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#2 years ago i promised comics about them
gus-dix · 1 year
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some of these... i drew two years ago! legit takes me this long to post stuff sometimes, it’s so embarrassing
do not erase the caption, use or rePOST my art (reblog ok)
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girlgenius1111 · 4 months
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no one should be alone on christmas
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barca femeni x reader
changed from the request slightly because i've read a couple fics where r tries to hide that she's gonna be alone for the holidays, and thought i'd take a slightly different approach, so as not to copy anyone :) but pinky promise there is tons of angst and fluff!
cw; mention of bad relationship with parents... implied homophobia i guess? not really discussed much though. angst, fluff, :)
The look on your teammates face when you told them you didn't have any plans for the holiday were almost comical; every one of them looked completely horrified. Sure, they knew your relationship with your parents was rocky, but they hadn't realized you didn't speak, didn't see them at all. What was almost worse was that you didn't even seem to understand why they were so appalled by you spending Christmas alone.
You knew, as soon as you left the locker room after your declaration and the room erupted into loud conversations, that your teammates would begin scheming.
Your problem was that you didn't really want to celebrate Christmas. Obviously, it was a big deal back home in England, and you'd grown up celebrating it, but those weren't the happiest of memories. For the first years of your life, Christmas had been fun. As you aged, and your parents started fighting, it didn't stay fun. Your parents had gone off the rails when you were a teenager; they were incredibly religious people, and when they felt you slipping away from this, they tightened their grasp, until it was suffocating.
Maybe the holidays wouldn't be so awful if they weren't such a stark reminder of what you no longer had, of the rift between you and your parents. Christmas 2 years ago had been the worst of your life. You'd fought with your parents all day, until a screaming match left you packing your bags. They'd had too much to drink, said things about you it was clear they were always thinking, but never vocalized. When you confirmed their suspicions in a fit of anger, they became more aggravated than you'd ever seen them.
You lived with friends for a while, once being at home became unbearable, until finally you got your first contract. You lived with teammates, then, and managed to avoid all conversations about the holidays. Since the Christmas fight, you'd sworn off the day, preferring to hibernate in your house, and actively try not to think about your parents. You missed who they were, and hated who they'd become, which made for a very confusing breakdown every year.
This was your first year at Barcelona, though, and your new team was not content to let you sit alone as you normally did. Especially not when you were only 19, and especially not when a lot of them had taken to acting like concerned mothers with you.
You didn't want to celebrate though, you couldn't. In the days following your locker room chat, you noticed your teammates being slightly odd around you; they weren't very subtle, and they were clearly planning something. Whether it was a Christmas kidnapping or a team party, you weren't sure. All you knew was that you wanted no part of it.
Telling the entire team this, though, didn't seem like something you wanted to do. So instead, you went to the only people you knew had the power to stop whatever horrifying red and green themed atrocity was being planned.
You weren't used to this, really, needing to talk to your captains about anything serious. You'd decided to pull Alexia aside after practice, and tried to be as normal as possible so as not to worry anyone. It didn't seem to work.
"What's up, y/n?" Alexia asked, once you were alone in the hall.
"Could we talk once everyone's gone? I just... there's something I need to talk to you about." You internally winced at how poorly you'd phrased that. Alexia's previously relaxed face was now one of worry as she scrutinized you.
"Of course. Just me?" she asked, her voice uncharacteristically warm. She'd clearly picked up on the anxiety oozing off your body.
"Um... maybe Mapi too?" you asked. Again, your teammates weren't subtle individuals, Mapi least of all. It had become obvious that she was the instigator of whatever plan was in motion.
"Si, I'll tell her." Alexia stated, before giving you a reassuring smile and leading you into the locker room.
-----
Alexia had directed you to an empty office, shuffling in with Mapi behind you. You sat in one of the chairs facing the desk, as they both perched on the edge of the desk. You felt ridiculously like a kid in trouble at school, as your leg tapped nervously, and the girls both looked down at you. They weren't angry, though, and you weren't in trouble.
"I know you guys are planning to do something with me for Christmas," you blurted, not really sure where to start. Mapi got a sky grin on her face, but Alexia's expression remained unchanged, the unease on your face making her heart clench.
"No, what would give you that idea, pequeña?" Mapi questioned teasingly.
"Please don't. I don't like Christmas, I don't want to celebrate. I know you guys feel bad, but I really, really just prefer doing my own thing." You responded, going with the sentences you'd practiced in your head on the way to practice this morning.
Mapi's face had fallen, and you felt guilty despite knowing that you were just doing what you needed to do.
"Why don't you like Christmas?" Alexia asked, brow furrowed.
"I just don't," you replied, biting tone making Alexia and Mapi exchange looks. You weren't normally so serious, or so defensive. You were staring hard at the ground, as though you wished it would swallow you up.
Mapi extended her foot, poking it against yours softly until you rolled your eyes and looked up at her.
"Why don't you like Christmas?" They weren't letting you out of this one easily. You took a big breath, fixing your gaze back down at your feet, before you spoke.
"My parents were really difficult. Not always, but for a while. I left home on Christmas 2 years ago. I haven't seen them since. It's not a very fun day for me," you explained, working hard to keep your voice from shaking.
Alexia and Mapi were silent, and you chanced a look up at them. Both were deep in thought, frowns etched across their faces.
"It's really not a big deal. I just don't do Christmas, I don't want to do Christmas. So whatever you're plotting, please don't," you said, desperate for them to understand.
"I'm sorry, I'm not trying to be rude," you started, suddenly alarmed that you'd seem ungrateful, but you were interrupted.
"No, don't apologize. Never apologize for telling us when you don't like something we're doing," Alexia said firmly, seeming to know what to say for the first time in minutes. "If you don't want to do Christmas, we don't make you." Mapi nodded her head rapidly in agreement.
"You were supposed to spend Christmas Eve with Marta and Caro, Christmas with me, and then go to Mapi's for a couple days, but we don't have to do any of that," Alexia continued, and you felt a wave of an unknown emotion wash over you.
You'd expected they'd been planning something, but not that they'd had you delegated somewhere every day of the break. It wasn't an overall bad feeling, just one you weren't used to.
"Thank you," you stated quietly, not really sure what else to say.
"The offers stand, though, pequeña. If you change your mind," Mapi insisted. "Also, ... it's possible that I rigged the secret santa and multiple people have you, and there isn't really anything I can do about that. So you'll get your gifts but you can be alone," she continued, biting her lip. She looked worried, as if you would be mad. Alexia looked slightly annoyed that Mapi had rigged the gift exchange, but much too preoccupied with you to yell at her then.
"Mapi," you groaned, allowing a small smile to form on your face, assuring her that you weren't mad. The gifts, you didn't mind. You could pretend they weren't Christmas related, and they'd be a good distraction.
Mapi launched into an animated story of how she managed to rig the exchange, [she'd just ended up giving more people presents to make up for all the people getting you things,]. The tricky part was, apparently, doing it behind Ingrid's back; this, you didn't doubt.
They walked you to your car, sensing that you didn't really want to talk any more about it, but leaving you with unusually tight hugs. You appreciated them a lot, even if they were too overbearing sometimes.
-----
When Mapi told you she'd messed with the Secret Santa, you assumed she meant that 2 people had you. Maybe 3. You were wrong.
First up at your apartment the first day of break, before everyone departed for their respective homes, was Ona. She'd managed to get you your favorite sweets from England, an entire box full. She stayed and chatted with you for a while, insisting that she didn't have anywhere to be until later. She was quite successful at getting your mind off things, and had you laughing with her after a bit. When she left, you made sure to tell her to thank Lucy for helping her with the gift, and she stammered out an agreement, a deep blush coating her cheeks.
Aitana showed up next, her gift amusedly from both her and Keira, as the ginger had helped her pick it out. It was a new washbag, not unlike Alexia's. They must have noticed you eyeing it appreciatively. Aitana also brought a mass amount of Christmas cookies, making you eat three before she left.
Patri and Claudia showed up next, pushing past you into your apartment as soon as you opened the door. They'd gotten you approximately 8 new games for your switch, and insisted on trying all of them with you. It left you wondering who the gift was really for, considering they often came over to play on the switch with you. Regardless, they stayed late into the evening, despite both having to get up early to head home the next morning.
Mapi and Ingrid arrived, bringing chaos with them. More Mapi than Ingrid. The Norwegian had gotten you a set of light blue ceramic mugs that matched your kitchen perfectly. You'd barely had time to admire them before Mapi was taking them out of your hands, and dragging you over to her absurdly large present. It was perfectly wrapped, like Ingrid's had been, and her cheeky smile told you that she wasn't as innocent as she'd like you to believe. You opened the box, finding it weirdly light. The inside was completely empty, and you looked at the girls in confusion. The doorbell rang then, and your confusion only grew, as Mapi had said she'd be the last to stop by.
You opened the door to reveal Alexia, holding a squirming puppy in her arms, with a bow haphazardly placed on it's head. Your jaw dropped. You'd mentioned wanting a dog a few times, but you'd wanted to wait until you settled in more.
"Is that... mine?" you asked, and all 3 girls laughed at your astonishment.
"Si!!" Mapi shouted, so overcome with excitement that she was practically bouncing up and down next to you. Alexia handed you the dog, and you noted that she was smiling wider than you'd ever seen her. Alexia and dogs.
He was a little thing, a mini long haired dachshund, light brown in color. His tail was wagging furiously, and he snuggled up to you right away, licking your face eagerly. You were completely speechless, almost moved to tears.
"Thank you," you said looking around at your teammates. You really didn't know what else to say; they'd gone so above and beyond, so out of their way to make these days slightly easier for you, to make sure you weren't alone, even if you wouldn't let them be there with you.
You handed the dog to Ingrid, before all but tackling Mapi in a hug.
"Te gusta?" she asked triumphantly, already knowing the answer. You nodded into her embrace, taking a second to pull yourself together, before hugging Alexia and Ingrid in turn. You hoped the hugs would convey what words could not.
They stayed for a bit, helping you get the dog settled, and watching him when you ran to the store to get puppy supplies. When they left, you could tell they seemed slightly sad; everything they'd done, and they still didn't feel like it was enough.
As Alexia hugged you goodbye, she spoke softly into the top of your head. "I'm around, y/n, if you're having a rough time, or you need someone to talk to. Call me, text me. Anytime. Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, I don't care."
You nodded in response, entirely sure that you wouldn't take her up on that; she'd done enough already.
-----
The days leading up were fine, fun even, especially with a puppy to take care of. You didn't think the day would hit you as hard this year, which maybe was naive. It hid you harder than it ever had. For the first time in a while, you were experiencing love and care in the way you used to from your parents. It made you miss the old versions of them. This, in turn, had you furious at them for becoming the people they'd become, so vile, so cruel. It was like there were two versions of them in your head; the smiling, blurry figures from your childhood. The angry, mean, much more vivid memories from your teenage years.
You wished that they hadn't hate a part of to the point that they might as well have just hated you as a whole. You were poisoned to them, for something you couldn't control.
You were in the midst of what was becoming your annual breakdown, this time trying to keep your sobs quiet as your puppy was passed out on the couch next to you, when your phone rang. It was Mapi calling. You picked up before you could stop yourself, desperate to hear a kind voice.
"Hola pequeña! Just wanted to check in," Mapi sang over the phone.
"Hola Mapi," you responded softly, not really sure how to disguise how upset you were, now that you'd picked up.
"Are you okay y/n?" she asked, her voice much quieter.
"Yeah. Today just isn't very much fun."
"I'm sorry, pequeña. Is there anything I can do?" she asked, and this was what broke you. She'd done so much, yet she was still so desperate to make it better. It didn't make sense to you, why this person cared more about you and your happiness than your parents had.
You tried to keep your sobs muffled, not wanting to alarm Mapi, but she could tell what was going on. She didn't seem to know what to say or what to do, and you felt embarrassment flood your body at the fact that you were openly sobbing on the phone to your older teammate. You bit your lip, hard, forcing yourself to steady your breaths so you could speak.
"Fuck, I'm sorry Mapi. I'm fine, don't worry. Enjoy your Christmas.
"No, y/n, wait,"
You hung up. You fell apart again, burying your face in the soft couch cushions. Your phone buzzed under you again and again, no doubt Mapi calling you back. Time was a blur as you cried, and you really couldn't have said how much time passed before there was a frantic knock at your door. Your puppy barked, launching himself across the room towards the door.
You knew who it was before you even got up, cursing yourself for not answering one of Mapi's calls to assure her you were really fine. You should have known she'd call Alexia panicking.
Sure enough, when you opened your door, you got a quick glimpse of her face, outfit, hair, all telling you she had left some celebration to come to you, before she was smashing into you, pulling you into her arms. You were crying again, or maybe you'd never stopped, and Alexia pulled back to look down at your face, frantically checking to see if you were physically okay. Mapi's call must have been really panicked, then, if she hadn't explained well enough what had happened on your own phone call.
"What happened?" Alexia asked. You shrugged through your tears, which seemed to be enough to convince Alexia that you hadn't broken any bones. She led you back to your couch, tucking you into her side as she called Mapi back. She spoke quietly to her teammate, letting you feel what you needed to feel, and assuring Mapi that she had you, and that you'd be alright. It was reassuring to you, too, really.
Alexia's presence was unwavering, arm wrapped tightly around your shoulders, every so often wiping tears off your face. When you were done crying, finally, she handed you your water, instructing you to drink. You did, placing the water back down on the table, and scooping up your puppy back onto your lap.
"Sorry you had to come," You rasped eventually, running your fingers through the dogs fur, soothing him as well as yourself.
"Don't be. I'm glad Mapi called me. I'm glad she called you, you shouldn't have to be alone when you're upset."
"Your family-"
"-all understood that I needed to be here," she finished, gaze fixed steadily on you.
"Thank you for coming," you said, pausing. "I'm not really used to this. All these people caring."
"Well, you better get used to it, because we all care about you, a lot. And we're always going to make sure you're okay, even when you tell us you are. You're not always very believable when you say you're fine."
Her words hit hard, and you sat in silence for a bit, until your puppy got bored, and attempted to gnaw on Alexia's hand. You both laughed, watching as he got distracted again, this time by your foot sticking out of a blanket.
"Come on, get dressed. We'll take him to go meet my family. Get some of that energy out."
Alexia presented this as a statement, but her face held a question, and you knew she would stay here with you, if that's what you wanted. You were surprised to find that it wasn't. You took her outstretched hand, and she smiled triumphantly. You smiled too. When you'd moved here, you hadn't smiled much. You found yourself smiling a lot more now; because of your teammates mostly. They had changed your life, when you hadn't realized you'd needed it to be changed. It was really amazing, what a little love could do for someone who was hurting.
-----
that was so much longer than i intended!!!! got a tad carried away. also mapi didn't tear her meniscus in this because i said so.
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scudslut · 2 months
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em's masterlist/guidelines
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fluff - 𐙚 || smut - ♱ || angst - ✾
➳ Daryl Dixon
one-shots: sins and honey flavored sweetness 𐙚 ♱ ✾ heartsease 𐙚 ♱ a summer wasting 𐙚 midnight refreshments 𐙚 a new years surprise 𐙚 ♱ lazy mornings 𐙚 stay with me 𐙚 ✾ too sweet ♱
drabbles: taste me ♱ head w/ daryl 𐙚♱ daryl’s uncut ♱ s4 daryl 𐙚 ♱ ✾
➳ Scud Frohmeyer
one-shots: take me however you want too ♱
drabbles: cockwarming w/ scud ♱ scuds a slut (canonically) ♱
➳ My Edits
normy's bday dhl burn, burn, burn
please send requests!
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About Me!
em | 20 | gemini
hi everyone! this is so long awaited (i’m legit so lazy) but finally i have a masterlist/about me!
╰─▸ my names emma, i’m obviously in love w daryl dixon/norman reedus. i love to write and make edits — u guys should totally follow my tiktok account @mrsemmadixon or otherwise known as scudslut;)
i met norman jdkskajajs at the nyc comic con 2023, he signed the back of my phone case, i’ll actually die on a fucking hill. yes, he’s just as godly in person.
in my day to day life i work with animals 10 hours a day, they are my main passion aside from writing and whatnot, so if i post a photo of a really cute dog i met, that’s why lmao.
i have 2 cats right now, my baby lily i got last year and sophie who i’ve had since i was a kid. typically we rescue all our animals!
i deal with extreme anxiety and depression from a major accident that happened in my life a few years ago (so if i don’t respond or have trouble posting sometimes… that’s why and i really hope everyone understands.)
I love, love, love music. I play the piano and guitar, probably not very good but who cares. some of my all time favorite artists are.. and here we go on a rampage... deftones, cigsaftersex, wheezer, nirvana, mac, frank, lana, djo, catpower, the vines, dinosaur jr, 21 sav, labi siffre, the kills, tom odell, basement, strokes, velvet underground, kendrick, norah jones, red hot chilies, the smiths, billy idol, the cure, no vacation, mazzy star, fleetwood, empire of the sun, pinegrove, otis redding, neil young, etta james, summer walker, motley crue, guns'n'roses, foo fighters, biggie, shady, drake, nelly, jay-z, $uici$ide boys, gucci, trippie... and so much more, my music taste is actually bipolar.
on that note, i actually have a playlist for daryl + norman (music he reposts/i think he’d like) lmk if u want me so share them.
i’m canadian, born and raised.
my parents are both extreme alcoholics, so i suffer from a multitude of childhood traumas as well as current ones. we love it here!:) but id like to think i relate to daryl in some sense, if its the only comfort i get from it.
i love pasta and wine so fucking much, if u don’t we are gonna have issues…
i spend my time either at my job, reading, writing, editing or spending time with some close friends.
and that’s pretty much me!:)
please feel free to ask me questions or request fics, i will absolutely love to do them! (as long as they follow guidelines) if your unsure, just message me to clarify! i won’t ever leave u on read, i promise!
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My Guidelines:
absolutely no rape/SA/even slight connotations of it.
no incest.
hitting, slapping, or any extreme violence during play, is a no. (daryl loves to smack your ass when he hits it from the back… that’s okay… but he would. not. hit you.)
age play - i will dabble in this but nothing major where reader is barely an adult. the most i’ll do is early/mid 20’s and daryl is his canon age.
oh yes, and i will write for all norman reedus characters! if you want someone else, messsage/ask me!
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gifs/dividers from @cafekitsune
© scudslut - all works are my own. please do not steal, copy, translate or modify any of my work!
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in1-nutshell · 2 months
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(One I am sorry if I am flooding your ask box is just I really love how you write) maybe old Predacon buddy get transported into the Earth spark universe how would they interact with Megatron from that universe possible hostility and will possibly gush over the terrans(is that how I say it?) Just overall more grandpa vibes
Old Predacon Buddy is going to start their own passport or scrapbook filled with their travels to other dimensions with all of their alternative grandkids.
Hope you enjoy!
Bot Buddy the Old Predacon meeting the Terrans and Megatron
SFW, Platonic, Cybertronian reader
TFP/TFE
Buddy was going to start keeping a personal travel log on all the different places outside their universe if this keeps up.
One minute they were peacefully watching Bumblebee and Bulkhead spar in the training room.
The next thing they knew they were thrown into a small clearing in the middle of the woods.
It was a peaceful piece of land if they were being honest.
They knew they needed to start thinking about how to get back home, again, but the scenery caught their optics.
Full of nice trees and moss, a perfect spot to nap.
Snap!
Buddy turns their helm to spot two small Bot and human girl and boy.
“…Hello?”--Buddy
“Hi!”—All of them
Buddy, a little stunned by the response, waves their tail.
The little girl and the bot next to her come closer.
The other two come after wards.
“We heard a large thud noise and found you here.”—Small red bot
“Did you now?”--Buddy
“Bet that was you making a crash landing.”—Small human girl
“You could say that. These portals aren’t known for giving bots nice landings.”--Buddy
“Portals? Like a spacebridge?”—Small human boy
“…Yes, like a spacebridge. How do you know what a space bridge is?”--Buddy
“Dad and Dad 2 talked about them.”—Small red bot
“Dad…Dad 2?”--Buddy
“Yeah well, Dad talked about it in the comics.”—Small white bot
“Excuse me, comics?”--Buddy
“Yeah, these things!”—Small white bot
Buddy is shown a comic with Optimus and Megatron fighting on the front page.
“Do… do all humans know about our species?”--Buddy
“Duh. You’re not from around here, are you?”—Small white bot
“I’m not. I’m from another dimension.”--Buddy
“Wow! So Cool!”—Small human girl
“Mo, they need to get back home.”--Small human boy
Buddy tilting their helm a bit.
“Mo? Is that your name little one?”--Buddy
“Yep! This is my big brother Robbie and our other brother Thrash and sister Twitch.”--Mo
“Brother… and sister…”--Buddy
“We found them in a cave, well more like created.”--Robbie
Buddy sitting down putting a servo over their face.
Buddy vents hard.
“Hold on a second kiddo. This…this is a lot to process at the moment.”--Buddy
“Robbie! Mo! Where did you guys go?”
“Wait I found them!”
Three more bots come from the brush.
Buddy just stares at them.
The orange and green one transform into their beast modes and stand in front of group. The large purple one looks like they are ready to fight.
“Who are you!”—Green owl bot
“Nightshade wait that bot’s friendly!”--Mo
“How do you know? They look like they can eat you whole Mo!”—Large purple one
“We should judge a book by its cover Hashtag.”—Small dinobot
“If it helps, I can give you my name. But you must promise not to ask questions about it.”--Buddy
“Deal.”--Mo
“Buddy.”--Buddy
“…Your name is Buddy?”--Robbie
“Yep.”--Buddy
“…okay! These are our other siblings, Hashtag, Nightshade and Jawbreaker.”--Thrash
Buddy nodding before taking notice of how young these bots looked.
“You said you found your siblings in a cave, correct? How long were they there?”--Buddy
“I think less than a year ago.”--Mo
Buddy looks like they are about to have a stroke.
Mo mentioned that their mother and father would want to meet them. Maybe even help them find a way back home.
As the little group walked towards the farm, Buddy followed making sure to watch each one carefully.
There was no way that these literal sparkling’s were leaving their sight.
Alex and Dot were extremely surprised to see the kids bring in a giant mechanical dragon home.
They looked even bigger than Megatron!
“Kids… who’s your new friend here?”--Alex
Buddy bowing their helm a little in respect.
“Hello there. My name is Buddy. I am an Autobot from another dimension. I fell into your world through some sort of portal.”--Buddy
“Wow…”--Alex
“Your name is Buddy?”--Dot
Buddy venting a bit.
“Yes Ma’am. That is my name it suites my personality, I’ve been told.”--Buddy
Dot looks at her kids.
“Did any of you—”--Dot
“We didn’t bring the giant dragon here!”--Thrash
“I am a Predacon little one.”--Buddy
“What’s a Predacon?”--Jawbreaker
“…I’ll explain it later. Umm…”--Buddy
“I’m Dot, this is my husband, Alex.”--Dot
Alex looking starstruck at Buddy.
“Hello—”--buddy
“Can you fly?”--Alex
“Dad!”—the kids
“Alex!”--Dot
Buddy chuckling a bit before dipping their helm to the ground in front of him.
“Would you like to see for yourself?”--Buddy
“I like them!”--Alex
“Can I go too!”--Mo
“And me!”--Robbie
“And me!”--Hashtag
“One at a time little ones. Dot? Is there someone you can contact that could--”--Buddy
“Already calling the big guys. They should be here any minute.”--Dot
Buddy was pleased and agreed to wait.
In the meantime, Buddy had already taken an oath to protect the young ones with their life while they were still here.
Buddy also wondered whose alternatives they were going to run into this time around.
Buddy played around with the little ones when a yellow sports car came speeding in and transformed.
“Dot! I got the call—SWEET SOLUS PRIME!”--Bumblebee
Buddy turning to the yellow bot with a happy grin on their face plate.
Buddy easily walks up to him with four of the Malto bots hanging from their frame.
“Bumblebee! My, my I haven’t met an alternative of you yet. And your voice!”--Buddy
Buddy looking around his neck cables.
“Not a scratch!”--Buddy
“Can someone explain!”--Bumblebee
“Oh sorry! Where are my manners. My name is Buddy, I am an Autobot from another dimension and Dot dear here was nice enough to contact some bots that could potentially help me with my problem.”--Buddy
“…”--Bumblebee
“It’s a lot to take in. Take your time little one.”--Buddy
Did Bee feel a bit intimidated about the giant dragon talking to him in such high regards.
Yes.
But at the same time, he didn’t.
Despite the grand size of the bot, they were a softy.
They really lived up to their name.
Soon enough a familiar truck comes in.
“Is that Prime?”--Buddy
“Oh yeah Optimus is here.”--Dot
“That’s—”--Bumblebee
A grey helicopter starts hovering above the truck.
“…Bumblebee. Who’s that?”--Buddy
“Megatron.”--Bumblebee
Buddy nearly snaps their neck at how fast they look at him.
“Excuse me?!”--Buddy
“What?”--Dot
“Megatron? Here? The leader of the Decepticons?”--Buddy
“Oh, he isn’t a Con anymore. He’s one of us now.”--Bumblebee
Buddy’s wings drop as the kids go welcome the Prime and ex-warlord.
“Your war is…is it over?”--Buddy
Bee and Dot look at Buddy who seemed to have aged dramatically in the few seconds of hearing that news.
“Yeah, its over…I take it yours isn’t?”--Bumblebee
Buddy shaking their helm.
“What about the other Decepticon’s?”--Buddy
“Some are doing their own thing and others do cause trouble from time to time.”--Bumblebee
Buddy huffs a bit.
“Next thing you’re going to tell me is that Starscream is the leader.”--Buddy
“I mean—”--Bumblebee
“This is the part where you tell me that isn’t true…”--Buddy
“Well…”--Dot
“…please say sike right now…”--Buddy
 Prime and Megatron start walking over.
Buddy straightens themselves and transforms to go shake the Leaders servos.
“Optimus. Megatron.”--Buddy
“That’s us. And who might you be stranger?”--Megtron
Buddy suppressing a tiny sob.
“Buddy, sir. My name is Buddy.”--Buddy
“Strange name, but it looks like it suites you well.”--Optimus
“Thank you Prime. I take it that you two can help me get back home?”--Buddy
“We will do our best Buddy.”--Optimus
Buddy smiles at the two.
“That’s all I could ask for. Thank you.”--buddy
Buddy eventually sat down and talked to the two mechs while more bots were coming their way.
Buddy met the alternatives of some fellow bots they knew or had known throughout the war.
They nearly got teary eyed when they met this alternative of Elita One.
Buddy found it a bit hard to connect the dots between this version of Arcee and Wheeljack.
According to Wheeljack, it was going to take a couple of days to make sure that Buddy would get sent to the right dimension.
Buddy didn’t mind too much as they spent most of their time with the kids.
These kids lived for Buddy’s play time and stories.
“Then what did you do?”--Jawbreaker
“Well kiddo, I took that hammer and threw it at our Commander. He was able to help our Wheeljack and Bulkhead while I managed to get us some cover from the Vechicons.”--Buddy
“Cool!”--Thrash
“Buddy, I have a question.”--Nightshade
“What might that be Nightshade?”--Buddy
“You mentioned once that you were a gladiator of sorts right?”--Nightshade
“Yes, that was during my younger years.”--Buddy
“How young though?”--Nightshade
“Hmm… probably around the first hundreds of years give or take.”--Buddy
“…”—The kids
“Kids?”--Buddy
“How old are you?”--Robbie
“…How about another story?”--Buddy
“How old!”--Twitch
“Storytime!”--Buddy
“How old Buddy!”--Hashtag
“Dot! Restrain you kids!”—Buddy
Soon enough it was time for Buddy to go back home.
Buddy made sure they hugged every single one of their new friends before going close to the portal.
Buddy made sure to give extras as they were leaving.
Buddy came out of the portal and into the halls of the base.
Only to get immediately hit in the helm by a lob ball.
“OW! Who threw that!”--Buddy
“Buddy!?”--Miko
Miko starts running to Buddy in the Apex armor.
“Wait Miko the armor—”--Buddy
Miko jumps into Buddy’s open arms.
Buddy falls backwards with a hard thud.
“Miko, I’m not as young as I was before.”--Buddy
Miko doesn’t listen, too busy hugging Buddy.
“You need to stop disappearing like that.”--Miko
“Trust me if I had a choice I would stay with the team. The universe seems to have different plans. At least I always end back home.”--buddy
“You got that right.”--Miko
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leclsrc · 1 year
Text
brought me here – cs55
Three lives bathed in citrus.
auds here... guys i wrote this on a whim because the concept of the intimacy of. just peeling a fruit & sharing it w a lover.... got to me fr. warnings for 1. google translated spanish and 2. a notting hill love letter in the middle. title from this
“Hey, do you want the other half?”
You present a half of an orange to Carlos, words muffled by a slice. It’s a big fruit, almost comically so, but he nods and lets you toss it to him. He pops one into his mouth, lets it crowd with the sweet taste. You smile. “Good, right?”
This is the first time you interact, over a peeled orange and then some. He talks about racing, about Spain; you talk about how you’re new here, interning at another team, and the oranges taste so much better. He asks if you’ve packed another, quietly—like he’s imposing—but you shake your head, no don’t be shy, I’ve got a lot. Swiped them from my neighbor’s yard. 
You yank another one out of your bag and peel it with dexterity. He’s fascinated by this, by watching you, someone who had just been a stranger ten minutes ago, peel an orange and hand it over. “Oranges are best for sharing, don’t you agree?”
“Hmm.” He doesn’t really, doesn’t know what you mean enough to agree. “I don’t know.”
“Think about it.” He focuses on the English, gears turning in his head as it processes through him in Spanish. “An orange can be perfectly pulled into slices, into halves, quarters. You can easily share them without a knife or a cutting board. Just talking like this, we’ve shared two.”
“You’re right.”
“And no orange is alike. So every half really only matches its other half. Cool, right?”
He chews on a slice, nodding and smiling, then opens his mouth to reply. But just as quickly as this conversation has started, it’s come to a close—you’re called to report to work and you leave him, alone and stuttering over a response.
Carlos inspects the slice, the pith, the pulp. Nothing else will match this except the slice you’d peeled it away from. And Carlos doesn’t know this yet, but you’re his other slice, his other half. 
He doesn’t know that in two months you will be peeling an orange for the both of you in his bed, offering a half to him. In six months you’ll be peeling an orange for him while you talk about moving in together. In eight months, you’ll be peeling an orange and inspecting your new flat. In a year, he will toss you a half of an orange, and you will chew on it while reviewing a job offer outside of racing.
In a year and a half, you’ll be sharing half an orange at a friend’s wedding. He will turn to you, watch your fingers fiddle with the discarded peels, and make a decision in his head. In two years, you will peel an orange for him, and this time you let him have all of it, because he’s world champion.
In two and a half years, he will peel an orange for you at dinner, then propose to you hours later. In three years, he will write his vows to you, and express his deep appreciation for the oranges you’ve peeled, for the conversations shared over them. Mi media naranja, he calls you. Always, forever.
And a long stretch of peels and pith later, he will be tucking a little girl into bed, brushing hair out of her eyes and promising an orange for breakfast. And he might wonder then, what life would be in any other universe, if he would still have his media naranja.
Carlos passes by a billboard of your face on his drive to work. It’s barely a drive—measly five minutes of traffic, really—but even if he walked or took a bus, the route would still show your face. Smiling and airbrushed and beautiful, on the poster of your brand new movie his roommate has seen twice in the cinemas now.
Your face is also the one staring at him blankly, sunglasses perched on your nose as you wait for your purchase to be checked out.
He’s owned this bookstore in London for five years now, a business decision that made barely any sense because he’s not even English, and hasn’t been to half the countries the store sells books of. They say magic happens with books, but Carlos is surrounded by hundreds of them, and for five years all he’s really got is a magical amount of debt and teenage shoplifters.
But this is magic. Right? It must be. A famous actress buying a book from his store. Somebody sidles up beside you; your eyes widen in mild panic.
“Oh, God. Could I maybe get your autograph? Oh, God. This is mortifying. I’m—I haven’t even got a pen, for God’s sake—”
“Well,” you say smoothly, “don’t worry, I do.” Your voice slides easily through the words, a pen retrieved from your jeans pocket. You let it hover idly while the other customer fidgets to find a good surface for his signature. Eventually, he settles on the front page of his new book, presenting it like a sacrifice.
You sign a clean, illegible scribble. He bows, then shrugs, as if to openly question why he even bowed. “Um, the bow was stupid. Don’t—Christ. Sorry. Big fan, I am. Oh, my—whatever. I love you. Bye.” He half-runs out of the store, and the bell rings noisily as he departs, his head still turned toward you through the glass even when he’s walking away. 
You turn slowly back to him, clearing your throat. “Did you still want to ring that up, or—?”
“Oh, sure. This one, right?” He points at the smaller book—The Dummy’s Guide to London—and when you nod, he rings it up. “That’s not so bad a book. None of the usual ‘Big Ben, Buckingham Palace’ stories you’ll usually find in UK guidebooks. But y’know, there isn’t much to know about this city. It’s posh, a bit pretentious.”
“Right.” You nod, hiding a smile. “And you’re so obviously British.”
He laughs, shaking his head—his accent giving him away—then he smiles. You speak again: “How about this. I’ll let you know if it’s of good use. And no need for a bag.”
“Oh, please do.” He smiles back, placing the receipt on the book. You stay like that for a bit, then on a whim, he tugs an orange out of the brown paper bag he’d brought from the weekend market earlier. “If you’re hungry, or if you fancy a talk about London—for non-dummies and actresses, maybe—we could split the orange.”
You laugh. It’s a beautiful sound. “Okay. Well, oranges really are best for sharing, don’t you agree?”
“Hmm. I don’t know.”
“Think about it.” He focuses on your English, on your unmistakably American accent, gears turning in his head as it processes through him in Spanish. “An orange can be perfectly pulled into slices, into halves, quarters. You can easily share them without a knife or a cutting board. It’s just… easy.”
“You should turn that into a movie screenplay.”
You laugh. “I’ll give you half the royalties if it happens.”
Carlos lets you meet his friends two weeks later. One of them, Lando, totally blanks and forgets you’re a world-famous actress. Charles and his girlfriend serve you chocolate, to which you’re deathly allergic; apologetic and panicked, the only other sweet thing in their kitchen is an orange. You accept it gratefully, peel it, and give half to Carlos.
A year later you accept a half orange, continue mulling over the future of your relationship. You’d been in hiding for so long, in an effort to keep him safe. But this is real, you think. It’s the both of you, like it’s always been, like it’s going to be, always. The day next, after commenting on how your handbag smelled so naturally of orange peel, your Spanish co-star says: “So he’s like your media naranja?” And when you prompt elaboration, “Hmm—like your other half. Better half. Perfect match.”
You invite Carlos to a movie premiere of yours in Los Angeles nine months later. You forget dinner in the rush to make the call time, and squeeze his hand in the middle of the film. He’s too distracted by your acting, but manages to give you tiny orange he’d wedged into his inner jacket pocket. He peels it, gives you all of it. A congratulatory gift all his own.
You are both alone in this life, but content. 
“Vendías naranjas ayer, ¿adónde fueron?” Your brows knit together. You’d made this specific stall your very last stop, to make sure you’d get the best oranges. The air is still and humid in Seville, but the weather is beautiful, and the oranges are delicious—really delicious. Andalusia is perfect this way.
The vendor shrugs. “Estamos fuera de ellos. Tienes que llegar temprano.” Then, as if sensing your lack of fluency in Spanish, he switches to accented English: “That man over there just got the last ones.”
Your eyes travel over to two stalls over, where a tall guy browses the tomatoes. His hair is long, his polo is loose, his paper bags overflowing with oranges. And you think, who the hell needs this many? But you don’t press, you simply walk away. You have work, a yoga class, a coffee to buy for yourself. Friends to meet. Money to earn. Countries to travel to.
Nothing tethers you to Seville. You’ll be gone in weeks if you wish to be, gone from the hills and the lovely area. But sometimes, and here especially in such a beautiful place, you always end up wondering if you will find someone to keep you. Someone to quarrel over an orange with, someone to peel it for, and someone to love. 
You wait at the bus stop, eyes watching intently as the orange buyer walks over minutes later and stands idly beside you. You both wait. You both wonder.
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asklilmissrarity · 4 months
Text
Progress Update on Melodi
Hello, everyone!
Happy New Year!
On December 15th 2023, I made the public announcement that Lil Miss Rarity will receive no further comic updates from me, finally confirming a common theory that I had lost the will to continue creating it. Lil Miss Rarity, just to confirm here, is now public domain and I encourage fan-blogs and will proverbially pass the torch to anyone who would like to take up the mantle.
It wasn't an easy decision to make because of how many times I'd promised I would never stop updating it, and I did in fact have future plans for it (I will be making a video on YouTube describing how I'd planned to continue the story, and how I would have ended it if I ever did).
But in its wake came Melodi, a spiritual successor to Lil Miss Rarity, and I've decided that a story-driven video game with ongoing updates would be the smartest decision, at least for the introduction to the series.
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And so along came this twiggy elf. (Important note: Her booby size on her sprite is exaggerated, same as her head size. The in-game art for cutscenes will show more proper body proportions.)
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Melodi is now just four directional (diagonal movement) sprite animations away from being a complete character sprite, which means creating a proof of concept will be just a matter of time.
As of today, I have completed:
The intro cutscene for the game, leading to the introduction of Melodi and her teacher, Eliah Sterium (Multiple full color images accompany that cutscene)
Seven unique songs entirely composed by myself (Literally learned how to make music a week ago just for this project)
Four directional movement sprites consisting of 6 frames of pixel animation each direction (Including separating each part to make them usable for other characters' sprites)
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Four directional idle animations consisting of 6 frames of animation each direction (Again, making paperdolls to use later for other characters)
A discord server for the ongoing production of Melodi RPG where I'll be answering questions, including answering as the characters from the game similar to the LMR ask-blog
27 (just counted) preliminary sketches to flesh out character designs and have reference for myself
Eliah Sterium's design, making the ladies go gaga
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Mountains of lore (a lot of which can be found in the Discord's lore channels)
Personalities for the primary cast of deadbeat magic school students
Art for the title screen
The entire storyboard for Episode 1 and Episode 2
The pricing model for the game (Episode 1 will be a free demo, and all remaining episodes will be bundled together in a $10 purchase)
The "Pet Cwow" option on the Quit Game menu and what happens when you pet him (You'll see)
The entire intro in-engine (Screencapped above with Eliah there)
Many new fans/friends who've introduced themselves in the Discord
And, I have received (on December 31st) my very first negative review of the game, which I will cherish. Someone who knew nothing other than "It's a game about an elf who goes psychotic" and saw the title art said that the game was basically doomed to fail because Melodi has large breasts, to which I replied "Imagine being this fucking butthurt over tits existing" which set him off into an obnoxious and insulting rage that ended with "Enjoy nothing but horny virgins playing your game and ignoring the dog water, generic ass story." A quote that I will never, ever, ever forget, and if I someday make a physical release of the game, I promise you, that quote will be on the back of the box.
There's even more than just all this, I've already sunk tons of hours of time and effort into the production of Melodi and I am super excited to continue.
I want to thank everyone for the support of the game so far, and I hope once people know more about the story and characters, the game sees the same kind of fandom that Lil Miss Rarity once had.
Luv you all
~Jay Tonique
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fluffyhare · 2 months
Text
Like Real People Do, Part 2! ♡ (Casper x Avery)
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☁️ Summary: Casper waits for Avery to make good on his promise to visit, and gets more than they bargained for!
☁️ Warnings: Suggestive language, mild tickling (please do not interact with this if you're a minor!)
This is a series now!
Part 1
Part 2 *you are here
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
If you just got here and want to know more about my characters, you can read my comic starting right here!
Everything that hurt, always hurt more the second day.
I sat up in bed, pain wrapping around my middle like a boa constrictor, squeezing agony into my bones. It was four a.m. again, but now it was Monday; a workday.
I grabbed my phone and opened my company's intranet page, hastily navigating to the HR section of the site and putting in for a sick day, followed by an email to my boss and coworkers.
Good morning,
I am not feeling well and will not be in today. All incidents assigned to me are up-to-date with notes. In case of emergency, please text me.
Thank you,
[deadname]
I stared at my reflection in the dirty bathroom mirror. My teal hair looked like the aftermath of a fork stuck into an electrical outlet, and there were pale violet circles under my eyes. While they were genetic, they had become even more visible since my insomnia started. Lifting my shirt, I looked at my stomach, where a bruise like an arm of the Milky Way bloomed in shades of blue and purple, fading to yellowish green at the frayed border. I clattered three Excedrin into my palm and swallowed them dry.
My apartment didn't have a dining area, so I sat on my green-corduroy couch as I peeled an orange. Aside from the hum of the air conditioning unit, it was quiet.
What the hell happened yesterday?
Given the shape and location of the bruise, I felt pretty certain that I had, indeed, crashed my skateboard into the pier's guardrail.
"Oh, shit! My skateboard!" I remembered dismally. It was probably at the bottom of the ocean by now, waterlogged and unsalvageable. Unlike most other skaters I knew, who often had a quiver of five or six boards, I only had one; a drop-through longboard that wasn't too long, which meant it was perfect for my short stance. It was the first board I'd learned to ride, and I'd saved up for months to afford it. My heart sank as I remembered how much research I had done to find the perfect beginner skateboard, and the graphic I had so carefully selected -- a stylized depiction of a person surfing beneath a cloudy, pastel sunrise.
Sunrise. Clouds.
The rest of my memories from the previous day surged back.
"Avery!"
I nearly choked on an orange slice as I glimpsed the microwave's digital clock. It was five a.m. now.
"Sunset time Port Oleander," I googled frantically, the search engine responding with cruel indifference, "seven-thirty p.m."
My fingers counted the hours: fourteen and a half. I collapsed back into the couch as impatience like a cartoon anvil fell on me. How could I possibly wait that long?
Memories of the lighthouse assailed me as I slumped, stunlocked, on the couch; wet brick, old paper, bergamot, sea spray. An embarrassment of books. Sunlight glinting off bits of ice in Avery's swirling, translucent head. His huge, sincere, almost goofy smile. His laugh.
My stomach twisted with a swell of emotion so strong it was almost painful as I recalled the sensation of Avery's warm, boisterous laugh vibrating my ribcage. I wanted - no, I needed - to hear it again and again and again. My fingernails dug into the couch cushion as I fought to gather myself.
"This is just infatuation... right?"
I wasn't exactly a stranger to romance. I'd had partners here and there, but admittedly, the termination of my previous relationship over two years ago had left me unsure that falling in love was, well. For me.
The initial "spark" that seemed a crucial part of attraction for other people, for me, was apparently defunct; attraction did not happen often, and when it did, it was more a slow and methodical building of a home, less a match igniting an all-consuming fire. Love, intimacy and trust were all building bricks, predicated upon a wrought-iron foundation of knowing a person well, forming a bond as friends over time.
Physical intimacy, itself, was a whole 'nother ballgame. As a solitary person, most physical touch -- even mundane -- carried a weight of closeness that was not always comfortable or welcome, but was embarrassingly out of my control. I recalled my recent visit to the doctor, cringing a bit. Though I was loath to admit it, even brushing hands with the grocery store clerk as they handed me my change left a lingering sensation that I had to fight to ignore. I wasn't the type to hug a stranger; I wasn't the type to even hug my friends unless we'd spent significant time together. I certainly didn't think about ti...
My ears suddenly grew hot.
Was I already thinking about... that? With Avery?
Avery's hand holding mine over his kitchen table, his palm cool and soft, the mysterious and silent storm rushing beneath his skin. His gentle gaze that, despite his obvious years, held an innocent curiosity. His playful-yet-shy bravado as he introduced himself with a flourish of his hand, the way he so effortlessly scooped me off the ground. I wondered if his skin felt the same everywhere else... on his body, and on mine.
"Oh, no. We just met, we are NOT doing this," I argued, trying to appeal to my own sense of reason,"you're just gonna have to tough this out, Casper. Don't rush into things and scare him off, this is probably just a crush you're going to get over once you get to know him."
"But I've never even had a crush before, I don't know what to do!"
"Dude, just be regular! Just hang out with him like normal and see what he's like! I don't know, take him to the fair or something!"
"Is that a good way to get to know someone you're attracted to?!"
"I don't know, I'm you!"
I lowered my reeling head into my hands, suddenly regretting eating that orange as my stomach churned. Things were happening so fast. I looked at the clock again -- agonizingly, only an hour had passed.
A horrible thought occured to me, then:
What if Avery didn't feel the same?
"Don't go down that road," my internal monologue chided, "you have no idea how he feels. Don't spiral out of control."
"Why would he even be interested in me? I'm weird! I spend all my time by myself, I'm chubby, I barely have any talent, I don't even have any friends since I moved here! Not to mention how much trauma and baggage I have-"
"See, this is exactly what I'm talking about! Stop it! Everyone has baggage, even Avery probably does. You don't have to earn other people's love! You're good enough just for being who you are, and if he would only love you for what you can do for him, he wouldn't be loving you for the right reasons, anyway. Now get up and channel this nervous energy into something productive for god's sake, before you burn a hole in the couch."
I stood.
I cleaned up the coffee table.
I vacuumed my carpet. I washed every thread of clothing I owned, and my bedding. I did the dishes, cleaned every window and mirror and dusted every surface. Raiding the fridge and freezer, I threw out everything that was expired, then I alphabetized my spice cabinet. I mopped, scrubbed, wiped, and folded until my apartment looked like it was straight out of an IKEA catalogue.
Then I left, and ran every errand I had been putting off. I finally emptied my mailbox, bursting with junkmail (I was sure that our postal worker just loved me). I got my car inspected and put air in my tires. I went to the grocery store and restocked my fridge.
All the while, my mind reeled like a YouTube video set to loop:
Avery, Avery, Avery.
+++
By the time I was done, it was six forty-five p.m. I sat on the couch in my favorite pair of jeans and my coolest short-sleeve button-down: a navy blue number with tiny koi fish print. My hair was perfectly quaffed, and I radiated a shower-fresh clean. My apartment was silent, my palms sweating as my hands rested on my thighs. Despite all my arguing and resistance, I was the very definition of down bad.
My incessant thoughts piped up.
"You're trying too hard. You realize that Avery saw you yesterday, unconscious, in a ratty t-shirt and cargo shorts, nasty and sweaty from skateboarding, right? You probably looked like shit, and he probably thinks that's how you normally look. You probably smelled bad, too. He's gonna know."
"He's not gonna know. How would he know?"
A soft knock on my door interrupted my internal warfare and made me jump out of my skin.
I put my hand on the cold doorknob. My heart beat so furiously I could feel the fuzzy edge of my consciousness, and I silently bargained with my hypotension that if it just left me alone for now, just for tonight, I would pass out all it wanted tomorrow. I turned the knob and opened the door.
"Hi!"
It was my neighbor. I experienced an emotion that could only be described as crushing relief.
"I found this outside my door, I think it's yours, isn't it?"
She was holding my skateboard. It was wet, but it didn't look to be soaked through. I gasped, taking it from her.
"Yes! You said it was outside your door?"
"Yeah, I don't know how long it was there, though. Probably since this morning. This is the first time I've gotten out today, so..." she trailed off. We'd spoken in passing, but we didn't really know each other.
"Well, thank you, I lost it yesterday. I think my friend found it and probably just forgot which apartment was mine."
"Hey, no problem. Have a good one," she said, smiling politely as she left.
When she was out of sight, I hastily looked around. The sun was just beginning to sink below the horizon, and as I looked up, I could see hard chips of stars starting to appear. Over my shoulder, I checked the microwave clock again. It was seven o'clock on the dot. How much longer? What would I say when he arrived? What would I even do when he did? My hands grew cold as I realized that, in all of my stress-cleaning, I hadn't planned anything for Avery and I to do together. Maybe I still had time?
"Good evening," a familiar, airy voice spoke from mere inches in front of me.
I jumped again, head snapping forward as my suddenly weak hands dropped my skateboard, which rolled lazily across my small patio.
Avery stood before me in the dying light. He wasn't completely transparent yet, and the fading sunlight behind him illuminated the delicate curves of his head, giving new meaning to the phrase "silver lining." He was grinning like a child who'd just had ice cream for the first time.
My words caught in my throat.
"I'm glad you found your skateboard! I fished it out of the water after I took you home, but I couldn't remember which apartment you lived in -- sorry about that. I hope it isn't ruined."
Across the courtyard, a man opened his door and stepped out, snapping me out of my besotted daze. My fight-or-flight engaged.
"Get in here!" I whispered urgently, grabbing his shirt sleeve, eliciting a surprised yelp as I pulled him into my apartment. He was lighter than I expected, and as the door swung closed, I tumbled backwards onto the floor.
"My goodness, Casper, are you okay?" He offered a hand to help me up. I scarcely had time to brace myself before taking it, and had no choice but to endure the overwhelming thrill of sensation as his cool palm pressed against mine, pulling me to my feet. He was light, but his strength was undeniable; he practically pulled me off my feet by my hand.
"Oh, yeah, fine... ah... I saw someone... out there, across the yard, and I was afraid they would see you," I hastily explained, avoiding his eyes as I tried to calm my palpitations.
"Well, that was kind of you! Believe it or not, though, humans do see me sometimes. Usually you just assume I am something else, like fog, or simply a trick of the light. Come to think of it, though... I suppose, technically, I am both of those things..." He put his fingers to his lips contemplatively. It was only then that I noticed a few things about him that were different from last time -- he was wearing square-framed glasses, and he seemed... shorter? The first time I saw him, he practically towered over me; now, though, he was only about a head taller.
"Did you get shorter?" I asked rudely, wincing before the words had even left my mouth. Mercifully, he didn't seem to mind.
"Oh, yes! It's a scorcher today, isn't it? I evaporate when I get too hot, or if I go too long without water, similar to how you run out of energy when you don't eat."
I realized that I hadn't offered him a seat or anything to drink since I abruptly yanked him into my apartment. I sensed my father rolling in his grave.
"I'm so sorry, can I get you something to drink? I have plain water, but I also have flavored sparkling water, you know, like La Croix? They aren't sweet, but, they're kinda fruit flavored. The kind I have is strawberry. I also have hot tea? I don't have any soda or anything, I don't really drink soda or alcohol, I also have m-"
Avery put his large hand on my shoulder, offering a reassuring smile. I flushed immediately, becoming aware that I had spoken in such a rush that I'd forgotten to breathe. I inhaled greedily, unable to meet Avery's eyes as I gestured to my small couch for him to sit.
"Sparkling water sounds lovely. I've never had that before, but I love strawberries!" he said, taking a seat.
I cracked open a can for each of us, then took a seat on a cushion across the coffee table from Avery. My couch was so small -- really more of a loveseat -- and I was afraid it was too soon to sit so close to him.
As Avery took a sip of the fizzy drink, his eyes lit up, like they did when he laughed. The liquid entered his mouth, and I watched the bubbles swirl like a hurricane just below the surface of his clear skin, before disappearing into the cloudy translucency of his body. Almost imperceptibly, such that I might not have noticed if I wasn't watching, he grew a bit taller.
"Hehe, that kinda tickles," he said, giggling, "it's not much of a flavor, is it? More like an idea of strawberries. Nonetheless, I like it! It reminds me of the flavor of tea."
"Oh, god. Oh, no."
My mind spun like a top flying off a ripcord. I felt my blush rise cartoonishly from my neck all the way to my hairline, like mercury in a glass thermometer being thrown through time, straight from winter into summer. Had I been a cartoon, I was sure that steam would be whistling out of my burning ears.
"The way that word sounds on his lips... oh, god, this is more than I can bear," I thought, watching him read the back of the La Croix can, his head tilted upward as he peered through his bifocals. There was no denying anything anymore; no bargaining, no holds barred. I was helplessly, hopelessly, powerlessly smitten. I had no choice but to admit it, now: all I could do was double-down.
"Hey Avery?"
"Yes?" He smiled again, and I realized with dizzying elation that he always smiled when he looked at me.
"Have you ever been to the fair?"
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storybycorey · 24 days
Text
From Deep Within storybycorey's WIP Files
I've recently discovered various snippets of WIPs that I'd somewhat forgotten about, so I'm going to start publishing them. Some of these are more recent (2-3 years ago?) and some are from much longer ago. I make no promises of ever finishing them, but thought it would be fun to release them!
No clue where this next one came from. I assume it was a sex scene I wrote for an existing fic but then I must have decided to go in a different direction. Who knows? Not me! It must be fairly old because it's written in 1st person, which I only did in the very beginnings of my writing 'career', which also accounts for the less than stellar writing style. But hey, it's porn, so I figure that makes up for it.
.
.
But then he slows to a stop.  “Wha…?” I whimper desperately, grasping at his shoulders.
“Shhhh, hold on,” he says.
He flips us over so that I’m now on top, lying against his heated chest.  “Oh!” is my startled reply as I prop myself up with my arms on his shoulders.
He grabs hold of my hips and grinds them against his own, then says, “Show me, Scully,…. show me what you like….”
“Mulder, I don’t…, ” I sputter.
“Show me…,” he interrupts me before I can even finish.  And then, still inside me, he arches his hips.
I grunt, surprised.  My body responds before I can even think, and I undulate right back against him.
“Yeah,” he rasps, ”…just like that…”
I grip his shoulders and begin to slowly rock, rolling my hips with every thrust so that his cock will rub against my clit.  So good. It’s so good. 
He fills his hands with the flesh of my ass, squeezes.  My breasts lift and sway with my movements and he stares, lips slack.  His awe-filled expression would be comical if it weren’t so erotic, if it didn’t turn me on so damn much.  I move more aggressively, arch my back just to watch what he does.
“Touch them…,” I beg, aching for him.
He looks me in the eye. “No,” he denies me, “Show me first.”
I gasp.  My God.
“I want to see, Scully,” he urges, “Show me what makes you feel good”. 
His hips are still gently thrusting as I take my hands from his shoulders and sit up.  What makes me feel good… He makes me feel good. But I know what he’s asking. I know what he’s fantasized about the last seven years, the things we thought would never happen but finally did.
I nod. He grunts in encouragement.
I want to give him what he wants.  I want to show him. 
My eyes slip closed, and I lick my lips. He bucks slightly beneath me, squeezes my hipbones with his thumbs. Then I slowly draw my hands up my body.  From knees to thighs, then my fingertips over his thumbs at my hips.   Across my belly to circle around my navel.  Then finally, I tickle along my ribs until I’m cupping the undersides of my breasts, flirting with the him, lifting them towards him in offering.
My God, I can’t believe how much this is turning me on.  The thought that he’s watching me tease myself like this is unbelievably erotic.  I allow my eyes to slip open briefly, to see him watching me.  His eyes are dark and hooded, his lower lip slack and wet.
He watches my hands, waiting for me to take the last step, and I feel the pace of his thrusts slow in anticipation.  I’ve never felt like this before. Jesus, my skin is so sensitized right now, so hungry for touch. I trace slowly along the curves beneath my breasts with my middle fingers, back and forth, back and forth, rolling my hips at the same pace against him.
“Scu…,” he breathes, mesmerized.
Finally, I can’t stand the tease anymore, and I allow myself to cup their fullness, squeezing the soft flesh, kneading it. And oh, it’s glorious. My head falls back on my neck and I groan at the sensation. 
“Jesus!” he grunts, bucking up hard beneath me.
I try to imagine what Mulder feels when he touches me.  As I knead, I notice how soft my breasts are, I pay attention to the wonderful, sexy weight they’ve got to them. My head rolls on my neck in pleasure. By the time I circle closer to my nipples, he’s panting. I touch my areolas first, the skin even softer there—so sensitive. My back arches in anticipation as I tease myself. God, him watching changes everything.
I can’t take it anymore; I finally give in. I pinch my nipples and roll them between my forefingers and thumbs. My hips buck at the sensation, and we both groan. I tug them gently away from my body before letting them snap back. I do it again. And again and again.  With my knuckles, I brush softly over their tips, alternating between this and pinching them between the webbing of my fingers. It’s too much, it’s not enough, it’s just so, so good.
Mulder grips my hips and grinds me harder down against him. I’d lose my balance, but he holds me steady, does all the work for us where we’re joined so that I can continue with what I’m doing above. I start to feel frenzied, out of control. I pinch my nipples harder, twist and tug them more roughly. He growls beneath me, snaps his hips so erratically, I finally lose my battle with balance and fall forward, dropping my hands from my breasts to brace myself against the sheets.  
I needn’t worry though, because immediately one of my breasts is in his mouth and the other in is hand, picking up right where I left off. What finally drives me over the edge are his teeth—gentle but nipping, taking what’s left of my sanity and tossing it away.  I fall against his chest, mouth wet and open at his shoulder, my desperate whines muffled against his skin. He follows me over the edge just moments later, fingers clutching at my back so hard they’ll leave bruises.
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skyedancer-rae · 1 year
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TGAA2 Spoilers for 2-3 and 2-4.
This comic is a follow-up to a comic I made several months ago wherein Mikotoba learns about the dance of deduction around the live time bomb.  He’s still not happy about that.
Image description after the Keep reading:
Both images are 2-panel comics.
On the first page, the first panel taking up almost 3/4 of the page.  The top half is dialogue as follows: Sholmes: But Mikotoba, surely you wouldn't be so cruel as to deny me of the comfort of my own bed and the arms of my beloved partner after all these years? Mikotoba: Go back to the couch, Sholmes. Sholmes: I promise you that your daughter was never in danger. I kept an eye on the bomb's timer the entire time, ready to deactivate it the moment the deduction took too long. Mikotoba: ... Mikotoba stands on the left side of the panel, arms crossed as he scowls at Sholmes.  Sholmes stands to the right, clutching a pillow forlornly to his chest as he stares pleadingly at Mikotoba.
Panel 1-2: Sholmes, with large, sad eyes, says softly, "I missed you."  Mikotoba stands stock-still, eyes wide at the quiet admission.
Image 2:  Both panels show Mikotoba and Sholmes snuggled together in bed, with Sholmes tucking his head under Mikotoba's chin as he holds onto his partner tightly. In the first panel, both wear peaceful, content expressions.  Floating hearts surround them, with the majority coming from Sholmes, to indicate their mutual love. In the second panel, Mikotoba opens his eyes to scowl down at Sholmes as he says, "If you ever endanger my daughter's life like that again..." Sholmes, rolling his eyes, angrily retorts, "YOUR DAUGHTER'S LIFE WAS NEVER IN DANGER IN THE FIRST PLACE!"
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izzi8bit · 3 months
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You’ve been doing sprites for a while now. What catalyzed your desire to make a game with that talent?
This is gonna be a doozy. Things are pretty bad on my side of things. I lost my job a year ago and haven't found stable work since. I've got some freelance here and there but I'm more or less living off my savings which are about to run out. I'm applying to places outside of my career but I'm a 34-year-old trans woman with exclusively animation freelance and some teaching experience, which means nothing in sales, fast food, or custom service. I lost my car because my partner parked it in a tow-a-way zone and since I work from home doing freelance I didn't notice til I went to go somewhere and the towing fee had built up beyond the worth of the car. So I'm inexperienced and don't have a car, which basically makes me unemployable. I've done some freelance animation work for some Youtubers but that's only netting me $800 every other month. I did get a "job" at an educational gaming company, but the promised hourly rate wasn't real and they were paying us in stocks of the company. I wasted an embarrassing amount of time on that. Did some pre-vis work for a friend but they still haven't paid me and no longer responding to my messages. I'm pretty depressed. I'm still applying to places left and right but I needed something to do with my time. My partner seeing me in pain sat me down and talked to me about having some kind of project. "Work on that comic idea, learn a new program you wanted to, make that game you always wanted to make, take a class" She knows I'm capable of a lot, even though at this point of time... I've lost myself in all the loss.
So I chose to work on the clown game. I had some assets I made a while ago, updated them, and started learning Unity, got frustrated and a friend suggested Godot. And things clicked. I've got something to live for again. I'm still under financial stress, but at least I'm making something. A friend suggested a Kickstarter, but I can't imagine people would want to give a first-time game dev money to make ANOTHER platformer. So it's mostly just a learning experience. I'm learning a new software, I'm learning a new language (GDscript), and who knows maybe I'll make enough of a game that I can release it and make a little something. Honestly, I just want to get to the point where I have enough content to make a demo for people to play. I've got 2 levels done! And it's only been a month since I started learning. And it's pretty polished for what it is! Long story short, my partner pushed me to learn something new and I'm having a blast making a game. Outside of the stresses and fear, it's the happiest I've been in ages. I love doing it. I just wish I could pay rent.
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samobservessonic · 1 month
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Last time we left off, the comic had just wrapped up its biggest story arc so far. It’s only fitting that we give Sonic a bit of a break after that, with a standalone story from Kitching & Rodriguez called “The Sentinel”
Now, I feel like this story was reprinted in a later issue that I did read, because I remember the art. I don’t actually remember what happens in it beyond a nagging feeling that it somehow connects to a group of characters we’ll see in future called the Drakon Empire. But I might be misremembering that
For now, we’re introduced to an unknown figure rising out of the waters of the Aquatic Ruins Zone (more Sonic 2 zones from Kitching, we love to see it), which the text box tells us hasn’t been seen on Mobius for thousands of years
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The figure (who we can assume is the titular Sentinel) doesn’t escape the notice of the Kintobor Computer, who passes the information onto Sonic, who decides to check it out. He’ll be doing this alone, as the other Freedom Fighters are all occupied. I like this, because they’re establishing that the group does other work outside of following Sonic. For Tails in particular, we’ll be seeing where he is later in this issue. Hooray for continuity!
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Sonic uses a star post to warp over there and it’s hard to miss the Sentinel, which he confuses for a giant badnik. Given the wide range of badniks we’ve seen in the comic so far, I can’t blame him for coming to that conclusion
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To add to this assumption, Sonic is immediately attacked by badniks, which he observes that Robotnik will station even in zones that he can’t use for his conquest. Given what we see the SEGA Robotnik go on to do, maybe Robotnik just likes to have a hand in any mysterious ruins, in case they turn up any ancient doomsday weapons further down the line
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Sonic makes short work of the badniks and even promises to get all the animal batteries inside them back home once he’s wrapped up here. Once again, StC Sonic might be blunt towards his team, but he really, really cares about looking after the people he’s saving
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But Sonic ends up falling into the water, which is rarely a good thing in the era of the early Sonic games. I included quite a few of these panels above, because I just like how this sequence looks - the scale of the ruins really does give a daunting feeling to how far Sonic’s fallen
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Thankfully, before he can drown, the Sentinel comes to the rescue
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I was actually a bit worried that a large part of this story would get taken up with the misunderstanding of Sonic thinking the Sentinel works for Robotnik, but thankfully this plot thread gets cut short by the Sentinel saying that it’s never heard of Robotnik and Sonic believing this
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The Sentinel names itself and explains that it was left here when its masters left the planet two thousand years ago, leaving the Sentinel trapped in the lake. Now that there’s no one left here to protect, the Sentinel has no further purpose and collapses into pieces back into the lake. Honestly, that’s the kind of relief that I’ll probably feel when I finally finish that other project I’m procrastinating on
Sonic tries to appeal to the Sentinel, since having a giant walking rock statue on their side could really help in the fight against Robotnik, but the Sentinel doesn’t stick around to even hear his words and that’s that On its own, this would probably be a quite underwhelming story, but I have a feeling that Kitching uses it to expand on this lore later, so I’m content to let him cook
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potteryheadd · 1 year
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No Time To Die Ch.1
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Pairing: (Eventually) Bucky Barnes x enhanced!reader
Summary: Endowed with the Infinity Stones, Reader is racing against time to save the universe with the help of MCU hero’s they meet along the way. 
Chapter Summary: Reader makes a tough decision that changes not only their life, but the universe. 
Warnings: angst, Suicidal Ideation (and plans), mild(?) Torture, kidnapping, medical equipment use (tube inserted in body), 
Word Count: 2.6k
a/n - Ahhhhh this has been a long time coming for me. I started this story a year and a half ago when I was in a very dark place. Thankfully with much deserved self reflection and support I am ready to come back to this story. Now, with the help of some of the BEST beta readers I’ve had the pleasure to meet, the first chapter of this series is ready for your enjoyment. ^.^
 p.s I envisioned the reader as plus size and black (cause that’s meee) but it can be read regardless.
Big thanks and love to my beta readers: @srhwho​ @beating-a-dead-plot​ @the-singular-peep​ @who-you-gonna-message​
It’s all gone. 
I’ve finally finished selling all my things, and an empty apartment lies before me. A ghost of what it used to be, really. From furniture, appliances, wall art and throw blankets, down to the Marvel comics and movies I never finished. Given away. I had thought to keep everything the way it was when I left but I know the money I’ve saved can go to a good cause.
The tub is warm and soothing, water nearly spilling out but stays bubbled around the edge as I slip deeper into it. The smell of my last Christmas candle lingers in the air and, if it weren’t for the bottle of pills on the toilet seat cover next to me, I might’ve said this was a pleasant experience. As I stare at them, I can’t help but think how long it would take, would it hurt, should I have picked another way?  
It’s okay, this is what I want. Right? I promised myself if I did everything I could and nothing worked, this could be it. 
A glimmer catches my eye and I turn to see the last thing I own, a photo. A photo of the only thing I wanted to see before I go, my friends. The ones that really made me believe things could change. We met by chance but were held together by our love of nerdy things. What would they say about me now?
Tears stream down my face as I grab the photo, wishing it could save me from this. From what I’m feeling, what I’ve been through, what I’m about to do. I see my smiling face and wonder what I could’ve done to get that back. To feel hope again. I turn the photo over and find my list of reasons to stay alive. 
10.I deserve good things 9.I want to make a difference 8.Heavy rain and hot chocolate 7.What if they invent space travel after I’m gone? 6.Eating cheesecake at 3am  5. Sunny days 4. Looking for shooting stars 3. The neighborhood cats 2. Spite 1.Love
I remember all the jokes my friends made when I wrote down the first two. It’s true though, spite has gotten me so far in life but love feels like healing. It made me appreciate the small, beautiful wonders of the world all of which I’m leaving behind. Can I really leave all of this behind? I close my eyes and list my reasons like a prayer till my voice goes hoarse. 
Maybe waiting one day won’t hurt
The door to the bathroom slams shut. 
Whispers begin to fill the room, creating a cacophony of almost unbearable sound. Dropping the photo to cover my ears does nothing to drown out the voices, all of which are too quiet to hear more than a word or two.
“...protect…” 
“...chosen…”
“...chosen…”
“...chosen…”
“...find them...” 
The bathroom light blows out and I jump splashing water everywhere as a giant reflection appears in front of me. It looks like moving water. I think for a second then go to touch it, my hand completely passing through. 
Holy shit
Yanking my hand back I see my fingers tangled in a necklace with 6 gems, each radiating a different color. Why the hell is this so familiar? Before I can inspect anymore, the room begins to shake and the jewelry falls out of my hand into the tub. I grip the edge of the tub and sweep my legs inwards to catch the necklace and quickly put it on. 
The room goes still. 
What the hell just happened. I touch the center of my chest, smoothing my fingers over the chain. Rising from the tub, prior motives long forgotten, I towel off and find myself lying in my empty bedroom with my phone plugged into the wall.  
Search: Real Infinity Stones MCU
As I scroll through the results, mostly containing plastic versions of the stones for sale and Marvel movie ads, nothing resembles any sort of answer. 
I mean sure I’m off my rocker a little bit right now, but I know I didn’t just imagine that. Infinity Stones!? I’d heard rumors about Hydra being real, maybe even multiple realities – but this? How am I even holding it!?
BANG BANG BANG
The front door startles me and, as I get up to answer, my stomach tightens. Something doesn’t feel right.  As I tiptoe towards the door, the banging becomes louder and louder, until I’m in front of the peephole. No one. Suddenly glass shatters from my bedroom window and footsteps bound towards me. I rush to the kitchen, hoping to find something, but feel a slight pinch on my neck and darkness takes over.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The room I wake to is nothing like my apartment. Cement walls covered in cracks and dirt and grime, the strong smell of bleach and mold hangs in the air.  Head pounding, I can feel soreness in my arms and legs. My heavy eyes open to see that I’m strapped down to a chair, incapacitated. My shirt has been ripped open and a small tube has been hooked up to my chest, connecting to 3 giant machines placed around me that are filled with a blue liquid. 
“Finally, you’re awake.” 
Behind me, in the far right corner, sat a man in a long tattered white coat with a clipboard in his hands. He watches me through his broken glasses as I struggle against the restraints, careful to not move the tubes. 
“What are you doing to me?” I ask weakly.
“Only saving our asses, now please sit still. I can't get a proper reading on the stones when you move like that,” he replies, crossing the room and opening the door for another man. This one had on all black tactical gear, a gun fastened to his hip, and a black arm patch with a bright red skull and six tentacles. He stays close to the door and crosses his arms. 
“Who the hell are you? You’re not doing shit except keeping me hostage with the Hydra reject over there!”
“Actually, he was a top asset to Hydra in the days before Thanos.” White coat chuckles, “And think of our relationship more as that of Frankenstein and Monster.” 
My eyes go wide with fear. “What the hell are you doing to me!?” 
White Coat stands between two machines and flips a switch, sending me doubling over in pain. Blue liquid from the machines starts seeping through my tube. After a minute, he flips the switch again and begins asking questions,
“How’s the clarity of your mind right now?”
“Could you feel anything happening with the stones?”
“Are you noticing any hardening in your muscles?” 
This guy is insane
I huff leaning up, “Just please tell me what you’re doing to me, I don’t know why I have the stones or how to use them. If you want them so bad why haven’t you taken them?” 
“Trust me darling, we tried,” White Coat says, pointing to my chest. I look down in horror noticing a faint, oval shaped scar around the necklace. “Those stones don’t want to be taken.” 
Did they fucking cut me open? I’ll kill him I swear…wait-
“Why is it healed so much, I just got here?” 
“The stones healed you, of course. Can’t have their protector getting hurt, now can they?” He sounded bitter.
I raise an eyebrow and he steps around the machines with a small metal chair and clipboard and sits in front of me.
“This last test really messed with your memory, huh? The stones chose you as their protector.” 
It hit me like a train. The voices. Most were too quiet to even hear but I know they said this. They must have been trying to tell me, or warn me. But what does “find them” mean? Find who? There’s no way it’s these guys.  
“Chose me? Why would they have chosen me?”
Tactical Gear turns to me. “Trust me, sweetheart, we’ve been trying to figure that out too.”
“Oh and…you’ve been here a while my dear, about 6 months now?”
“6 months tomorrow, Doc.” Tactical Gear sports a grin as he speaks.
“W-why can’t I remember? Have I been asleep?”
Tactical Gear snickers, “You wish, sweetheart, we’ve spent a lot of quality time together. And your memory? That’s all Doc.”
“It’s truly the kindest thing we could do for you, this work doesn’t happen without some… side effects” 
Side effects!? “What kind of side effect warrants memory loss? What’s going on here!?” 
“Jesus Christ, Doc just tell them, it’s no fun fucking with them when they’re like this.” 
“I wanted to give them time, but … alright,” White Coat lets out a breath. “I assume you aren’t aware of the multiverse, yes?” 
“Like in Marvel movies?” 
He sighs, “This is much more complicated than that but yes, and similar to the movies, Thanos is also very real and very much on his way for those stones. He destroyed Hydra looking for them many years ago, and I have no doubt he senses their presence now.”
“My theory is that, combined with my version of the super soldier serum, the stones will react to your new strength and be our ticket out of here. You’ve been quite stubborn these past few months and have refused to willingly participate in my work so this,” he gestures to the restraints, “is our last resort.”
"You're seriously making me...what, like a super soldier? Like Captain America? I could literally die!" 
“ Do not worry my dear, you will be my greatest creation! You are going to lead Hydra into a new age across the timelines.”
“The only thing I’m going to lead is my foot up your ass, now let me go!”
White Coat only shakes his head before getting up and walking back around the machines. He looks as if he is going to mess with the machines again but decides against it, instead walking towards the door. 
“Take them back to their room, we’ll pick up tomorrow.” 
Tactical Gear pushes off the wall and unties my arm restraints. “Now don’t get feisty, wouldn’t wanna have to hurt you.” 
He smiles. 
Dick.
Feeling comes back to my legs as he takes the straps off and lifts me up bridal style out of the room. He walks down a long blue lit hallway, avoiding the stripped wires hanging from the ceiling. If I had the strength in my legs I’d run, but… where would I even go? I don’t know where I am or how far I am from civilization. The room I’m taken to is bland to say the least. Four more cracked cement walls, a chair, and a bed that Tactical Gear throws me unceremoniously on. He turns and walks out, locking the door behind him.
A sob escapes my mouth as I turn over and clutch my legs to my chest. None of this should have happened. I know what I should’ve done, and now I'm here. I pay no attention to the necklace as I run my fingers over the scar – it’s healed but will most likely never go away. A familiar feeling begins to rise. 
After everything I’ve been through, THIS is where I end up? These stones saved my life and now I’m stuck with fucking Dr. Jekyll and Hyde? No.Fucking.Way. I’m getting out of here even if it’s the last thing I do. 
This is how most nights go now. Wake up, a breakfast of toast and expired fruit, and then continuous torture. Like cattle being raised for slaughter, only I’d be the one doing the slaughtering eventually. I can feel what the serum is doing to me, I’ve bulked up to the point Tactical Gear has a hand on his gun whenever I’m in the room. It would be an ego boost if it wasn’t so damn terrifying, especially since the man looks like he’s itching to pull the trigger!
 It’s been 3 weeks and I haven’t even thought of using the stones. My captors are less than thrilled, but I know Marvel like the back of my hand and, if they think super soldier serum will trigger these stones, yeah right. I just need to buy enough time to figure out where I am and how to leave. They haven’t said anything about it, but I know that’s what comes next. Brainwashing. It’s the only way they’ll ever get me to use the stones for them. 
I can hear footsteps through the thick concrete as Tactical Gear approaches, a new perk of the serum. He opens the door and gestures to walk out, hand readily on his gun. I slip past him and make my way to the room — there aren’t any exit doors in the hallway so he lets me by. I learned that my first week. I take a seat and allow him to strap my arms and legs to the chair. He begins inserting the tube and I reflexively wince as he purposefully pushes it too hard. 
“I’m hoping this test will be our final and all 3 of us can continue my work somewhere else,” White Coat says, not looking up from his clipboard. 
“Wait- you mean this is it? What if it doesn’t work.” My heart races as I think of the consequences of not using these stones.
“ Well, you’ll finally be done with the serum today, so training should be next.”
Sure. “Training”. I knew it. 
Looking down again, I feel a wave of nausea come over me. I had to get out of here and fast. Should I use the stones? Are they even in my control? I close my eyes and begin pleading with them.
Please, please, take away my tube and get me out of here! 
I wait a moment before opening my eyes and seeing everything still as it was.
“Get ready, dear, try to concentrate on a portal out of here!” 
And away from you
As he begins flipping switches again, the blue liquid crawls back towards me, and I can’t help but continue to plead with the stones as pain shoots through me. 
Please get me out of here
Please get me out of here
Please get me out of here
Swoosh
A bright light blinds me as the left wall collapses in on itself and is replaced by a smokey blue portal. White coat cheers and begins fiddling with the machines again while Tactical Gear steps over to me and starts untying me from the chair. After unraveling all the restraints, he roughly yanks me up from my chair and pulls the tube from my side. I cringe, expecting pain but as I look where the tube is I already see a scar forming on my side. Another new perk of the serum I’m sure. 
 He turns back around to grab a duffle bag hidden from behind a machine and I know this is the only chance I’ll get to escape. I leap over two giant bundles of wires to get out of his reach and dive towards the portal. 
“Stop them!”
I can’t tell who’s yelling but it’s the least of my worries as I pass through the portal and crash onto cement. Scrambling up I turn to see White Coat and Tactical Gear bounding towards me. Running through what I now see is an alley, I turn the corner onto the sidewalk and immediately crash into someone.
“Oh my god, please you have to help! These guys are cha-”
My eyes look up to meet large white lenses with black rims sewn into a red and blue suit, an all too familiar sight. 
“Woah woah it’s okay! I’m Spider-man, I can help!”
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ljsd · 10 months
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10 TV shows to get to know me better!
1. Doctor Who
I used to be a massive fan of this show - and do still like it, I just haven’t watched it much recently. I once made a video which went semi-viral of all the times the title of the episode was said in the episode. My favourite Doctor used to be Jon Pertwee - it probably still is. I need to watch more of the Classic stuff again, and I need to catch up on some of Capaldi and Whittaker’s eras! 
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2. Community 
Probably my favourite comedy, especially seasons 1-3. It's just extraordinary. I love the characters and the concept episodes are always really interesting while not being pretentious. I love it. Watch it. You'll love it too.
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3. The Office (US)
I'll be honest, I tried watching the original UK Office years ago and never quite 'got' it. I should also admit that I've not seen all of the US Office - I stopped watching a few episodes after Michael left and skipped ahead to the finale - I will watch the rest at some point, promise! Definitely a big 'comfort show' for me.
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4. Peep Show
OK, if you're not into British comedy, this is a weird one. Especially the first couple of seasons. But it's so worth it. You'll grow to love (& pity) Mark and Jez, as you see just how comically tragic their lives can get. It peaks in season 4 for me, but it's all great. And this one links to the next one, which is...
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5. Succession
I put off watching this one for ages, because I was so attached to Peep Show, and this was created by one of Peep Show's co-creators. It felt almost wrong, for some reason. Anyway, I gave in and binged the whole thing immediately after the final episode came out, because I knew that at some point I'd come across spoilers, so I may as well watch it. Obviously, it's really really good. You should watch it if you haven't already. Very intense and emotional, and occasionally a bit bonkers.
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6. Breaking Bad / Better Call Saul
Yeah, I'm including these as one. I think if you watch 1 of them, you pretty much have to watch the other. Again, no spoilers. It's one heck. of a ride, though. (Also, El Camino, the sequel movie.)
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7. Red Dwarf
A British sitcom set in space. It's wonderful. Well, most of it. Particularly the first 5 seasons. But it's all at least pretty good, I think.
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8. Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister
A British political sitcom which changes its name halfway through, because - well, because the minister becomes Prime Minister. The word which comes to mind is 'quaint', in the best possible way. It's like Dad's Army meets The Thick Of It (2 other shows which I don't have space for here but I also love!)
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9. Bojack Horseman
This will make you cry with laughter and cry with sadness. It's a beautiful show about celebrity culture and mental health, through the eyes of a troubled and flawed celebrity horse. It's bizarre. And brilliant.
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10. The Boys
Left this one till last because while there are some others above which are not exactly family friendly, this one really isn't. It's not for everyone. If you're particularly squeamish, maybe give it a miss. But if you're up for the gore and adult content, this show is insanely brilliant. Very much looking forward to season 4 and the upcoming spin-off.
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bittersweetmagpie · 1 month
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Candy Witch Saga
Idk if writing about this will just get it stolen or if it's even worth writing as no one may even see or care but. Basically I came up with my chibi candygore witch designs 2 years ago, coming up for 3, but the moment I gave them Actual Names was the moment my brain constructed an entire narrtive around them. I don't know the details or how to connect A to B to C but I have scene ideas, characters interactions and arcs, fight scenes, death scenes, and a whole ocerarcing plot and I know how it ends.
I was going to make a webcomic! I have the first 5 pages drawn! I designed my main players and a third of the side Witches, the villains, but then it was like no, I need to write, I need to script. It's been months since I've written, and my ability to write and think about these girls comes and goes in waves, and their outfits are so complex they're hard to draw over and over. I have silly side comics for them in their more 'normal' forms but honestly? When their refs and OG art only get around 1-6 notes, it's....difficult to even want to create more art of them. No one cares so why bother, but no one cares cause there's no content, but there's no content because no one cares. I worry I can't share too much or I'll give plot and twists and turns away or I'll have my girls stolen, or worse, I DO gain an audience and I leave them disappointed because I'll go 3 months unable to write them but no problem making other art, fanart or other OCs.
But please know I adore these girls. I love my story. I want it to be made. I want to write it, I want to share them with the world. But between my own insecurity about whether I'll do my own story justice, having to be okay with people interpreting the characters however they may, even if that interpretation is negative or made in bad faith, and the fact that the Internet is becoming more and more hostile to artists and building an audience seems so impossible, plus the fact I have no source of income asides from open commissions that seemingly no one ever sees or wants, I physically cannot afford to write this.
I always knew it'd be a long term thing, but it's going on the backburnder. I know this won't mean anything, hardly anyone even follows this account or knows they exist haha. I have some hope that I'll get into printing other candy/pastel/plush gore designs and once that kicks off I'll be able to post them with more confidence, maybe when I say "hey guys ask me about my Candy Witches" in an OC channel I'll gain a reply. For now, I think I have to put Penny, Poppie, Harri, Lorelai, Gelli and Rubie, and all my other beloveds aside. I feel so incredibly guilty over this but what can I do? I'm sorry my darlings, I promise I'll be back, and you'll shine like you deserve.
I don't know, I just....I made this account to have a place to put my art and specifically them, but look how that went haha. This account's going nowhere, I simply felt like I had to get this written up.
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zahri-melitor · 1 year
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No Man’s Land
I made it back through! As I said before, my last read through was over 15 years ago, so it was a lot of fun seeing what I remembered and what I didn’t. This really is one of the best Batbook events. The departmental level planning and plotting really stands out; there’s only a couple of times events are repeated between titles (most of the duplicates are actually in Azrael, now I think about it; particularly the Azrael-Catwoman storyline. Clearly they understood they couldn’t trust people to read Azrael) and the story flows with very few contradictions/out of order events/obviously skipped bits . The biggest overall ‘wait what?’ timeline issue is ‘how long was Tim actually IN No Man’s Land and how many times did he sneak back in after being rescued’, because the suggestion he was inside for 2-4 weeks before being airlifted out is hilarious given he then proceeded to spend over a month staking out Pettit and got back in for the Christmas Eve summons quite easily.
Highlights from my read: Bruce Wayne (as opposed to Batman) has some really good stories through Cataclysm-Aftershock-Road to NML. I adore when comics take the time to break out what Bruce can do as a Wayne compared to what he can do as Batman, and both are on show here.
Legends of the Dark Knight #125: the conversation here between Jim and Batman is something that’s been building for over 6 years, since Knightfall. And yeah, the payoff is worth it. They both used their words!
Being a big event, we got multiple 'day in a life' comics for outsider PoVs or minor characters, which are one of my favourite things. I'm a huge sucker for an outsider point of view. Lots of ordinary Gothamites just explaining why they stayed and what community means to them (and also that Gotham talks to you when you have bat rabies). I particularly adore the little red headed agent of Oracle's in SoTB #92 who is so EXASPERATED by Clark Kent ruining her stakeout. She's got a job to do! Stop ruining her report!
Among this is also some of THE defining Leslie characterisation in Chronicles #18, of why she's a doctor and her philosophy on care. Now, the way the story used Zsasz to frame it was irritating (please Leslie, O neg is in such short supply I PROMISE you there are half a dozen people in your hospital camp here right now who need it more than Zsasz), but what can you do. "I will provide treatment to everyone" doesn't have to mean "I'm using an invaluable resource on the least deserving/needy person in this hospital" but it does mean "everyone deserves my care and best effort".
Barbara is at her best, here. Not only does this run highlight her skills as an information broker, troubleshooter and dispatcher, but everyone finally starts turning up regularly to the Clocktower to hang out/have meetings! Early 2000s status quo behaviour has been ACHIEVED. The story would not have worked without her.
Just a BUNCH of Gotham Rogues have really good stories here. What Penguin contributes to the city's dynamics is just so very on display as he runs the entire city's black market. Two-Face's trial of Jim Gordon is some iconic storytelling. Ivy is mostly around via her physical absence - she only appears on page for Fruit of the Earth and in the Harley Quinn intro to set up the Harley & Ivy status quo - but she pins a lot of the territory warfare in place via holding Robinson Park, starts her road to redemption, FINALLY gets rid of those terrible 90s tights (ugh I dislike that costume) and honestly probably helped a lot of people survive NML. And uh Black Mask himself doesn't have the greatest storytelling but his HENCHES do. 
Harley finally gets her promotion to the main universe (and her intro doesn't suck). Joker is fine I guess...ok yes I do actually like Endgame and it's solid Joker storytelling, even as shooting Sarah Essen is the most cheap and lazy angst ever (And then! Jim and Bruce are there in front of Joker who is asking to be arrested after he hurts their family! Again! This story has never been told before oh wait it's the 10 year anniversary edition).
Every Bat vigilante (minus Steph) gets a lot of solid character work and stuff to do. Steph's stuck off in her pregnancy arc having Dixon Lectures On Ethics, but does get that Helena team up during Cataclysm at least. We get Cass and David Cain! JPV remains the saddest wet cat in Gotham and the universe causes terrible things to happen to him (seriously how did you end up getting blown up and in worse shape than HELENA for the finale)! Dick confirms he's back in the family full time and will come if Bruce asks! Tim and Dick have adorable sibling adventures together! There’s an entire Dick/Babs hurt/comfort storyline! Tim Having Parents is actually plot relevant and helps end No Man's Land (also his team up with Wally in Keystone is the funniest thing ever. Wally's like 'HOW DID YOU GET MY PHONE NUMBER...oh yeah you asked Dick')! Helena gets masses of page time even as the plot (and Bruce) does her dirty! Even the LANGSTROMS get page time and character changes (that scene where Man-Bat takes Barbara flying is just beautiful).
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SGU Week Day 2 (I promise I can count; I'm just behind!!): Favorite Character
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Leave it to me to get fixated on a character who only shows up in 4 episodes of a show that got cancelled 12 years ago. 😫 I thoroughly enjoyed SGU from its inception, but Amanda Perry is what took the show from something I really enjoyed to my current hyperfixation (yes, it's her fault I'm here, this fictional lady). She lives rent-free in my head. 💖
(Also fair warning this is gonna be long as hell)
I'm aware that her primary function is that of "love interest," but her character resonated with me on a much deeper level. Maybe I didn't travel a billion light-years to be with the person I love, but I did move 1,000 miles away from everything I knew to make a life with the man who became my husband. I know what it's like to feel rejected because the person you love shows their love differently (though I've been married for almost 6 years now after 3.5 years of long-distance, and then a lengthy engagement, so I know from experience that loving differently doesn't mean loving less). I know what it's like to feel like I'm not valued as a person, though in my case, I was mistreated because I'm autistic as opposed to being paralyzed, and I was regularly used and taken advantage of for my musical abilities, with little respect for my health or needs. I wasn't a person, I was a thing. I've been targeted by people I couldn't fight back against, even for things I didn't do. I know what it's like to be left behind for a lot of social milestones (driving, dating, etc.) I know what it's like to finally find that one safe person who sees you for you.
Amanda is relatable as hell to me. I do want to focus on her specifically in this post, though obviously her romantic endeavors are a factor. Tbh one of the main reasons I like her so much is, in addition to all the other stuff I just mentioned, is that she was the one to initiate things with Rush. I have little dating experience, myself, but I was the instigator in most of my relationships, especially with my husband. Gotta love those ladies who are active instead of waiting around for a guy to make up his mind!
Anyway, I make a lot of SGU memes and dumb lil comics that I share on Facebook, and a decent chunk of them are about Amanda (she even has her own multi-episode arc!!), so I'll share some of them here. I guess if people like them, I can put them on tumblr. I'll add that the vast majority of my content takes place post-stasis, so this Amanda inhabits her own meat body, cloned from DNA the SGC had on file, and is not a computer ghost or a body-swapper with questionable ethics. 😂
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I have generated A LOT of memes lmao
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Well that didn't turn out to be a metaphor for anything... 😏 I didn't catch this the first time, but I ugly-laughed on my second watch-through.
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When the lockdowns were first imposed in my town, I had no idea what that meant, and I was literally about to get in my car and commit a crime because I thought my husband was going to be trapped at work for 2 weeks. Obviously, that wasn't the case, but I felt this scene.
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Since my brain has chosen to attach itself to a character with minimal backstory, I'm obligated to fill in the blanks. One thing I find disappointing in media is that even the nerdy women tend not to have nerdy interests, which absolutely is not what I've experienced in real life. My thought is that Amanda was already something of a prodigy ("Little Miss Brilliant" probably isn't a nickname you get for being a regular genius lmao) before her accident, probably skipped a grade or two in school, private tutors in math and science, that kind of thing, and was later homeschooled before starting college as a teen. She was probably pretty lonely because of that. I'm not quite a "genius" (I have a Master's in music and an Etsy shop, and I uhhhhh make memes about an old TV show for fun), but I am a former gifted kid. Even though I took gifted classes from 4th-12th grade (academics, not that pull-out enrichment crap), I felt very lonely even among my gifted classmates, and I struggled with making friends throughout school because I was just too different. I was weird. I liked weird stuff. The girls were mean. The boys that were my friends didn't like the girly stuff I enjoyed, so I had to lock that part of myself away to fit in. The kids a grade ahead of me obviously left, and the kids a grade below me didn't want to keep in touch when I moved on to high school or college. It was lonely. I see similar things in Amanda's brief appearances. She's on the Destiny for 3 weeks, and she pretty much just sticks to Rush because he's "safe." She tries to be friendly with Eli, but he ends up making fun of her, and he's not very nice to her later on, either (sometimes for good reason; she's my fave but she's no saint). TJ isn't exactly in a position to be socializing during a complicated surgery, so she gets a pass. 😉
This was rambly, but my point is that a lot of lonely nerds are drawn to sci-fi, even the girls. I know for a fact that I'm projecting, but come on, she designs hyperdrives. You really gonna sit there and tell me she never watched Star Trek? 😂
As a side note (oh boy even more rambling), in my fan content, she and Eli have a very sweet friendship based on their shared nerd interests. I really don't think they'd get along in canon as things were left.
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Speaking of sci-fi, I like to think that, after getting recruited for the Stargate program, Amanda watched all of Wormhole X-treme to prepare herself. I also like to think that no one else on Destiny's crew has seen it except Eli, who saw a handful of episodes randomly. I just really need him to see a stargate for the first time and be all like WOW JUST LIKE WORMHOLE X-TREME 😂 These are two separate excerpts, one mentioning the show and tying it back to actual events in SG-1, and the other showing a snippet of an episode. Replicators are kinda like Legos, so of course the humanoid Wormhole X-treme versions would be Lego people (I'm not creative, I'm just silly).
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Going back to feeling lonely, I do think Amanda would be pretty imaginative, even if she's kinda one-note. In a fic I'm working on, she confesses that all of her fantasies involve Rush and having working legs (disclaimer that there's obviously nothing wrong with using a wheelchair and that disabled people can and do have fulfilling romantic relationships and sex lives, but it seems clear in the show that she would like to be able to walk again, so I have stuck to that for this particular story), and the narrative quality of her fantasies is very much on par with dollar store romance novels. She reminds me a little of Tina from Bob's Burgers and her "erotic friendfiction," so I made a few crossover memes. That's Tina's copy of "Buttloose" in the 4th panel. Panel 3 is also a borrowed quote from Tina. I do think Amanda might struggle with tidiness since she spent a good 25 years not being able to pick up after herself at all. I also struggle with this due to executive dysfunction and growing up in a borderline hoarder environment, so I guess I'm projecting again RIP 😅
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No, really, Camile, what do you mean????
I guess in Amanda's defense, she doesn't find Rush off-putting in any way since he's not unnecessarily mean to her. 😂
I'm not sure if I'll ever complete my fic, but one thing I'm exploring, both there and, to a less complicated degree, in my memes, is Amanda's use of the neural link while she's a computer ghost. In Seizure, she seemed to use it with ease (apart from that one colossal fuckup lmaooooo), and I'd really like to see what she could do with it after her file is no longer quarantined. I've done a lot of cringe rambling and infodumping (congrats to anyone who's actually made it this far), so I won't go into detail, but she does work on expanding use of the link so she and Ginn can use it at the same time and connect to multiple people so they can socialize and function more as crew members instead of something like a guardian angel or familiar spirit. I'd also like, as mentioned in a previous post for this event, if she could help Lisa "see" again via the neural link. Another possibility, as alluded to in the above photo, is making "holograms," which aren't really holograms, but are more like skins for the ship's AI. What's cooler, accessing a medical database in the infirmary, or asking the EMH from Voyager to give you the info you need? If you're a loser like me, it's absolutely the second one.
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More backstory!! My hc is that Amanda's parents were killed in the accident that paralyzed her (on the way to some math tournament with the high school mathletes or something idk I'm a musician I don't know what STEM people do for fun), and she was raised by her grandparents. We all love to make our faves suffer, and I'm no exception. This is just a silly little comic, but there is a certain sadness of being intellectually advanced but emotionally immature, something common among gifted kids and neurodivergent people (and I'm both, wheeeee). Things are thankfully getting better now. I love seeing more acceptance. But it was difficult in the early 00s when I was a teen, and I'm sure it would have been harder for Amanda in the '80s and '90s. It's also difficult when you have to rely on someone else for transportation, but they are unwilling to take you places (I went nowhere in college except school and church and my parents were still always mad at me, which is weird of them because they actively discouraged me from driving and would not teach me or help me get over my fears, so uhhhh yeah).
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Last one~
So yes, I'm definitely salty that my top 2 SGU ladies got fridged twice (Ginn's my second fave because of course she is). I do think it opened up a lot of interesting possibilities for both characters, but as the show was tragically cut short, we have to rely on fan content. Anyway, the point I'm trying to make here is that Amanda and Ginn would have been fine had Amanda simply studied Bobby Hill's Guide to Self-Defense. Yes, it's bad, but I am a bad person and I generate irreverent things.
If you made it this far, then congratulations, you're an obsessed weirdo like me!! I know Amanda isn't exactly popular, nor is SGU, especially not so long after the fact, so I don't really expect anyone to read all this. If you do, I hope I was able to convey why she is so special to me. If nothing else, I hope you enjoyed the memes.
Also this took me like 5 hours to write, Jesus Christ I need to sleep
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