#what if... sentinel was a good dad... ;;;-;;;

[scatterpatter]

VERY complicated feelings on how i want to portray Sentinel in any of my content

[belladaises]

𝗦𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗘𝗡 𝗙𝗜𝗖 𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗦 (𝗦.𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗽𝘀/에스쿱스) 𝗽𝘁. 𝟭

back to directory ＼(^-^)／

midnights series (on-going). hits different (pt. 1), anti-hero (pt. 2) by @gleamingyu

in which you get hurt in a car accident, in which he gelps you drive again by @wongyuuu

redamancy by @rubywonu

matilda by @milfgyuu

good luck, fermata tower by @beefboyandbabygirl

the nurse's office's most infamous resident by @som1ig

deceit, divorce & dishes, birthday boy, cold by @wqnwoos

the park with seungcheol, admire me (like I do for you) by @wheeboo

the legend of the sea @miabebe

hurt so bad (pt 1, pt 2) by @babyleostuff

home, the hows of us, favourite lesson, just because by @moonwonuu

lingon by @najaemsread

the way back by @suhnshinehaos

bean me up, scotty by @seungkwansphd

patience (Part 1, Part 2) by @fantasyescapes17

pregnancy cravings by @yikesmary

exes and oh’s by @toruro

walk in the woods (req) by @slytherinshua

[5:02am] by @slytherinshua

dad!seungcheol by @horanghoe

support system by @blu-joons

The Prize by @misterrightscenarios

Take responsibility, Choi! by @ch3ol

scrunchie by @leejihoonownsmyheart

Bouquets for a Friend (From a Friend) by @thepixelelf

Huff, Puff by @thepixelelf

The Great War by @amourcheol

double shot espresso by @cheollipop

towards the sun by @cheolism

this bit by @nonranghaes

Smell You Later by @aclowntiny

04:15 am by @fairyhaos

Drunk Favourite by @junnielimbo

sleepy seungcheol = cuddly seungcheol, 1:23 am by @bluejeanstrash

Sentinel's Serenade by @starlightxsvt

fast pace, BANDAGES + KISSES by @hanggarae

seventeen as taylor swift songs by @fairyhaos

cherry wine (f) by @yoongiseesawmp3

open road promises by @pearlesscentt

ROSES AND DAHLIAS by @babyleostuff

keep you safe  by @jinkoh

running for the crown by @som1ig

Sweet Macaroons, Now You're Safe With Me, Forever His, What a Sweep by @thedensworld

[ 05:15 PM ] by @kmazine

[i5uckersblog]

Hi!!! Can you write something else for dad!Logan with Laura? Maybe something where they meet reader (maybe she works at the library, or she’s a school teacher, or even the waitress at a restaurant, or they run into her at the park) and Laura sees her dad with the woman and instantly KNOWS they click 💕

The Library Smile

Summary:Logan meets a kind librarian, and his daughter Laura quickly senses a connection, urging him to pursue it.

Logan and Laura step into the small, cozy library on a Sunday afternoon, the kind of place where time seems to slow down. Sunlight streams through the high windows, casting golden pools of light on the well-worn carpet. The air is thick with the comforting scent of old pages and coffee from a little café tucked in the back corner.

Logan rarely visits places like this—too quiet, too exposed, too many windows. But he promised Laura an afternoon of peace, and she had insisted on the library. He watches her dart toward the graphic novels, her eyes alight with excitement, and feels a twinge of pride. For someone so young, she’s seen too much, experienced too much—but here, in this sanctuary of stories, she can just be a kid.

As Logan trails after her, trying to stay out of people’s way, he catches sight of you. You’re standing on a small step stool, stretching up to reach a top shelf, a few books in your arms. Your face is bright with concentration, eyes narrowed slightly in focus, and there's a small, unguarded smile on your lips as if the world outside the library walls doesn’t exist.

He watches for a moment longer than he should, something inside him shifting. Your hair falls loose around your face, and when you finally manage to place the book in its rightful spot, you step back down, satisfied. You catch his gaze and offer a warm, friendly smile that makes Logan’s heart do something strange—a little flip he hasn’t felt in years. He nods back, caught off guard, and quickly looks away, but not before you see a hint of something softer in his eyes.

Laura, ever observant, sees it all. She’s young, but she knows her dad better than most. She’s seen his smiles before, but this one is different—it’s small, a little awkward, but real. She watches how he keeps glancing at you, like he’s curious, like he doesn’t quite know what to do with himself in this quiet place.

She tugs at Logan’s sleeve, pulling him out of his thoughts. “Dad,” she whispers, eyes gleaming with mischief, “why don’t you go talk to her?”

Logan frowns, a bit thrown by her directness. “What are you talkin’ about, kid?” he grumbles, though there’s no bite in his words.

“She’s nice,” Laura insists, shrugging as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “And you’re smiling. You don’t smile like that for just anyone.”

Logan looks back at you, a bit embarrassed, but there’s no denying the pull he feels. “Yeah, maybe,” he mutters, trying to play it cool, but Laura sees right through him.

“C’mon,” she urges, nudging him again. “Just ask her something. You always say to be brave, right?”

Logan chuckles softly, realizing he’s been cornered by his own advice. “Alright, kid, alright,” he concedes, ruffling her hair. “But if this goes south, it’s on you.”

Laura just grins, watching him take a deep breath like he’s about to face down a dozen Sentinels, not just talk to a woman in a library. He approaches you, clearing his throat, his hands shoved deep in his jacket pockets.

“Hey,” he says, and his voice comes out a bit rougher than he intended. “Uh, my kid and I… we’re lookin’ for some books. For her, mostly.” He stumbles over his words, not quite sure where to start. “Maybe you could help us find something… good?”

You look up from your stack of books, your smile brightening when you see him standing there, trying hard not to look as awkward as he feels. “Of course! I’d be happy to help,” you reply warmly. “What does she like to read?”

Logan hesitates, scratching the back of his neck, suddenly aware of how little he knows about the details of books. “Uh, she’s into graphic novels,” he says. “And, y’know… adventure stuff. Stuff with a lot of heart.”

You nod, your smile never wavering. “I think I have just the thing.” You lead him to a different section, glancing over your shoulder to see if he’s following. He is, eyes focused on you in a way that makes your cheeks warm.

Laura watches this from behind a nearby bookshelf, trying to look busy flipping through her comics but grinning ear to ear. She notices the way Logan’s stance softens, how his shoulders lose a bit of their usual tension, and how he’s leaning in just slightly, listening to every word you say.

As you hand Logan a book, your fingers brush for just a second. It’s nothing, a small accidental touch, but to him, it feels like a spark. He clears his throat again, this time softer, almost shy. “Thanks,” he says, holding the book, but his eyes are still on you.

“No problem,” you reply, noticing the way he looks at you, as if he’s trying to memorize your face. “It’s nice… seeing a dad and daughter spending time like this.”

Logan’s face softens even more, and there’s a look of vulnerability there, something rare, something you don’t often see in a man like him. “Yeah,” he murmurs, his voice lower, more sincere. “She means the world to me.”

You nod, touched by the honesty in his words. “I can see that,” you say gently. “You’re doing a great job.”

For a moment, there’s a comfortable silence, a quiet understanding that seems to settle between you. Logan feels like he could stay in this moment just a little longer, basking in the warmth of your smile, the softness of your voice.

Laura can’t help but feel a sense of triumph. She doesn’t know exactly what’s happening, but she knows it’s good—better than good. Her dad deserves this, deserves someone who can make him feel human, make him smile.

Logan finally steps back, holding the book you’ve given him like it’s something precious. “Thanks again,” he says, his voice softer, more genuine than before. “Maybe… maybe we’ll see you around?”

You smile, and there’s a hint of something hopeful in your eyes. “I’d like that,” you reply.

As Logan walks back to Laura, she beams up at him. “So?” she asks, trying to sound casual, but failing.

Logan shakes his head, a small smile still on his lips. “So… maybe you were right, kid,” he admits, ruffling her hair. “Maybe.”

Laura grins, feeling like she just won the lottery. “Told you,” she says, satisfied.

And as they leave the library, Logan glances back over his shoulder, one last time, catching your eye again. There’s a small wave, a shared smile, and something new blooming between you—something fragile, but undeniably real.

And for the first time in a long time, Logan feels like maybe, just maybe, there’s room for a little more light in his life.

Request are WIDE OPEN! Feel free to ask for Almost anything!

[daddywright]

daddywright fall fic writing challenge

Because the Organization that Shall Not Be Named has embraced AI (among other sins), I decided I wanted to create a little challenge of my own that isn't just for November and contains prompts that I'd actually want to do as a fic writer. I did this for myself, but if anyone wants to try out any of these prompts, you're welcome to! Because I'm lazy, I'll be trying to commit to this all fall, and give myself a goal of 30,000 words. We'll see how that goes!

Some of these are 18+ prompt ideas, because I like to write explicit material. Take or leave them as you like.

As a way to get myself excited, I'm going to commit and post something by 12AM tonight (!) that falls along one of these guidelines. Stay tuned!

Write from a character's POV you've never attempted before.

Write for a ship you've never written.

Resurrect a character from the grave.

KILL a character DEAD.

Back to the Future: time travel shenanigans!

Share and develop a WIP that's at least 2+ years old

Fic inspired by a song you love.

Write a fic in future tense.

"He asked for no pickles" - Character A defending Character B (any level of seriousness)

Publish something from a fandom you've never released anything for.

Ask an artist if you could write a fic based one of their pieces you love!

For Want of a Nail: change one little thing from canon, and see what happens.

Write a crossover - if not a whole fic, then an interaction between characters from two different pieces of media

This Town Ain't Big Enough for the Two of Us: write a scene between enemies.

Self-Care: write a character getting comfort you could use in your life

Career AU: write a character with an entirely different career than their canon job

Babysitter Required: write a scene with a character that's been de-aged (through ageswap or magical means!)

Kryptonite: a character of choice encounters the one thing they can't tolerate

Live Cringe, Die Free: write an original character self-insert and have them interact in a scene with your blorbos

Knife to a Gunfight: write a scene where a character loses a fight

Passport: have your character travel somewhere you've been before

Because You Should: write a scene where the overlooked female character of a popular piece of media is the main focus

The Godfather: have a minor character play mom or dad to a child character for a day (reluctantly if necessary)

5+1 things: a classic

(18+) Laios Touden-core: Write an explicit scene with monstrous elements.

(18+) That Could've Gone Better: Write a scene that features some elements of bad sex. (Not sex written poorly, but sex that is in fact not good. They can talk about it, even.)

(18+) Write a scene featuring a kink that you've not written yet.

Werewolves of London: Your character has been struck by a curse. What is their terrible affliction?

AO3 Trope Bingo: write for a popular ao3 trend that's been around awhile (i.e., Sentinel/Guide, Hanahaki, Soulmate Writing)

To Shreds, You Say?: write a scene where a character absolutely ruins somebody else (ruin can mean whatever you want it to)

Halloween Special: write something spooky!

[gerec]

dofp fics that have a happy ending for cherik?

Most of these fics take place post-DOFP or they are DOFP fix-its / AUs. They are all excellent and I hope you enjoy them as much as I did, Anon!

fathers and sons by M_Leigh

“I have an – interest – in Peter Maximoff,” Erik said, somewhat grudgingly, glaring. “A – familial – interest –”

Everybody stared at him.

“In that – mutantkind is one – large – family –” Erik said valiantly, if pathetically. 

“Oh, shit,” Alex said. “No way. No way.”

This far but no further by niniblack

“Lorna, this is Erik. Can you say hi?”

Lorna peeks out at him and mumbles, “Hi.”

“She’s cute,” Erik comments.

I know, Charles thinks. She looks like you.

Or: the one where Charles doesn’t tell Erik that joining the mile high club resulted in a baby.

Jail Break by blarfkey (Come Together series)

It's totally normal in Suburban America for the dad to pick up his rebellious teenager from jail, right? Even when it's the Pentagon instead of the local police station, and your dad is a Mutant Supremacist Assassin and America's Most Wanted who didn't post bail so much as murdered all the guards?

Whatever. Peter will take what he can get at this point, even if it means the most painfully awkward road trip in the history of the universe.

Thou Shalt Not Eat Stones by valancysnaith

Two months after Washington, Raven found Erik in a skeevy motel off the Florida interstate.

“They have Charles, Erik,” she said.

The bedframe shrieked. In the bathroom, the showerhead snapped in half and clattered into the tub.

Through the Barricades by starandrea (Through the Barricades series)

Erik and Charles learned to live without each other once. It's harder the second time--so before they even discuss it, they've decided not to try. (Erik accidentally moves into the mansion without anyone but Charles noticing for days. He may be the first to return, but he won't be the last.)

Hope by daymarket

A near-decade of hatred can't be wiped out with a single summer, no matter how eventful that summer might be. When Erik shows up uninvited at the mansion, Charles is just barely civil enough to not throw him out, but that doesn't mean he'll let him stay.

All our past times by aesc

In 1976, three years after D.C. and Trask, Erik returns to Charles's estate for the first time. What he's looking for, he doesn't entirely know, and doesn't know if he wants to find it.

Shalom Malakh by ZairaA

When death catches up with Erik a year after the Sentinel disaster, he only has one regret: never having found a way to bridge the gap and reconcile with Charles. But death is not the end of the journey, and Erik is put right in the path of his old friend once more.

  “Okay. Let’s say I bite. Who is the hapless idiot then? The one I'm supposed to look after?”

The woman smirked. “Oh, I’m certain you'll know it once you see him.”

Always Pass on Good Advice by cygnaut

Charles realizes there’s only one person who can talk Erik out of his terrible plans: himself.

Other Futures Than These by midrashic (A Timeline of the Impossible series)

In which Cuba doesn't break them apart, but that doesn't mean that their futures are tied together. (Except that it does.)

A Days of Future Past AU where only one person can defeat the Sentinels and save the future: the man whose imprisonment and torture created them, and Charles Xavier's ex.

The Spaces Between by mainecoon76

Almost a year after Washington, Erik is working on his own to find out what became of the Sentinel research. He keeps to himself and likes it that way. But when a mutant assassin tries to murder Charles, he finds himself reluctantly drawn into an adventure that involves a dangerous plot, Charles' own agenda, a complicated relationship, and holiday celebrations at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.

the pain will remind us of each other by borninsideatornado

It’s always felt alien, the way he feels about Erik. Too big for his body, too much to hold in his heart. But finally, finally, it makes sense.

Because at the end of the world, it’s him. It’s always going to be him. —

when logan lets charles see his future in days of future past, he talks to erik instead.

From Yesterday by AzarDarkstar

He stands on the edge of tomorrow but always lives today.

[marvelstars]

X-men 97 S1: 07

Loved this chapter it looks like Rogue and Captain America were investigating Hydra/Bastion Operation Zero Tolerance

It was a good showing for Rogue´s grieff but also of the X-men getting together to defeat this new enemy.

I LOVED Amelia Vogh appearing again, with her on Genosha along with Emma I get the sense that we are going to see the Ultimate Sentinel but with Mr Sinister and Cable there we also could be seeing Apocalypse soon, OZT could very well be his way of separating the strong mutants from the weak ones as his motto survival of the fittest said.

Loved nightcrawler comforting Rogue over Gambit and Magneto on days of the death in Mexico. Remy´s funeral was also very heartfel and beautiful, I don´t think the X-men made one for Magneto because without a body they know he still could be alive even if it´s a long shot and to be honest, no one of them except the professor was close enough to mourn him properly.

Cable calling Scott Dad and remembering Maddie was awesome, is what I always wanted to see in the comics, I love Jean but Maddie gave birth to Nathan and loved him, she deserves to be remembered by him as well.

Talking about that, Bastion having Magnus is horrible, my poor blorbo :( but if what Cable said was true, if only the electromagnetic fields can cointain prime sentinels then it makes sense to take Magneto out of the board and of course Bastion is a sadist so I can see him turning Magnus into a prime sentinel and if Apocalypse is also involved, he could also take the opportunity to turn him into one of his riders.

That last part gave me chills with that music, it´s just Magneto´s luck to die apparently and be taken by Bastion, Mr Sinister and their sentinels while Charles dies apparently and he gets a vacation, marriage and a galactic crown. That man just can´t win. Lol at them not only taking his powers away but also keeping his mouth shut, his mouth is too powerful not to take it away in this series.

In short I loved this, Genosha looks like it will still be a factor in this series in the near future so I hope we see other characters besides Amelia and if Exodus was a survivor that would give them another reason to become antagonists in this series.

PD: We also saw a short scene of Quicksilver and Strong Guy was on Genosha, that gives me hope of seeing Lorna in the next chapters especially if they are going to need someone who uses magnetic fields.

[lunarspiral1127]

X-Men 97 episode 8 *SPOILERS*

Bastion

Not gonna lie, I busted out laughing when I watched his origin story. This is the second time an antagonist had to wait for a couple to make a child and use said child for their plans. Nimrod was lucky that the guy he infected was in a relationship. Plus, I thought it was gonna make Bastion sympathetic due to his childhood flashbacks, but nope.

So, he made a Utopia for humans, but the mutants are enslaved. Saw old Polaris and the Phoenix. But, what bugs me is that he claims that many of the humans consented to be turned into Prime Sentinels without knowing all the details and won't have any memory of being turned. I find it hard to believe that every single one of them would've consented, especially his elderly mother. Dude omitted many details and I'm pretty sure he turned some of them without them knowing. Plus, I'm still mad at him for killing Gambit.

Cameos of Dr. Doom and Zemo (hydra n@zi Zemo, not the MCU version). Wasn't expecting to see them being members of OZT.

Mr. Sinister's just in it for the mutant experimentation.....y'know what? I shouldn't be surprised with that reason why he "teamed up" with Bastion. More test subjects.

Summers Family

Not gonna lie, I was really annoyed with the drama between Cable and Scott. If this was comics Scott, I can understand why Cable's giving him the cold shoulder. But, this Scott didn't wanna abandon Nathan like his dad did to him! It was Madelyn that gave him to Bishop. So, if Scott was there with her, things would've been cool?! God, I'm so sick of this drama. Thank goodness that it didn't last long and that Jean stopped them from escalating it further.

Summers family vs. Prime Sentinels was pretty cool. I like that father/son fistbump, which means things will get better between the two.

It's funny that Jean's being the mom at Cable who's like this big man in his 50s.

Also, Jean and Scott's relationship is getting better which is a relief.

Nightcrawler

Once again, precious boy and MVP. What he said to Jean was really nice. He's always been there as someone's shoulder to lean and cry on. When he talked about Mystique, I felt so bad for him. Honestly, I hated what she did to him just because he was born that way. In the 90s show, she did feel guilt for what she did when Nightcrawler talked to her. But, I still didn't like her for what she did to him. However, with all the words and hugs he's given to others, I hope he has someone who'd give him words and hugs too. He also needs a shoulder to lean and cry on too.

SWASHBUCKLING NIGHTCRAWLER HELL YEAH!!! I've been waiting to see him use swords and it was worth the wait. Him teaming up with Wolverine was really cool. Plus, seeing how his teleporting works was cool too. Love that he was protecting his sister, and I'm glad that we got something with him and Logan cause we haven't had anything like that since he first appeared.

Beast

Why the hell would he let the reporter stay in?! Even if she's not doing her job, she's shouldn't be involved! It has nothing to do with her, plus, I'm pretty sure he revealed a lot of classified information that only the X-Men should be allowed to hear and see. Dammit, Beast. And, dammit Morph for letting her in too.

*sigh* Anyone else think, he's been done dirty in this episode? Cause having her stay in there got his butt kicked. Sure, he didn't know that she was a Prime Sentinel, but they do know the possibility that any human could be one, right? Now, Beast is knocked out along with Rogue, who hasn't woken up still.

Jubilee and Roberto

Okay, so they are gonna be part of the main plot, good. I was worried that they were gonna be sidelined, especially Jubilee.

His mom is a beech. She sold her son out to the Prime Sentinels and didn't believe him and for what? Her reputation?! Man, f**k this beech, she sucks. Poor Roberto though.

Finally using his powers more than once! I counted four times in this whole series so far of when he used them. It's also something that annoys me about the character. He said that he was training in the Danger Room to surprise Jubilee, but why couldn't we have seen that?! Why couldn't we have Roberto training with one of the X-Men's help and see him develop his abilities?! Hell, have Jubilee be there to train him! That way we could've seen more of his abilities and see him grow more and have him interact with other characters, bonding with them. Not just Jubilee. Maybe have him open up to when he first awakened his powers and why he wants to hide them, instead of just telling us.

On the plus side, they should be okay thanks to Magneto's magnetic EMP ability. Speaking of which....

Magneto

I'm glad he didn't get turned into a Prime Sentinel, but I still don't understand how Bastion and Mr. Sinister got his hands on him from Genosha. That blast should've killed him along with the Morlocks. I don't even think it's gonna be explained how they captured him.

His prisoner numbers....yeesh. 😬

The one good thing that Cooper did. Letting him go and realizing that he was right. Aside from that, f**k her. Seriously, was the only good human (regular human, not enhanced) shown in this was Moira?! Cause that's what it feels like.

Now, I was confused at first with what Magneto did, but I think he went to the North or South Poles and used the Earth's magnetic field which is strongest there to cause a worldwide blackout, disabling all the Prime Sentinels. Not killing them, mind you. All while in his underwear, too.

Honestly, I wouldn't blame him if he wages war. He tried to be good. He tried to respect Xavier's dream. But, look what happened. So, I wouldn't blame him if he did this.

HOWEVER! I like that Magneto was good. Part of me doesn't want him to go back to his old ways cause that's gonna be more conflict between him and Xavier. Plus, only Logan claimed that Magneto waged war. If he did, he would've killed the Prime Sentinels, but he didn't. If anything, he'd be waging war on Bastion since he's the one responsible. But, yeah, I'm sorry Xavier. You're cool and all, but Magneto was right.

Cameos

I mentioned Zemo, Doctor Doom, Future Polaris and Future Phoenix. But there were much more.

Omega Red and the Silver Samurai, but one that made me so excited to see......SPIDER-MAN!!! I was so happy to see 90s Spider-Man. I know many would want a sequel to the animated series, but we'll have to wait and see.

The rest I wanna talk/rant about

Professor X shows up finally, but I got miffed when he said "I hope I'm not too late". CHARLES! YOU ARE VERY VERY LATE!!! I know space travel takes time, but COME ON! He better do something real quick to help stop all this crap that's been happening. Dunno how, but it better be something good.

By the way, I'm still annoyed with that black hole excuse. Why couldn't he just contact Scott and the others and stay in touch with them right when he was fully recovered or was well enough?

WHERE THE HELL IS STORM?!?!?! I know she's with Forge, but you'd think the moment she heard about Genosha, she'd head back home flying. She'll probably show up next week, but it's been like two episodes since she got her powers back. Is her not being there sooner a choice the writers made cause if she was there, the fight with the Prime Sentinels would've been over quicker? *sigh* I just wanna see one of my favorites come back and kick some butt like she used too.

I dunno if Forge is gonna come back with Storm, but I hope he does. I want him to help with this Bastion mess. Plus, he did take a photo with him, which has me worried that he was connected somehow but I hope not. It also would be cool, if he contacted the rest of X-Factor and meet up with the X-Men and team up. But, I don't think that's gonna happen.

So, Bishop is definitely out of the picture for the rest of this season, which is bullcrap. It would've been cool to have him and Cable work together again like before along with the X-Men. But, instead, the excuse was they got separated from the time stream. So, we don't even know if he's okay or if he's lost again, or if he actually made it back home. God, I feel like his character's purpose of the show was to help create another characters origin.

Okay, I think that's pretty much it. It was a good episode, even though I did rant on a lot of stuff. We'll see how parts 2 and 3 play out in the next two weeks and hope that the finale will stick the landing.

[beanghostprincess]

Auntie Buggy anon, back again bc you are my soul twin (no romo) and you Get Me

Consider an AU where Buggy comes out relatively early on in life but only really PUBLICALLY transitions later on. She is happy and safe under Roger's wings and so she feels secure enough to ask Crocus questions and look around and talk to Roger, Rayleigh, Shanks - Shanks is the first to know anything. He goes from "wow he's so pretty" to "wow she's so pretty" with barely a hiccup.

The crew is aggressively supportive. Roger especially made damn sure NOBODY would be mean to his daughter ((both bc he's Protective and also bc AAAAAAA HE HAS A DAUGHTER)).

Hormones weren't safe or feasible for her at that age - she was young enough for puberty blockers maybe, but the notion (and supplies) were just Chemicals to her. She could think of far more interesting chemicals to play around with - explosive ones!

Add in her devil fruit and an instinct to split at a prick or slice, she wasn't really good for injections. And she was so wild that the idea of having a routine for medication was laughable. It didn't matter, bc her dad and her crew and her Shanks were there for her, even if some people (cough cough ROGER) got a little too excited when she came out.

(Though in his defense, she DOES look cute in a ballgown. She just didn't need him to buy out the entire boutique. No, really, Captain, stop-!)

When Roger realized the End was here, that he'd done what he Had Wanted To Do, he gave the kids gifts - things for them to carry on with them in lieu of himself. He considered them his children, and so he passed on what he could as smth of an heirloom.

To Shanks, his Hat - his Legacy. Not to be the next Pirate King, not at all, but to live freely, happily, and to embrace the Seas as a sentinel. Shanks was the sky, limitless and without shackles, and Roger would not tie him down to a set path or a pre-written journey. Smth Big was coming, after all, and Shank always loved a good adventure.

To Buggy, his Initial - she was less inclined to battles than Shanks, though by no means was she weak. No, Buggy would do better nurturing the next generation, putting her mind to use and plotting the course to her own treasures. She was the one who he could see as the driving force, the energy, the charisma, the catalyst to the New Beginning. She was a D. in all but blood (and maybe even then that can be argued - their blood types were compatible, and he had definitely donated some to her before.) Where Shanks was the sky, she was the sea - bold, unapologetic, merciful and cruel, dynamic and unflinching even as it carried so many currents, too many to count. But just as the waves calmed when held in hand, she too benefited from security. She would be safe, and she would be his, a last little claim for his baby bug.

((And maybe, Roger, knowing how much she FEELS everything, knew she would love with all she had. Buggy loves love, even if it scares her. He would never be able to clip on her veil or call her a beautiful bride or walk her down an aisle or make sure the man/woman/whoever (or more) she married would be good enough for her. He wouldn't BE there, but he could give her this, a piece of him, his past, his roots, to help her grow in the future, to connect them. It was the best he could do in that moment))

So Buggy comes out early on in her life.

After Roger's execution, the Marines and the press make assumptions when she makes waves, calling her a man; Shanks, Rayleigh, Crocus, anyone who KNEW, they are furious but won't out her, not without her permission - something impossible to get.

So when Buggy eventually DOES come out, even years upon years later, it is to knowing smiles, Seas apart and still so painfully fond.

((And if she ever gets married, Rayleigh may show up with a familiar sash, decades old but lovingly protected. It's worn, soft, and there are spits where the color has been bleached by the sun. Somehow it even still smells faintly of a familiar brand of rum, an old recipe no longer being made, sea salt and caramel and something almost like ozone, an imprint of Haki so familiar it brings tears to blue eyes. And Rayleigh smiles, nods to her silent question.

Roger left many things for his children, but some were for special occasions. Who better to trust with such things than his first mate?))

I have so many emotions about Buggy in GENERAL and the Rogers and trans Buggy and just aaaaaaaaaaaa too many feelingsssss

You are my soul twin too bestie <3 You get me !!

Using the same reasoning I use for transfem Sanji, fem Buggy makes sense because Roger has SO much girldad energy. He'd be so so supportive. Like, extremely. All the crew would, but he'd just be so proud of his girl and he has no idea how to talk to or treat women but he's excited anyway. And Shanks literally just changes pronouns in his head so damn easily lmfao he just sees Buggy as Buggy he doesn't care if she's a girl or not or whatever, what matters to him is that she's happy. And if she's a girl, to him she's the prettiest girl in the world and he's ready to fight whoever says otherwise.

You didn't need to make the initial thing so damn poetic, do you want me to start crying??? It's so-- Okay. Shut up. It's just too beautiful because people often portray Roger as this guy who ignored Buggy and preferred Shanks when he quite obviously loved both a lot and,, And I am sobbing. Roger not being able to see her getting married but Rayleigh showing up-- I am inside your walls. Stop- I- Okay. I don't want to make this about Shuggy but I am making it about Shuggy and saying that Shanks would be so damn emotional marrying Buggy. Like, he'd see her in a dress and he'd just start sobbing mid-wedding and Buggy would be so tired of him because he's pausing the whole thing only to cry. Fucking sap (she loves him a lot).

The Roger Pirates would be so protective of their girl because, well, that's basically their only girl, lmfao. If somebody dares to disrespect her, they're probably ending up dead or very very wounded. Good luck trying to make fun of her.

I also can't stop thinking about Buggy growing up surrounded by men and feeling a bit too much left out, but then Toki shows up (thanks Oden, we love you bestie), and that kind of changes Buggy's life completely? Trying to think about this before she comes out to the rest of the crew and she's just starting to think about gender and what it means to her. And Toki is right there, being all feminine and gorgeous but strong and extremely smart and Buggy admires her a lot. And she starts spending a lot of time around her and she helps her so much to understand herself,,, Sobbing.

[sparklingelectricblue]

From the Ashes: Marvel Infinity #13

For those who don’t know, Marvel has a subscription service where you can read back issues of comics digitally. This service is called Marvel Unlimited. I really enjoy it. I’s nice to read comics without handling my comics or comics that I have not yet gotten ahold of.

Another part of unlimited is their infinity comics. These are short weekly comics that are online only. They tend to be silly short stories or they explain some missing back story from a main comic book. This week’s issue focuses on Magneto and is meant (I think) to fill in some back story on how Magneto went to young and powerful after being resurrected and fighting Orchis to now old and wheelchair bound.

I know not everyone has access to this so I thought that I would write up a summary about it.

There’s not going to be a lot of screenshots because the comic is meant to be read on a tablet where you scroll down through the story. It makes it so that it’s hard to capture a whole scene. But I’ll try to add some good ones. Plus, I don’t want Disney coming for me. I'm not going beat by beat but I do the major points. Anyways, I talk too much…

We start with this image:

Only to see Max scream “no” as he wakes up. He was having a nightmare. He looks over to the hover chair that he has been using in the new X-Men series. The helmet sits on the chair and seems to be daring him to wear it. “But he is Magneto… …he dares.”

Next scene, Max is hovering around in the chair as Hank is bouncing around him, asking Max if he plans to going Merle. Max confirms, “not that it’s any of your business, but yes”. That’s when Hank asks him if he could not go wearing his helmet and floating chair.

Max has a good response:

Honestly, I just love that Max calls his helmet gaudy. Hank responses that the helmet sends a signal that might be distressing given Max's "checkered" history. “At least try to put our new neighbors at ease.”

Next scene is Max in town in a normal wheelchair sans helmet. He compares the townspeople of Merle who worked or ignored the sentinel factory to the “neighbors” who willingly ignore the concentration camps outside their towns or the trains that passed through during the Holocaust. Honestly, a pretty fair comparison. “And so he will never trust a “neighbor” again.”

At this point someone bumps into Max causing him to drop what he was holding. The person is saying sorry but Max is calling him an idiot. A random girl picks up what Max dropped and gives it to him. Girl: “Here you go Mister Magnet. You dropped your pretty hat.” The art makes the girl look preteen but the dialogue makes her seem younger.

Max responds like this:

The girl’s dad says to her, “Don’t worry about it Anna. That old man’s probably just having a bad day.” Anna responds, “*sniff* he seems so sad, Daddy”. None of that seemed sad to me. Just angry and cranky. Maybe justifiably cranky given how things have changed for both him and mutant kind and he is stuck in a town where people worked towards the eradication of mutants. And it's cold. And someone bumped into him.

Maybe the writer was trying to reference that scene in Son of M where Luna says that Max is not a bad man, just sad.

But look at this face! It just makes me laugh.

Why does Max have a kippah? He’s going to a temple. Maybe the dream made him decide to go to temple.

Once inside, there’s a person who approaches him, “I was wondering when you’d drop by”. Max says he's been busy and that Merle was the last place he expected to find a temple.

The person is Rabbi Rachel Sagan and she offers Max a cup of coffee and to listen to him. She calls him "Mr. Eisenhardt", which I didn't know Max's real name was public knowledge or not. I guess it is now.

Max takes her up on it and over coffee he lists all the various places that he's seen destroyed: "Asteroid M. Utopia. Avalon. Genosha... Oy, Genosha. And now Krakoa."

So Rabbi Sagan asks how this brings Max back to temple.

It's really understandable why he would feel this way and everything he's been through.

"When Genosha fell, I looked out over the ruins and I knew we only had one or two chances left to marshal our factions together in the pursuit of a common dream. That chance will never come again."

Rabbi Sagan compares Max to Moses, leading his tribe though the wilderness. Max states, that was Charles. "The bald schmuck with the eyebrows? No, he never saw himself as an instrument. You can tell. It's you. It's always been you. But there's a problem..."

The show Rabbi Sagan put her hand on Max's, "Moishe was a humble man, Max. Are you?"

Pfft! No! He's the Master of Magnetism!

Max responds. "I... have been humbled. Over and over."

Rabbi Sagan says that's not what was asked, and prompts him to remember his Torah; how Moshe was was commanded to climb and was told him he would not live to cross the River Jordan.

Max: "What are you insinuating, Rabbi?"

Rabbi Sagan: "I'm suggesting that your fear is a consequence of your pride. Do you really fear that there is no promised land for your people, or do you fear that they will not be able to reach it without you?"

Max doesn't respond well to this.

Everyone has probably seen the scene where Max is then zooming out on his wheelchair while stating, "This was a mistake. I should never have come." so I'm not going to include it here.

The next scene is him outside in the street. He's angry about what the Rabbi said. A caption box says, "The Gall! Why if he was still himself, he'd..." . When suddenly, a truck sliding at full speed in the snow with a loud "Skreeeeee". Someone yells, "Billy, get outta the road! It can't stop!" and Max is surprised.

Bam! The truck hits him throwing him from his wheelchair before hitting a telephone pole and bursting into flames.

There is a close up of Max's face with blood on it. A caption box says "Yes, in dreams, he is a founder and feller of nations."

Then we end on this scene.

What's going to happen? We'll find out next week!

[venus-de-mil0-09]

Romy Fankid

Its finally time :)

Introducing 🥁🥁🥁

Rosemary Mae Lebeau or just Romy for short ;)

Codename: (I haven't decided)

Mutation: kinetic energy finger beams

Age: 15

Ok so I've been working on her character for 2 maybe 3 weeks now and I have a strong base for what her backstory is, and get ready cause there will be angst

Just wanted to mention that there is absolutely no Rogueneto here

Like I said one of her parents is dead.... and that parent is 🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁

Rogue!!!

Yep Rogue is dead. As dead as Remys love for Belladonna. And trust me if she were to come back it would be absolutely apocalyptic 👀 and the world has hit quite a famish 👀without her.

You see when Romy was born Remy became a stay at home dad. He never really wanted to be an x-men anyway so it wasn't really a big decision. He would help occasionally on tough missions though.

Rogue died while on a mission trying to shut down one of the last remaining sentinels. This happened when Romy was 10. The whole team took it hard. But not as hard as Remy did. He blames himself for her death, if only if he could have been their on time. He took it so hard that he never and I mean never called anyone other than Rogue Cheré again.

Romy couldn't really process it at the time cause she was only 10. It didn't really hit her that she was gone gone until the funeral. Uncle Kurt was giving the eulogy, he was visibly shaking while giving it. Everyone had tears in their eyes sad, TJ, Auntie storm, Auntie Wanda, Aunt Jean, Uncle Scott, even Uncle Logan was crying. Then she looked at her father's face as still as stone. That's when she it hit her, she started sobbing.

Present time

Romy is 15 now and things have somewhat turned back to normal. Her best friend is her cousin Talia Josephine Wagner the daughter of Nightcrawler and the Scarlett Witch (Yes I'm a Kurtwanda shipper don't judge me) Everyone calls her TJ for short. She's just 2 years older than her. So she's like a big sister to her.

End of Backstory

Damn that was alot.

Heres some other stuff about her

Fav color: Blue

Hobbies: Astronomy, & skateboarding

Fav Food: Her dad's famous gumbo

Casual fit

She has a situationship going on with a fellow teammate of hers 👀 he gets on her nerves but in a good way

Thats all I have for now if you want to know more about her and her world feel free to ask me!

Also don't expect a full comic cause I have absolutely no idea how to draw anatomy

[the-ellia-west]

Stray Characters Tier list

(Mostly important Characters because I'm too lazy to do all of them)

We're going from Bottom to top left to right

First, F tier - Hate it

The Zurks - HAHAHAHHAHAHAH NOPE, THEY CAN CHEW THROUGH METAL (If I found that thing in my basement, God can have me.)

The Sentinels - Eh, I just don't like them. THEY KILL THE CAT IF THEY CATCH IT. Hon, that's unforgivable.

C tier - The Mediocre

The Bouncer - Who wouldn't give that adorable face Entry? HE SWATS AT THE CAT. (But he is just doing his job)

B tier - Like em, but nothing special

Zbaltazar - He doesn't do much, which makes sense because he's kind of hooked to all those TVs, but still, kinda boring, but still likable

The DJ - He rocks, but he's not special enough to put him any higher

A tier - I love them

Guardian - BABY, and his outfit is just cool. Look at him, and also he's nice to the cat and his dialogue is very CRISP

Doc - I love his little goblin stances, and he's just so sweet and adorable and just a good guy. He's so; "I MISS MY SON" coded. Also +points for the character design and the personality. Just brushes off almost getting eaten like it's no big deal.

Elliot - Look at the little hacker in his little poncho, I love him

S tier - Beautiful, chef's kiss, I want one

The Cat - What can I say? It's a cat! Top tier!

Seamus - He's so emo, and confused, and sad, and he gets like a little boy when his dad comes back. I unironically love him.

Momo - DANG IT HE'S AWESOME, He's just sitting in his apartment basically crying because he was too scared to follow his friends, and when the cat proves it's still possible to help, he's so happyyyyy. He'll do anything to help, and he's just so ASGDSBERGYEHWH *I want him as a plushie*

S+ tier - AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH

B-12 - HE'S SO TRAGIC AND ADORABLE AND THE PERFECT LITTLE GUIDE AND BABY AND EVERYTHING AND HIS DIALOGUE IS SO PERFECTLY HUMAN

Blazer - This traitor. I love him. I love characters that just go: Morals, or money... Easy choice, Would kill for a single dollar. Also bonus for not doing anything mean to the cat other than selling us out. I love him. He's a mafia boss and I will not be convinced otherwise.

Clementine - My girl. She's a badass and I would die for her. She is amazing. An outlaw? Yes. A loveable assistant? Absolutely? A Queen? 100%

Clementine and Momo are my favorites, I just don't know how to explain myself properly.

[ghostflowerdreams]

The Lost Boys (1987) Novel

Have you ever wonder about the extra details or differences between a film and its novelization? In particularly, about the characters, scenes, or what was left out? If not, I hope I made you curious enough to find out.

The Lost Boys by Craig Shaw Gardner is a novelization of the 1987 American supernatural horror film directed by Joel Schumacher.

A mother and her two sons move to a small coast town in California. The town is plagued by bikers and some mysterious deaths. The younger boy, Sam, makes friends with two other boys, the Frogg brothers, who claim to be vampire hunters. Meanwhile the older boy, Michael, is drawn into the gang of bikers by a beautiful girl named Star. Michael starts sleeping days and staying out all night while Sam starts getting into trouble because of his friends' obsession.

This book has been out of print for over two decades, making it a rare and highly sought-after item among fans of the film's massive cult following. As of now, physical copies are priced between $300 and $500, with even used versions often exceeding $100. Your best bet is to stick to a digital format—rumor has it there's a free PDF version floating around online.

It's only 220 pages long and despite being so short it's a novelization that's pretty faithful to what was on screen. It even includes several scenes that were later dropped from the film, such as Michael working as a beachside trash collector. The roles of the opposing gang, the Surf Nazis—originally depicted as nameless victims—are also expanded. Additionally, the book delves into vampire lore, such as their inability to cross running water and the way salt clings to their forms.

Anyway, here are my notes and thoughts about the novelization, including what I've learned about the characters, their world, and more.

Why did the Lucy, Michael and Sam Emerson move to Santa Carla, California?

"His mother had explained it to him [Michael] until he had practically memorized the words. Even after their little scandal his father was still a pretty important person in their part of town. There was no way they could stay in Phoenix [Arizona] without running into him. He didn’t want the kids, and Mom didn’t want him. So Michael and Mom were on their way to Santa Carla, along with brother Sam, dog Nanook, and all their worldly goods.

Their grandfather lived in Santa Carla. From now on they would stay with him."

It's never outright mention, but strongly implied that the scandal is that his dad was having an affair. Well, that's what I think because an affair would indicate premeditation or deliberate intent over a period of time, while cheating is usually a one-time event.

This would probably explain why Lucy's financial situation wasn't improved after the divorce. There was no repairing the relationship, especially if it's an affair. She just wanted the divorce to be done with as quickly as possible and have full custody of her sons, even if it meant she wouldn't get a fair amount for child support.

Fun Fact: Santa Carla is a fictional quintessential beach town, located in California. It was actually based on and filmed at Santa Cruz, however the name, Santa Carla is actually an anagram of Santa Clara.

Fun Fact 2: Santa Cruz also earned the moniker "Murder Capital of the World," because of the town's real life history with serial killers in the '70s. The film borrows that aspect from Santa Cruz as well.

Director Joel Schumacher thought the location fits so well for the fictional world of the Lost Boys' vampires.

"The movie didn't come together until I saw it [Santa Cruz]," he told the Santa Cruz Sentinel. "At the time, there was an enormous amount of transient kids moving through Santa Cruz. This is exactly where I would come if I was a teenage vampire." [x]

Fun Fact 3: In real life, a trip by car from Phoenix to Santa Cruz takes about 11 hours. I was curious about how long it would've taken for Lucy, Michael and Sam Emerson to drive all the way to Santa Carla. So I imagine it'll be about the same amount of time in the fictional world too. This is also good to know if you want to be super accurate or better plot out your Lost Boys fanfiction. XD

Also, in 1987 the average retail price of gas was $0.90 cents per gallon. [x]

Fun Fact 4: The most iconic part of the Santa Cruz boardwalk is the wooden red-and-white tracks of the Giant Dipper, which was feature in The Lost Boys and among other medias.

The Giant Dipper was built in just 47 days at a cost of $50,000. Today, labor and materials for merely painting the Giant Dipper are estimated around $300,000. It also now costs a little more to ride the classic coaster compared to May 17, 1924, when the Giant Dipper opened to the public. The fare then was 15 cents; today (as of 2023) it’s $8.00 per ride.

On February 27, 1987, the Giant Dipper and the Looff Carousel (which was also in the film) was designated a National Historic Landmark. I tried to find the fare during that time period, but the closest I could get was an old article from Los Angeles Times which mention that the fare for the Giant Dipper was $2.00 in August 12, 1990. [x]

What is the name of Michael and Sam's father?

We don't know in the film, but the readers find out that his name is Lance.

Did you know that the Lost Boys entrance scene in the novelization differs from the film?

And then the Lost Boys walked in. Another gang, a lot better dressed than the Surf Nazis, but still a gang. Their leader, a tall, blond fellow named David, walked up and got right on the slowly moving carousel. The ride was almost over. The other Lost Boys followed him on. And as they spun around, Shelly managed to smile in David’s direction. David smiled back and nodded his head slightly in greeting, a polite gesture, the sort of friendly nod you might see a hundred times in the course of a day. Greg didn’t think so. He scowled at his girlfriend and jumped up from his seat. He took a couple steps in the Boys’ direction, but the other gang was moving too. No, not to face Greg. He realized they were going to go by him as if he weren’t even there. Greg stood up and said something that wasn’t exactly flattering. He shoved the Lost Boy out of the way. But now David was there. The calliope played on. Waltzing Matilda. The Surf Nazis joined Greg. Waltzing Matilda. The Lost Boys closed ranks as well. If the Surf Nazis wanted a fight, they were ready. Won’t you go a-waltzing, Matilda, with me. Greg stared at David. David took a half step forward. He found a nightstick pressed against his Adam’s apple. David let his eyes follow the nightstick down to a beefy hand, attached to the body of Big Ed. All three hundred pounds of Big Ed, a security guard with no love for Surf Nazis or Lost Boys. The carousel ground to a halt. The music stopped. The ride was over. Big Ed’s mouth was small for his head. When he opened it, his voice was soft after the calliope’s “Waltzing Matilda.” “I told you to stay off the Boardwalk.” David stared at the guard, not moving for a long moment. Big Ed’s eyes were small, too, but the anger there made up for what they lacked in size. David smiled and turned his head toward the Lost Boys. “Come on,” he said to the others, “let’s pull.”

That was the novelization and in the film there's a noticeable difference...

Shelly spots David coming up from her left and their eyes meet for a brief second, catching his attention. She turns and he stops behind her, cupping her cheek to look deeply into her eyes.

He walks off and she continues staring after him. Greg who was sitting right beside her on the ride, realizes they were having a moment. In his jealously he puts his hand on her face to push her away and to take his anger out on Dwayne as he was the closest.

She snaps out of it, but is stuck in her seat trying not to get caught up in the scuffle. David see Greg trying to grab at Dwayne and he joins in by planting his hand on his face to keep him away.

They get interrupted by the security guard, who puts his nightstick against David's throat and drags him away. With all their attention on him he tells them all, "I told you to stay off the boardwalk."

With a short chuckle David grips at the nightstick and says, "okay, boys, lets go."

The guard releases him and before leaving David throws in a quick wink at the other gang.

What did Sam and Michael do when fighting about who would get the room that was closest to the stairs and the bathroom, and it had a great view of the backyard?

Michael nodded. There was also only one way to handle younger brothers. “Okay,” he said calmly. “I’ll flip you for it.” Sam glared back at Michael, but he didn’t speak. He knew as well as Michael that older brothers usually win out in the end. But Sam also knew that Michael’s offer was his only chance. “Okay,” Sam said slowly, as if he had to drag the two syllables from his lungs. Michael laughed, grabbed Sam, and flipped him upside down. This will show the little bugger! Thinking of Sam as a bugger made him laugh even harder. Michael gasped as white-hot pain shot through his body. He looked down to see Sam biting his thigh. “Owww!” Michael pushed Sam away with what energy he had left. “You little shit!”

This is one of the deleted scenes from the film. It instead jumps to Michael chasing Sam down the stairs. Lucy telling them to not run inside the house. Sam opens the sliding doors to one of the rooms to hide in, only to stop in shock of what he sees inside of it. Michael catches up to him, but also stares in surprise. It's their grandpa's taxidermy room.

What did the Emerson family do in the afternoon they arrived?

They spent it unpacking and having dinner (probably a pizza) when they were finished. Michael helped his mother with the dishes by drying them, while Sam was in the other room looking for some music to put on.

He’d made another decision this afternoon too. He put the platter down at the back of the dish rack. There’d be no better time to tell her than now. “Mom,” Michael began. “I think I’d like to get a job.” His mother looked up from the sink, a question in her eyes. She didn’t ask it. “School’s only a few weeks away,” she mentioned. He took another plate from her hands. He dried it for a moment before he spoke again. “I was thinking of not going back to school.” The stereo kicked to life in the other room. His mother frowned at Michael.

Before she can say anything about it Sam and Nanook rushed in. Sam grabs her hand and pulled her away from the sink to dance with him.

Mom and Sam boogied all over the kitchen, while Nanook barked for emphasis. The two of them danced in his direction, reaching out to drag him in. Michael shook his head and backed away. He didn’t know exactly what he wanted to do. But he really didn’t feel much like dancing.

This is another deleted scene from the film. The difference however, between the novelization and the film's deleted scene is that Michael doesn't pull away and lets himself get dragged into dancing with them.

In the actual film, however, it jumps straight to the Emerson family (not including grandpa) exploring the boardwalk. Michael and Sam stick together to check out the live concert while their mother tries to get a head start on job hunting.

Fun Fact: In general, most public schools in California start the school year in mid to late August or early September.

If we're sticking to Santa Cruz as the basis for Santa Carla, that would mean the first day of school is in August. So the events of The Lost Boy film and novelization takes place on the last month of summer -- July. As that would certainly match with school being "only a few weeks away."

How did Lucy get a job at Max’s Video?

She was looking for 'help wanted' signs at the boardwalk when she noticed a little boy crying near a restaurant sign. He was all alone and looking very lost. Next to the restaurant was a well-lit store with a bright neon sign that read Max’s Video. She guessed that the boy might've wandered out of from there and took him inside it.

“This boy seems to be lost,” she began. She glanced around the store. Besides the youths, there were four other customers. “I thought maybe his parents might be in here?”

It wasn't long before a young woman rushed in and headed straight towards the little boy. After that Lucy talked to Max and he offered to interview her for a job at his store.

In the film Lucy walks pass a woman putting the security guard's picture up on a bullet board with other missing people posters. She awkwardly makes eye contact with her and continues on. She notices a 'help wanted' sign, but her attention gets draw away when she hears a little boy calling for his mother and that he can't find her.

Max watches in interest as the little boy and Lucy interact outside his store. The Lost Boys walk in and he's immediately frowning at them, but his attention gets pulled back to Lucy as she walks in and tells him that the little boy lost his mother.

Everything after that is basically the same in the novelization.

Fun Fact: Lucy Emerson's name was chosen as a reference to the fictional character Lucy Westenra from the 1897 novel Dracula by Bram Stoker.

Fun Fact 2: Max is inspired by Peter Pan, as he is the leader of The Lost Boys and immortal. Just like Peter with Wendy, Max also wants Lucy to be the mother to his boys.

Who else worked at Max's Video store?

Maria, the cashier is an attractive young black woman. She shows Lucy the ropes and reveals that...

“You know, I’d be out on the street if it wasn’t for Max.” Maria laughed softly and shook her perfectly coiffed head. “Nobody would have given me a job the way I looked when I walked in here.”

It was Lucy's first day at work and she noticed that Max still hasn't shown up. What excuse was she given for his absent?

“Didn’t he tell you?” Maria frowned as she studied her perfect nails. Whatever she found wrong with them was completely beyond Lucy. “He only comes in here nights. He’s busy opening another store in Los Gatos. It’s going to be much bigger than this one.”

Maria also told her that...

Max usually showed up an hour or two before the store closed to do a little financial business back in the office. Besides that, she never heard from him, either.

Fun Fact: The town of Los Gatos, California does exist. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area just southwest of San Jose in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The drive to Los Gatos from Santa Cruz takes about 30-48 minutes, depending on traffic.

Los Gatos is Spanish for "The Cats". The name derives from the 1839 Alta California land grant that encompassed the area, which was called La Rinconada de Los Gatos ("The Corner of the Cats"), where the cats refers to the cougars (mountain lions) and bobcats that are indigenous to the foothills in which the town is located.

Sounds like it'll be a perfect place for a vampire to set up a second location (or make it into another possible hunting ground) as any deaths can be blamed on cougars, bobcats and hiking accidents.

It's a smart plan and we know that Max is the careful type (seeing as only the Lost boys knew his true identity and not a half-vampire like Star). He has lived long enough in Santa Carla to know it's better to keep a low profile and plan accordingly, especially for a more secure future.

What job did Michael get?

He had seen the notice the night before, tacked to a telephone pole along the Boardwalk: “Dayworkers wanted. $4.00/hour.” The notice had said to show up for work on the beach at seven a.m. From the crowd around him it looked like about thirty other people had read the notice too.

He was one of the lucky few who got picked to collect the trash on the beach. This was another deleted scene from the film.

Fun Fact: In 1987 California, the state's minimum wage had been $3.35 an hour since 1981. But it was raise to $4.25 an hour on July 1, 1988. [x] [x]

What motorcycle does Michael have?

Honda XL 250

What did Michael do with the money he earned from collecting the trash on the beach?

When dropping off Sam with their mother, he attempted to give it to her (along with the money he had leftover from Christmas). She thanked him, but said it was unnecessary and gave it back to him. She wanted him to save it for school and focus on being a teenager, not adult things like their financial situation.

Michael smiled as he looked at himself in the mirror. This was all right. He was glad his mother made him keep the money, after all. He squared his shoulders and frowned at his reflection, tugging the battered black leather sleeves until they were just right. This jacket made him look years older. Michael smiled and shoved his hands in the jacket pockets. With this jacket on, he belonged on a motorcycle. Those teenagers last night had nothing on him anymore. He told the shop girl with the spiky pink hair that he’d take it.

This was another deleted scene from the film. Instead it jumps to Michael on the boardwalk already wearing the leather jacket and checking out a small booth in which a girl was getting her ears pierced for $10.

Fun Fact: A thick, long-lasting leather biker-jacket is expensive, especially a brand new one. It would've cost around $300-$600. However, an affordable and good leather can still be found thrifted.

It sounds like Michael did just that because he found a used leather jacket, indicated by the "battered" sleeves for a decent price. It makes sense because I doubt he had worked or saved enough money to get himself a brand new one. He must've thrifted one for less than $90.

“What’s this?” Lucy opened the envelope to find a folded Christmas card with a half dozen folded five- and ten-dollar bills inside.

He might've had enough leftover to also get his ears pierced for $10, but before he can check Star popped up from behind him. She told him it was a rip-off and offered to do it for him for free.

Star and Michael introduced themselves to each other and learned that both their parents were once hippies. But before Star could go with him to get something to eat David interrupts them. He calls Star over and tells Michael to follow them and surprisingly Michael never once question how David already knew his name.

At Frog's Comics book store, what did Sam say to impress the Frog Brothers?

“If you’re looking for the diet frozen yogurt bar,” the first one added, “it went out of business last summer.” So this was it. His first real challenge in Santa Carla. Sam had to cool these guys out fast. “Actually,” he admitted, the slightest touch of boredom in his voice, “I was looking for a particular Batman, j Series E, Volume 26, Issue 14?” The two commandos looked at each other. “That’s a very serious book, man,” the first one said. “Very serious,” the other agreed. “Only five in existence.” “Four, actually,” Sam replied with the slightest hint of a smile. “And I’m always on the lookout for the other three.”

Fun Fact: The names of the Frog brothers, Edgar and Alan, are a reference to the classic writer of horror fiction, Edgar Allan Poe.

Fun Fact 2: The original comic book store, Atlantis Fantasyworld used in the film was actually located in downtown Santa Cruz—not on the boardwalk, as it appears to be in the film. It was also destroyed in the Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989 and has changed locations twice since then.

The shop's owner Joe Ferrara II even appeared as an extra in the film. He still carries the original #1 issue of 'Vampires Everywhere' that Sam reads in the film. The comic was created only for the film, and its opening page is signed by all of the cast members from the movie. I've heard that it's still on display at the shop for everyone to see and to take pictures with.

Fun Fact 3: In the film Sam doesn't say all that, just that he's "looking for Batman #14". It does exist and its status as an early Batman comic makes it valuable in its own right, but it’s not “only five in existence” type of rare. However, a 9.8 graded copy apparently goes for around $54,000.

What type of motorcycle did David have?

The Lost Boy gunned his bike. It was a Triumph, a machine big enough to make Michael’s Honda look like a toy. He eased up, letting the engine rev back down.

Fun Fact: Kiefer Sutherland, who played David broke his wrist in three places. They weren't filming at the time so he popped a wheelie on his bike, but hit one of the trolley car tracks and injured himself when he fell. He had to wear gloves the entire time to conceal the cast. They also modified his bike so that it was easier for him to used with one hand.

At The Lost Boys panel at FanExpo Dallas he recount this story and reveals that he wasn't just having fun on the bike, but he was showing off. This is because there was a cute girl on the boardwalk that he liked and wanted to impressed her.

Fun Fact 2: At the time of filming Kiefer (David) was 19 years old, Jami (Star) was 20 years old, Jason (Michael) was 19 years old, Alex (Marko) was 19 years old, Brooke (Paul) was 21 years old, Billy (Dwayne) was 22 years old and Chance (Laddie) was 10 years old.

This, however, doesn't mean that their characters were the same ages too. In the novelization we know for sure that Michael's 18 years old and once summer ends he'll be starting his final year of high school. Sam is 13-14 years old and would to be entering it. The Frog brothers are about the same age, but might be a year or two older than him. As for the vampire boys...we don't actually know.

In the fandom it varies, but the general consensus is that Dwayne is the oldest in the group (as in their bodies' physical age) and guessed to be 20-21 years old, David is 20-19, Paul is 18, and Marko is the youngest at 16-17.

As for who's been a vampire the longest it would be David as he's the leader of the group for a reason. The second oldest is usually a toss up between Dwayne and Marko though. But most usually go with Dwayne as the second in command. From the novelization we definitely know that Paul was the last one to joined the group before Star and Laddie.

We know this because Star mention how she was able to connect with him better than the others. She believed the reason for that was because he hadn't been a vampire as long as the others and still remembered what it was like as a human to be lonely and lost.

Anyway, I bring this up because the film was originally set to be directed by Richard Donner with Fischer and Jeremias' screenplay which was modelled on Donner's recent hit The Goonies (1985). They envisioned it as more of a juvenile vampire adventure with 13 or 14 year old vampires, while the Frog brothers were "chubby 8 year-old Cub Scouts" and the character of Star was a young boy.

When Donner committed to other projects, Joel Schumacher was approached to direct the film. He came up with the idea of making the film sexier and more adult, bringing on screenwriter Jeffrey Boam to retool the script and raise the ages of the characters.

Fun Fact 3: In the film and novelization we only know the Lost Boys' first names. And Dwayne's name was never said out loud in the entire film and was only known in the end credits.

Also, there's a bit of confusion within the fandom as some believed David's surname is Powers. It's not. In The Lost Boys: The Tribe (which is technically non-canonical) Shane Powers (who's actor, Angus Sutherland is actually Kiefer Sutherland's real life half-brother) meant it in a ‘blood brothers’ way.

Shane was a member of the Surf Nazi and while at a bonfire party (the very same one the boys took Michael to), the Lost Boys attacked the group. He survived their feeding frenzy, but got unintentionally turned into a vampire by David.

Why did Michael drink the "wine"?

It's a combination of being high on marijuana, peer pressure (mostly from vampire mind manipulation/compulsion nudging him) and he didn't actually understand what was really going on. He thought this was all a part of an initiation. That the final step was to drink the wine, and that Star was in on it too.

He smiled at David. He knew what they were doing. First the maggots, then the worms, now this. How much of a fool did they think he was? The wine really was as dark as blood. It was the best joke of all. He lifted the cup to his lips. He’d show David and the others that he wasn’t afraid of anything. “Good joke,” he said. “Blood.” They all watched him drink it. It was salty and sour for wine. Michael wondered where David had found it. It probably had been down in this cave ever since the earthquake.

Fun Fact: When they're eating Chinese food, David leaves his chopsticks sticking straight out of his and Michael's food. In many Asian cultures, including but not limited to Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese, share standard rules of table manners across the board.

One of the biggest taboos is placing your chopsticks vertically in your bowl, especially with rice. This is because it is not only brings bad luck but it is a sign of death. The act of sticking your chopsticks upright can be seen as an invitation for spirits to come to dine with you. In Vietnamese culture, it can also resemble a funerary incense bowl, which is often associated with the commemoration of the dead.

What happens after Michael drinks the "wine"?

He passes out and somehow gets home and into his bed. I'm guessing the Lost Boys helped him as they already knew where he lived. As for how they got that information they followed him because they originally planned for him to be Star's first victim, which she revealed to him.

“What did you do last night?’’ Sam asked. “You look totally wasted.” Michael shook his head. “I can’t remember much after the Chinese food that looked like maggots.”

And for some odd reason...

"The bottoms of your feet are covered with salt,” his brother replied. This was just too much to deal with. Michael stood up with a groan and began to shuffle out of the room. "I told you it was pretty weird Chinese food,” Michael culled to his brother as he walked out the door.

Fun Fact: I was curious about why would salt be sticking to the bottom of his feet so I looked it up.

Salt is known for having purifying properties that can ward off evil. Since vampires are often considered creatures of evil, it would make sense that salt can ward them off too.

For example, in many folklores the best way to stop a vampire (or most evil spirits, creatures, etc.) is to carry a small bag of salt with you. If you are being chased, you need only to spill the salt on the ground behind you, at which point the vampire is obligated to stop and count each and every grain before continuing the pursuit. If you don't have salt handy, some say that any small granules will do, including birdseed and sand. Another example is to simply toss salt over your shoulder. This is so you can blind any creature trying to sneak up on you.

However, salt wasn't used like that here so I did some more digging around and apparently it can also be used as a tracking device. It would be dumped on the bedroom floor of a vampire victim. The idea was that the vampire would step in the salt and the salt would stick to their bare feet, which would then allow the Buffys, Van Helsings, and Winchester Brothers of the world to follow the saline path back to the vampire's grave.

That brings me to my next question, where would the salt come from and why? The only possible explanation I could think of is that maybe Grandpa Emerson (being aware of vampires) could've put some salt around Michael's bedroom floor, especially after noticing he shows signs of vampirism. It could be a way to know if Michael is being targeted as the vampire's next victim or if he is one now, than Grandpa Emerson would know better in what direction to look for the main vampires' lair.

I'm probably overthinking it, but we don't really know all that much about him. Just that he's a retired businessman, has a small marijuana bush growing outside his kitchen's window, has taxidermy as a hobby, keeps his root beer and double-thick Mint Oreo cookies on the second shelf and he visits Widow Johnson a lot.

He could simply be a hermit and scarcely ever ventures out to town or is secretly an experienced vampire hunter that knows how to keep a low-profile. Of course, I find out that in the The Lost Boys Vol. #1 comic (which is a miniseries that picks up after the 1987 film) it's apparently the latter and there's a bit more to him than I thought.

But the more likely possibility is that maybe the vampires in The Lost Boys' universe all have salty feet (well, more like salt sticks, collects and/or coats their skin -- if that's the case it's probably unavoidable when they're living so close to the ocean) as a trait. It sounds like it was made up for the film to help people like the Frog brothers to identified vampires. Or maybe this only applies to Santa Carla's vampires?

What else did we learn about the vampires' weakness?

He [Michael] realized that he had turned the hot water off. It didn’t make any difference. The water still burned. He pulled his arm from the shower. What was the matter with the shower? He looked at the angry red welts running down his arm. The cold water had burned him.

Fun Fact: Water is also known as the source of life and so naturally works against the undead. On a practical level, it can also deter predatory creatures that hunt by smell, as water can misdirect or damp scent trails. But running water in particular is a traditional weakness in many vampire mythos. Vampires are thought to be helpless when submerge in it and can be destroyed to many variations of death (such as drowning) because of it.

This myth comes from the Church (in ancient times) trying to feel protected because it was believed that nothing evil could swim or cross running water.

The origin of this may be that Jesus was baptized in a river (washing away evil and sin), but undoubtedly helping the folklore is that running water is much cleaner and safer to live near than stagnant water. Stagnant water doesn't wash away harmful content, is more inviting to mosquitoes and other vermin, promotes mold, and so on.

Vampires are thought to be wretched and disease ridden abominations. Because of that the purity of the running water repels them. However, in some folklore vampires are known to be territorial creatures and don't cross running water, such as rivers and streams because it often serve as natural marker boundaries in the region for hunting territory.

So, if they really wanted to they can cross running water just fine, but they choose not to. It's an unspoken rule that all vampires follow in order to keep the peace with other vampires in the same area.

From this we can accurately deduced that the Lost Boys can't take showers, but can still take bathes. As for if they can cross bridges, or take boats I don't know. Some vampires can't cross running water under their own power or by their own will. Others can as long as they use a human under their control to carried them across, maybe they can still [transform and] fly or jump over it themselves?

I think it's more the latter than former, as we don't actually see it or read it, but it's implied that the Lost Boys jumped off [or hovered above] the Hudson's Bluff, which overlooks the ocean, with their bikes while they were messing with Michael. It's hard to tell what they were actually doing because of the thick fog.

What did Michael tried to eat or drink?

Besides, his brother was right. He should put something in his stomach. He opened the refrigerator and took out a carton of milk. Pain shot through his stomach and chest. He doubled over, dropping the milk.

The room was also spinning and pulsing, he could even feel his own blood surging through his arteries and veins...

Michael forced his head back down. He had to stop this somehow. He saw a mouse in the comer. A large mouse in a trap, its neck slashed and broken, but not quite dead. It struggled feebly in the comer. And it bled. Bright red droplets fell to the kitchen floor. The mouse pulsed and expanded, just like everything else around Michael. He didn’t care. All he could see was the blood. The mouse stiffened, eyes wide open, dead at last. Michael dragged himself over toward the dead rodent, heedless of the pain in his stomach and chest. He reached out his fingers to the pantry floor. He had to touch the blood.

Michael calmed down a bit after tasting some blood and the pain went away too, but he needed more. At that point he was falling into feral vampire mode and wasn't fully himself. He followed the loudest heartbeat in the house, which was his brother.

In the film this scene is slightly different. Michael picks up a carton of milk to drink it only to drop it and collapse in pain. Then it cuts to him with his face and body hidden in shadow as he climbs the stairs menacingly towards his brother.

What song was Sam singing to in the bathtub?

Sam sang along with the tape on his boom box. Clarence “Frogman” Henry croaked “I Ain’t Got No Home.” Sam croaked along. He might not have a home, but this bathtub was the next best thing.

What kind of dog is Nanook?

Nanook is an Alaskan Malamute (which look similar to Huskies) which are known for their peak at the top of their head, which resembles Bela Lugosi's classic Dracula hairstyle.

Fun Fact: To keep up with the Peter Pan theme, the name Nanook was inspired by the Darlings family pet dog, Nana.

Fun Fact 2: When Michael was giving into his hunger Nanook protected Sam by biting Michael's hand. In Peter Pan the crocodile is known to have eaten Hook’s hand and this scene was a little nod to it.

Fun Fact 3: Completely unrelated, but if you're curious about what the name Nanook means-- In the language of the Inuit people, “nanook” or “nanuq” means “polar bear.”

In Inuit mythology, Nanook was the master of bears, meaning he decided if hunters deserved success in finding and hunting bears and punished violations of taboos.

How does Star describe each of the the Lost Boys like?

All the Lost Boys were so different. Marco was always mysterious; Dwayne a little awkward. Paul was the comedian of the group. He’d do anything to get her to laugh. From the time she had first gotten to know them, David had fascinated her, but Paul had always been the one she could talk to. She sometimes wondered just why that was.

Which of the Lost Boys was recruited before Star and Laddie?

Before she and Laddie had come here, Paul had been the newest member of the gang. She thought that perhaps, more than the others, Paul still remembered what it meant to be lonely.

Readers also learn that Star ran away from home. The why is still unknown but we can correctly assume that it was from an unsafe or toxic environment. As for Laddie we still don't know his story, only that in the film his photo is on the back of milk cartons (such as the one Michael tried to drink from) saying he's missing. Oh, and that his last name is Thompson.

I originally thought he was just a random kid that the Lost Boys snatch in order to keep Star from leaving them. They knew she has a soft spot for children and they, in particularly, David (or Max, as nothing happens without his say so) exploited it.

However, the novelization implies that Laddie was with Star before ever meeting the Lost Boys. That while on the streets she came across Laddie and because he's so young, she couldn't resist the need to help him. Soon after they got lured in by the Lost Boys and tricked or forced into drinking the blood.

Maybe they turned Laddie first so that she wouldn't hesitant to follow him? Or they both drank it without realizing it and she continued to stayed for Laddie because he still needed someone who genuinely cared for his well-being. To not only protect him, but try and save him from a damned life.

In the film, the Lost Boys interaction with him show that they cared for him in their own way, but there's probably a good reason why we don't often see vampire kids.

Laddie's presence certainly helped to keep her grounded to her humanity too. Maybe that's why we never saw her vampire face? It takes a lot of inner strength to not give in. Readers get a better understanding of that from Michael's perspective because he couldn't snapped out of it, and would have done something reprehensible if it wasn't for Nanook protecting his brother.

Fun Fact: Well, more like it's an interesting fact...In the mid-1980s, the nonprofit National Child Safety Council began a nationwide program called the Missing Children Milk Carton Program by putting photos of missing children on the back of milk cartons. By March 1985, almost half of America’s independent dairies had adopted similar milk carton initiatives.

However, the milk carton campaign faded out in the late 1980s and was abandoned altogether when the AMBER Alert system was created in 1996. The replacement of paper milk cartons with plastic jugs also contributed to its demise.

How long was Star with the Lost Boys?

They were killing the Lost Boys. In a way they had been her family. She had been with them for a couple weeks, ever since she had run away to Santa Carla. But she had never seen them as vampires. For some reason they had hidden it from her. She realized she had never known their true selves, only their human remains.

“A couple of weeks” generally means a time period that is more than one week but too short to be measured in months. For that reason many people considered it to mean 14 days; two weeks.

A lot happens in such a short amount of time, especially in the film, but in the novelization it has better pacing.

What happens after Grandpa Emerson saves them from Max?

He reveals that he always knew about the vampires living in Santa Carla and in the novelization, in particularly, the epilogue he's the one who's been narrating it...

After that things pretty much returned to normal. We fixed up the house, Lucy got a new job, Michael went back to school. Star did, too, after she found a place to stay at the Widow Johnson’s. Laddie remembered where his parents lived. And Sam decided he wanted to learn to stuff animals.

What's special about the Lost Boys’ cave?

Grandpa Emerson continues the epilogue and hints...

That place where all the Lost Boys slept is only the beginnings of the cave. Those tunnels seem to go on forever, maybe even all the way back into Santa Carla. And the noises that come out of there? My daughter insists it’s just gotta be the wind. Sam says it’s probably some sort of animal. But nobody knows for sure. So you’ll excuse us if we only visit the hotel during the daylight. And we haven’t quite gotten the gumption to go back there and check those noises out.

Fun Fact: The filming location for the entrance of the Lost Boys' lair, is the Hudson's Bluff Sea Cave at Rancho Palos Verdes in Los Angeles County, California. It's at the foot of a rock 'spur' jutting into the sea by Terranea Beach. The rest of their lair was built on Stage 12 of the Warner Bros. lot.

Fun Fact 2: The hotel was based on the Valencia Street Hotel in San Francisco.

Fun Fact 3: In early drafts of The Lost Boys scripts, there was suppose be an end credit scene. It would've been one of the few 80s movies to do so, but it didn't happen.

The film's final ending was so punchy that filming the tag was never a priority, according to the film's production designer Bo Welch. Once Warner Bros. cut the film's budget by 35% before shooting, the tag was the first to go. "It never got beyond the discussion stage," Welch said.

In the book, The Lost Boys: Lost In The Shadows by Paul Davis you find out what it is they had in mind.

The camera would've panned back to the Lost Boys' lair, focusing on an old weathered mural on the hotel wall, which would show a smiling Max in the early 1900s boardwalk, talking to a group of young men.

You don't see their faces as it was left to the viewers' imagination. It could've been David and his gang or another set of Lost Boys before them. But it's clear that Max and his Lost Boys (not just the current ones) have been terrorizing Santa Carla for that long.

Fun Fact 4: There were plans to make a sequel named The Lost Girls just two years after with David returning as the main villain. This is why David's body doesn't turn to dust like the others. He didn't die, even after being impaled on a pair of antlers. It can be assumed it missed his heart or it needed to be made of wood to be proper "stakes".

Scripts for the film circulated in the early '90s, but the film was never made. However, the plot point would eventually turn up in the comic book Lost Boys: The Reign of Frogs.

[renegades-garbage]

Admissions

Hey guys I'm back lol. Finding out about the new renegades book inspired me to write for the fandom again! I decided to write a little fic about Adrian and Nova getting back together a few months after the Supernova assuming that they broke up to deal with their mental health and such. This ended up being a lot longer than I intended and I did a shitty job proofreading but I love you all and hope you enjoy it anyway. It's also on ao3 as usual!

PS. I hate writing combat scenes so I simply didn't even though it may have been necessary sorry lol

Adrian watched as Nova examined the broken window. They were out on a call for a home invasion but considering this was the only thing amiss Adrian was beginning to wonder if this was just a prank by some neighborhood kids and not a robbery as the elderly woman inside was so convinced.

Most of Adrian’s team came back to work only a few weeks after the Supernova but Nova had, understandably, taken a bit longer. This was only her first week back on patrols after four months and Adrian would be lying if he said it wasn’t hell. He wouldn’t exactly call their breakup messy but it wasn’t exactly easy, necessary and mutual, but definitely not easy.

Nova was a very valuable asset to their team but she was also extremely strong willed and after a few months without her they all needed to remember how to work together again. That was the only reason he was finding her return difficult. It had nothing to do with the fact that she had been doing a lot of healing and had a new brightness to her skin and eyes, or the fact that she was experimenting with new hairstyles and clothes that suited her much more than what she had before. No, none of that had any impact on him. Breaking up was what was best for both of them and he knew that. He truly believed that. One hundred percent. 

“Sketch? Hello?” Ruby’s voice crackled through the communication band. He hadn’t even realized she’d been talking to him. 

“Sorry what did you say”

“I saaaaaiid” she replied in mock annoyance. “Did you guys find anything on that side of the house, because we’ve got nothing.”

“Just the broken window she was telling us about but it looks more like it got hit with a baseball or something than a home invasion.” Just as he said it Nova shone her flashlight inside.

“Adrian.” her voice shook a bit. “Look”

He peered through the broken glass and sitting on the floor was an orange haired puppet. 

Nova looked up at him concerned. In the weeks past a man impersonating the Puppeteer had been terrorizing homes with small children, and the Renegades hadn’t been able to catch him or even find any clues about his identity. He was all anyone was talking about at HQ and Adrian knew that his dad’s would have sent a more advanced patrol group if they were aware of the perpetrator, especially since Adrian hadn’t yet finished re-tattooing his sentinel abilities, but maybe this could be a good opportunity to prove themselves.

He lifted his wrist to his mouth “Red Assassin, Smokescreen can you guys go inside and check if this lady has any young grand-kids staying here or anything.”

Ruby’s voice flowed back through the band “Um sure but why? Is there something wr-... Wait, did you guys find something? Is it that puppet guy?”

“Ruby. Please just go check. We might have limited time.” 

“Yeah of course. Okay. We're going inside now.”

Nova began reaching her hand inside to grab the puppet. 

“Careful of the glass” Adrian warned though he knew she would be. Nova only nodded and offered a small mhm. 

Though the window was very low to the ground and the puppet was just inside Nova was having a hard time reaching due to the jagged glass. 

Adrian knew she wouldn't ask for help so he simply walked over and grabbed it easily.

“I could have done that.” She mumbled.

“I know”

They both looked down at the creepy thing which was almost an exact replica of Winston Pratt’s infamous puppet Hettie. A note was pinned to the front of the doll which read, It’s time to pay for your betrayal Nightmare. A shiver ran down his spine and Nova’s jaw hardened.

“We don’t have to do this, you know. We can always call for backup if this is too much.” The threat was disconcerting to say the least and even besides that, Adrian knew that Nova’s connection to The Puppeteer was complicated and this may not be the best thing for her mental recovery. 

“I'm fine Sketch.”

She didn’t exactly sound fine, and Adrian wanted to insist that they call someone else, considering Nova was much more important than his desire to prove himself, but before he got the chance they heard Oscar’s voice through his communication band.

“Two kids in the upstairs bedrooms. A boy and a girl. Going to check on them now.”

“I'm going to check the back of the house.” Nova began to walk towards the gate that led to the backyard. 

“I'll come with you, Monarch can check around the other side.” 

“No, everyone else is still inside. It's faster if you go around the front and I go around the back.”

“Nova there’s a note on this thing threatening you.” He said holding up the doll. “I'm not leaving you alone.” 

“Adrian I'm not scared of him and I can handle myself, you know that.” 

In any other situation Adrian would have insisted that they stay together, but there were kids in danger and they needed to find this guy. He didn’t want Nova to be unsafe but he was probably just being paranoid, how much of a threat could this guy be? 

—

Nova’s head was pounding. Her memories of the night were coming back to her in short bursts. The sound of maniacal laughter. A face covered in marionette makeup exactly like that of the Puppeteer. The cold press of a knife to her throat. Her hand fumbling to find bare skin. A stab in her side. Pain. Searing white-hot pain. And then nothing. That’s when she had lost consciousness. And now she was laying in a hospital bed with large bandages wrapped around her midsection. 

‘Miss Artino?” 

Nova opened her eyes and looked up at the man in the white doctor's coat standing next to her bed. An older, balding man with friendly eyes.

“How are you feeling?”

“Um…fine I guess” she replied, testing her voice, and it was true she did feel fine. She had some soreness from the wound in her side but the prodigy doctors at HQ were some of the finest and she was sure it would heal completely within a couple of days.

“Good, the wound was pretty severe but it looks like you’ll make a full recovery. Would you like me to let your friends in? They've been here all night.”

Right. Her friends. Her team. Adrian. Was he okay? 

She shook herself. She should be asking about her whole team. She shouldn’t care any more about Adrian’s safety than the rest of them. And she didn’t. She definitely didn’t.

“Miss Artino?” The doctor looked at her mildly concerned, and Nova didn’t blame him. She probably looked crazy right now.

She cleared her throat “Yeah, yes please let them in.”

The doctor offered a small friendly nod and walked over to the door, exiting the room and letting her team file in. Ruby being the first to burst through the door, followed by Oscar, Danna, and Adrian. He- They all looked tired, drawing some minor scrapes and bruises but they were otherwise unharmed. 

“Oh my stars I am so glad you're okay,” Ruby rushed over to Nova’s bed offering an enthusiastic yet gentle hug, which Nova did her best to return. “You were covered in blood and it looked awful. I mean the doctors told us it wasn’t as bad as it looked but it was terrifying and that guy was so creepy.” Ruby shuttered.

“Oh come on we all knew she would be fine. Nova is the toughest of us all.” Oscar walked over to give her a gentle nudge on the shoulder. “You did have us scared for a second there Artino, but I knew you’d pull through.”

She could tell that Oscar was trying to sound braver than he actually felt, as he so often did. It warmed Nova’s heart a bit to see that her team truly cared, even if they couldn't all fully admit it.

“Well I'm glad you had faith in me.” she said a bit weakly. She was still tired from the battle and her injury. “What happened to the Puppeteer impersonator after I passed out?’

The answer came from Danna “You ended up putting him to sleep right as he got you. We have him in custody.” 

Nova nodded. This was a relief to her. She didn’t want that guy out there impersonating Winston, especially if it meant hurting kids. That, and she didn’t almost die for nothing. 

“I'm really glad you're okay Nova.” Danna sounded sincere when she said these words. Nova didn’t think Danna would want her to die, no matter how rocky their relationship, but the way she said it made it seem like more than that. Like maybe in these past few months she had found friendship and maybe even forgiveness for Nova. 

“Thank you.” Nova offered the brightest smile she could muster up, but it wasn’t great. 

She turned her eyes to Adrian who hadn’t said a single word since they had walked in. He looked like he’d been crying. Maybe that meant he still had feelings for her? No, he was just concerned, as he would be for any of his teammates. She wasn’t special, well, not anymore. And she shouldn’t hope to be anyway. They couldn’t be together. And besides she was over him. Totally. One hundred percent. They just stared at each other. No words came to her, and no words came to him either apparently.

“Weeeeeelll,” Oscar’s voice cut through the tension. “Guess it’s time to get home, maybe grab some food. Long night and all.” He said, gently grabbing his girlfriend's arm and feigning a yawn. Nova just shook her head at him. 

Danna began walking towards the door as well. “Yeah I’m gonna second that.” 

They each said a rushed goodbye, and Nova thanked them for sticking around before they exited the room.  

She looked back at Adrian. She had the striking thought that he looked handsome, even with obvious red eyes from tears, and being awake for many hours, he still looked handsome. She knew she shouldn’t be thinking about that, this wasn’t the time nor the place, and they had been broken up for months. But still, she thought it.

When he finally spoke his words were heavy. “I thought I lost you.” 

Stupidly, Nova relished in the words he chose. Not, ‘I thought you died’ or ‘I didn’t know if you’d be okay’. He didn’t want to lose her and that meant something. To both of them, she hoped. “Nova this is what? The third time you’ve almost died? You have to be more careful.”

This was slightly offensive to Nova considering his track record. “You're the one who’s always saying this job is dangerous, and you're almost more reckless than me.” 

“I know. I know okay.” he sighed. “But you should've let me come with you as back up. Someone else could have checked the rest of the house.”

“Well it’s over now and I’m fine. I survived.”

“No Nova, it's not over now.” He was starting to become angry, well not angry but more…flustered? Nova didn’t understand why he was acting like this. He knew better than anybody about risking his life. “This is our job. This right here.” He made a general gesture to the space around them. Or maybe between them? She couldn’t quite tell. “This is our life.”

“Adrian. I’m not sure I understand what you’re saying.” And the truth was she didn’t. Why was he getting so upset?

“Nova I can’t do this okay.” He was almost struggling to get the words out now. “I can’t go into work everyday and watch the person that I love almost die.”

Nova was taken aback. There it was. Plain and simple. His admission that he still loved her. And she wanted to believe him, but he knew they couldn’t be together. This was sleep deprivation and emotion talking. He couldn’t possibly know what he’s saying. 

“Adrian, maybe you should get some sleep, and we can talk about this tomorrow.” It hurt Nova to say these words but she knew she had to. Out of respect for him. 

“No, Nova this past week has been horrible. Ever since the Supernova things have been hard, but having you here, around the team, with me, but not with me. It’s been hell. I know exactly what I’m saying. I love you, Nova Artino.” Nova’s jaw was almost on the floor at this point and she saw the look in his eye as he misread whatever he was seeing on her face. 

He started towards the door. “Um you know what, maybe I should get some rest, and we can just put this behin-”

“Adrian” 

“No, I'm really sorry. You're trying to heal and I’m just-”

“Adrian” She said again, more forcefully this time, stopping him in his tracks. She could practically hear Adrians heart racing, alongside her own. 

“Come here.” Adrian started towards the bed slowly and as soon as he was close enough Novas grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled his lips to her own. Adrian made a small noise of surprise but didn’t pull away. He  sat down on the edge of the bed, cupping her face in his hands as the kiss became more intense. 

Nova pulled away gently pressing their foreheads together.

“I love you too Adrian Everheart.” 

He smiled that beautiful smile of his and pressed one final kiss to her lips.

“Do you mind if I stay here tonight? It's pretty late and I told my dads I would stay in one of the rooms we rent out.”

“I would love for you to stay with me.”

Adrian gently maneuvered himself and the blankets so that they could both lay down without hurting her. They laid together in comfortable silence for a few moments, a feeling Nova had missed so much these past months, until Adrian whispered into the darkness. 

“So does this mean we’re back together?”

Nova just laughed and replied “I hope so.”

[devastator1775]

Hope, Love and V - Chapter 2: the decision to move forward

Chapter summary: V has to deal with visitors, revelations and important decisions.

It took V a while before she managed to return fully back to the here-and-now after her realization that her legs weren’t functioning. Her doctor had been rambling off possible directions they could undertake, but she had a hard time registering to any of them. Even after he realized that V wasn’t listening to him and decided to leave her alone to ‘process this change’, as he had put it, all V could do was stare at her legs – or the useless pieces of metal that they now were.

She didn’t cry.

She didn’t shout.

She didn’t throw blame towards anyone …except maybe the Sentinels that used her spine and legs for chewing toys.

She couldn’t feel anger, sadness, fear or anything else.

She just felt numb.

Like her legs.

Once V finally managed to snap herself out of her gloomy dissonance, she figured that she feeling sorry for herself wouldn’t do anything for her right now. She needed to make sense of things and get a grip on her situation. she began by just trying to get everything sorted out mentally. She went over what happened to her and what she could remember the doctor told her. There were still things that didn’t make sense to the story. Gaps and coincidences too convenient to sound true. Things she hoped that Uzi and N could shed some light on.

But until then, all she could do was rest and wait.

The day after her awakening felt so surreal to V. Nurses came in to check up on her, checking the levels of her coolant IV bag and feed her lithium flavoured jell-oil cups. It was weird, feeling hunger like ‘a normal Drone’ – if she even could call herself that now. She had been so used to that ever-present thirst and hunger for worker Drone oil and now …she was enjoying the gelatinous treat provided by those she used to hunt.

Really, though, she was on her tenth cup. Why was she enjoying this so much? Maybe something about small comforts during troubling times or some mushy feel-good nonsense like that. She hated how the mushy feel-good nonsense seemed to help her a little, tough.

After she scooped out the last bit of the wiggly, black substance and popped it in her mouth, she finally set her tray aside. She looked down at her legs, trying to ignore that cold feeling that was setting in her stomach. She took a deep breath and tried to focus on the components in her legs. “C’mon…. just wiggle” She whispered at herself.

Nothing happened.

She gritted her teeth so hard, she felt that her jaw might pop out of its socket.

Nothing.

She tried again.

Nothing. Nothing.

Again.

Nothing. Nothing! NOTHING!

With a frustrated growl, she flopped backwards on her pillow. She really wanted to kick her feet in anger, but oh wait: she couldn’t! She took a deep breath, trying to calm down. The whole situation with her legs was bad enough, but she was getting so fed up with being alone in this room, bored out of her mind. While she was keeping herself busy switching out her hand for her various tools – just to check if they still work, as she told herself – a knock on the door roused her from her ‘maintenance’. “What!?” No idea why she felt like she just got caught doing something naughty.

The door opened and a familiar voice sounded. “Well, here I was hoping that the coma would have improved your attitude a bit, but alas…” Uzi commented with a grin as she walked in. V was surprised how cheery she seemed to be, despite one of her arms being in some contraption and resting on a sling.

“Purple thing, you still live!” V exclaimed, trying her best to sound casual, but unable to keep the genuine smile to flash across her face. “Where the goofball?”

“He wanted to come, but he promised dad that he would help him and the WDF with the cleanup today. He’ll be by later.” Uzi walked over to V and threw her good arm around her to hug her, which V, after a few moments of deciding between ‘acting like a bad bitch’ or ‘just go with it’, returned. “I’m so glad you’re awake. We – me and N - wanted to come over yesterday when we heard, but the nurses didn’t let us.”

“I thought I heard your annoying voice in the hallway, but I figured the night terrors were back again.” She could practically feel Uzi rolling her eyes, but they both chuckled. She brought her voice down to a whisper. “So, seeing Copper-9, the Colony and all of us are still alive and around …I take it that the Solver is…?”

Uzi nodded in V’s shoulder. “The Absolute Solver is destroyed. Gone. From me. You. N. No thirst or need to hunt. We won.”

“I’ll admit, having no desire to hunt down Worker Drones and drain them for their oil to sustain myself …is kinda nice. Still kinda weird not seeing Drones nearly soil themselves at the sight of me, though.” She patted Uzi’s back and gently pushed her off. “Okay, okay, get off. Don’t want people think we’re friends or anything.” She didn’t mean that, obviously. The road that their friendship had taken was rough – understatement of the year – , but she couldn’t deny that there was a bond between them and she wouldn’t change it for anything in the world. She’d never say it out loud, off course.

Uzi snorted in amusement. “Please, with N and I visiting you pretty much every day since they brought you in, I wouldn’t be surprised if everyone in the Colony assumes that we’re besties.”

“Ugh, you really aren’t the type to use peppy slang like that, Doorman.” V teased back. “Leave that to the professionals, like Lizzie.”  

“Speaking of her ….” Uzi rested her good hand on V’s bed and leaned in close, grinning slyly. “She’s been visiting you pretty regularly as well. Almost more than me and N.”

“O-oh, really?” V asked, really wishing that the sub-routine that defined the intensity of her blushing wasn’t at 100% effectiveness right now. “I mean, cool. Didn’t know she cared.”

“Oh, I believe she cares more than you give her credit for.” Uzi teased, but keeping her voice gentle. No need to rattle the hornets’ nest too much. “She even skipped class a few times to spend the day here.”

V felt her visor heat up as she blushed. “Like that’s new. She would do that every other week, like it was the latest trend.” V countered, still blushing. Though, she did start skipping class more often after the whole prom thing and they started to hang out more. Luckily, Lizzy can afford missing a few classes, since she’s smarter than people would assume of her. She’s actually quite intelligent and pretty and funny and - Nope, not ready to deal with those emotions. Time to change the topic. V nodded towards the sling around Uzi’s arm. “Speaking of fashion: what’s with the accessory?”

Uzi, deciding to give V a little respite from the teasing, glanced at her sling and shrugged. “Let’s say that no-one got out of that last confrontation with the Solver unscathed.  Like, it really messed it us up. N and I still have regular repairs, as you can see.”

“Yeah, the doc mentioned it was pretty touch-and-go when they brought you two in.” V crossed her arms and looked away with a scowl. “At least you can get repaired.” She realized that she had muttered that a bit too noticeably and looked back at her visitor, grimacing when she saw Uzi’s regretful expression. “Sorry, I …ever since I woke up, things have been ….” She let out a heavy sigh. “Well, it’s been an ordeal.”

“I …I heard.” Uzi said as she took a chair and sat down, trying her best not to start staring at V’s legs. She cautiously reached out to V’s legs and placed her hand on them, glancing over to the former Disassembly Drone as if waiting for her to tell her not too. “Can the doctors do something about it?”

V rubbed her face, letting out a frustrated groan. “Yeah, a few, with chances of success of me walking again ranging from ‘a sliver’ to ‘cautiously optimistic’. My favourite treatment that they suggested to replace my legs completely with new ones.” She scoffed. “As my doc put it: ‘it has the greatest chance of restoring some of your mobility to the point you can be proficiently self-reliable.’.”

“That’s …good, right?” Uzi cautiously asked.

“I guess…”

“I’m …almost afraid to ask, but what about your wings? Couldn’t you…?”

V looked away, biting her lower lip. She hadn’t had the chance to really check up on her wing situation. She could still feel them, but she had a pretty good idea they weren’t in a great state either. At one point during her battle with the Sentinels, she had tried to fly up and get some higher ground, but the mechanical raptors had pulled her down, their metal teeth sinking in the metallic blades that made up her ‘feathers’. Even if the metallurgy surgeons could fix up her wings, she doubted that she would be able to use them without triggering seizures.

V stared in front of her as the conversation died down, leaving them sitting in silence. She looked up when she heard Uzi take a deep breath.

“I’m sorry, V.” Uzi said, a digital tear forming under her eye.

“For what?” V asked, genuinely confused. “You’re not the one who did this to me?”

“Same thing.” The young Drone stated. She fidgeted nervously with the hem of her hoodie. “If I hadn’t- “

V’s hand shot out and grabbed Uzi’s wrist, pulling her close. “Let me make one thing clear, Uzi Doorman.” She stated sternly, holding a tight grip around the latter’s arm. “I made the choice to stay behind. The Sentinels would have gotten to you if I hadn’t and then Cyn, The Solver: they would have won.” She released Uzi’s arm and leaned back into her pillow. “And seeing that we’re all still around to feel sorry for ourselves, it was a good choice, no matter what has happened to me. So, stop feeling sorry for yourself, because I am not blaming you for anything. And you shouldn’t too.”

“But- “

“No buts, Purple Thing.” V interrupted. “I mean what I said. Yeah, this sucks. Yes, I’m sad. Yes, I’m angry. I am dealing with a lot of emotions while dealing with this whole situation, but …” She took a deep breath, and eventually produced a smile. “Do you really think I am going to let something like this hold me back? At all? I am going to conquer this. I am going to show my doctors, our friends, you, N and myself that I am strong enough to overcome this …however long it’s going to take.”

Uzi, after leaving her mouth agape for a few moments, wrapped her good arm around V and hugged her again. “Thank you, V.”

“You’re welcome, idiot.” She pushed Uzi off her with a grin.

Uzi leaned in close, bringing her voice to a whisper. “You know …Cyn mentioned a few times that she had backups of you guys. J got a new body after I killed her. Maybe Tessa- “

“No.”

“But- “

“No!” V repeated curtly.

“It would- “

“Uzi, listen.” V took a deep breath, folding her hands on her lap. “Don’t you think I’ve considered that possibility? It was probably the first things I’ve thought off. Call Tessa and let her put my brain in a new body, but …”

“But?”

“I’m scared, Uzi.” V confessed. “What if you put me in a new body and it’s not …’me’? What if I’ll reboot and it’s just a new psychotic murder Drone with the name ‘V’? I’m not taking that risk if it means that I’ll lose any sort of personal growth I made since coming here.”

“J got a new body, and she seemed like her annoyingly, holier-than-thou self.”

V scoffed. “That’s not saying much. I think ‘workaholic company worshipper’ is just her default personality.” She took a deep breath. “No, I’m done being a Disassembly Drone. Done being a constant reminder about having been a plaything for eldritch being that tells me who I am and what I need to do. I …I just want to be V, even if ‘being V’ means I’ll need to somehow live with this broken body.”

“Are you sure this is what you want?”

“Dead serious.” V answered with a steely gaze. She gave Uzi a sly grin. “However, if you ever see signs I actually regret, just repeat all that crap I said about ‘being strong’ and ‘plaything’.”

Uzi chuckled. “I can do that.”

“Attagirl.” V folded her hands behind her back and tried to relax into her pillow. She felt lucky her little rant hadn’t caused her to seize up, despite having felt her servos twitch a few times. She didn’t want to let Uzi see that. Uzi felt bad enough without having to witness that. When she was certain that Uzi wouldn’t bring up the topic again, she allowed herself to relax again and leaned back on her pillow. “I’ll tell you what, I’m going to miss flying, though.”

“Yeah, me too.” When V gave her a quizzical look, she shrugged. “No more Solver means that my mutations have vanished as well. Still, with N still having them, he’s been doing the flying for the both of us during our da-aaaaaah nothing!”

“No, no, I heard it!” V pointed out with a massive grin. “You were gonna say ‘dates’, weren’t you?”

Uzi blushed so hard that her visor almost become a floodlight, but she nodded with a giddy smile. “Okay, fine, yes: me and N are dating. Quite happily so.”

“Well, …about time. Honestly, seeing you guys fumble around each other like that was getting tiresome. I didn’t need a season 2 of that show.” V commented, relishing that she had found a new thing to tease Uzi with. “So, I take it that you finally got over your teenage angst and confessed first?”

“Uh, actually …N confessed first …technically.” Uzi corrected, blushing slightly.

“Technically?”

“Well, I’m sure it counts, but the moment sucked considering If was taken over by the Absolute Solver and it was fighting N and my mom.”

V froze. Did her audio receptors glitch or… “Did you say ‘mom’? As in: ‘your dead mom’?” She asked. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “You know what, I’m done with the whole happy small talk. Can you please fill me in on what happened after I heroically sacrificed myself and ended up a Sentinel Tug-o’-war toy?” 

“Yeah, I guess I owe you that….” Uzi rubbed the back of her head, pondering on what to tell first. “There’s a lot, so …get ready.”

V listened as Uzi told what happened after she and the rest of the group had ‘separated’, and each new revelation was another kick in the face. Uzi told about how she had left Tessa and N behind after she started to get scared of what they might do to her. How she had found the video logs of the morally ambiguous and borderline cruel experiments JCJENSON had performed on the Drones infected with the Solver. How it showed Uzi and Doll’s mother being the last survivors of those experiments and that they both had a hand – no pun intended – in the core collapse that brought an end to the human civilization. About a critically injured Doll and how Tessa tried to kill her. About N trying to stop her and how their fight ended up in N stabbing Tessa through the chest.

She told V about how she had blacked out as the Absolute Solver finally took complete possession of her. How Nori stepped in to stop the Solver from killing N and their subsequent fight. The details of said fight were later told to the latter by N afterwards. How the Solver almost ate her mother’s core, but N’s confession of him and Uzi ‘hanging out’ brought her back.

V had to admit, the mental image of Uzi punting her mother into the Evil Pit™ and being so flustered by N that she only could screech was hilarious to her. Less hilarious was the revelation that Tessa not only had survived her stabbing, but everything she told afterwards. How she had survived the massacre in her childhood, how she had started working for the Humanity Remnant Government and her infiltration in JCJENSON. How they had found Cyn and everything that happened to her when she had confronted the possessed Drone. How the human ended up a flesh suit for Cyn’s core, changing her from the inside out, until she ended up half-Drone, half-human. She knew she had a bad feeling about Tessa from the moment she appeared on Copper-9, but after what Uzi had told the horrors the former had gone through, she only felt regret and sadness for the little girl that once took in broken Drones because she didn’t have any other friends.

She felt a sense of pride in her prey-turned-friend when Uzi told her how she sacrificed herself to the flesh pit and how she put her faith in N, just like V had once put in her. The rest of the story was pretty straightforward. N met up with J, who somehow had been fighting with Khan, Lizzy and Thad and how they managed to convince J to work together. From there, Uzi finished her story by recalling everything she went through to bring the fight to the Absolute Solver. A series of events so intricate, scary and a little wholesome that V almost had no time to understand it all. Somehow the group had found out that the JCJ scientists not only had made a patch to sever the Solver’s connection to a Drone, but they had also managed to produce a kill switch, but they never had been able to test it. After a lengthy ordeal, they had managed to reunite and get their hands on the Kill Patch. After that …

“And then …. everything happened so fast.” Uzi took a deep breath, wiping away a digital tear. “My mom went in to use the Kill Patch on the Solver, by stabbing it into its core. It just …screamed and thrashed around, like a feral animal trying to survive. Just explosions and rubble falling around us everywhere. I had lost my arm – again. N was on the brink of going offline. My mom …was nowhere to be found. We …we almost wouldn’t have made it out of there, if Tessa and J hadn’t picked us up in their pod.”

“J to the rescue …small miracles …” V muttered. “Jeez, seems I missed out on a lot when I was out. Then what happened?”

“Once we were in the pod, all of us – minus Tessa – started …changing. Me, N and J’s mutations just …painfully removing themselves from us. It nearly killed N. We thought he had gone permanently offline. I begged. I screamed.” Uzi blushed. “I told him I loved him. He woke up. We kissed.”

V jokingly made a gagging noise, with Uzi sticking her tongue out at her. “Anyway, Tessa and J dropped us off in the Colony for repairs, while Tessa covertly checked our code for traces of the Solver Code. A few days later, the WDF sent out people to find, uh …”

“My remains?” V asked with a smirk.

“Hey, we all assumed you were gone.” Uzi admitted sheepishly. “We were so happy when we got the message that you miraculously survived.”

“Yeah, I got a sneaking suspicion on who that miracle was …” She glanced over at Uzi, her expression dark. “What happened to Doll?”

Uzi shook her head, letting out a saddened sigh. “No idea. We haven’t seen her since that day in Cabin Fever Labs.” She admitted. “She vanished during the fight between the Solver, N and my mom. We first assumed that she went back to the surface to kill you, but …”

“Instead, she actually rescued me – most of me - from the Sentinels.” V crossed her arms. “I suppose I should be grateful that she had a change of H.E.A.R.T. and saved me from being robo-chew. And she hasn’t resurfaced?”

“Search parties have been looking for weeks.” Uzi explained. “From what we can see on security cameras, we know she came back to the Colony once to collect some of her things. But ever since that …nothing. Gone. Vanished from the face of the planet, it seems.”

“I guess after everything that has happened, she must have her own reasons.” V sighed, conflicted about her feelings regarding the Russian speaking Drone. Despite their animosity, she had risked her own life to save V from those Sentinels. Why save someone she hated? Why did she disappear? Maybe there would come a time that she would be able to ask Doll herself, but until then …there were other questions anyway. “What happened to Cyn and your mom? Is she …?”

“We haven’t seen Cyn’s core since it jumped into the flesh pit. We assume that the Solver assimilated her completely and …destroyed her. N has been looking for her, trying to find some trace of her, dead or alive.” Uzi clenched her eyes shut, but there was a hint of a hopeful smile on her lips. “As for my mom … We …we haven’t found her core yet. She might still be out there. In all the chaos when the Solver perished, we lost sight of her. There is a lot of rubble to sift through and the work is going slowly because those tunnels seem to stretch out across the entire planet. Maybe …” Uzi sighed and let her head hang.

V couldn’t imagine what Uzi was going through. She had wanted to know about her mom her entire life, and suddenly she was there and gone before she could spend time with her. V was a realist but she hoped there was a chance. Uzi deserved as much. She let out a breath, her mind still processing everything that Uzi had told her. “Man …it’s a lot.”

“Yeah …”

“One thing, though.” V commented as she sat up again. “From what my doc told me, I got the feeling you didn’t tell anyone else what you just told me. There were a lot of gaps and ‘fortunate coincidences’ in his story.”

“Yeah, we …we decided that it would be best if everyone was told a-“ Uzi bit her lower lip as she mulled over the right expression. “Better digestible story. Evil eldritch AI, cruel experimentation on Drones, borderline magic powers, possession, …it’s a lot to take in, and I lived through that.”

“Yeah, I can see that.”

“Not only the colony, but Tessa had to tell the human Government she works for something as well. We feared that people would react …badly if they knew the full truth. So, we told them an abridged version, something that sounded more realistic.” Uzi wrung her hands together. “Knowing what the internet has told me about human history, they’d rather nuke the entire planet into space dust than risk happening something like this again. Tessa has enough evidence to put most of the blame on JCJENSON and divert any suspicion away from us.”

“Serves them right, from what I heard.” V scoffed. “They did experiment on a malevolent AI that already had destroyed their home planet, so I figure they get what’s coming to them.”

“I’m just happy that everything worked out and things are going back to n-“ Uzi stopped herself from finishing her sentence, guilt flooding on her visor.

V just rolled her eyes. “You’re not going to do this every time, aren’t you?” She asked, punching Uzi softly on her good shoulder. “Despite everything, it all worked out, right? Time to work to ‘the new normal’, right?”

Uzi giggled. “You sound like N.”

“Must be my medication.” V joked, making them both chuckle.

In the time that followed they fell into a relaxed conversation and if she was being honest with herself, she was grateful for the distraction. Despite all her talk about wanting to proof she was strong and that she would find a way to find closure on her situation …she’d been feeling miserable. She used to be such an independent Drone and now there was the possibility she’d never be able to do anything anymore without assistance. But she also didn’t want to just submit to these negative thoughts and feelings, because that wouldn’t do her any good. She was still processing everything and she had a feeling that would take a while. So she, for now, she gladly accepted the distraction and let Uzi drone on – no pun intended – about the changes that were happening in the Colony the last few weeks.

Once people finally started to believe that it was safe to venture outside, the first thing they did collect the fallen Drones that made up the corpse spires and give their processors a funeral. The rest of the bodies were either repurposed, recycled or scrapped for parts, which would sound weird for organic being, but for Drones was a traditional and sacred act. In the end, it would ensure that new Drone frames could be built for an eventual expansion of the Colony, now that the threat of the Disassembly Drones was over.

There was talk about reclaiming the Ruined City as their own and build something completely new. Something that wasn’t as cramped and packed as the Colony, but still provided the protection from the harsh climate of Copper-9.

People also seemed to warm up to N’s presence a lot easier than Uzi feared it would. N’s lovable goofball nature probably helped a lot, plus the fact that he was eager to help repair the damages that the latest near-end-times had caused. Uzi’s dad, much to her chagrin, had taken quite a liking to N, which meant he liked to barge in during the young couple’s alone time. It wouldn’t be so frustrating if N didn’t went along with it. She loved him, but jeez, he could be oblivious. Luckily, he was learning.

Uzi’s situation had improved. While Uzi and the rest of the ‘inner circle who knew’ decided that downplaying the situation would be better for the long run, it did have some rather unforeseen, yet positive consequences. Uzi was being heralded as the Drone that had made see the Disassembly Drones ‘see the error of their ways and turn against their genocidal masters’, and had a helped stop this threat despite the danger to her own life. Suddenly, people were lining up to thank her, invite her to parties and try to be friends with her.

“Wow, suddenly Miss Popular, huh?” V stated, grinning at Uzi’s embarrassed blush.

“Thing is, there used to be a time that I wouldn’t have liked anything else than that, but now….” Uzi chuckled sheepishly. “It’s not that I don’t like it, but it’s a bit much. It feels, like, …forced, or some jazz like that. Am I making sense?”

“Never.”

“Bite me.” Uzi stuck out her tongue, which V copied, making them both burst out in laughter. “Anyway, the only people who is actually feels genuine are Thad and-“

A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. Something in V’s chest buzzed when Lizzy peeked inside the room and smiled brightly as the latter noticed the former.

“It’s true…you’re finally awake.” Lizzy stated with a smile as she walked in. She gave Uzi a quick greeting. “Hi, Uzi. I, eh, left your homework at your place.”

“Thanks, Lizzy.” Uzi stood up from her chair and went over to give V a hug. “I’ll better get going.”

Lizzy suddenly looked flustered. “You don’t need to-“

“Nah, the two of you have some catching up to do, too.” Uzi said as she walked over to the door. She paused when she reached Lizzy and leaned over to whisper something in her ears. Lizzy, suddenly blushing, gave Uzi a playful push and whispered something back, which made the two girls giggle. With a final goodbye, Uzi made her way out of the room and let the two Drones alone in silence.

A few moments of silence passes, during which neither Drone seemed to know how to get the conversation started. Eventually, V started by clearing her throat. “So, uh …since when are you and Uzi so chummy?”

“Well, a lot happened. A lot changed.” Lizzy stated as she shuffled over to V’s bed, the latter noticing how meek and fidgety she seemed to act. “Let’s say that over the last few weeks, me and Uzi have gotten to know each other pretty well during our mutual visits here.”

V watched as Lizzy slowly made her way to the chair Uzi had occupied only seconds earlier, eventually slowly sitting down. Lizzie looked nervous, V noticed, the way her eyes darted around like she trying to figure out what she wanted to say first.

“Lizzy, are y-“

“I thought you were dead.”

V blinked a few times, staring at Lizzy, who had her eyes clenched shut while digital tear ran down her visor. “Liz, I-“

“When Uzi and N told me how you sacrificed yourself, I didn’t know what to think. How to feel.” Lizzy continued, not letting V get a word in. “I was …angry, proud, scared, sad and-and-and…and then suddenly, we get news that you were found, alive but non-responsive and I just felt so hopeless and mad, and I-”

V reached out and grabbed Lizzy’s hand, giving it a tight squeeze. “Lizzy, calm down, you’re going to blow your voice box.”

Lizzy’s gaze dropped to her and V’s hands, fixated on them for a few moments. She looked up, tears still staining her visor. “It’s just …finding out your bestie might be …gone, it ….it hurt, V. It really hurt.”

“What do you want me to say?” V asked softly, rubbing her thumb over the back of Lizzy’s hand. “That I’m sorry?”

Lizzy shook her head. “No, Uzi and N told me why you did it. You saved them. You’re a hero. Just …don’t do that again. Ever.”

She took a deep breath and brought V’s hand to her cheek, leaning into the latter’s palm, smiling as V’s thumb caressed her cheek. “I’ve spend so many days on this very chair, just …talking to you about my day, asking you to wake up and trying to come up with what I would say once you woke up.” She let out a soft scoff. “I actually prepared a speech. I made a list of what I wanted to say. I practiced in front of the mirror. I was ready. And here I am …and I can’t come up with any of the things I wanted to say to you.”

V rubbed her thumb over Lizzy’s cheek, smirking. “This is why I prefer actions over words, so there can be no mistakes about my intentions.”

“You know what…” Lizzy stated as a playful smirk formed on her lips. “You’re absolutely right!”

Lizzy threw her arms around V and embraced her so tightly, the latter thought she was gonna snap in half. “Ugh, easy, Lizzy.” She laughed as she returned the hug. “I’m still healing. If you’re not careful, I- “

A kiss on her cheek made her stop dead in their tracks.

“I missed you so much, V.”

A kiss on the other cheek.

“And I am so happy that you’re awake, I feel like I’m gonna blow a fuse.”

Gentle hands take hold of trembling ones. A kiss on the palm of V’s hand makes her gasp softly as something tickles down her spine.

“And I know you are hurting, but I am here.” The other hand gets a kiss. “So are Uzi and N.” A giggle. “But mostly, me.”

Lizzy seems to have crawled almost on top of V without her noticing. V feels her core work overtime as two hands tenderly hold the sides of her head, her vision filled with Lizzy’s pink eyes gazing warmly and lovingly at her. V swallows down a lump as a trembling hand reaches up to Lizzy’s cheek.

“I thought you didn’t know what to say?” V asked, not really knowing what to say herself as she feels her mind numb down.

Lizzy leaned in closer to V’s face, the distance between their lips slowly growing smaller with every passing second. A soft giggle escapes her lips. “I improvised.”

Feeling suddenly emboldened, V started to lean in as well pulling herself and Lizzy closer to one another, until-

KNOCK, KNOCK!

Both girls squeaked in surprise when a knock on the door interrupted their moment, with Lizzy, her visor blushing brightly, quickly jumping from the bed and straightening out her clothes and fixed her hair. V cleared her throat – her blush rivaling the one that Lizzy was sporting. She quickly glanced over at Lizzy, who just nodded and tried to keep her voice as even as possible. “C-c’mon in!”

The door opened and Doctor Steen walked in, his eyes glued to a clipboard. “Miss V, I hope you’re feeling-“ His eyebrows raised in surprise when he saw Lizzy standing there. “Ah, Miss Casio, I thought that we would see you here today. How is our patient doing today?”

“A bit grumpy, like usual.” Lizzy stated nonchalantly. V was impressed with how casually Lizzy was acting, like their little tender moment didn’t happen – or wasn’t unfortunately interrupted.

“That checks out….” Steen muttered. “I’m sorry to ask this but could you leave the room, Miss Casio? I need to discuss some things with my patient.”

“But Lizzy just got here.” V stated, hoping that she didn’t sound too desperate to keep her …friend here. “Can’t you wait a –“

Lizzy grabbed V’s hand and gave it a soft squeeze. “It’s okay, V” She assured with a smile and a wink. “I’ll be back later and we …can pick up where we left up then, okay?”

V really hoped her blush lines weren’t that visible. “Okay.” When Lizzy planted a quick peck on her cheek, she really had to muster up all of her remaining willpower not to giggle. She couldn’t help but smile as Lizzy joyfully skipped out of the room, giving V a last look before she closed the door behind her.

“Well, someone is happy that her friend is awake.” Steen stated, a hint of amusement in his voice. “I swear, she must have been visiting more and longer than your two other friends. You’re lucky to have them.”

“I certainly am.” V mumbled, before shaking her head to bring herself back to reality. “So …what do you wanna discuss, doc?”

“Well, I was wondering if you had given some thought about the options going forward?” He stated.

V looked down at her legs; still unmoving, still unresponsive. She had given it some thought, but the uncertainty of it all scared her. Just the possibility that her only options could just not work made her uneasy. But …she realized that she couldn’t just wait for a miracle. Lizzy was right, her friends were there for her and they would lend a shoulder if things got rough. And she had a feeling that things would get very rough, very quickly.

V took a deep breath and looked her doctor in the eyes. “I have and …I have made a decision.” She gripped her bedsheets as a tingle ran down her spine. “I want to have the surgery.”

“Are you certain?” The doc asked. “It’s fine if you want some more time to-“

“No, I’m certain.” V stated, her eyes beaming with renewed steely determination. “I’ll do the surgery. I want you to replace my legs.”

[i-am-minty-fresh]

God (?) Headcanons for One Piece:

Luffy is the god of the hearth. Looks like gear five.

Zoro is the demon king of the wrath ring. His real form looks like his Asura form.

Sanji is the fallen angel of creation. His true form looks like the bliblically accurate eye of rings kinda.

Nami is the demon queen of the greed ring. A imagining a naga kinda deal (totally blinged out with gold and shit tho).

Usopp is a fae nymph. He looks the same but he’s got sharp canines and gold spiraling eyes (and also somehow always has got leaves in his hair).

Chopper is an earth deity for good health that takes the form of a small boy with deer-like features (who’s true form kinda looks like the Jötunn from the movie The Ritual).

Robin is an ancient god of knowledge. In my mind she kinda looks like Life from The Loving Reaper Comics by Jenny Jinya with long hair that shows the stars and long black gowns that look like molten rock.

Franky is a sentinel who’s real form is his post-timeskip form. His kinda like Zog from the 2009 Astroboy movie, but instead of hard metal he’s rock like the Terra-cotta sculptures in China (the Terra-cotta Army in the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, I mean).

Brook is the king of death. His normal form has him looking like he did when he was alive with plaster white tattoos of his skeleton all over his body. He’s got like a hades thing going on.

Jimbei is the god of the sea. It’s got a human form that looks incredibly similar to his god form (never changing the dad build). When he’s in his real form he glows like a lava lamp to show the sea (it changes with his mood).

I like to imagine that none of the strawhats know that Luffy is also a god so they all have to hide their mystical forms when he’s around (they’ve all got jewelry to keep their human forms: Zoro’s earrings, Sanji’s tongue piercing, Usopp’s got a lip ring, Nami’s got her bracelets, Chopper’s got his hat to hide his horns, Robin uses an old spell, Franky can just change on command, Brook’s got a shell necklace, and Jimbei’s got rings. (Luffy has a helix piercing that he only half understands what it does)).

[gerec]

Hi Gerec! I’ve just got recommended a fun XMA skit from YouTube (here for anyone want to watch https://youtu.be/_rFyHJ1pSyg?si=jglR5bSlNsnKGckc) Basically, it’s about life at Xavier’s school and it makes me want to read fics like that :Đ So ol’ powerful fic recs wizard Gerec, do you know some good fics that focus on what life is like for mutants at Xavier’s school (preferably with some Cherik, or Quicksilver’s appearance would be lovely)? Thank you :Đ!

Thanks for sharing the link Anon! Here are some of my favourite fics where Charles and Erik run the school together. I hope you like them!

Through the Barricades by starandrea (series) Erik and Charles learned to live without each other once. It's harder the second time--so before they even discuss it, they've decided not to try. (Erik accidentally moves into the mansion without anyone but Charles noticing for days. He may be the first to return, but he won't be the last.)

Come Together by blarfkey (series) It's totally normal in Suburban America for the dad to pick up his rebellious teenager from jail, right? Even when it's the Pentagon instead of the local police station, and your dad is a Mutant Supremacist Assassin and America's Most Wanted who didn't post bail so much as murdered all the guards?

Whatever. Peter will take what he can get at this point, even if it means the most painfully awkward road trip in the history of the universe.

Somewhere Like Bolivia by iberiandoctor (jehane) After Cairo, after the school is rebuilt, Erik has every reason to leave. Charles and Peter think about giving him a reason to stay.

Synthesis (Scenes from an AU) by starlady (first of a series) Synthesis is a dynamic process. Or, scenes from the AU where Charles and Erik have sex, get married, become best friends, and run the school together.

The Xavier-Lehnsherr Academy for the Gifted: 1973 by listerinezero A year in the life of Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr, co-founders of the world's first school for mutants, one month at a time.

The Spaces Between by mainecoon76  Almost a year after Washington, Erik is working on his own to find out what became of the Sentinel research. He keeps to himself and likes it that way. But when a mutant assassin tries to murder Charles, he finds himself reluctantly drawn into an adventure that involves a dangerous plot, Charles' own agenda, a complicated relationship, and holiday celebrations at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.

Late Night Conversation by listerinezero (First of a series Fighting the Good Fight) Marie runs into Professor Lehnsherr in the kitchen one night during her first week as a student at the Xavier Institute.