life by acting as someone else, so I don’t know how I feel deep inside.

Himegimi, you asked me if I despised the student council.

To that, I answer I don’t know.

But if that’s what you felt after listening to Z. K. Amano Hashidate’s speech.

Then that must surely mean something that I’m not aware of – something dirty, dark and unsightly – exists within me.

Touri: It’s not dirty.

So you don’t have to hide it.

Wataru: …………

Touri: No. Don’t distance yourself from me just because you don’t want me to be near “those things”... I don’t want to have any more conversations with you like we’re talking through a pet shop window.

I want to be like you guys. Because I love you guys.

But if you’re going to build a wall and distance yourself from me, then that just makes me unhappy and angry.

…Sorry, I can’t explain it very well.

Wataru: Right. Then be sure to gather your thoughts and come to a conclusion on the day.

I’ll also do my best to dig into the depths of my own mind.

Touri: On the day…?

Wataru: The official voting day for the final debate will soon be upon us, no?

Student council president candidates were not allowed to engage in debate thus far. We could only give our own opinions against the other candidates.

We’ll watch as our ideals spread to the other students and a long-awaited battle of our ideals will commence in front of them.

That’s the rule, isn’t it?

The candidates will debate against each other right before the voting day and it will show who will be worthy of being the next student council president.

It will single out the “fakes”, who spout empty promises that sound nice, and the “real thing”, those who truly wish to be student council president.

If they’re someone who is only trying to keep up appearances, then that facade will crumble to the ground without fail.

Words that are not said from the heart cannot be easily uttered in the moment, after all.

A trained actor such as myself has prepared for this moment by assuming a variety of questions, so I should be able to give perfect responses.

But you’re all inexperienced high school students.

We’ll settle this at the debate table.

No, we should speak by laying everything out on the table. I find it very intriguing to speak with you, you know. It’s because I can discover new sides to myself.

Touri: Yeah. Then I’ll be looking forward to that day, Z. K. Amano Hashidate.

I won’t lose.

I’ll accept your hatred and all the other things – I’ll digest it all and I’ll become the next student council president. I’ll inherit the bloody crown Eichi-sama created and I’ll scrub it until it’s squeaky clean.

No. I’ll show it off, telling others to look at how beautiful it is.

Then I’ll raise it higher and higher.

For the world to see.

Wataru: Right. I’ll look forward to it as well.

Hehehe. Either outcome will make me happy, be it winning or losing. There is nothing more wonderful than that. That will be a stage even Eichi cannot create – it’s one fitting for none other than yourself, Himegimi. 

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ← Previous Chapter ᠂ ⚘ ˚⊹˚ ⚘ ᠂  Next Chapter →

[adozentothedawn]

I am hatching so many avatar fanfic ideas right now that I will probably never write but hot damn I am marinating in the ideas. A lot of them include Agni’s-favourite!Zuko cause I unfortunately read a fanfic that made me completely obsessed with Agni as a character and I just cannot stop. Agni as a mildly scary but also very smug patron spirit who is very done just watching shit go down and also has a very loving relationship with his sibling Tui now lives rent free in my head forever. 

So yeah idea number one would be a one shot and is primarily an excuse for sun god drama. Zuko once again almost gets assassinated and Agni is very annoyed and done with this shit. If La gets to go on a giant water monster rampage and kill a bunch of his people, Agni gets to put on a dramatic show to discourage further murder plots against the first fire lord in a while that he actually likes and wants there. Really I am mostly picturing a scene with an unconscious Zuko getting carried past a huge crowd of people (throne room? palace steps? Unclear) by a very hot (in both ways) and glowing but otherwise for now mostly human looking Agni. He’s also glowing in a few spots which will later be revealed as injuries he would have died from without Agni’s intervention. Agni also gets to hold a speech/conversation with someone? Unclear details. Either way the more and more angry and unhinged he gets the less human he looks until he’s just a maby possibly but probably not slightly human shaped source of light. 

Idea number 2, something about Zuko being briefly possessed by Agni and creeping everyone the hell out cause that calm and absolutely murderous smile is not a facial expression Zuko should be capable of making. 

Idea number 3, Agni just straight up incinerates Ozai. Either at the Agni Kai already or post war, not sure. Either way it’s a “You want power? I will give you power” situation. Zuko is absolutely terriffied of that attention and not really on board with any of this but he doesn’t get a choice. A god’s attention is as much a curse as a blessing.

And idea number 4 is the only one that for now does not include Agni, but instead features Ursa as protagonist. She makes a different choice and instead of poisining Azulon she murders Ozai, not cause Azulon is really any better but she is certainly in a better position to deal with him. So second son Ozai tragically dies of a sudden unforseen heart attack, how tragic, Azulon does not care enough to ask and so Ursa is not banished. Instead she public performs grief as a proper royal widow should and humbly makes a suggestion to Fire Lord Azulon. Namely that after the tragic passing of both her husband and prince Lu Ten, perhaps it would be wise decision to have her marry crown prince Iroh. Should the marriage produce any direct heirs, good, should it not the marriage would still legitimize her already existing children, his grandchildren anyway, even better as heirs. Azulon agrees, Iroh when he returns is less happy about it but also understands that it’s the best move Ursa has to protect her children and agrees. Political hijinks commence. Of what sort I have no idea yet.

[themirrormarches]

you want angry mainframe realizing his dad is shitty? you can have angry mainframe realizing his dad is shitty.

(tw for: some swearing, verbal abuse, mentions of war, mentions of death, anxiety, physical abuse.)

The Weekend War had finally ended.

It was all over.

And in the aftermath, there Mainframe sat on the workbench, blankly gazing into nothing with his one functioning eye. After the explosion, the left half of the robot’s face had been completely blown off. Chunks of his arms, legs and tail were shattered and destroyed. He couldn’t walk without support and could barely speak. He was scared. He felt lonely. Where was Rabbit? Where was The Spine, and Hatchworth, and The Jon, and-

His thoughts quickly ceased when he heard the voice of his creator somewhere in the distance. 

“I’ll have to... rebuild his entire faceplate, his legs, his tail... damn it, if I end up destroying the robot in the process of remaking it, I will not be so upset. He is an absolute pain in the ass to maintain. He isn’t that important.”

Not... important? Why would his creator think he wasn’t important? He heard the footsteps tread closer. His hand anxiously twitched. “Hello, Mainframe.” The robot didn’t reply. The man bent down to look at his core. It was slightly cracked. He sighed as he got back up. “I... have to repair your core. Now stay still.” The robot twitched again for a moment. There was silence. A slight clattering of tools, and a hiss of steam from Mainframe’s vents. Until there was fractured- but understandable- speech from the robot.

“... f-f-father.. am-am I..I u-usele-ess?”

“Useless? You are not useless. You were an absolute menace on the front lines of the war. You did so much good work-” “n-n-o.. i’m...u-useless...y-you can-t m-main..mainta-tain me,” Mainframe disjointedly spoke, his voice glitching and stuttering through his words. “It is true that you are harder to maintain than the other robots, but that does not make you useless,” Peter responded. Mainframe’s body jerked and twitched for another short moment, and he shakily sighed. “y-y-ou could have-have left m-m-me to... to die... and you wouldn’t have care-” “Be quiet. I’m trying to fix you.” As the robot spoke, his body kept flinching and jerking about, making it harder for Peter to fix his cracked core. Mainframe’s thoughts only raced more. Until it stopped on one.

“Father hates me.”

His worries turned to anger. Rage. Remnants of a rage he thought were gone, remnants he thought receded along with the war. His empty gaze drifted towards his clawed hand, a leftover prosthetic he’d normally use for tearing through metal like it was paper. He lifted up his hand and turned his gaze back to Peter, who was still working on him. “Great job, Mainframe, just keep staying still,” he absently mumbled. He stood back up and focused on the robot, who looked angry now. “You’re angry. Why? I haven’t done anything to you-”

“Y-Y-You h-ha-ate me. Y-You n-n-never c-care-d.”

He reached out his clawed hand towards Peter. Trying, struggling desperately to grab at his arm. Peter recoiled in shock. “I-” “I’LL KILL YOU!” The man knew he had to defend himself. He took a screwdriver and jammed it into the robot’s glowing blue core. Twisting and wrenching it around, widening the gash in the cover. He knew it was hurting him. He didn’t care. Immediately, Mainframe stopped. He sharply recoiled back and let out an awful screeching sound. Peter ripped out the screwdriver, liquid blue matter spilling out of Mainframe’s core.

The man’s heart was racing. He took a few deep breaths and sighed. “Voice Activated Commands: Subject Mainframe. Commence Shutdown Procedures,” he grumbled, setting the screwdriver back down on a table. Mainframe tried so hard to fight back, to show Peter that he was bigger, but he felt any control over his body and voice being torn out. “Voice Activated Commands: Accepted. Shutting down…” His system replied, as he felt his body slow to a stop. His eyes began to close, only now seeing the scowl on his creator’s face that was starting to form.

[testingforhope]

28 - Journey

“No!”

I don’t think I wanted to rephrase the words leaving my lips.

Daphne looked at me with shock and Vanessa… Vanessa looked angry.

“It's not safe and you know that. There is a reason I haven’t told you anything about the surface.”

“Yeah, but I thought that was about the girl,” Vanessa exclaimed. This is going to hurt. “You mean to tell me you have been lying for the past 8 years?!”

The difference between us two that happened all those years ago becomes much more apparent everytime we hide secrets, argue, and share life experiences. We are almost too different to work.

“I’m sorry. I thought that I could stop you from facing what happened then again. It is so much worse up there. The only reason I’m still here is because I use the palace lake to get here. I care so much about you and I’m sorry I didn’t tell you because of that.”

I could tell my eyes were welling up with tears and that she was hugging me crying as well. Daphne was standing in the corner, probably feeling awkward before she went back into the apartment.

When we separated, Vanessa spoke again. “I’m guessing you have to go now, don’t you?”

“Yup. To the Palace for me.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At the Palace, Two hours later~

“All Rise for her Majesty, Queen Sofia of The Sirens!”

I grabbed the hem of my dress with one hand and walked out onto the balcony while waving to the public. I took my seat next to the old, yet never dusty throne meant for a king.’

The rest of the Royals were announced for the ceremony and then it was my turn to speak.

Clearing my throat, I spoke to the public with my best voice. “Hello and Welcome to the Annual Knighting Ceremony of the Kingdom of FeriHeart. I’m so glad to be here for you lovely people and to be leading this year's ceremony while my husband is on leave.” A moment of silence passed for the king, “This year the most heroic acts our people have done will be awarded and one of the brave men will be awarded a position on the royal guard of our beautiful kingdom!”

Cheers erupted from the crowd. It is a good thing that I had done this before, or else I might have died of stage fright on the spot.

“Now let the Ceremony commence!” Somehow, there were even more cheers heard.

I left the balcony and disappeared behind the stage. My Lady-In-Waiting joined me with the badges in boxes along with General Pariz with her sword.

“Hello My Lady. Wonderful speech. I just finished counting and it seems that there were only 5 awardable acts this year. That is-”

“-2 less than last year! Sofia- Sorry- Queen Sofia, that is outrageous! Without the King, the rates of our people have gone down and soon there won't be anyone by Royals at events like these. And who even knows about that, even those numbers are getting low these days.”

“I’m well aware of the situation in the Kingdom.” I turned to them. “Things may get messy out there. Make sure to stay close to me and keep your eyes out. We don't know much about the people these days.”

After they both nodded, I turned back around and we walked out into the arena. The people were still cheering for the event to start. I looked over at the other side. When I made eye contact with the guards on the other side, they started leading out the 5 brave leaders of our community.

“May I pronounce Zavier Hamstrung, Grific Jasme, Ulsifer Sleden, Adam Badgen, and- Is this right? Really! - The last person seems to be Alicane Kale, a female.”

[wilsonthemoose]

sorry to bother you but i have fic idea.

steve jobs gave a commencement speech at standford in 2005 when sam spose to graduate. how about an au in which sam did finish college and listened to his speech. it can split up in three parts: connecting dots, love and loss, and death like steves’ speech. the connecting dots can be about the past and hes thinking about how his life started with the death of his mom. thinking about all of the motel rooms and how he saw a kids being normal. how that pushed him to work hard in school. or it can be about his teacher telling him that he can have more in life and inspired him to go to standford. the love and lost part can be about how he lost dean/john but found love with jess. it would be about his life with jess. little snippets of their life together. her laughing. a picnic. their first kiss. the beautiful mundane life in college. the death part can be about the future and it is a flash foward of sam just lying on the ground in cold oak dead bc he and dean didnt come back together.

i should honestly probably write smthng myself one day instead of sending asks. this has been rattling in my head for a while now.

Hi! I'm not bothered in the least, thank you for trusting me with such a cool prompt! I hadn't heard this speech before so thank you for that too.

You should totally write something, if your analysis and this prompt are any indication, I think you'd make an excellent writer, you have an eye for themes and motifs and also a very good understanding of characters, a good combo.

As for the prompt itself, I'm just now finishing up on another prompt (yours, I think) that had me banging my head against a proverbial wall for the past 5 months, so either this is excellent timing and I've hit a groove and will (hopefully) find an angle on this quickly, or it might take another 5 months (or longer). Who knows.

Bit of a challenge to be honest, partly because Sam was such a different person at the start of the show and pre-season 4 Sam is never easy to write in a way that will be recognizable. He was feisty and angry and filled to the brim with self-righteousness, most of which went away later. More so because I've never started with a parable or metaphor before, mostly they show up themselves somewhere near the end and I work them into one of the later drafts. All that to say: I'm not sure my skills match up to this but I will definitely be trying to write it. I'll probably end up taking quite a while though, (which is also why I'm answering this now with nothing to show for myself :p didn't want to leave you hanging!)

Quick question though: do you mean Sam and Dean never reconciled after he left for Stanford? And Azazel yanked him to Cold Oak from where ever he was? So is Jess still alive?

Or do you mean Dean hasn't shown up there yet?

[mycringefactory]

If Spamton answered love-related personality questions (answered by Spamton Speech AI)

Ran some more personality questions that are like “are you afraid of falling in love?” with the Spamton Speech AI.

(Bold is what I entered, blocktext is what it generated in response.)

Talk (how he feels about falling in love):

HEARTBREAK! I FEEL SO MUCH BURN! [Heartbreaking Laughter] I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY EVERYTHING I DO DOESN'T WORK OUT! I NEED SOMEONE WHO KNOWS WHY I CAN'T HAVE IT ALL! SOMEONE WHO KNOWS MY HEART! SOMEONE WHO LOVES ME EVEN WHEN I DO SOMETHING BAD! I NEED AN EXCEPTIONAL HEART! SOMEONE WHO UNDERSTANDS MY TROUBLE AND KNOWS I'M WORTH EVERY PENNY! SOMEONE WHO'S GRATEFUL FOR THE GENEROSITY I SHOW! I NEED SOMEONE WHO'S LOOKING FOR THEMSELVES! NO! I NEED SOMEONE WHO'S LOOKING FOR ME! LIKE YOU! [Exciting Intensity] I NEED YOU! THAT'S WHY YOU'RE HERE! TO FIND OUT HOW MUCH I NEED YOU! SO THAT I CAN HAVE YOUR EVERYTHING! YUM YUM YUM! [Angry Shouting] OR I'LL BE SINGLE FOREVER! I NEED TO BE IN YOUR [Heartbeats] I NEED TO [Feel] YOUR [Love] I NEED TO BE IN YOUR [World] WRITING YOUR [LoveNotes] WRITING [Your Sweet Dreams] [Sobs] I NEED TO HEAR THE WORDS [Kiss] FROM THE [Heaven] SOMEONE WHO SAYS [I LOVE YOU] [Kiss] ME! ME! ME! [Heartbreaking Laughter] I NEED TO [Unburden] MY [Heart] WITH [Good Things]! I NEED FAIRY TALES TAKEN FROM [Your Eyes!] I NEED [Affection] I NEED [Specilness] I NEED [Security] I NEED [Faith] I NEED YOUR [Heart]! I NEED TO [Kneel] BEFORE YOU! I NEED YOUR [Lips]! THEN [Specil]!

Talk (how he feels about falling in love):

STOP. BEFORE YOU MAKE A COMMENT. BEFORE YOU EVEN TOUCH YOUR iPHONE. I HAVE FEELINGS. THEY ARE CALLED LOVE AND YOU JUST MADE THEM BIG TIME. BUT THAT'S NOT ALL. YOU'RE FEELING THE SAME WAY. YOU'RE IN LOVE. WITH ME. RIGHT? WRONG. I'M THE ONE THAT'S IN LOVE. NOT YOU. WRONG. WRONG. WRONG. WRONG. IT'S NOT LOVE. IT'S A WEAKness. IT'S DEPENDENCE. IT'S DEPENDENCE. IT'S DEPENDENCE. WELL DONE. THAT'S VERY WELL. YOU'VE JUST RUINED OUR RELATIONSHIP. ALL SO YOU CAN MAKE A BIG SHOT. BUT YOU'VE GOT NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT BECAUSE I HAVE EVERYTHING I NEED TO MAKE THIS RIGHT. I HAVE FAITH. RIGHT? WRONG. BUT THAT'S OK. Because I HAVE FEELINGS FOR YOU. I HAVE FEELINGS. FOR YOU. I HAVE FEELINGS. THAT ARE CALLED LOVE. AND THAT'S OK. BECAUSE I HAVE FEELINGS. FOR YOU. SEE? ALL YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH IS DEPENDENCE. YUM YUM.

Talk (ask if he's afraid of falling in love):

[Thinking] [Thinking] ... HERE I AM AND I'M JUST [Thinking]. I DON'T KNOW [Anything] BUT I DO KNOW [That I Like You].

AND I'M JUST A LITTLE [Inhale] WORRIED [Exhale] THAT YOU'LL [Inhale] GO OUT WITH SOMEONE ELSE [Exhale] BECAUSE you're [Inhale] [Exhale] [Inhale] SO GODDAMN [Face Plant]

[Haven't We Been Through This] ALMOST [Thousand] Times? [Haven't We Been] [Mesmerized] [With] Your [Beautiful] [Face] ALREADY?

I'M THE ONE [Weeping] THAT YOU SHOULD BE [Faceplant] WITH!!! BUT [Faceplant] NO!! I'M SO [Over] YOU!! I WILL [Never], NEVER [Let you go] Till [Intense], [Strictly] [Forever] [inlove]

ARE YOU READY TO [Commence] THE [Long] [Chain] [of] [Painful] [Relationships]!? THEN WHY DON'T YOU [Ride] OUT ON A [Mountain] IN [Thick] [Clown] [Pants] AND CALL ME [Then]!

[Warning] [Before] [Registration]!!! [Warning] DON'T [ Hesitate] [Y] [a] [second] [To] [Register]!! [Warning] I'LL BE A [Big] [Thankyou] [Thanks]!! [Warning] SOON I'M GONNA NEED A LITTLE [Technical] […] […] […] [Warning] SOON I'M GONNA NEED A LITTLE [Technical] …. [Support]!! [Warning] I'M GONNA NEED A LITTLE [Technical] […] […] [Epic] [Shove] TO [� isEnabled]. [Warning] I'M GONNA NEED A LITTLE [Technical] […] […] […] [Trick…] [Warning] I'M GONNA NEED A LITTLE [Show]tivity [Spam] THE [ [Livestream] Server] WITH YOUR [Likes] AND EMAILS [Until] [Registration]!! [Warning] 'CAUSE [I'm] [Gonna] [Make] YOU [Love] [Me]!!!

THIS IS HOW HEALING [Works] PUT YOUR [Passwords] ON [Commemorative] [Chairs] LET ME SHOW YOU [How] [Real] [Love] [Feels] I'LL BE IN [mode] 'TIL [My] [Heart] [Breaks]

Note: Added line breaks for the last one to hopefully make it easier to read. Originally it was all one block of text.

[serosgirl]

— presentation: FOCUS! ꒰ — jump starting my new blog with a composition i previously uploaded to my wattpad account, wrldhorror. here, requests for drabbles and headcanons are welcome! minors dni, but if you are of the age of consent guidelines apply (see here). ꒱

this a mature composition that contains descriptions of actions that are not appropriate for children who are not of age. there will be no further warning, so you must read at your own discretion.

✧˖*°࿐ focus ❛ just focus on me, keep your eyes on me ❜

warnings: nudity, smut, cockwarming, cunt slapping, 18+

various textbooks and paper-copy assignments were left unattended to and forgotten as [yn]'s conscious descended into a state of dream-like infatuation. coherent dialogue failed to part her kiss-swollen lips, pitiful whimpers slurring each syllable that fell from her glossed appendages. she struggled to assemble sensible thought as, presently, her levelheadedness began to plummet and accumulate in a fragmented pile of shambles.

"pay attention, or i'll make you." withdrawing the female from her state of stupefaction, a noticeably smooth baritone glissaded the goosed flesh of [yn]'s extremities while trailing the length of her spine and causing her to erect in abrupt attentiveness. the velvet tone of his octaves prompted the young lady to shudder, inducing her to further rut her hips against his own. their hips meet at a pace that could only be described as painstakingly sensual but still harsh enough to be interpreted as needful. a stifled moan prompted [yn] to toss her head before dropping it into the clothed shoulder of her lover.

kneading against [yn]'s viscid, pulsating heat was her boyfriend's sex, the length stretching the width of her cunt with a modest singe that caused her skin to set ablaze with a newfound coating of arousal, tears welling upon her waterline and threatening to depart the silken lashes that flittered until they began to blink at a pace of leisure, the strands sinking steadily. "you're not making this any easier for me." her complaint was exhaled as a soft whine, her glassy hues fluttering close with an implosive grind of her pelvis. [yn] pressed more weight into the grind of their bodies. "i'll be good for you, shoto. won't you pay attention to me?" lifting her head to meet todoroki's indifferent gaze, [yn] pouted at his nonchalance, prettily exhibiting her bottom lip as it jutted in perplexity.

weakly fisting bundles of his cotton tee in the palm of her hands, [yn] sighed a reply, stiffening on todoroki's lap as her silken parapet milked the male for all of his worth, aching for a method that would result in illimitable pleasure. reaching for euphoria, yearning for ferocious shock impulses that would render her limbs useless and turn her stature into putty, [yn] impatiently replied to one of shoto's former queries. "the answer is renunciation."

inspiration for a sadistic idea such as this method of study befell upon [yn]'s shoulders. specifically, she was to harbor the blame for her predicament as discovering the most beneficial technique of cramming a lecture before the designated date of an inescapable exam was a conversation commenced herself. shoto agreed to aiding her with such probe, even suggesting a method of his own. if she were to answer correctly, she'd be presented a reward for her troubles. unluckily, she had failed to do so numerous times.

"try again, princess." as determined beforehand, the punishment for any incorrect answer would ensue a brutal thrust of his hips, the motion never failing to swipe the flushed tip of his cock against a particular doughy spot of her insides, causing a honeyed moan of his name to escape her trembling lips. "come on. you're almost there, baby. two more questions and i'll make that pretty mouth of yours squeal in delight."

"it's polity," her answer was breathy and at a pitch no louder than a whisper. "i know it is." struggling to straddle his thighs, her own began to tremble in discomfort. she tentatively eased onto his lap, sinking herself into a position that allowed for her cervix to thumb against the rosy head that was sheathed between her legs. beginning to give into impulse and shove their hips together, [yn] shakily rolled her hips, hoping a subtle movement such as that would not be prominent enough to garner the attention of her admirer.

as if in disbelief, todoroki softly laughed at the girl in his arms. a condescending gaze fell upon her shoulders before dismissively peering at the papers that had fallen askew and were splayed upon a maple desktop. "it's as if you're purposefully getting these wrong," scoffing but with no intention of reprimanding her, he brought his lips to her ear and kissed rhetoric against her heated skin. delicately placing a kiss beneath the lobe of her ear, he descended upon the base of her neck. in response, she lulled her head until it rolled about, further allowing the male to mark her skin with deep colored blemishes. "should i punish you?" pausing his former traveling of love-spawned markings of adulation, he froze at the dip of her collar bone, sucking at the supple skin until it became an angry bruise.

shoto's lidded stare observed the withering figure of his girl. devouring her with a magnetic gape, his hues inundated, drinking in her flustered disposition until he could no longer prevent himself from swallowing her sobs of pleasure. a gentle brush of their lips transcended into a duel of hunger, each pulling the other in as if they were to disappear.

humming into the feral abundance of the rough brush of their lips, [yn] couldn't help but arch against her lover as the hand placed above her hip pulled her close. the movement caused for travel of her pelvis, further ramming her neglected cunt against the flushed rod that convulsed at the greedy clench of her plush walls.

at her sensual movement, todoroki's own hips bucked into her own, further stroking his cockhead against the surface of her gummy walls, causing his cock to twitch in anticipation. hissing, shoto's head momentarily fell before he brought his hands to [yn]'s hips and tightened his grasp on her ceaseless grind. "i told you to be still, did i not?"

"please," opposing the installment of todoroki's palms, [yn] continued to sink onto his length, sputtering a request that was near to dying out. "don't stop." leaning into his embrace, she pressed her temple against his own, low moans filling the space as she continued to generate friction between the heat of her legs. "just a little harder."

straining to prevent himself from giving into wild desire, the boy's attention fell to the bundled skirt that scrunched around the waist of his companion. his bi-colored hues followed the movement of her thighs as she rolled her hips. "look at you," shoto's fingers brush the underside of her chin, a few of his fingers cupping the base of her neck as to lift her head from his peripheral and bring it to his forefront visual. "grinding against everything. you're quite the needy thing, aren't you?" tilting her head as if examining a newfound discovery, shoto's cold stare devoured the sight of his flustered girlfriend, her desperate expression persuading him to ravish her until she could no longer recite his given name.

"what's another word for wise, baby?" his attention drooped from the dipped bridge of her nose and fell upon the curve of her lips as he questioned her in regards to the current subject of focus. her gape rounded at an involuntary twitch of her hips, barely comprehending a word that fell from his lips. almost unable to process any speech of interest, [yn]'s sight relied on intensively providing each mound a devoted gawk. a badgering ache numbed her rational thought, swallowing the sensible and only rational portion of her conscious in a sudden pit of longing.

"sagacious." sputtering the last of vocabulary, she huffed and willed herself to patiently sit on the quivering muscle that battered the cushion of her insides.

"atta girl," congratulating her for finishing her allotted assignment, todoroki shifted, edging his pelvis to where it eagerly shifted against her own. "that's a feat worthy of praise. how should i reward you?" choking todoroki's dick in awaited hope, her gummy walls fluttered and squeezed in excitement. "do you want to cum?" persistently nodding at his question, she batted her lashes, attempting to pull him closer by threading her fingers along the back of his head, brushing their lips together but leaving a distance that left them barely touching. todoroki's optics flickered to her nearing lips before settling a hard stare upon her own. "then, ask nicely. use your words like a good little girl."

"i'll be good for you. i promise." aware that her acclamation was not enough to satisfy the unconvinced male before her, she sucked up her own pride and snapped her gaze away from his own, watching glittering rays of light penetrate through the lace curtains of the occupied bedroom. "won't you ravish me?" protruding the mound of her bottom lip, a pout pulled at her cheeks as she unwillingly begged, playing into todoroki's undermining motives.

attentive to the nude colored appendages, the boy was unable to cease his withdrawn condition. mindlessly discerning the cupid's bow curve of her lips, todoroki compelled himself to descend deeper into his lengthening pit of limitless desire. his different colored optics followed the cute pucker of her mouth, aimlessly wondering the features of her expression until perceiving the endearingly shy look she bore. noticing the unfocused gape of her cowardice countenance, shoto's lips stretch across his cheeks, a slant to his smile as he lifts his brows in mischief. "you'll have to speak up if you want your request obliged." evident in his tone was a smug expression as his narrowed lids attempted to meet the eyes of his lover. though, his expression flattens when not even the pearl-like pitch of his tone acquires the attention of his girlfriend.

leaning forward to trail his knuckles across the goosing skin of her ribcage, the reddened pads of his fingertips work to dig the wool of her sweater in his hands and hike the cloth over her head. perking her breasts sat the cloth of a wired bra, the intricate lace cupping the hills while extra flesh nearly spilled from the confinement at the quick haste of todoroki's movement. her chest bounded as the hem of her shirt roughly glided against the fabric, the action causing the different textures to drift and brush against her breasts.

attaching his lips to her cleavage, todoroki made swift movements as to unclasp the black undergarment and place her back against the table that had formerly been occupied to responsibly study. the sudden rise of his seated position further pressed his cock into her cunt, the motion oozing slick that dripped from the origin of penetration onto the desk. the change deliciously stroked her walls, a squeak parting her lips as she clasped onto his shoulders.

disregarding the copy of papers, the fiery skin of the young lady now dominated the area. [yn]'s elbows propped her against the wood as she questionably observed the change of position. [ec] orbs analyzed the male who lowered over her figure, prompting her to relax as he cupped the back of her knees to lock her hips in place, using his grip to pin her knees to her chest as he captured a squeamish moan with his mouth.

"disobedient, aren't you?" not specifically searching for a response, he continued, "make sure you behave for me, princess. if you make a sound, i'll edge you until you're crying for relief," terminating further debate, an abrupt snap of his hips initiated copious muffled moans, the girl cupping her mouth to prevent squeals of rapture from growing consequently clamorous. "lie there and give me a pretty show, okay?" gripping a hip as to control the force of his rapid assault, shoto began to pummel her walls with ruthless vigor, the table used for leverage creaking beneath them.

scuttering as to escape the brutal snapping of his waist, [yn] arched against the flat surface of the table, heels searching for something to ground into. such expedition was futile as her toes curled into the air, her legs dwindling and hooking around her lover. the extended extremities tensed at the deliberately vicious thrust of his hips. he wanted her to violate his rule! the pace he began with was causing the task of remaining silent impossible when the quick jerks of his hips allow him to reach depths that cause [yn]'s optics to roll to the back of her head.

the fingers coiled around her mouth begin to weaken, the palm of her hand slipping from her face and instead gripping todoroki's forearm for the gain of proper leverage. the next pound rammed into her withering heat plunged against the velvet insides of her sex, the pink head of his cock driving into a doughy area that had her toes curling tighter than before, and an inaudible, choked wail that reverberated within the confines of her throat was soon swallowed with a gulp of air. quick to stifle further wanton sound, she clamped her lips together, pitiful whimpers restrained in the insides of her mouth as if she were some animal confined against its will.

continuously drilling against that particular spot, todoroki upheld his ridiculous pace. [yn] screwed her eyes shut and tensed her jaw as to silence an incoming scream. promptly, the glassy hue of her orbs began to fade, the color descending behind her glistening lids as her pretty, tear-filled optics rolled to the back of her head. she desperately wanted to voice her praise, but instead was left with an uncontainable urge to cry the male's name. her knees buckled in the air, and if not for the boy occupying the space between them, they would've clamped shut.

displeased with her distracted gape, shoto roughly pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth, clicking his teeth in dissatisfaction. pulling his arm away from the girl, he wedged his hand between her soft thighs, and his fingers parted her slicked folds to press fast circles over her clit, vigorously rounding the aroused bud at a pace that left the young lady gasping for incredulous amounts of air.

her eyes popped open at the overstimulation, her hands trembling as she dug her nails into the skin of her lover to provide herself with a sense of stability, wishing to ground herself to the table and sustain her from losing herself to her high.

"keep your eyes open," furrowing his brows, he met her lust-blown ogle. scoffing, he ceased the ministrations on her clitoris and brought his lips to her neck to remind her, "only obedient girls are rewarded." after nipping at her neck one last time, he brought his mouth to her bounding chest, taking one of the erect buds into his mouth. his gaze flickered to his victim when she slipped a cry of his name. shamelessly tugging his head towards her heated skin, she sighs in content and furrows her brows, subconsciously fluttering her lids until closed.

"don't make me tell you twice." widening her eyelids, she parts them in shock at the grip around her mouth. todoroki's nimble fingertips pressed into the sides of her mouth, and she meekly met his overbearing gaze. the brisk rutting of his pelvis had died and left the girl beneath him lifting her hips to generate friction.

"i'll do whatever you ask," greedily digging her heels into his back and tugging his hips to meet her crotch, she pleaded for him to continue as if a mantra that would grant countless blessings. "please," she panted, "keep going." dying for friction, she caused more contact between the two by jerking her pelvis against his own.

"you can't follow one simple instruction." the irritation in his octaves was evident, but he harbored no genuine distaste with the girl. withdrawing his sex until only the tip pressed into her tightening closure, todoroki belittled her with his glare. "should i remind you that you were to keep quiet? do i look as if i'm messing around? did it appear as if i was kidding when i said i would punish you?"

nearly flinching from his scold, [yn]'s pleads freeze on her tongue, and her movement stilled due to a feral glint that began to swell in his eyes. a nervous gulp glissaded her throat and induced her to utter an apology, figuring it's better if she were to request forgiveness. "it won't happen again, shoto. i," a squeal concluded what was the start of her sentence, her head roughly falling onto the table as her back arched once more. her jaw parted as her eyes languidly fell to the back of her head.

instantaneously, she began whining. as if to fuck her silly, shoto stuffs his girlfriend until he had buried himself to the hilt, his cockhead flexing against her cervix and pounding her insides at a pace that was sure to alter her walk with a limp.

electricity scourged her fluttering insides, white flecks dotting her vision. as todoroki continued his attack, [yn]'s abdomen began to coil into an all-too-familiar bundle, cries resounding the room as she begged for the male to further strike his area of interest.

pulsing shockwaves traveled the length of her spine before descending to the tips of her toes, tingling her insides with enough vigor that left her stammering incoherent phrases. sloppily meeting shoto's lips in a kiss that was far from coordinated, she mentioned her impending orgasm, her calf flexing as she threw her head back and gripped onto todoroki for dear life. sob-like moans were choked from her throat as she began to convulse in anticipation. her figure seized around the form of her lover. one last push had the girl scrambling over the edge, and she huffed a moan of his name, a wail parting her lips as the coil in her abdomen began to unravel, her vision now submerged in white while crystalline tears trailed the sides of her face in their travel.

lazily fluttering around the expanse, [yn]'s attention danced around the room, awaiting a climax that rapidly began to slip through her fingers. a sharp sting was left to remain as her gummy walls squeezed the departing length of her boyfriend's sex, the velvety flesh coiling around the muscle as to suck him back in. [yn]'s trembling lips parted to demand and explanation, her head lifting from the table to meet todoroki's unsympathetic expression. her brow hastily furrowed in displeasure.

"did you not hear me the second time?" uninterestedly gazing upon her fluttering cunt that quivered at lost of contact, the male took her knees into his palms and brought them to her chest, watching slickened arousal seep from her whimpering sex. "girls who cannot follow set rules receive no rewards." slapping a hand against her abused and desperate cunt, shoto took it upon himself to gather lubricant between the slit of her folds and fondle her twinging clit. "finish on your own," nodding towards the nails that clawed at the wood beneath her fingertips, todoroki suggested a method of solace. "with those deft fingers of yours. you can do that, can't you?"

seating himself between her legs, he gifted himself view of her trembling heat, aiding the girl by forcefully parting her legs. "go on.”

[ditttiii]

Dilectio ♡

▣ Summary: You run your hands across his lower lip as he caresses your cheeks, draws small repetitive circles over the skin, and you relish the moment, the quiet, the space between you two where your breaths mingle until they become one. “Let me buy us a house, somewhere outside the city, where it’s just you, me, Holly maybe a friend for her, a cat for you, and a pond full of fishes, our own little place.”

▣ Warnings: Nothing major except tooth rotting, sickeningly sweet fluff and a make-out session or two. Oh! & Yoongi is called lill meow-meow. Oh 2x! & Yoongi has bread-cheeks. (PG-13)

▣ Genre: fluff, humour, slice of life

▣ Pairing: Yoongi x Plus size Reader

▣ Word Count: 3.1k

This work was commissioned by the lovely @bucksvseverybody for the Changes with Luv  fundraiser project, hosted by @ficswithluv​. All proceedings from this project go to the BLM funds.Thank you so much for your help and kind donation! I hope you like it ❤

You let out a watery giggle as you see your boyfriend give his signature gummy smile to the camera and conclude his part of the commencement speech. 

Said boyfriend, hearing your laugh then proceeds to tighten his arms around you, nuzzling his face into the crook of your neck. 

"Oh, so my advice is funny to you now?" You hear Yoongi grumble, and a shiver runs down your spine at the feel of his lips forming the words on the sensitive skin of your neck. 

Snorting, you sniffle and wipe away the few stray tears that had slipped out, before you twist your torso and look your boyfriend in the eye. 

"If you think I don't see you fishing for compliments, you are dead wrong baby boo." You say as a cheeky grin spreads across your face. He acts like he hates that name, but you know better. The tip of Yoongi's ears turns red, proving you right before he again buries his head in your neck and mutters a quiet, "Smartass."

You burrow your head in the warmth of Yoongi’s sweater and let the soft cloth absorb the few stray tears that had slipped out. Your attention now away from your laptop screen, as you miss the rest of the boys and their speeches. You decide to look them up later as your body protests leaving the warmth of Yoongi’s body heat. 

"Do you really feel alone?" You voice out the question that had been bugging you for some time now. You don't want to assume anything but the thought that your boyfriend has been having a difficult time without you knowing about it doesn't quite sit well with you. 

You feel more than hear Yoongi let out a huff, as his warm breath hits the nape of your neck and you suppress a shudder. 

"Jagiya," He begins before suddenly the hands that were around your waist shift and wrap themselves around your shoulders, pulling you closer to the man in question and tilting your head up.

You hum and shift your gaze up-to meet his eyes, your hands finding their way to the nape of his neck, his soft black hair, tickling the skin of your fingers as you run your hands over his skin. 

"I didn't mean it how you might think I did. I don't feel alone in the sense that I feel like I have no one. It's more of a....creative feeling, where I feel like my inspiration sometimes runs dry and then I don't know which way I should go next." Yoongi says, and you nod in reply. 

He tilts his head as he tries to catch your gaze, but you shift your eyes away. You don't think Yoongi is lying to you, you know he never would. But you also wonder if he is telling you the full truth or not. You wouldn't put it past him to hold back and keep his feelings to himself if he thinks it might worry you. 

Yoongi might seem rough from the outside, but once he allows a person in, he treasures them more than most do. You know that better than anybody else. 

You see it in the way he brings home your favourite coffee from halfway across the city every time you pull an all-nighter, hear it in the way he whispers goodnight to you every night he comes home late and thinks you are asleep.

More than anything else, you feel it in the way his touch caresses your skin like you are a porcelain doll, glides over your curves leaving you feeling treasured and your heart bursting with love and affection for him. 

"Jagi, I love you." You hear your boyfriend's deep, slight gravely voice say and before you can reply, his hands are snaking from your shoulders to your neck and tipping your head up as his soft lips, dip down and interlock with yours. 

Your surprised squeak is muffled as his lips glide over yours, the feather-soft feel of them leaves you feeling warm as your toes curl and your hands' fist and tug the collar of Yoongi’s sweater, pulling him closer. 

His tongue slips between your lips as it licks a strip over your lower lip and you open your mouth, tongue reaching out and gliding over his in response. A breathy moan slipping out almost unconsciously when you feel his hands slide over your curves, caressing the skin under, and your blush rises, the skin from over your chest to the tip of your ears feeling flushed and warm.

You don't think you are needy, nor are you the jealous, insecure kind, but something about Yoongi’s touch has you aching, craving for more, and the thought of someone else being on the receiving end of it leaves a bitter taste in your mouth. Huffing, you tug him closer, your nails softly skimming over the sensitive skin of the back of his ears, and he shudders, a grin of your own slipping onto your face when you realise for the billionth time the effect you have on him. 

"Stop grinning," Yoongi grumbles embarrassed, his pale skin, looking red as a sheen of oil gathers over his cheeks and nose, highlighting his soft, curvy features, and you bite your lip, humming back a response before you tilt your head up and drop a kiss on the tip of his nose. 

"I love you too babyboo," You whisper back, your lips ghosting over his as you keep them close, your words dripping with love and your eyes overflowing with affection as they gaze into his.

You watch as Yoongi’s eyes turn soft, their usual cat-like silhouette, melting into something curvier before he's closing the distance between you two and your eyes slip close.  

With Yoongi’s soft and sugar-sweet lips on yours, you lose yourself, until the feel of his silky hair twined around your fingers and his puffs of warm breaths on your face, are all that you are aware of anymore. 

"Dammit, I swear to god, if you do that one more time, I am kicking you where the sun doesn't shine." You playfully growl out loud, only to squeal when another spray of water hits the back of your neck. 

Huffing dramatically you advance towards your boyfriend, who's now trying to act innocent, his back turned away from you, neck slightly hunched as he looks down and continues to wash the vegetables for tonight's celebratory dinner. 

Coming to stand beside him, you lean your hip against the counter top behind you, and turn to look at your boyfriend. His bottom lip under the clutches of his pearly teeth, his gummy grin on full display despite his apparent attempt at trying to hold it in, Yoongi looked like the picture-perfect definition of the word adorable. 

"Mature, Real Mature." You remark wryly and roll your eyes fondly when the laugh he had been trying so hard to hold in, finally tumbles out. Body hunching over the counter, as his hands grip the edge, chuckle after chuckle flow out of him. His usual gravely, raspy, deep voice, raising slightly in pitch as his laugh starts to go squeaky and his cheeks bloom red due to lack of oxygen. 

Huffing you try to move away and go back to your cooking, but his hand snakes out, tugging you closer. 

The softness of your chest collides against the hard, coiled muscles of his torso, and your eyes drift over to his sparkly orbs. His bread cheeks on full display, eyes melted into two crescent moons, the wide gummy smile stretched wide. 

Even if you had been genuinely angry, you'd have melted immediately. 

"You're too cute for your own good little meow-meow." You tease and watch as Yoongi's blush darkens, a groan spilling out of his lips as he pulls you closer and nuzzles against your neck. 

Giggling, you run your hands through his hair, caressing the skin of his nape as Yoongi's hands tighten around your waist, the soft flesh under his grip feeling warmer. 

"For someone who's supposed to be the tough, scary one you're awfully affectionate," You remark when you feel him leaving soft pecks on your neck. 

"Well, little meow-meow is soft for you," Comes his reply, face rising and dropping a kiss on your forehead, his soft, full lips leaving their impression on your skin even after he's pulled away, and gotten back to his washing duty. 

Heart bursting with affection, you take in the man who in a span of a six-month relationship has somehow turned into your entire world. When you had first met Yoongi, you were still in college. 

Stressing over your impending finals and drowning in stress, you had more or less body slammed into him, drenching his coat with your coffee. Bloodshot eyes, a rats nest of hair, you had then proceeded to scold him for standing in the middle of the cafe, your sleep-deprived brain too shot to realise that you could get into a world of trouble for insulting the world-famous musician. 

Not all that unexpectedly, you had left quite an impression on the record-breaking idol, and thus began the wooing. 

Ridiculously expensive flower arrangements with lyrics and small poems written onto the cards, gifts from all over the world—little trinkets he would buy from wherever he was, would arrive at your doorstep; softening you inch by inch, day after day. 

Yoongi never one to a miss a chance, had swooped in like a prince charming, out of his Mercedes Benz with your favourite coffee from halfway across the city, and hook, line and sinker—

You were wooed. 

Six months later, here you are, fresh out of college, celebrating your graduation night with your boyfriend. 

Smiling dopily at your thoughts, you move past and get back to cooking, Yoongi's hand reaching out and gliding against your wrist as you pass by. 

As the fragrance and warmth of the still-hot Bulgogi and Samgyeopsal wafted up to your nose, you break your chopsticks apart, picking a piece of the meat and biting into it. Moaning, in pleasure and satisfaction, when the sweet and savoury flavour hits your taste buds. 

Lightly swinging your feet under the table, you nudge Yoongi's feet and grin, your hand rising up to cover your mouth when he raises his brows, his hand pausing mid-rise. 

"I kill at cooking, admit it, I am better than you baby," Winking, you tease, your feet under the table hooking under the edge of his PJs, sliding against his legs, and you watch amused as the tips of his ears go red, but he doesn't shift. 

"Who taught you to cook, you brat?" He quips back with a wink, and you just giggle, head tilting as you catch his gaze and receive a soft smile in return. 

Fondly you watch as Yoongi picks a piece before his hand extends towards you, and you rise a little from your seat, reaching out and biting into half of the meat piece and chewing. 

Too big for one single bite, you leave half of it in Yoongi's hold, but before you can reach out and eat it, your boyfriend already has it in his mouth. 

His cheeks bulge out with the still too big a piece, and you gape, a wounded whine deep from your chest coming out in response. 

"Hey! That was mine!" You playfully glare, as your hand reaches out to snatch his chopsticks away, but Yoongi leans back and out of your reach. 

Winking, he grins, "What's yours is mine, baby boo." 

Raising your brow, before your boyfriend can blink, your hand reaches out and clutches onto the last piece of meat from his plate. Inside your mouth not a second later, you let out an exaggerated moan, dramatically closing your eyes and throwing your hands over your heart. 

"Whaa! You brat!" He exclaims, his pout coming out in full force as he moans over the loss of his precious meat. 

Winking you reply, "What's mine is yours, meow-meow."

Seeing your boyfriend get up from his chair, you scramble to getaway. Squealing when you feel his hand graze your waist, you push yourself harder, your laughter ringing across the apartment. 

Breathless you fall onto your bed tired, and move to hastily roll over to your corner. 

Yoongi, however, can be fast when he wants to be, and before you can scoot all the way, his arms are caging you in and pulling you closer. 

Squealing you try to push him away, but his hand's sneak under your sweater, and then he's tickling the soft skin under, sending you into peals of laughter. 

You try to wriggle away, but he entangles his legs with yours and refuses to budge. Gasping for breath, you pat his shoulder and squeal out an apology for stealing his meat. 

Finally taking mercy on you, he stops, and you draw in a long breath. Your body feels hot under your sweater, even in Seoul's harsh winter and chest heaving, breathless you turn to your boyfriend. 

Yoongi's body, conditioned after years of dance practices and concerts, is doing a lot better than yours. The only indication that he had even chased you through the hallways of your apartment are his cheeks; tinged pink and glistening under a thin sheen of sweat. 

You drink in the sight of your boyfriend, from his narrow cat-like eyes to his curvy nose, to his fuller lower lip. His body heat seeps into you and warms you from where his legs are still twined around yours.  

Your appreciation of your boyfriend, however, is cut short when said boyfriend rises and snuggles into you. His face nestling over your chest, and between the creases of your soft sweater, cheeks squishing against your chest, and you just look on amused as your boyfriend makes himself comfortable over your chest. 

You want to call him out on how cat-like his behaviour actually is, but you refrain, content to bask in the familiar comfort that Yoongi brings for now.

"You're soft." He mumbles, his voice coming out soft, half-muffled, his nose and mouth still pressed against you, and you snort out a "You're not,"  when you feel his chin slightly dig against your ribs.  

Picking up on your slightly strained voice, he shifts down, until his face is squished against the curves of your stomach. Breathing no longer a stifled process, you just hum and run your hands through his hair, softly scratching the scalp under your tips every now and then. 

Yoongi melts under your touch, a pleased moan slipping out when your hand slides to the back of his ears and lower to his neck. Smiling, you feel him snuggle closer, his face finding purchase between the warmth and softness of your flesh. 

Maybe if it was anybody else you'd have felt a little self-conscious, might have felt the need to change yourself, lose some weight to be like one of those thin, barbie doll-like female idols. But somehow with Yoongi, you have never felt that. Not an iota of self-doubt ever arose when he caressed your skin, your curves, the hills and valleys over the canvas that was your body. 

It wasn't like you were unhealthy, and if you ever feel the need to lose even an inch, it would be on your own accord, and never because you felt like you had to change, to fit into any mould that the society had carved out for you. Your boyfriend had made sure of it, reassuring you early on in your relationship that he loved you in all of your entirety and you don't doubt him. Anybody else you might have, but Yoongi wasn't one to lie, he valued your trust and you as a person too much to do that.

"I love you," His voice flows up to you, deep and dripping with love for you, and you pull him up, hands curling around his neck as your eyes gaze into his before you let slip a smile. 

"I love you too," You say, your voice soft and small, as though you are afraid that if you speak any louder, this moment might shatter, the little bubble that you two are in might pop, and you'd be sent craning into reality. 

But this is your reality. A voice inside your head supplies and you have to stop yourself from tearing up. Even after six months, the surreality of the situation hadn't left, the reality hadn't quite fully sunk in. 

You think of you and Yoongi together, look at his face beside yours on the pillow every night, and it feels like a dream come true. You wonder what you did in your last life to deserve someone as patient, loving and mature as Yoongi, and while you don't know what your past-self did to deserve any of this, you are thankful to her. 

Looking into his dark, onyx eyes, the moonlight from your window brightening his pale face, something inside your chest, tightens. 

You run your hands across his lower lip as he caresses your cheeks, draws small repetitive circles over the skin, and you relish the moment, the quiet, the space between you two where your breaths mingle until they become one. 

"Let me buy us a house, somewhere outside the city, where it's just you, me, Holly maybe a friend for her, a cat for you, and a pond full of fishes, our own little place." Yoongi proposes, taking the chance and asking you the question he had first worded a week ago. You hadn't given him an answer then, a little hesitant to let him spend all that money on you. It wasn't like you two were married, you had only been dating for six months.

But would you ever marry anybody else anyway?

The same voice from before whispers and you already know the answer. Not anymore. Not after Yoongi. 

Looking into his starry eyes, the ones that hold an entire galaxy and all the love he has for you, you nod, say yes to your own little place away from the rest of the world, somewhere you'll one day build your own family. A garden for your plants, a studio for Yoongi's music, and a courtyard for where one day your children will play, run after Yoongi and you, as you all chase each other. 

You can already picture it and looking at the excited, bright grin on Yoongi’s face, you know he can too. 

Giggling, he pulls you closer, and your laughter spills from between sloppy kisses and half intake breaths. 

Ask me again 다시 나에게 되물어봐 Are you happy now 지금 행복한가 The answer has already been decided 그 답은 이미 정해졌어 I am happy 난 행복하다

—Min Yoongi  화양연화 || The Most Beautiful Moment In Life.

A/N: And so its out! I have loved writing soft Yoongi with every cell of my body, and I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you Grace for commissioning this and helping fund the BLM movement. Black lives did, do and will always matter. 

Leave me your feedback, I genuinely enjoy reading every single word. & Have a good day ahead ❤

[melodyalanaroster]

Graduation Day

“Wakey! Wakey! Eggs and bakey!” Agatha called as she knocked on the bedroom door. In the few weeks since Nathaniel and Amber had home from Weathering, Death’s Domain had become quite lively. Nathaniel moved in, Alana finally introduced him to Viktor and Severina, the Roster Family crowded the Black Tower, and everyone began to prepare for Alana’s graduation.

What Agatha didn’t quite know was that the two masters of Death’s Domain were already awake and finishing up a rather long, hot, shower. “Lady Melody, Lord Nathaniel, Miss Agatha is at the bedroom door. Breakfast is ready.” JARVIS announced. Nathaniel turned the water off, wrapped Alana in a towel and sat her down on the seat. “Tell them we’ll be down in a few minutes.” He called as he grabbed his towel. “Yes sir.” the A.I. replied. Alana giggled as she caught her breath. “Your family has become crazier than usual over this.” Nathaniel chuckled as he sat down next to her. “Well, you know why.” She smiled. “Yeah, I know.” He kissed her head and held her close. They held each other for a little while before JARVIS reminded them that breakfast was on the table again. “Alright! Alright! We’re coming!” Alana called, annoyed.

“It’s about time you two came to eat!” Agatha called as they descended the stairs. Agatha, Lynne and Nate were bustling around the kitchen. Sam and Ken were sitting in the living room playing video games. Sam shot Alana a look. “Someone got shower sex.” She snickered. “Good girl.” Lynne smiled. Nathaniel began to blush and act nervous. “Honey, you knew this was going to happen.” Alana laughed as she went into the kitchen, filled her plate with food, grabbed a bottle of coffee from the fridge and sat down at the dining room table. “I’ve just got to get used to it.” Nathaniel sighed as he walked into the kitchen to fill his plate. “It’ll be alright, Son.” Lynne smiled as she patted him on the back. “Don’t worry kid, it’ll come naturally.” Nate chuckled. Nathaniel took his plate and joined Alana. “Who all is going to be there?” He asked. “Let’s see... Mom, Nate, Agatha, Sam, Ken, Viktor and Severina will all be at the graduation ceremony. Then us kids are going to the Crowstorm concert tonight... Then the parties will start. The entire tower is going to celebrate tonight, but you and I will be joining our family and friends at the house in Weathering tomorrow. Seraphina has promised to put a muzzle on Kai so that he won’t be a disruption.” She explained. “Speaking of that Crowstorm concert, isn’t it strictly for Anteros students?” Ken asked as he set the controller down and walked into the kitchen. “Yeah, but, do you really think the bouncer is gonna argue with anyone who is with me?” Alana replied. “No one in their right mind would argue with you.” Sam laughed. “Why do we have to go to that thing?” Nathaniel asked. “Because, despite how much he’s annoyed me this year, Castiel is still my friend and I want to support him. Not to mention how I haven’t really done many “college kid” things this year... So, it’s something different.” Alana stated.

A couple of hours later, Alana descended the stairs wearing a formal outfit. “Where is everyone?” She asked when she noticed the boys weren’t in the living room. “I sent them to the lobby to meet up with Viktor.” Lynne replied. “Why?” Alana asked. “Because I want us girls to have some time before you cross the stage, so I’m going to do your hair.” Lynne stated. “Alright then.” Alana smiled as she sat down in front of her mother. Sam, Agatha and Severina gathered around them. “I can’t believe our Melody is graduating college!” Agatha cheered. “I can’t believe you can finally stop being “The Grim Reaper” after this.” Sam beamed. “I can’t believe it took this long for us all to finally be together.” Severina smiled. “I technically won’t stop being “The Grim Reaper”. I’m just splintering away from the rest of the Senior Staff until it’s necessary for me to return.” Alana sighed. “But you’ll officially be referred to as “Agent Thunderbird” according to the Military.” Sam replied. “Yup. And if I’m called back to action, I’ll go back to being “Death Herself” and whatnot.” Alana clarified. “But you’ll still be free to do as you please until then.” Severina added. “YUP! And I can’t fucking wait!” Alana cheered.

“We’ll see ya’ll at the end of the ceremony.” Lynne beamed as she took everyone to their seats. Nathaniel and Alana joined Amber, Chani, Castiel and Priya. They greeted each other then turned to the stage. The Director and several professors were on the stage. Miss Paltry made her way to the podium. “Hello and welcome all! I’d like to thank the Director for allowing me to make the commencement address. It’s a great honor for me to preside over this important day. I’d like to tell you about a project that’s especially important to me. This year, for the first time, we experimented with running self help classes. We didn’t know if they were going to work. We didn’t know what they were going to be like. And they ended up being a huge success. I’d like to thank you for being so committed to the project. Opening the dialogue is always a good idea. Having an open mind and debating with goodwill. That’s what we did and learned this year. That’s what makes you individuals capable of thinking, communicating, and acting in harmony with your values. We intend on continuing the program next year, and without your commitment, that wouldn’t have been possible. So, thanks to you all!” Her cheery voice boomed throughout the park. Everyone applauded and students began to cheer. Alana held Nathaniel’s hand and rested her head on his shoulder as Miss Paltry began to speak again. She thought of what she had gone through to get to this point. Every drop of blood, every time she screamed, every molecule of pain... It was all worth it just to be able to live freely with her love. Her ears perked up when Miss Paltry mentioned the Valedictorian. Several people looked at Alana. “Are they assuming it’s you?” Nathaniel quietly asked her. “It was offered to me... Simply because of my position. I told them that I didn’t want the attention and to give the honor to someone who truly deserves it.” She answered. Alana looked around her group of friends, noticed an empty seat and grinned. “She definitely deserves the honor.” She thought. “I’ll hand the mike over to her, to a round of applause, since she has the highest GPA, all majors combined. Priya Ba...” Miss Paltry began. “WOOO! GO PRIYA!” Sam’s cheering rang out through the park. Everyone looked in Sam’s direction. She was standing up and grinning ear to ear. “H-Hello.” Priya nervously spoke when she got to the podium. As Priya began her speech, Alana’s mind drifted to her friends. Priya was one of the ones who stood by her... Not always approving of her actions... But taking her choices in strides. Castiel had made it clear that he still had feelings for her, and it took a lot of effort, but he finally realized that he would have to be happy being her friend. It did hurt her to cut Alexy and Rosalaya off. It angered her to see what they had become; to know that they would never come to terms with what she had become. Priya began to speak of becoming an adult and the evolution of growing up. “She’s right.” Alana thought. Her mind then drifted to her own evolution. She started out as “Lynne Roster’s Sweet, Obedient, Responsible, Daughter”, a young woman who should be pitied, always doing the “right thing”. Then she became “The Grim Reaper” and “The Patron Saint Of Lost Children”, a force of nature that should not be trifled with. And here she was, evolving into something closer to what she truly wanted to be. She had been holding on for dear life to what she knew was her purest form all while struggling towards the light that was her desired future. “I was preparing for my future here, but above all, I was having an incredible human experience.” Priya’s voice resonated with the crowd, most everyone was hanging on to her every word. “I grew up, I cried, I learned, I had doubts, I got angry, I felt hatred and I felt passion here. It’s more than an education, it’s a university of life. Anyway, thanks for having been part of the experience. By virtue of our convictions and our interactions, we help change attitudes. And over the past five years, I’m thrilled to have been part of this community that puts tolerance at the heart of this debate.” As Priya concluded her speech, the park erupted in applause and cheers. The cheering didn’t stop until she reached her seat. 

The Director stood up and walked to the podium. “Congratulations Priya, thanks again. The big time you’ve all been waiting for has finally come. We’re going to hand out the diplomas now.” He announced as he explained the order of the events to come. The Director began calling out people’s names and students began getting their diplomas. Chani crossed the stage, got her diploma and rejoined them. When Alexy’s and Rosalaya’s names got called, Alana remained silent. She turned in the direction of her family and noticed her mom giving a silent clap while Sam and Ken remained silent and motionless. Priya crossed the stage, got her diploma and rejoined them. Several minutes later Castiel’s name got called. The park erupted in girls’ screams as he crossed the stage and got his diploma. Alana put her hand on his shoulder and said how proud she was of him when he rejoined them. A few minutes later, Amber’s name got called. You could hear Alana’s family cheering loudly as she crossed the stage. “Why is your family cheering?” Priya asked. “Because, mom has claimed both Nath and Amber as her kids, so, my family is hers now.” Alana replied. Amber got her diploma and rejoined them. “NATHANIEL JACOTT” The Director called. “What?!” Alana asked. Nathaniel kissed her forehead, smiled, then walked towards the stage. Alana’s family cheered even louder. Alana watched as Nathaniel shook the Director’s hand, got his diploma and began walking towards them. Cheers could be heard from several of the rooftops. “I guess the Executioners and Crown Jewels are cheering for him as well.” Castiel commented. “Yeah, of course they are.” Alana grinned.  When Nathaniel rejoined them, Alana jumped into his arms. “I’M SO PROUD OF YOU!” She cheered. “I knew you were working on something involving the school... I just wasn’t sure what!” she continued. Nathaniel held Alana closely for a minute before letting go. “H-how...?! Why is?!” Amber asked. “Surprise!” Nathaniel cheered. Amber turned to Alana. “What do you mean you knew he was working on something?!” She asked. “Well! He was constantly on his computer and running around Anteros! I knew he was concerned about graduating... I just didn’t know it would turn out like this!” Alana beamed. “I didn’t even tell you!” Nathaniel looked baffled at Alana. “Sweetie... You may love detective novels, but I am a strategist. You could say... It was elementary my dear!” Alana beamed. Nathaniel burst out laughing. “You are definitely no Sherlock Holmes!” He mused. “But, I was right that you were working on something towards your degree.” Alana beamed. “Yes, you were right.” Nathaniel laughed. “But how? You didn’t study! You never went to class!” Amber asked. “I got my coursework via the internet the whole time... I thought the literature courses were very captivating by the way... so I read them at night before falling asleep. My grades aren’t outstanding... I barely passed.” He explained. “Still! You made it! And you deserve every ounce of praise!” Alana cheered. “Thanks. Sure, I could never have gotten motivated without my little sister who spent the whole year insisting on me coming to class.” He beamed. “I knew I was right.” Amber smiled as she hugged her brother. “Way to go. I’m so proud of you.” She continued. Alana knew Francis and Adelaide weren’t present. “They still have my family.” She thought. “Way to go, both of you.” She smiled. “When are they going to call your name?” Amber asked. “Probably not until closer to the end. Your last name starts with a “J” so you got it over with a lot sooner than me.” Alana replied.

After what felt like forever, Alana’s time came. “MELODY ALANA ROSTER” The Director called. The park erupted in applause and cheers as she made her way to the stage. Cheers could be heard from the rooftops. “MELODY! MELODY! MELODY!” They called. She got to the Director and shook his hand. “Congratulations Miss Roster. You’ve earned it.” He beamed. “Thank you sir... For putting up with me this past year.” She grinned. “It was an honor. I should really thank you. We assumed that your presence would make Anteros a depressing place.... But you didn’t. In fact, you lightened the mood, and helped improve students’ lives. I still haven’t gotten over that gala you helped organize. It was a wonderful evening.” The smile on the Director’s face grew warmer as he spoke. “Way to go Miss.” Miss Paltry smiled. Alana thanked them both then looked at the crowd. The rest of the professors were sitting in the first few rows. Rayan waved at her and winked. She responded with a smile. She looked towards her family. Everyone was standing, clapping and cheering. Sam had even begun to whistle. She returned to Nathaniel and Amber. “Congratulations!” Nathaniel smiled as he hugged her. “You’ve earned it!” Amber grinned. “Thank you so much!” Alana quickly hugged Amber. “What was that for?! You never hug me!” Amber looked at her, slightly shocked. “I know... But, this is a special occasion.” Alana smiled. Nathaniel looked at them, shocked, then smiled and hugged both of them. “I love you both.”

After hugging and cheering with friends for a while, Alana and Nathaniel decided to return to her family. “You’re not gonna come with us?” Alana asked. “Nah. I’m gonna go hang out with Castiel. His parents actually came and I’m pretty sure he needs a good excuse to get away from them.” Amber replied. “Well, remember, you are invited to all the parties that are being thrown.” Alana sighed. “Thanks.” Amber smiled. As they walked over to their group, Alana caught a glimpse of Alexy and Rosalaya staring at her. Alexy shot her a meak smile and Rosalaya waved. Her eyes became cold for a minute before she turned back to Nathaniel and resumed smiling. Nathaniel turned his head in the direction Alana was staring and noticed the two sober looking graduates. “Are they still causing you trouble?” He asked her. She shook her head. “No, they’re not. They’re just kinda eating away at the back of my brain.” She sighed. “It’s alright. If you still think they’re not worth your time, then it’s okay to not pay them any attention.” He reassured as they walked up to her family. “CONGRATS MY SWEET LITTLE BABY!” Lynne cheered as she squeezed Alana tightly. “Mom, I know you’re happy... But I’m not a baby anymore.” Alana choked as she attempted to release herself from her mother’s embrace. “Nonsense! You’ll always be my baby!” Lynne beamed. Nate, Sam, Ken, Viktor, Severina and Agatha all began to congratulate her and Nathaniel. “I thought you said you probably weren’t gonna graduate.” Sam commented as she turned to Nathaniel. “I worked hard and finished out.” He replied.

A while later, the Roster family was sitting at the cafe, enjoying snacks and talking. “Mom, I love you, but I think you got my ponytail too tight.” Alana sighed as she took her hair down. Verity Mekina walked through the door and greeted the group. “Melody! I’m so proud of you!” She beamed as she hugged Alana. “Aunt Verity! I’m so glad you could come!” Alana smiled. Verity turned to Nathaniel. “And you must be the infamous Nathaniel! Mels has told me so much about you! It’s a pleasure to finally meet the man who has stolen my god-daughter’s heart!” Nathaniel blushed. “I hope it was all good.” He smiled, nervously. “I assure you, it was all positive. Welcome to the family!” Verity brought Nathaniel in for a hug. “And congratulations on graduating!” She beamed as she sat down. “So? Is Crowstorm really going to perform a private concert at the big party in Weathering?” Severina asked. “Yeah. Castiel offered to do it while we were on our way to the house a few weeks ago.” Alana replied. “Isn’t that the new band everyone is freaking out about.” Verity asked. “Yeah, remember, Sam and I went to high school with Castiel.” Alana reminded. “He used to be a dick to Kentin, and he and Nathaniel hate each other.” Sam added. “Well, I wouldn’t say we completely hate each other now.” Nathaniel commented. “Oh, right, now you two have gone from fighting all the time to a weird, blooming, bromance. Seriously, fight each other, or fuck each other... Just get it out of your system already.” Sam laughed. Nathaniel’s face turned red. “It’s not a bromance!” He clenched his teeth. “Mels! Come on! You know it would be interesting if they fucked. Especially if you were in the middle of it!” Sam continued. Alana facepalmed. “Really? Are you trying to get him riled up?” She asked. “So? Nathaniel, what are you thinking about doing? Career wise?” Verity asked, nervously. “I’m not really sure just yet. I love literature, but I also love police work. I figured that I’d decide on my career while Alana and I are out traveling.” Nathaniel replied. “Police work? Would your position in the R.D.R even allow that?” Viktor asked. “I’m sure I can make it work. We’d have to talk to the prime minister, mayor, red death, and police chief... But, first and foremost, we’ve got a world to travel.” Alana explained. “Well, I think it’s noble.” Verity commented. “Thank you.” Nathaniel smiled. “So, where are you two thinking about going first?” Severina asked. “I wouldn’t mind going back to London.” Nathaniel grinned. “Back to the Shard.” Alana giggled. “Okay, what happened in London?” Viktor asked, annoyed. Sam, Severina, Lynne and Agatha began to laugh. “Go on Mels. Tell that story.” Nate laughed, embarrassed. “Alright, alright. So, after Nathaniel and I got done hanging out with the cast of Doctor Who at the red carpet premier of the 50th Anniversary Special, we got a little frisky... Apparently, our passion was so loud that the hotel manager felt the need to come to our room and demand we keep it down, or else risk getting kicked out of the hotel. When we opened the door, the manager immediately recognized me as Mom’s daughter and Nate’s step-daughter.... I swear, you could see the pain in his eyes from how much he was holding back laughter. After that, our passions were a lot quieter for the duration of our stay.... But every time we saw that manager, he gave us funny looks. It’s now referred to in the family as “The London Incident”.” Alana explained. Viktor’s and Verity’s eyes widened. Nathaniel blushed. Lynne, Sam and Agatha began to laugh harder. “I swear, that was definitely a bright point in that period of time!” Lynne laughed. A wave of envy washed over Viktor. Alana shot him a sharp look. Viktor looked down. “I don’t regret it. That was amazing.” Alana commented. “Yeah, it was.” Nathaniel looked at her, lovingly and stroked her hair. “I think it’s romantic. They were apart for months at that time and I’m sure they both needed it. Besides, what’s better than making love in a foreign land?” Verity smiled. “I can definitely vouch for that.” Lynne sighed as she looked at Nate. 

Several hours later, the kids were waiting to get in to the Snake Room. “This is gonna be great!” Severina cheered. “Are you really sure this is okay?” Viktor asked. “Don’t worry. After the bouncer hassled me the last time I was here for a Crowstorm event, the owner was so embarrassed that they’ve begun to grovel at my feet for my forgiveness.” Alana explained. “Did you ever deal with Crowstorm’s manager after they had you sit with all those whores?” Sam asked. “Yep. I threatened to find someone much more suitable for the band and slander his name throughout the business. He has become much more cooperative since then.” Alana replied. “Does Castiel know you did that?” Nathaniel asked. “It’s best if he doesn’t know. As it is, I don’t act on my threats unless I’m forced to.” Alana shrugged. As they got in to the club, everyone turned their eyes to them. “Hey everyone.” Alana smiled as she began walking towards the stage. People began to make a path and let the group through. The crowd of people began to wait for the band to take the stage. “Its a shame we can’t get the old band back together. It would be nice to see Castiel, Nathaniel and Lysander up there.” Sam commented. “It wouldn’t work anyway. You know Castiel and I can’t work together like that for very long.” Nathaniel smirked. “But, it would be really nice to see what Crowstorm was supposed to be...” Alana sighed.

As Crowstorm took the stage, Castiel smiled at the group of friends. The girls smiled and waved. Castiel looked at the rest of the crowd and grinned. “You know who we are.” He winked as the band began to play the opening notes to their song, “Do You Wanna Come Home With Me?”. The crowd’s cheers grew as the band played. “This is awesome!” Severina cheered. “And it’s only the beginning.” Alana grinned as she looked at Nathaniel, lovingly. “So, where are we gonna start?” Nathaniel asked. Alana kissed him, passionately and smiled. “First, Weathering... Then, the world.”

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

I’ve been meaning to write this for months, but, due to recent events, I’ve been unable to. I wanted to feature several other people in this blurb’s image (Amber, Castiel, Priya and Alana’s Aunts (Seraphina and Agatha)... But the background was too small, so I simply featured her parents and the 6 main kids.

Credit goes to:

@candysweetposts For Lynne’s and Nate’s sprites, as well as the bases to Severina and Samantha. LicyAD on DeviantArt for Viktor’s Sprite Unnieverso on DeviantArt for Kentin’s Sprite

[scaredandbored]

androids cannot act without premeditation

this ones for @datalaur , i hope it’s ok! it will be ooc, as i’ve only done one story with characters that aren’t mine before, but i did try! doing it as a data-centric one was a bit of a mistake, he’s v e r y difficult for an emotional wreck like me to get right lmao. i’m so sorry it took so long, i really am. not only did i have difficulty with the characterisation of data, i also decided to try and make it a small collection of shorts that tied up nicely at the end, which took me waaaay longer than i anticipated, i’m sorry! i hope it’s ok (it’s also a little rushed at the end because i was working on it for ages but nothing seemed right and i just wanted to get it done aaaaaa i’m sorry)

word count : 2’292 (and a whole lot of errors because the final draft was done on my ipad at two thirty am i’m so sorry lmao)

i) when he “short-circuited” (not literally)

It was a routine check on a peaceful outpost, there was no need for Data to accompany the away team while he still had responsibilities aboard the ship, and when he had voiced this opinion to Riker, the first officer had agreed. Geordie had rested his hand briefly on Data’s shoulder as he gave his hurried goodbye before dashing off to transporter room 3 with Riker, Barclay, and an engineer from the outpost that had beamed aboard to explain the situation on the ground. Data was surprised when the loss of the heat from Geordie’s hand sent a slight chill through his system, the same way it did when the environmental controls in his quarters malfunctioned.

Shaking his head lightly, he ran a quick diagnostic on himself while he made his way to Engineering, a diagnostic that came up clear, which was puzzling. Data made a note to discuss the irregularity in his thermal controls upon Geordie’s return to the Enterprise. While monitoring the repairs being made to the dilithium chamber from the last skirmish the ship had engaged in, Data began to plan an evening meal with Geordie. Knowing his friend would likely be tired from an extended shift away with no access to his painkilling hyposprays, a low light intensity level was absolutely necessary, especially since Geordie seemed reluctant to remove his VISOR in the presence of his friends, including Data, for reasons the android could not fathom. Of course, Data would have to retrieve Geordie’s hyposprays from his quarters if the meal as to commence immediately after Geordie’s work planetside was complete, and if he would not take off the VISOR, perhaps some of his preferred scented oils would alleviate some of the tension headaches he preferred not to discuss, again, even with Data, once more for reasons unbeknown to Data.

The repairs were running smoothly enough for Data to feel secure in leaving them to run unattended while he carried out some basic structural repairs in the Jefferies Tubes, when the captain’s voice came barking out of his comm badge.

“Commander Data to the bridge, immediately.”

“Acknowledged, captain. I am on my way.”

As he made his way briskly down the corridor to the turbolift that would take him to the bridge, Data ran a list of the most statistically likely scenarios that would require his presence on the bridge. It would, of course, depend hugely on wether the captain required him at the navigation console or the science console, but based on the fact they were not due to leave orbit for another few days, Data concluded the scenarios requiring he be monitoring the various scans and probes while making various calculations (most probably pertaining to time restrictions enforced by a radioactive leak or electromagnetic flux of some sort) were most probable.

What he was not expecting, was to be completely blindsided by the tense order from Captain Picard, delivered without the man turning away from the view screen.

“Mr.Data, I need you to send a probe to scan for any signs of life on the outpost.”

It took Data a few seconds to process the order as his neural processors struggled with the implications of it.

He terminated the program which formulated various potential outcomes of his actions on the bridge, along with the one that had kicked in long before his motor functions had responded to the captain’s order, the one that was calculating the likelihood of Geordie’s survival.

While launching the probes, Data took a careful look at the sensor logs which detailed what had befallen the away team.

The details of the collapse of the cavernous system that made up the outpost.

The cave-in which had trapped Geordie and hidden him from the ships sensors, hidden his vital sign from the crew.

The earthquake that had made it impossible for Data to ascertain whether or not his best friend was alive.

It did not occur to Data until the away team was beamed back to the enterprise unscathed that he hadn’t spared a thought for Riker or Barclay, both men he would have considered to be his friends also. An intriguing matter, one Data wanted to look into before bringing it up with Geordie.

ii) when he acted without thinking (more than once)

Data had extensive experience in the science field, so when the majority of the science department were beamed planetside by a species of unknown intentions, it only made sense that Data be assigned to the ecological research team that were to beam down and learn all they could about the planet while a smaller away team attempted to retrieve the science department. Data could not see why Geordie insisted on beaming down, as he had neither experience with ecological research nor extensive search and rescue training, but Geordie insisted nonetheless.

Data’s memory banks suddenly assaulted him with images of Geordie in sick bay, in various states of physical and mental stability after away missions gone wrong while Data had been unable to assist him. Before he could stop himself, he found himself making a proposal for Geordie to join the research team, highlighting the importance of having someone well versed in physics while exploring the surface of the planet so that variables such as atmospheric pressure and wind patterns may be accounted for as much as possible while making notes on the planet’s ecology.

His lengthy explanation was cut off by the familiar pressure and warmth of Geordie’s hand patting his shoulder before settling just at the junction between his shoulder and neck, the warmth from the palm of his hand seeping into his circuitry and spreading a pleasant sensation throughout his body. “I’ll join your team, Data, no need to try and convince me.” His friend’s smile jolted another wave of warmth round his circuits, and while Geordie listened to Commander Riker’s plan for the retrieval of the scientists, Data ran another diagnostic on his thermal regulators, and one on his memory recall systems, only for them to show no signs of malfunction. “Hey, where are you, Data?” Geordie’s voice snapped him out of his reverie, wherein he had just begun to compare his responses to stimuli provided by Geordie to stimuli from his other friends, theorising perhaps it was the nature of his relationship with the chief engineer that was the cause of these flushes.

“I am in the briefing room, along with the rest of the crew who are due to be transported planetside.” Was his response to Geordie’s inquiry, but his friend’s bemused smile and good-natured laugh told Data the question had not been literal long before Geordie mentioned it being another one of those ‘figures of speech’ Data just couldn’t seem to get the hang of. He made a mental note to ask Geordie to assist him in further research into the use of such colloquialisms.

Geordie had removed his hand while they made their way to the transporters, resulting in a chill running through his sensory systems. Data filed the sensation away to run in comparison to his responses to similar withdrawals of stimuli from his other friends. 

O’Brien engaged in some tense small talk with the two away teams, reminding them they would need their tricorders operating at full capacity in order to boost their signals in the event of an abduction similar to the science crew’s. 

Data acknowledged O’Brien’s cautions with a fractional incline of his head, fiddling with a tricorder he, oddly, couldn’t remember picking up.

“Hey, Data, I know how to calibrate my own tricorder.” Geordie did not look angry; if Data had to guess, he would’ve said the look on Geordie’s face was amusement. Data blinked once, then looked down at his own tricorder, hanging from his hip. Looking back at the tricorder in his hands, he began to run yet another diagnostic on his memory banks.

“My apologies, Geordie.” He handed back the tricorder, a slight frown tugging at his mouth. “I...” He paused for a moment, paying particularly close attention to the result of his internal scan. All clear. “I did not think before acting.”

Geordie shook his head, but his smile never faltered. “That’s not like you, Data.” He clapped his friend’s upper arm briefly before hopping onto the transporter pad. “Thanks anyway.” His smile widened before he nodded at O’Brien and was beamed down.

Data decided he would have Geordie take an objective look at his circuitry later that evening.

iii) when he risked violating the prime directive

It had been two hours since the entrance to the cave had collapsed, trapping Geordie inside, alone. He had lost all communications with the rest of the away team, the Enterprise’s scanners were unable to penetrate the strange, rock-like substance the surface of the planet seemed to be covered in. 

Data and the rest of the small away team had been in disguise as the native species while they attempted to take some samples of the very rock that had condemned Geordie to his confinement. Data had attempted to convey the situation to the nearest village, but was unsuccessful, considering they had not yet developed an effective means of communication, making it impossible for Data to secure their assistance.

He had initially disregarded the option of using his phaser to burn a hole in through the dirt surrounding the cave-in to prevent further danger to Geordie as it would risk violating the prime directive. He had established almost immediately prior to his first encounter with Geordie that under no circumstances could he die while Data had the capability to prevent that outcome. Data’s neural pathways lit up with a continuous, almost painful feedback loop as he was confronted with this paradox.

The prime directive must not be violated. To rescue Geordie, one must violate the prime directive. Geordie must be saved.

He had not noticed Riker taking his phaser from his hand, he had not noticed him giving an order for transport, he had not yet worked his way through the paradox.

He could just about make out the transporter room fizzling into his view before the pain pulsed through his entire body before he shut down, unable to solve the problem.

....

When he was reactivated, Data felt the familiar warm sensation throughout his entire mainframe a few milliseconds before he registered Geordie’s hands frantically darting around his head, where he could tell his access terminals were wide open and under intense scrutiny by his friend. “I seem to have returned to an operable state, Geordie. How long were was it before the Enterprise could retrieve you?”

“Data!” Geordie’s exclamation of his name should have left Data confused as to why his friend had not answered his question, but instead, the relief he could hear in Geordie’s voice was... almost comforting. The thought puzzled Data. How could he be comforted if he had experienced no upset?

Mirroring Geordie’s hand on his shoulder, Data accidentally applied more pressure than anticipated on the engineer’s shoulder, and before he knew it, the android found himself completely engulfed by Geordie, his system flushed almost scalding hot, and his arms moved up to press Geordie closer, closer, until his friend started to mutter something about not being able to breathe properly. Data attempted to relinquish his hold on Geordie entirely, but Geordie kept his arms firmly around him as he sighed, “We thought we’d lost you, Data.”

“And I thought I had lost you, Geordie.” Data frowned. He had, once again, acted without thought. He had meant the words, but he had not processed them before delivering them. “Geordie, I have been experiencing-“

When Geordie drew back from their embrace, frowning and reaching for his scanner, a constant stream of questions for Data regarding his recent malfunctions, Data felt... bereft. Cold. The lack of contact with Geordie had returned his systems to their usual, less comforting temperature, and the worry in Geordie’s posture and words had chilled Data. It made sense, therefore, to initiate further contact with the human.

Data wrapped his arms around Geordie, clutching his hands together just below his diaphragm, and rested his chin on his shoulder, watching closely as the engineer’s hands fumbled with the familiar scanner before coming to a halt. “Data?” Geordie sounded even more tense, which did not make sense. The lack of physical contact between Data and Geordie had seemed to distress them both, particularly in this encounter, and Data had thought that by initiating a more intimate contact would result in a positive reaction from both of them.

He decided to make one suggestion before he withdrew completely, worried if he removed contact with Geordie without warning it might upset the human further. “Geordie, would you consent to being kissed by me?”

When his question was met by silence, Data moved to extract himself from Geordie’s quarters, but the well-known sense of warmth flooded him as Geordie grabbed him by the crook of his elbow and applied pressure intended to turn Data around to face him. He complied.

When Geordie’s lips connected with his, the sensations were something similar yet different to that provided by the other forms of contact they had experienced together.

And unlike his recent Geordie-related-malfunctions, Data found himself perfectly within his faculties, able to position his hands with purpose- one at the base of the back of Geordie’s neck in order to hold him close, and one runnng up and down his arm, which seemed to cause Geordie to relax into him. The warm sensations from Geordie’s much more mobile hands complimented the fizzing sensation caused from the new calculations Data had begun: formulating the ideal combined angles of their heads, how much force to use when backing Geordie against the wall in order to better maximise their contact...

Geordie was just glad he had brought Data back to his quarters for repairs instead of Engineering.

[eloquent-music]

💬

Send a ‘💬’ to catch a glimpse of a memory my muse has.

[ Memory Log 889342666 Initiating... ] 

Ping. One shot. Ping ping       ping            ping...  Shot after shot. Klunk. Klunk... Klunk.... 

“Another down for the count,” rang through. 

“Messatine is our homestead, our planet. Get them out of the mines.” 

“Another ticked off the List..” 

Shot after shot straight through each Autobot insignia they ran into--along with the occasional Decepticon. 

“Shoot for the fucking kill Vos. We aren’t the Decepticon Justice Division for nothing. Do your damn job.” 

A pattern that Tarn was beginning to notice time after time. Unusual. No one on the DJD had ever had a weird fixation like this. 

“Why do you shoot others like that?”

“My special signature tactic. It’s nothing boss.” 

“Alright Vos. Carry on.” 

Suspicion raised from within him. Tarn was conditioned to notice things like this. But never had he ever dealt with anyone like this--a traitor more-so. All of his subordinates had been loyal to the end. But something about this one Decepticon seemed off. 

Then there was run-ins with Delphi. Tarn and Pharma would exchange words, professional or not. Sometimes the others had tagged along but stayed out of the way. Whatever happened between the two bosses. Vos had accompanied him on a few occasions. More suspicion arose. 

Puzzle pieces started to come together in Tarn’s processor. He logged each and every thing. Every kill, both Autobot and Decepticon alike. He was watched like some Big Brother motive. 

A fuck up. A small little fuck up after many cycles of extra close watch on Vos. The Vos before the Vos everyone knew now. The Vos that was a traitor amongst the DJD Ranks for years. The one that spilled top secret information to the Autobots, the Wreckers more-so. The little ‘non-lethal’ sharp shooter who shot Autobots and Decepticons alike on their insignia as his signature move. Most Vos’ had taken the form of some deadly handheld weapon but Tarn had caught wind of something fishy and it was the last shot Agent 113 would ever get in his life. 

The reason Tarn caught on was because of his nonlethal shots. After the others had left, he’d dug out a few bullets out of the corpses. Read their encrypted messages. It fueled Tarn’s rage and hatred to the point where he started taking his frustrations out more on his victims and unfortunately onto Delphi. If one wanted to get away with spying, you had to be smarter than a criminal and the enforcers. Tarn was an excellent criminal, executioner, and enforcer alike--he wasn’t the leader of the DJD for nothing, nor was he idiotic. 

The one thing Tarn never knew about was that most of these bullets were extracted from First Aid no less when they were on Messatine. One of Pharma’s medics, a demoted nurse that hid all of this behind the CMO’s back. The one mech who could’ve set off a real bad chain reaction to Delphi. Tarn wasn’t fond of killing medics but he would’ve if he had found out at the time and the perfect plan would’ve occurred, starting with the execution of the Autobot spy as a show of force and dominance over the facility, then next would’ve become Ambulon, the Decepticon deserter, a little gift to Pharma of course, before finally offlining First Aid. He likely would’ve mounted the mech on the main entrance to Delphi that was almost barely recognizable. 

The last nonlethal shot to a Wrecker on Messatine drove Tarn right on over the edge. Crimson optics kept watch over Vos like a vulture waiting for an animal to keel over. Tarn called for Helex over with a snap of his digits, same with Tesarus. For now, Kaon was left out of the question due to his relationship with Vos. Tarn ordered Helex to radio Megatron for a new recruit that would be taking Vos’ spot. “Tell him that Vos has perished. We need a new replacement as soon as possible and to send him to Messatine. Oh--and make it worth it this time around. We need darker members. True Decepticons.” Until a later date, the truth would be told to Megatron. With Tesarus by Tarn’s side, they walked with Vos and Kaon as Helex went back to the Tyranny before them to inform Megatron and also get one of their interrogation rooms readily available. 

That’s when the swoop came in. Tesarus grabbed Kaon and held him against his frame. Tarn on the other hand swiftly kicked Vos onto his frontside, crushing him below his pedes and right into the ice. His abilities sprung to life from his spark as his vents bristled like an angry bull.  ♬ ♫ “𝓣𝓲𝓶𝓮𝓼 𝓾𝓹 𝓓𝓸𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓾𝓼,”♬ ♫  he spat out to the frame that was struggling underneath his pedes. His masked moved up some so he could fully spit onto the traitor’s frame to demechanize him right from the start. The tip of his pede curled into his back as he spat on him again. 

Tarn began to paralyze the mech system by system so he could no longer move for a while. ♬ ♫ “𝓨𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓭𝓪𝔂𝓼 𝓸𝓯 𝓼𝓹𝔂𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱. 𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓬𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓰𝓮𝓽 𝓪𝔀𝓪𝔂 𝓯𝓸𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻? 𝓞𝓱 𝓷𝓸 𝓷𝓸. 𝓐 𝓼𝓷𝓪𝓴𝓮 𝓪𝓵𝔀𝓪𝔂𝓼 𝓰𝓮𝓽𝓼 𝓲𝓽𝓼 𝓱𝓮𝓪𝓭 𝓬𝓾𝓽 𝓸𝓯𝓯 𝓼𝓸𝓸𝓷𝓮𝓻 𝓸𝓻 𝓵𝓪𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝔀𝓮𝓵𝓵 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓵𝓾𝓬𝓴 𝓱𝓪𝓼 𝓻𝓪𝓷 𝓫𝓸𝓷𝓮 𝓯𝓾𝓬𝓴𝓲𝓷’ 𝓭𝓻𝔂. 𝓞𝓱 𝔂𝓸𝓾’𝓵𝓵 𝓭𝓲𝓮 𝓫𝓾𝓽 𝓪 𝓿𝓮𝓻𝔂 𝓵𝓸𝓷𝓰 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓼𝓽𝓻𝓮𝓷𝓾𝓸𝓾𝓼 𝓭𝓮𝓪𝓽𝓱.” ♬ ♫ Dominus thought he’d seen the worst of Tarn? Oh never. Tarn was the only living original DJD member and when his mind clicked into seeing nothing but red, there was no stopping him. 

Kaon was begging for Tarn not to go through to the bitter end that the leader was hoping for. Between the begging and his overly angry systems, he wasn’t sure what he was going to go through with. “Tesarus, for now put Kaon away in his quarters. He does not need to be a part of this though I will take into consideration his pleas.” The end result? Still unsure. 

Tarn bound Agent 113′s legs and arms still in the field before attaching the end of the chain to his frame. A large chunk of Agent 113′s frame was left in the snow so that the Delphi medic’s would come across it when they found the Autobot’s distress signals. With a swift transformation, he drug the mech behind him back through the rough ice and snowy terrain, making sure to hit the most brutal points. A great way to physically hurt a mech’s frame without killing them. Brutal yet very satisfying. 

After taking the long way back to the Tyranny, the duo had finally made it back to their homestead. That little frame had taken heavy damage and Tarn still drug him on the floor, now dragging him by his damn neck with the chain. He even  darkened every light in the Tyranny. Singing wildly like a crazed psychotic mech from a horror movie. There might’ve been a dance to his walk as they made their way to a special room. 

After Kaon was locked away, Tesarus made his way down to where Tarn was, Helex already waiting like the hangman at the gallows. “He’s been paralyzed for now so do as you will with him.” 

Helex spoke, “The next course of action sir?” 

“What will be the outcome?” Stating Tesarus as he lifted the traitor onto the operation slab. 

“Kaon seems to be fond of this wretch. So we can compromise with him. We will put him through the most torturous act that can be done to a mech but let’s add an Autobot twist to it shall we?” Speaking like a maniac as he wrung his servos together. “The Autobots have preached about being free and willing when in reality they have not. They’ve always been a badly upgraded version of the old Senate. Control by taking away whom you are by demechanizing a mech.” His claws danced over the mech’s frame. “We’ll force him back into his old alternate mode. But we will take away everything he has. We will remove his transformation cog, his weapons, his speech, his sense of reality, sense of self, everything. Reshape him into nothing but a mindless beast that will do our bidding and obey our every word. He can still be used against the Autobots.” 

“What would that be boss?” 

“Domestication to the greatest extent.” 

The to dueted one another, “Perfect boss.” 

“Let’s get started shall we?” Tarn sing-songed outwardly.

Each member grabbed a torturous device of their choosing from the walls. The whirring sounds of the famous chainsaw Tarn weld, made from the chainsaw slinging medic himself, Pharma. Made by his own design, perfected and built for Tarn and Tarn alone.

A purple servo slammed the mech’s helm into the operation slab. “I know you can hear me Dominus Ambus,” growling outwardly as Helex handed over a data pad. “I have your file right here. Look lookit here. Isn’t it delightful?” His servo slammed the mech’s face once more enough to make it bleed. “Hmmm.. let’s see here. Your file. Your old mode, a turbofox no less.” Holding it up to the mech’s face, the traitor refused. “Making it harder on yourself will make this worse.” 

More back and forth commenced as Tarn spoke to the mech using his abilities, pinching his pressure points so he could control the mech for a moment while his other hand stroked the area over his t-cog. “Helex hold the pad so that it’s in his view.” Some more time passed and the traitor finally was forced into taking on his old form. 

“Perfect,” whispered outwardly. 

 More time lapsed through Dominus’ domestication. The mech was hanging on, the trio excelled in keeping mech’s alive and perfectly aware through their torturous acts. And this went on for days on end, weeks even. Kaon was never involved. Forcefully removed from the situation. 

“Who were you working with?” 

There was never an answer. No matter how hard each of them tried to break him and they broke him. Perhaps he never knew. Perhaps he did. 

“Next we will remove who he is as a Cybertronian, a transformer. We all know what that is? HIs transformation cog.” Tarn sung, ♬ ♫ “𝓦𝓪𝓴𝓮𝔂 𝔀𝓪𝓴𝓮𝔂 𝓓𝓮𝓬𝓮𝓹𝓽𝓲𝓬𝓸𝓷 𝓽𝓻𝓪𝓲𝓽𝓸𝓻. 𝓛𝓲𝓽𝓽𝓵𝓮 𝔀𝓻𝓮𝓽𝓬��. 𝓕𝓾𝓬𝓴𝓲𝓷’ 𝓐𝓾𝓽𝓸𝓫𝓸𝓽 𝓼𝓬𝓾𝓶.” ♬ ♫ 

Tesarus dragged the mech close to the edge of the operation table so he could force the mech to transform into his beast mode. Once it was achieved both Helex and Tesarus flipped the mech onto his backside. 

♬ ♫  “𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝔀𝓮𝓻𝓮 𝓷𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓪 𝓰𝓸𝓸𝓭 𝓓𝓮𝓬𝓮𝓹𝓽𝓲𝓬𝓸𝓷. 𝓝𝓸𝓽 𝓵𝓲𝓴𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝔀𝓮𝓻𝓮. 𝓑𝓾𝓽 𝓵𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓪𝓽 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓷𝓸𝔀. 𝓨𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓐𝓾𝓽𝓸𝓫𝓸𝓽 𝓯𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓷𝓭𝓼 𝓭𝓸𝓷’𝓽 𝓬𝓪𝓻𝓮. 𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓶𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓴 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓲𝓼 𝓼𝓸𝓶𝓮 𝓼𝓸𝓻𝓽 𝓸𝓯 𝓿𝓪𝓵𝓲𝓪𝓷𝓽 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓫𝓻𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝓮𝓯𝓯𝓸𝓻𝓽 𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓸𝓯 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓸𝔀𝓷 𝓹𝓵𝓪𝓷𝓷𝓲𝓷𝓰. 𝓞𝓱 𝓷𝓸 𝓷𝓸. 𝓨𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓵𝓲𝓯𝓮 𝓫𝓮𝓵𝓸𝓷𝓰𝓼 𝓽𝓸 𝓶𝓮. 𝓨𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓐𝓾𝓽𝓸𝓫𝓸𝓽 𝓬𝓸𝓶𝓹𝓪𝓷𝓲𝓸𝓷𝓼 𝔀𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓷𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓻𝓮𝓶𝓮𝓶𝓫𝓮𝓻 𝔂𝓸𝓾. 𝓨𝓸𝓾’𝓵𝓵 𝓷𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓫𝓮 𝓼𝓸𝓶𝓮 𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓸 𝓽𝓸 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓶. 𝓑𝓮𝓬𝓪𝓾𝓼𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝔀𝓪𝓷𝓽 𝓽𝓸 𝓴𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝓼𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰, 𝓱𝓶? 𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓶𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽’𝓿𝓮 𝓼𝓹𝓲𝓵𝓵𝓮𝓭 𝓼𝓮𝓬𝓻𝓮𝓽𝓼 𝓪𝓫𝓸𝓾𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓓𝓙𝓓 𝓫𝓾𝓽 𝔂𝓸𝓾’𝓵𝓵 𝓷𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓴𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝔀𝓱𝓸 𝔀𝓮 𝓽𝓻𝓾𝓵𝔂 𝓪𝓻𝓮--𝔀𝓱𝓸 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓵𝓮𝓪𝓭𝓮𝓻 𝓽𝓻𝓾𝓵𝔂 𝓲𝓼. 𝓨𝓸𝓾’𝓵𝓵 𝓷𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓴𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝔀𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓼𝓮𝓬𝓻𝓮𝓽𝓼 𝓘’𝓿𝓮 𝓴𝓮𝓹𝓽 𝓱𝓲𝓭𝓭𝓮𝓷 𝓫𝓮𝓬𝓪𝓾𝓼𝓮 𝓸𝓷𝓬𝓮 𝓭𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓼𝓽𝓲𝓬𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷 𝓲𝓼 𝓯𝓲𝓷𝓲𝓼𝓱𝓮𝓭. 𝓨𝓸𝓾’𝓵𝓵 𝓷𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓻𝓮𝓶𝓮𝓶𝓫𝓮𝓻 𝓪 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓪𝓰𝓪𝓲𝓷! 𝓙𝓾𝓼𝓽 𝓴𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓮𝓯𝓯𝓸𝓻𝓽𝓼 𝔀𝓮𝓻𝓮 𝔀𝓸𝓻𝓽𝓱 𝓷𝓸𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰.” ♬ ♫ 

“We will remove his t-cog then wipe his memories of all of whom he is before his final transformation.” Tarn removed his mask as he located the mech’s t-cog that hid in his abdomen. His claws dug out the armor to reveal the vital component. “Hold him down.” Both mech’s obeyed as Tarn leaned over the badly injured frame; his glossa flicked over his lip components before he descended downwards. His lips wrapped onto the organ and began to pull it out slowly from the beast’s frame. Line by line was broken, spilling energon onto Tarn and the slab below him. The mech howled in his pursuit. Once it was finally released from its prison Tarn slipped it out of his mouth and into his servo. “Tesarus, wrap this up and send it off to Autobot high-command with a message.” 

“Yes boss.” 

“Helex, patch him up before we start the mind wiping process. He’ll forget all he knows within a matter of a cycle. All he will ever know from now on is being a Pet to do our bidding. Nothing but a mindless beast.” Pausing the turned to Helex as Tesarus walked out to get the t-cog ready for transport. “No one will ever remember Dominus Ambus, the traitorous little Agent 113 the Autobots so loved. They’ll never know if he truly died or not. Oh they’ll assume he did but they’ll never know our little Pet will be attacking their ranks. Oh my an Autobot attacking Autobots--how delightful isn’t it Helex?” 

[ Abrupt interruption --  disengaging.. ]

[aion-rsa]

Zack Snyder’s Original Vision for Justice League Faded Long Before His Exit

https://ift.tt/3buaKS6

As Zack Snyder’s Justice League prepares to showcase the director’s true vision of the 2017 film long-sought by a vocal segment of the fandom, behind-the-scenes details have emerged about the director’s exit from the theatrical film, providing interesting context to its upcoming debut as an HBO Max miniseries. It seems that the official—devastatingly heartbreaking—explanation for Snyder’s departure from the film actually overshadowed some behind-the-scenes strife.

Picture this for a Justice League plotline: Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) falls in love with a recently widowed Lois Lane (Amy Adams). While the notion of a Batman/Lois Lane romance is not entirely unheard of in the annals of DC Comics, it might seem awkward for a film franchise that was still taking its first steps. Nevertheless, this was a major angle that Snyder intended to inject into the film, as revealed in a lengthy Vanity Fair exposé. Of course, the romance, which would have directly followed the events of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, obviously didn’t make the film, and—barring some secretly-shot scenes for the Snyder Cut—it is unlikely to ever happen. However, it was apparently typical of the now-revealed clashes that Snyder had with Warner Bros. in the lead-up to his 2017 exit.

“The intention was that Bruce fell in love with Lois and then realized that the only way to save the world was to bring Superman back to life,” Snyder explains of the idea that Warner nixed. “So, he had this insane conflict, because Lois, of course, was still in love with Superman. We had this beautiful speech where [Bruce] said to Alfred: ‘I never had a life outside the cave. I never imagined a world for me beyond this. But this woman makes me think that if I can get this group of gods together, then my job is done. I can quit. I can stop.’ And, of course, that doesn’t work out for him.”

Backtracking a bit, Snyder—having come off hits like Dawn of the Dead, 300 and Watchmen—was auspiciously tapped to shepherd Warner’s wider aspirations for DC Comics films starting with 2013’s Man of Steel, which debuted Henry Cavill’s impressive iteration of the Blue Bomber. However, the film was a winding rollercoaster of dark drama that stood in stark contrast to the Marvel Comics movies against which it was designed to compete. Thusly, it banked $668 million worldwide—by no means a flop, but well short of Warner’s expectations, especially against the film’s $225 million budget. Regardless, the studio gave Snyder a mulligan and allowed his vision to further manifest mostly unfettered with 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which introduced Ben Affleck’s Batman, Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman, Ray Fisher’s Cyborg and—in a bizarre, context-deprived cameo—Ezra Miller’s The Flash.

Dawn of Justice would go on to gross $873.6 million worldwide—once again, not a flop, but nevertheless disappointing for Warner, who had maintained faith and even upped the budget for Snyder’s sophomore DCEU effort to $250 million. “When Batman v Superman came out and we did get a negative reaction from the fans, it was disheartening for all of us,” laments production head Greg Silverman. “Zack had made these movies, like 300, that were such crowd-pleasers. And that was our job—to make crowd-pleasers. And here, we have made a movie together, and it didn’t really please the audience.”

Read more

Movies

Justice League: How Christopher Nolan Helped Prevent Zack Snyder from Seeing the Whedon Cut

By David Crow

Movies

Martian Manhunter in Zack Snyder’s Justice League Details and Look Revealed

By Mike Cecchini

Indeed, Batman v Superman was not generally regarded as a crowd-pleaser, and was instead widely lambasted by both critics and audiences alike, manifesting as a marathon of moroseness passing for poignancy, showcasing a titular conflict between the two heroes held together by flimsy load-bearing motivations, weighed down further with unexplained Justice League-foreshadowing scenes (notably the aforementioned Flash cameo and the “Knightmare” sequence,) referencing an imminent invasion from planet Apokolips. More importantly, it didn’t create the watershed cultural moment that Warner needed to effectively whet audience appetites for the Justice League team-up, which was clearly its main purpose. Thus, while Marvel continued to bask in billions with likeable icons—and even made icons of non-mainstream titles like Guardians of the Galaxy—Warner was stuck with DC movies permeating with unrelatable angry gods who hate each other.

Consequently, while the studio soured on Snyder by the time production for Justice League had commenced, there was an unfortunate fatalism, since the die had been cast on where the story was headed. After all, Snyder came into the film with a vision that was far too lofty even for a director who was still in the studio’s good graces, much less one perceived as having led it down the primrose path. Further tinder for this proverbial fire was scattered with a top-down edict from Warner chairman and CEO Kevin Tsujihara, who mandated that the picture would be only two hours in length, and that DC Entertainment creative chief Geoff Johns and Warner Bros. co-production head Jon Berg were to be on-set every day to, as Snyder puts it, “babysit” him.

“It was really tricky and not a position that I loved, to be honest,” Berg says. “I tried to be forthright about what I thought creatively. My job was to try to mediate between a creator whose vision is instinctually dark and a studio that perceived, rightly or wrong, that the fans wanted something lighter. I was respectful of the director and didn’t pursue things that were coming at me from the corporate side that I thought weren’t in line with what would make the best movie.”

Snyder maintains that having Johns and Berg watching over his shoulder didn’t bother him, and that “they weren’t that threatening.” Yet, they constantly pressed him to inject humor into his otherwise-serious content. “It wasn’t anything that was too outrageous,” says Snyder, but it nevertheless created a contradiction, especially as the ambitious designs Snyder teased in Dawn of Justice—many of which sidetracked that film—were being systematically erased. Thus, Justice League seemed to be a tug-of-war production, as Snyder moved ahead with his vision, only to see concepts nixed outright (like the Batman/Lois romance,) and even lose produced ideas like the spinoff-teasing romantic subplot between Ezra Miller’s Flash and Kiersey Clemons’s Iris West (the latter of whom was cut from the film altogether,) and a proposed return of Harry Lennix’s Man of Steel character, General Swanwick, who was to be revealed as a disguised J’onn J’onzz/Martian Manhunter; concepts that, for those in the know, represented the intended heart of the film.

The laborious process continued even after Snyder and wife Deborah (who serves as a producer,) were dealing with the passing of their daughter. Yet, Snyder officially exited Justice League in May 2017—two months after the tragedy, which was initially cited as the primary reason. “It’s such a lightning strike in the center of this whole saga,” says Snyder. “And in a lot of ways it has informed everything we’ve done since.” However, it was clear that the escalating acrimony between Snyder and Warner Bros. was the heretofore unspoken other reason behind the split, after which the studio tapped Joss Whedon—fresh from his own acrimonious exit from Marvel Studios—to pinch-direct the picture and have it ready for theaters by November. Of course, as Ray Fisher, and an increasing number of personnel now allege, that tenure led to a different—inherently toxic—problem.  

Regardless of where one stands on the perpetually polarizing topic of Zack Snyder, his exit from the ambitious crossover film was undeniably one of the saddest stories to hit the industry in quite some time. However, its tragic aspect turned out to be the emotionally heavy straw that broke the back of Snyder’s rapidly weakening relationship with studio Warner Bros. Thus, with most of those studio restraints now shed, it makes the upcoming arrival of the labor of love that is the “Snyder Cut” even more intriguing.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Zack Snyder’s Justice League hits HBO Max on Thursday, March 18.

The post Zack Snyder’s Original Vision for Justice League Faded Long Before His Exit appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/2NLuzvY