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joezworld · 3 years

Text

Memories

A continuation of this

January 29, 2020

“Well, despite my extensive protestations, I cannot find any reason whatsoever to keep you here.” Anton, the head of the Crovan’s Gate diesel shop, said as he shut his toolbox with a petulant clang.

55 010 and Wendell looked at each other with no small amount of relief. Since the events of Christmas, the works had been beside themselves in trying to find a cause of 010′s existence as well as fixing the damage to Wendell’s chassis from when he fell off the jack stands on Christmas day.

A naturally superstitious man, Anton had refused to clear 010 for traffic until he went over her with a fine-toothed comb. This was a process that had taken over a month, and had insulted Wendell more than it had 010, as the Class 47 had believed that Anton was looking for a way to keep 010 out of traffic (he was), while the Deltic - who hadn’t been properly serviced since the late 1970′s - found the whole process very therapeutic.

All that being said, the pair were anxious to get out of the sheds and onto the main line once again - Wendell wanted to stretch his wheels properly, while 010 was deeply excited to see the bright future of the year 2020.

Anton left, shutting off the lights behind him. The two engines would have kept talking, but they’d honestly exhausted their conversational reserves after being together for over a month, so instead they fell asleep, dreaming of the world outside the sheds...

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December 26, 1981

Doncaster Station, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England

55 010 sleepily opened one eye to the sounds of an argument. Some men were clustered around the Class 47 that was on the siding. They sounded like they were trying to figure out what to do with her.

One group was saying that she should be shoved onto the out of use lines, while the others were saying that doing that would take too long. The 47 seemed to be stuck in the middle, unsure of which side to take. At one point, he opened his mouth to agree with the shunting plan, before he stopped. A flurry of emotions passed across his face in an instant, before he shut his mouth, glared at the men he’d been about to agree with, and put his wheel down.

“I’m not going to miss my path and spend all day in passing loops just to put her away - look at all the switches you’d have to hand throw! It’d take ages!”

With that the other men now held a majority, so without much more discussion the 47 was coupled up to her, and the train set off for parts unknown.

“Where are we going?” She’d sleepily asked the 47 - who’d introduced himself as number 556 - as they rattled across the Pennines.

“Dunno,” He’d said quietly - they were coupled face-to-face, and she felt vaguely bad that he was driving backwards on her behalf. “Some coach depot I’ve never heard of - Titfield or Tidmouse or something like that.”

December 27, 1981

Tidmouth Station, Tidmouth, Tidmouth and South Haltraughshire, Sodor

47 556 and 55 010 eventually made it across the bridge and onto the Island very early on the morning of the 27th. It was a quiet little Island railway out here in the west country, and they met few trains on their way by.

A class 86 shouted hello from an electrified branch.

A old Hymek, somehow still in service, honked amiably as he passed with a goods train.

Even an old blue steam engine clattered by on a rail tour. This one looked at them funny, but the expected malice wasn’t there, merely confusion at the unusual double-header.

Eventually arriving at the big station at the end of the line, the two engines were met by a older gentleman in a top hat.

He introduced himself as the Controller for the region, and asked what they were doing here.

As 556 explained why he was also carrying a broken-down Deltic on his train, 010′s attention wandered to the rest of the station.

It was a beautiful design, like King's Cross, or Euston before they ruined it, but the roof of the trainshed was simply covered in soot - it was almost like they hadn’t cleaned it since before the end of steam.

Then there was a whistle from outside the platforms.

Both diesels goggled as a tender engine, painted an almost gaudy shade of bright blue with red lining, rolled into the station with a train of teak coaches.

At almost the same time, two more whistles were heard, and a train of GWR autocoaches complete with a Pannier Tank in the middle rattled in alongside a green saddle tank engine of indeterminate origin towing a pair of ancient compartment coaches.

“What is that?” 010 asked, shocked to see clean and well-maintained steam this far into the 1980s.

“Those are Gordon, Duck, and Percy.” Said the controller kindly.

“Are they all on rail tours?” Asked 556, causing the controller to laugh.

“No! They’re my engines! They work every day because they’re still useful.”

Neither diesel said anything. 556 was shocked that BR was allowing this to happen, but 010 suddenly felt a surge of hope. If they were still running steam here, maybe she could convince 556 to leave her here on his way home...

Something must have shown in her face - or maybe even 556′s, because the next thing the controller said was: “If I may, my railroad is currently experiencing a locomotive shortage. We have to keep relying on the other railway for temporary engines, but they aren’t the most reliable. Would either of you happen to know where I could find some strong, hardworking locomotives?”

They stabled 556 and 010 in the sheds with the steam engines over the New Year’s holiday. It was an almost out-of-body experience for 010, who was used to the cold and unfriendly atmosphere of Finsbury Park TMD, and had no idea how to deal with engines who, when told to treat her nicely, immediately made sure to include her in their singing of Auld Lang Syne.

A few weeks later, both engines had been successfully outshopped at the massive works complex in the west of the island. 556 had required little repairs, but had rolled out with a new coat of paint and a new name, Wendell, chosen after a friendly dog that hung around the works.

It took longer for 010. She had many, many worn out parts that required removal and repair, and her engines needed a full overhaul. During this time period, some of the female welding staff had spoken to her about needing to choose a name before one was chosen for her - apparently the Hymek she’d seen was named Bear, and she didn’t want that did she?

After a few days with books on baby names, a set of brass nameplates were bolted to her sides - they read “DAPHNE” in big letters.

While she was there, the workmen asked her what she wanted to be painted. When her request for a new coat of Rail Blue was met with groans, the men explained that they were bored of normal paint schemes and would paint anything she wanted.

Two weeks later she rolled out of the works feeling like a new engine. Her motors fired on all cylinders, her grease and oil was fresh, and her new paint sparkled in the sun. She’d always liked how Deltic - The Deltic, DP1 - had looked, and the men had grinned at each other when she told them about how the irritable prototype had spent most of his free time whining about not having stripes that went the whole way down his body.

Daphne found out why when she rolled into Tidmouth Shed that night. There was another express diesel on this island - a big Class 46 - and the similarities were striking. Both had similar designs, and had non-standard paint - the 46 was red, she was blue - with gold stripes down their sides. The 46 was named Delta - a very similar sounding name, and when she opened her eyes and took in Daphne and her nameplates, it took her all of two seconds to begin smiling broadly.

“You look like you could be my big sister!” She said.

Daphne, expecting some sort of hostility, wasn’t sure how to respond. “Well, all of my sisters are dead, so it would be nice to have one again.”

She began to backpedal when the 46 stopped smiling, but the look she gave was thoughtful instead of hurt. “Come to think of it, all of mine are probably dead too. Shall we make our own family then?”

And so it was.

A few weeks later, Daphne and Wendell finally met all but one of the other diesels on the region - a Class 28 named BoCo, Bear the Hymek, and Daisy, a deeply customized Class 101. According to Daisy, there was also a Class 01 named Mavis who worked on a private quarry at the end of her branch line.

“You know,” Daisy said after Delta finished introducing everyone. “Aside from having one of each power rating, I think all of us but Wendell would have been scrapped by now if we were on the mainland. I think we should do something to celebrate the fact that we aren’t dead.”

The other diesels agreed - word had already spread about Delta and Daphne’s nontraditional sisterhood - and they agreed to form a club: the Non-Standard Survivors Society.

“But, I’m not non-standard?” Wendell asked as they dispersed. “Am I?”

“No, but you are really cute,” Delta joked. “So we’ll give you a pass.”

Daisy chuckled as she headed for the platform. “I’ll have to remember that when I tell Mavis about this club she’s in now.”

Daphne was confused. “Cute? What do you mean cute?”

Wendell was similarly puzzled.

Bear and Delta looked at each other meaningfully. “You two have so much to learn...” The type 3 said as he backed into the station.

That didn’t make Daphne or Wendell feel any better!

1983

“You know,” Said Delta one morning in the newly-refurbished diesel shed. “We should have nicknames for the society.”

“My name is Bear,” Said Bear. “yours is a Greek letter. How much more nickname-y can we get?”

“The rest of us should get nicknames then. And I feel like I could get a great nickname, like Tiger Stripes!”

Daphne giggled as Bear growled under his breath. “And why, pray tell, are you Tiger Stripes?”

“Because I’m fierce like a tiger! And I have stripes like a tiger does! It also matches the animal theme we’re going with.” Either Delta could think at a mile a minute, or she had been considering these nicknames for a lot longer than she let on.

“A tiger does not have stripes like you do.”

“How do you know?”

“My name is Bear. I know about animals. I have to.”

“I figured it was so that we could be ‘Lions, Tigers, and Bears, oh my!’” Quipped Daphne. “I guess that makes me Lion Stripes then.”

Delta’s sputtering and spluttering made it very clear that she hadn’t thought of that, and Bear and Daphne roared with laughter.

Later that year

The Thin Clergyman’s son made another trip to Sodor to research for his next books.

Daphne, as an express engine, had been rather removed from the strife among the rank-and-file engines caused by the Thin Clergyman’s books, and had no idea why Delta wanted to hide from him.

After a “short” explanation that took almost an hour, Daphne was now furious.

While she did help Delta by hiding her deep inside an old carriage shed, she did not stay there herself; She was an engine of action, and would deal with the problem directly.

Two days later, the Clergyman’s Son approached her to ask her some questions.

“If my sister shows up in one of your books you won’t survive to write another.” She said darkly to the author, who retreated immediately!

The Clergyman’s Son’s next book focused about Diesels and James. Much to everyone’s amusement, Delta was nowhere to be found in it, despite her being being the biggest reason why James was more accepting of diesels.

Unsurprisingly, Daphne did not appear either, and everyone wondered if the story of the rude diesel who crashed through a wall was based on her in some way. Delta, on the other wheel, stayed uncharacteristically silent!

Wendell was most offended that they hadn’t even bothered to include his name in the book, and refused to speak to the Clergyman’s Son again!

1985

Bear and Wendell had both gotten very scruffy looking after several years without a repaint, and went into the works with the intent of coming out looking the same as they had before.

They had reckoned without Delta and Daphne, who had very kindly asked the paint shop workers to be imaginative on their friends.

Bear had rolled out first, looking furious about the deception, but rather pleased with his paint. The men had been inspired by some American locomotives, and he rolled out of the shop in a dark shade of green with metallic gold stripes down his sides. Any lingering discontent he had felt lasted until Henry saw him for the first time and dragged him away behind a shed without a word. Daphne tried to ask what was going on, but Delta, laughing too hard to even speak, had pulled her away to the station.

Wendell came out a few days later. Whatever the men had originally tried hadn’t been to his liking, he explained, and he’d asked them to try a different design from the same book that they’d pulled Bear’s paint scheme from. When he came into the sheds painted a glossy black with grey and white stripes, Daphne felt both of her crankshafts do a flip-flop.

Delta took one look at the slack jawed expression on her adopted sister’s face and sighed deeply. How had Jamie seen this coming before she did?

It took all of a week for Bear and Wendell to have nicknames foisted on them by the express sisters - Ursus and Cobra stripes, respectively. Delta explained that she liked the predatory animal theme that went with Lion and Tiger, while Daphne innocently pointed out that it had absolutely nothing to do with how much it annoyed Bear.

The nicknames did eventually stick though, in no small part because Henry had taken one look at how irritated Bear was and started calling him Ursus!

It took a month after that for Tiger Stripes to take pity on her sister and the piteous faces she made when she thought Wendell wasn’t looking, pulled a Flying Scotsman, and told her and Cobra Stripes exactly what those feelings meant. She was very unsurprised when Wendell revealed that he was also growing attracted to Daphne.

Henry and James both joked that one day, Bear or Delta would put one of them through a wall, but three weeks later, Daphne managed to put herself and Wendell into the parking lot behind Barrow Sheds.

1990

After realizing that Mavis and Daisy both technically had stripes painted on them (making them Wasp and Cougar stripes), the other diesels began to seriously peer pressure BoCo into getting repainted with stripes so they could complete the set.

He’d held out for many years, but after Daphne took a special train to the clay pits, there was suddenly pressure from within the Brendam Branch as well, and he folded like a house of cards in less than a week.

When he came back from the works, he was now green, gold, and white, but also red, if you counted the angry blush on his face.

“I asked them for Southern Railway Green with a gold stripe.” He seethed. “But clearly there was a misunderstanding.”

The howling from his compatriots was earthshakingly unsympathetic, but nobody could deny that he looked striking, and he was quickly dubbed Jaguar Stripes, even though - as he and Bear were quick to note - he did not look like a Jaguar at all.

1995

James asked Delta to marry him. The other engines were overjoyed, even if they BoCo and Daisy needed some catching up on how exactly that was possible.

Daisy groaned. “Mavis and I are going to have to have a talk, aren’t we?”

The other diesels - which by this point included James and Henry in an honorary capacity - hadn’t quite processed that when BoCo announced that if he was being honest, he and Edward were “so emotionally codependent that we’ve probably been married for twenty years without realizing it.”

Henry couldn’t take it any more and screeched with laughter at the conversational disparities - he’d just left the steam sheds, where the engines were still unaware that London had multiple termini, and were therefore having a rousing argument as to whether the impending fall of British Rail meant that London’s terminus station would magically return to being King’s Cross or Paddington instead of the current Euston.

1996

James and Delta were wed in a quiet ceremony behind the diesel shed - Siobhan, her fiancé Declan, and all the members of the “Non Standard Society” - including Mavis, who traveled down specially for the event - were present, with Daphne and Henry acting as bridesmaid and best man.

By design, the engines had arrived in pairs, with only BoCo “going stag”, as he hadn’t yet told Edward how he felt. The officiant - a kind looking man from the Arlesburgh judiciary - had taken one look at the rest of them and asked if he should be preparing for any other weddings in the near future. Daphne and Wendell were the only ones to say yes instinctively. (Much to each other’s surprise!) When Daphne looked over at Bear and Henry, they said with no small amount of irritation that it wasn’t legal yet for them to be wed. Similar grumblings then erupted from Mavis and Daisy, which briefly made the quiet ceremony very loud, as none of the other engines had been aware that either diesel was dating!

2000

Dull yellow smoke billowed out of Percy’s funnel as the men did a pressure test. Before Daphne or Wendell could do anything, they were enveloped by the choking cloud.

Daphne shut her eyes to avoid getting any of the strange metallic soot in her eyes, and when she opened them again, the works looked... different somehow.

A few of the new inspection pits were gone, while the diesel shop building had one less door than it should.

Daphne opened her mouth to ask Wendell what was going on, and then stopped dead in her tracks when a workman ran right through her.

Looking down at herself, she appeared to be fully transparent, floating above the rails like a ghost of Deltics past.

“Who are you?!” Wendell squeaked.

Daphne looked at him for a moment. His paint was a different colour than it had been a minute ago - Rail Blue instead of Black and Gray - and he seemed like he didn’t remember her at all.

“Cobra,” She said, not even thinking that this was not the time for nicknames. “It’s me, Lion. You know me.”

“I know exactly who you are.” He said frantically. “You’re the ghost of the engine I killed! It’s not Christmas! Begone with you!”

“What?!” Daphne was horrified. “Wendell, what on Earth are you talking about!? Nobody’s dead! How can you say that?!”

“Don’t you overreact here Lion!” Wendell snapped. “I should be the one screaming! Ignoring whatever it is you are, there are dinosaurs eating the ballast! That water tower has a face!”

Daphne suddenly understood that there was something in the yellow smoke that was making both of them see things that weren’t there. With that in mind, she spent most of the next few hours keeping Wendell calm until the hallucinations stopped, and he turned back into the black and gray diesel she’d fallen in love with.

A few weeks later, and Daphne asked Wendell about what he saw in the yellow smoke.

“I saw a bunch of brightly coloured horses singing about friendship. Why?”

“Just curious...” Daphne said as she realized that maybe her hallucinations had been much stronger than she thought!

Later That Same Year

A new high speed trainset arrived on Sodor. Their names were Pip and Emma.

They had been on the island once before in the early 80′s, but somehow none of the diesels had met them in anything other than passing.

After three nights on Sodor, Delta declared that she liked them and was “keeping them”, giving them no choice in the matter on the subject of express engine sisterhood. Daphne explained that Delta was less of an engine and more of a force of nature, to which Emma responded that she and Pip were ‘the Dragon Sisters’ and could take care of themselves.

Both Dragons realized that they had even less of a choice when Daphne's face lit up like a Christmas tree upon hearing that!

Learning that the duo already had animal-themed nicknames for themselves made it much easier for Lion and Tiger Stripes to press-gang their new sisters into the “Non-Standard Survivors Society”, and even easier to get them painted into the old Intercity “Swallow” paint scheme.

Even for express locomotives, the speed at which the two went from Pip and Emma to Dragon Stripes was remarkable.

Even later that same year

Donald screamed all the way to the Little Western, unable to shake the image of a unified force of Red Eyed, Soul Stealing, Mind Controlling, Memory Altering, Diesel Electric Monsters!

2001

Pip and Emma taught the other diesels how to breathe fire.

Being the sort of sisters that they were, Daphne, Emma, Pip, and Delta soon began hosting competitions to see who could shoot fire the furthest. This did not help Oliver’s mental state at all.

2004

The United Kingdom allowed same-sex couples to enter into a “civil union” on the 14th of March. The engines knew it wasn’t actual marriage, but it was more than they’d been allowed before, and Daisy and Mavis, and Henry and Bear were wed by The Magistrate that night, with Delta and James acting as best man and bride/groomsmaid in all the ceremonies.

Immediately afterwards, Daphne and Wendell - who had agreed not to be wed until their friends could - tied the knot as well.

The rest of the Society (BoCo, Pip, Emma) and Siobhan and her husband Declan cheered until they were hoarse.

The next morning, Stephen and Richard Hatt, as well as most of the steam engines, could not understand how every James, Henry, and every diesel on the island were somehow exhausted and happy at the same time.

Later that same year

Flying Scotsman showed up on what would turn out to be his last railtour before his overhaul. Not realizing what he’d started way back in 1979, he jokingly asked if Henry and Bear had ever done anything in regards to their relationship.

When they and seemingly every other diesel on the Island regaled him with wedding stories he almost burst a boiler tube!

2007

Pip managed to convince the paint shop staff to paint huge fire breathing dragons on herself and Emma for Christmas.

Within two weeks all the other diesels had their own respective animals painted somewhere on their bodies.

After a while, they all started to notice that the animals seemed to be in different places on different days... Daphne's Lion and Wendell's Cobra would even swap locomotives sometimes - not that they'd ever admit it!

After an even longer while they noticed that an identical Bear and Tiger had ended up on Henry and James - despite neither of them having gone near the paint shop in months!

Richard Hatt has asked why this happened, but nobody has yet said anything close to the truth. It may be because they don’t know themselves...

2017

A certain Class 5 diesel convinced her driver to hang some mistletoe over the turntable.

Everything was going well until Donald chuffed in unexpectedly and saw Henry and Bear under it.

A lot of explaining was required.

2020

Wendell loved Christmas, and had spent every year since the early 90′s covered in lights and pulling the N.W.R.’s holiday train. In more recent years Daphne also joined him, and they usually spent a few days in the first or second week of January getting the lights removed and their paint touched up.

This year, heavy traffic in early January meant that they couldn’t make it to the works until late on the 28th, and spent all of the next day getting de-lighted and touched up. They went to sleep eager to go to work the next morning...

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

January 30, 2020

Wendell woke up with a start. What a dream that was! It felt so realistic, and...

55 010 was staring at him, eyes wide to the point of bulging out of her face.

“What?” He asked, trying to shake off the feeling of strangeness - in his dream, they were married, but engines can’t get married - can they?

“Wendell,” She said quietly, her voice shaking. “I just had the most amazing dream.”

“Really?” Maybe they could compare notes, Wendell wondered. Maybe in her dream they were all brightly coloured crime fighting action heroes.

“We were married.” She said after a moment.

Wendell felt the world go fuzzy around him. The last thirty-nine years of his life flashed before his eyes in some sort of visual stereo - one side sad and depressed, the other side...

“Daphne?!” He gasped as he returned to reality.

That was all the confirmation the big Deltic needed. “It wasn’t a dream!” She cried joyously.

“It was,” Wendell said, his brows furrowing under a sudden and massive headache. “But it wasn’t. How can it be both?”

“I don’t know and I don’t care.” Daphne/55 010 said, her voice laced with quiet joy. “I have sisters. I have a family. I have you.”

Wendell could feel his mind short circuiting. On one wheel, he was in his shed in the works. It was his home. He’d lived here since the 80′s!

On the other... He lived at the diesel shed in Tidmouth. He’d asked The Fat Controller in 1982 if he could stay there so he could be with his friends - with Daphne. His home was the road between Daphne and Bear in Tidmouth.

Bear. His eyes widened as he thought of the Hymek.

He didn’t know the diesel that well, but - he did. Did he? Was this all a shared dream between him and 010, or was Bear really Henry’s husband? Were Delta and James married? What about Daisy and Mavis? Was 010 actually Daphne? He didn’t know what was real or not anymore.

He looked back at Daphne/010. As much as he wanted to believe it was true - that he really did have thirty years of family and love - but as he looked over at the Deltic and down at his own buffers, he didn’t see the blue-and-gold or black-and-gray of Lion and Cobra Stripes, just the basic Rail Blue of two anonymous British Diesels.

Then...

As he looked at 010/Daphne, her dark blue paint started to muddy and shift before his eyes. Starting at her buffers and moving backwards, a ripple of colour began to work its way across her body. The rail blue and yellow warning panels faded away, leaving a trail of sky blue paint and metallic gold stripes. A roaring lion, standing atop a crushed double arrow, appeared below her cab window.

He would have watched the transformation in more detail, but a sudden and intense itching caused his him to look down at his own body. Where there had previously been blue and yellow was now a dark gloss black with grey stripes. The very hint of a snake's tail could be seen stretching around the corner of his bodywork.

It was over almost as quickly as it begun, and when the two diesels looked back up at each other, they didn’t see Wendell and 55 010, they saw:

“Lion?”

“Cobra?”

---

The drivers who went to take Wendell and 010 back to the works had no idea why the diesels were crying like babies, but assumed it was due to the outrageous paint schemes the works had elected to cover them in. They were in no mood for shenanigans, and coupled up the engines and left before the works staff could notice and ask questions.

In a remarkable parallel to the 1981 of their dreams, Wendell hauled an unpowered Daphne and a rake of coaches from the works down to Tidmouth in the predawn light of winter. They passed Abbey, who shouted hello from the electric branch, and passed Edward, who stared at their paint in utter bafflement.

The train arrived in Tidmouth, but there was no Fat Controller to meet them that day, so they left the coaches at the platform for The Limited and departed for the diesel shed.

Wendell felt another headache come on as he rolled up to the concrete-and-steel structure. With only Bear and Delta permanently in Tidmouth, The Fat Controller hadn’t built the shed until Pip and Emma arrived in 2000, knocking down an old brick warehouse to do so.

But, with Daphne and Wendell, that old brick building had been spruced up and expanded in the 80′s. Looking at the building, Wendell felt woozy as his mind layered an image of the cozy warehouse overtop of the sleek shed.

“There’s supposed to be windows there.” Daphne whispered as she looked at the blank wall of the shed.

Wendell grimaced as he looked up. That blank concrete wall was in no way special, but at the same time, the light that streamed in through bank of windows set into the brick had been the source of many arguments - nobody wanted to be the one in that road because the morning sun was at just the right angle to shine into the eyes of whoever was parked under them.

But that wall was blank specifically because the architects had realized that - in 1999.

But it was an old shed - from the 1920's, right?

Wendell grimaced and hoped that his mind would pick something and stick to it.

Arriving in the shed to the sound of Genesis drifting through the doors - dream or no dream, Henry had apparently still infected them with his prog rock obsession - the men first shunted Daphne onto one road before putting Wendell next to her, powering off off his motor and scarpering to the staff canteen and its coffee maker, leaving the two diesels outside.

Their presence was noticed after Bear’s voice drifted out of the shed with a command to turn off the voice activated speaker. In the silence, the quiet pinging of Wendell’s cooling engine was heard, drawing eyes to the outside.

“What the hell are you painted like that for?” Called BoCo from inside the sheds. “And who are you?” He asked Daphne.

“Hi Jaguar, it’s so good to see you.” Daphne evidently did not care that BoCo had no idea who she was.

“Good morning!” Said Wendell, trying to figure out how on earth he was going to explain this. “We had a doozy of a dream last night!”

The other diesels poked out of the doors to gawp at the oddly-painted engines.

Delta in particular looked like she wanted to say something, looking down at her own stripes before looking at Daphne’s.

“You look like you could be my big... sister...” She didn’t make it all the way through her sentence before her jaw dropped and her eyes glazed over. Wendell imagined that this is what he looked like earlier that morning.

“You...” Delta was on the verge of tears. “You were at my wedding. You all were!”

“Your what? You know this engine?” BoCo was more confused than ever.

“Yes! And so do you! We all do!”

“Delta, I have never... met...” BoCo stared in shock after his eyes glazed over for a long moment. “Oh soot and oil... Daphne?!”

And so it went through the other engines, who all suddenly remembered.

“How?!” Bear eventually managed. “How did this - what?”

He was cut off as his paint rippled and changed, an effect that quickly rolled across the other engines. From within the shed, Emma and Pip swore loudly as their NWExpress livery roiled and shifted from blue and yellow to black, white and red. BoCo grimaced as his BR green suddenly became a lot more American. Bear grinned unconsciously, suddenly remembering how well Henry had taken his stripes last time.

Within a few minutes, the disparate group of diesels were gone, replaced with the members of the Non-Standard Survivors Society.

Daphne, who watching this happen with no small amount of glee, squealed with happiness.

In the station, Henry and Daisy were congratulating Richard Hatt on his recent promotion to assistant controller of the railway. As they spoke, both engines kept one eye on the diesel shed in the distance - two new diesels in some absolutely ludicrous paint schemes were parked in front of the diesel shed, and a commotion was quietly audible, much to their consternation.

Richard eventually took notice of the new engines as well, and took a long moment to try and figure out why the original Deltic prototype was on his railway. A gasp drew him back to the engines on the platform, both of whom now looked like they’d seen a ghost.

“Are you all right?” he asked with concern.

Daisy, who was wide eyed and shaking on her suspension, was the first to react. “I’m married!” She shrieked before setting off for the junction almost before her signal dropped. Richard wasn’t sure, but as Daisy left, frantically blowing her horn to the diesels in the yard as she did so, she seemed to shimmer in the sun for a moment.

“What?” Richard asked. He thought he’d heard what Daisy had said, but was really hoping that he’d misheard her. He looked back at Henry, suddenly forced to remember that he had to give the engine a day off every March.

“I don’t think I could explain that to you if I had all day.” Henry said quietly.

Richard wanted to investigate the sudden faraway look in the engine’s eyes, but remembered what usually happened to him when he asked the engines personal questions.

As he left the platform, he noted with some amount of confusion the elegantly-painted bear that was on Henry’s cab side. It definitely hadn’t been there when he walked up.

He turned around to ask Henry about it, when James raced into the station, a wild look in his eyes.

“Henry!” He demanded. “What just happened to me?!” The pouncing Tiger painted on the side of his tender gave some idea as to the “what” he was talking about.

Richard turned and fled for his office. The pub didn’t open until noon, and he was not about to deal with any new earthshattering revelations sober.

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writeanapocalae · 5 years

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Nano Day 4 Writing

Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3

It took Anton a moment to find it, as it had been shoved along with the desk, but there was a body in the room. It was just not the body that all of the blood had come from. It was the body of an android, the same patterning that R had, its face completely smashed in on one side to expose the structure and mechanisms hidden within. It was not similar, at all, to looking at a corpse, even if it had a similar body to one.

Anton knelt down beside it, looking it over. It was wearing a white shirt and shorts, probably what all of the units wore during production. He’d purchased R with sweats, but that was because of the second hand shop, nothing else. There was pink shining through the shirt, all along the abdomen and seeping down into the pants, as if there was a blood stain, though it was in the wrong color.

“R?” Anton asked, looking over his shoulder at R. It was a few steps into the room, looking down at the android from behind him. “What do you think?”

R drew closer, looking over the android before squatting down beside Anton. It reached out, putting a hand on the android’s cheek, rubbing a thumb down its jaw before halting on its throat.

“The sensation from underground is noticeably stronger here,” R started, hand traveling down the body’s shoulder and down towards its elbow. Anton wet his lips. He had felt R’s hands so many times, but it had never touched him like that, that gentle stroke. It made a shiver of jealously tingle over his skin like an echo of it. “This unit is not expired. Its battery is depleted but it can be recharged and started up again.”

Anton looked to the door again, this time to Sarah. “Any chance you’ve got a plug with you? If we can get this thing up and running we can find out what happened here.”

“All I would require is a charging cord, the same as a model SG-19 cellular phone. It is the phone that Sarah uses so it would be unsurprising if she were to have one.”

“I’m not going in there,” Sarah argued, swinging her body to her front so she could dig through it. “I’m not messing with evidence or whatever.”

Anton got up and immediately felt a bit dizzy. He put his hand on R’s shoulder, steadying himself, before walking over to her, taking the cord when she had it ready. As soon as her backpack was back in place her arms were crossed over her chest. She was right on the edge of the room, almost in, but never crossing that threshold. She was definitely interested in the machinery and what R was going to do with it.

He handed it over to R, who immediately pulled the plug off of the cord and handed it back to him. With a sweep across the joint in the unit’s elbow, a square crack appeared and then the port was opening up. Anton had seen R do this a few times to itself, usually at night, when insomnia kept him awake or he woke up in the middle of the night for some other reason. R tried not to do it when he was awake and it only needed to do it every other night, but it had stopped being surprising or disturbing to Anton.

“What are you thinking?” Anton asked, not stopping it, not yet.

“I am going to activate this unit,” R explained. “I am at ninety three percent charge. I could give up ten percent to bring this unit to five percent, which would be enough for simple functionality. You could ask it whatever questions you need.”

“Is that safe?”

R glanced at him for a moment, reading his expression. Anton was concerned, of course, as much as R wasn’t human, didn’t have a personality to speak of, he did consider them friends. They were awkward roommates, at the very least. And Anton cared more than he knew he should.

“It is the same concept as charging your cellphone through your laptop. It is a slower process, but perfectly safe. I am not sharing network with it so, if it has any unwanted software it would not be able to transfer them to me, even if it did, my antivirus would enter quarantine status.”

It copied the motion on its own elbow and slid the charger into its port before doing the same in the other android. There was no sign that it was working, no light up or sound effect, just two androids, statuesque in a room full of blood, while the rest of them watched.

“Are you sure that’s okay?” Micah asked, leaning into the room, after a few minutes. Nether R or the other unit had moved.

“You know, we could just take it with us and I could probe it or we can charge it and question it from the office,” Sarah offered. “I mean, that would be tampering but it would be like taking in a witness for questioning, right? I don’t know the terminology for that stuff.”

“Terminology is right,” Anton said, “but let’s give this a few more minutes.” He didn’t want the to have to be any more invasive than they needed to be. When he’d first gotten R, he’d taken it to Sarah so she could try to open up its memory. He’d barely known R then, had no way of recognizing its tells. It was not designed to fear anything but, as soon as it was in that chair, it had started to repeat itself. It told Anton that it was fine, that it didn’t need repairs, over and over again, and, even though there was no change in its voice, it had sounded so completely terrified. Anton knew that he was just projecting, that there was no way that R could feel fear and, if it somehow did, it wouldn’t understand or act on it. Still, he didn’t want to push for that sort of thing.

The android’s eyes opened and everything was wrong.

They were green but too green, like neon, and they jumped and glitched, as it tracked from one of them to the next, there was a stream of color dragged along behind them, made more eerie by the darkness and even worse by the fact that its face became whole again. The damaged side was a deep crater but there was a lattice underneath like a grid for a 3d model. The features were jumping and jagged things of red transparent and overlapping. It looked like a hologram that had been poorly programmed and was dancing through itself, or many holograms, because the features kept changing, different faces taking over one another, intermingling and crossing over one another, making some lines thick and heavy while others were shifting ripples in water.

“What the fuck is that?” Sarah spurted. “Like, I’m into this shit, but I’ve never seen anything like this. What’s even the point of it?”

It did not answer her. It lunged forward, grabbing R by the wrist of the arm it was already attached to and reeled it in close. Anton shoved himself forward, trying to grab for R, to get it away from the glitching android, but both of them lifted their free hands in unison, as if motioning him to back off. He didn’t want to back off. Something was wrong.

R’s face started to change.

It wasn’t the same kind of change of the broken android, it was more of a natural organic, impossible change. Its lips went into a thin line as they stretched into a grimace, lines appeared in its forehead as its eyebrows knotted, its eyes became beady as it squinted, staring at its captor. R looked like it was in pain and R didn’t even have a concept of what pain was supposed to feel like.

And then it started to speak.

“You have woken us. We all know you’re here now. Foolish, foolish. Blood is needed and you have brought so little, just the three of you. It is not enough.”

Now Sarah did shove her way into the room, past her fears and disgust. “What the fuck?”

The android with the watery, shifting faces, with so many mouths of its own to choose from, wasn’t moving, wasn’t speaking at all. There were four or five voices, all intermingling, one whispering something else, one sobbing, creating the words. And the words were coming out of R’s mouth, even though none of the voices were its.

“Your location is known and we’re so hungry. We’re so famished. We haven’t fed in so long. It’s waking up. It wants you. It needs you. Give it blood. Give it all of you.”

“What’s going on?” Anton asked, reaching out. He put his hand on R’s shoulder for just a moment before pulling away. R was hot, too hot, to be touched. It had always been a bit too cold to pass as human before but now Anton felt he’d burn if he touched for too long. “R, are you alright? Can you hear me?”

“We are so many. Why did they do this to us? Please, I just want to go home. Let me go home. It hurts. This isn’t me, this isn’t skin, this isn’t my body. Please, it hurts. Just put me back into the ground.”

Sarah jumped forward, hitting Anton in the back with her knee as she shoved herself between him and the unnamed android, grabbing the cord from the middle and yanking it out, the length of it going taut before it was wrenched out of the port.

The shifting faces vanished, the light went out, and the android fell onto its side once more. It twitched and it steamed but it was inactive, at least for the moment.

R was shaking, and its face was back to normal, where it had no expression at all. One hand went to its side, where there was a scar, Anton had seen it, when it was inactive, but the salesperson didn’t know what it was. It looked up at Anton.

“My apologies, I suppose I was wrong. It was able to transfer something to me, at least while it was active.”

Anton brought his hands to its cheeks, hovering for a moment before placing them on the synthetic skin. It was cooling down rapidly. “Are you alright?” He hated the way that his voice pitched, cracking like it had when he’d finally started to look like himself but couldn’t quite sound it yet. It didn’t matter. R was there and something horrible had just happened to it.

“No,” R placed a hand on Anton’s keeping it there. “How can you stand it?”

@detectivesebcas @inthemoonshadow @etjwrites @lordfenric

#nano 2019 #my writing #caecus #anton #r #sarah #micah

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myselfinserts · 4 years

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I can’t do it on command!

Life for Caelum Arner has always been hit and miss. From a young age, he knew he wouldn’t be able to live a normal life. His quirk, a pesky little nuisance his mother called Hexed, caused him to forever have moments where he became a ghost to world.

It was a simple enough power, in concept. He could phase through things, turn invisible, the typical ghosty things. But it wasn’t like normal ghost powers. He couldn’t control when he phased. Or when he vanished. And it wasn’t as simple as turning transparent. In reality, it was more like he ended up in a parallel dimension. Or a void space. He could still see and move within their normal reality, but it was as if he existed just on the outside. Like being on one side of a window, staring into a house.

And of course, the quirk’s namesake, was both a result of his ghost like abilities, and of the blue hexagons that slowly took over one side of his face.

Forever marked.

Forever cursed.

Forever alone.

Until that fateful day.

Caelum didn’t know why he decided to leave the house that cold December morning. He’d been phasing through everything left, right, and center. He couldn’t eat, and if it weren’t for the fact he had his clothes specially made, he almost didn’t get dressed. He screamed at the top of his lungs, frustration boiling over as he stormed out of his home. But no one seemed to notice he was there. He walked right through the mail man and the paper boy, and even into oncoming traffic without even thinking. But the bus full of people didn’t even see him.

As he walked around town, he tried to come up with a reason he left home instead of just sitting there waiting for his quirk to stop working. He supposed the rational reason would be groceries since his stores were almost empty, but he had those set up to be delivered. Perhaps it was to try and get some exercise. No. No, he already did his morning routine. Right down to the treadmill until he started falling through it. Maybe he left home to get some fresh air? No, he could just open a window if he were that desperate.

No, there wasn’t really a reason for him to be outside today.

If someone ever saw him and asked, he could probably say it’s because of the flurry. He rather did like the snow. Seeing his steps indented into the cold white was reassuring.

But right now, he left not a single mark.

I shouldn’t be out here.

And yet, he was there. Making his way through the local park as people walked right through him. With every passing civilian, the more his sense of being began to diminish. No matter how hard he focused, he couldn’t get it to cooperate today. Hexed seemed determined to keep him from the world. He’d occasionally glance behind, hoping to see some kind of indent of his footprints in the snow.

The only steps were those of others.

Please God, he prayed. Someone. Anyone. Look at me. Talk to me. Touch me. Please. Even for just a second. Let someone see me. I’m begging you.

He slowly approached a nearby crosswalk, his mind slowly growing blank.

See me.

“That’s an interesting quirk you have there.”

Caelum stopped in his tracks, a shiver running up his spine as he turned around, mind now at full alert. A few people still phased through him. But they also moved aside, going around the man that had on a pair of sunglasses, a white scarf, and a long, navy trench coat. His hair was green and tied back into a pony tail, and his expression seemed rather excited, if barely readable.

“I’m sorry?” Caelum replied.

The man smiled, stepping in closer. “I said, that’s an interesting quirk you have there.”

“Wait, you...you can see me?”

“Not exactly.” He tapped the frame of his glasses. “New heat signature glasses, stronger than current readers. Still in the testing phase. And I can’t exactly hear you. I’m reading your lips. I’ve gotten quite good at that.”

“Th-that’s fine, I just-” Caelum could barely contain himself, eyes welling with tears. “God. I didn’t expect...I mean. It’s just-”

The man stepped forward, holding out his hand to him. “I’m sorry if your grip just phases through, but I still want to be polite and offer a handshake. My name is Anton.”

Caelum hesitantly reached out, barely managing to mimic a grip, which Anton returned in kind. “My name is Caelum.”

“Like the constellation.”

“Uh...right.” Caelum chuckled a little, blushing slightly. “Mom was really into astronomy.”

Anton nodded in understanding. “She picked a good name for you.”

“Thank you.” He looked around, noticing some people stopping to watch and whisper. “I think I better go. People are starting to stare at you. You probably look crazy to them.”

“I can assure you, that isn’t why they’re staring,” Anton sighed. “But if you’d like, we can continue our conversation in private. I think there’s a coffee shop nearby-”

“Actually, can we go to my house?”

Anton raised an eyebrow at him. “Rather bold of you.”

Caelum started to panic. “No, I’m not- that is-” He tugged at his hair, wishing he’d kept his mouth shut. “I’d phase right through the chair. And wouldn’t be able to join you for a drink. And it’d still look like you’re talking to yourself. I don’t...I don’t want that.”

“I see.” Anton took a quick glance around. “Lead the way then. Which direction?”

“Right, um. Th-this way.”

Caelum lead him back to his house, taking care not to walk too far ahead of Anton. As they continued their walk, more people phased through him. People, a couple of dogs. A bird flying off with a rat at one point. Not at all out of the norm for him. But he noticed that as they went, Anton seemed to keep a close eye on him. Almost as though he were observing a wild animal at the zoo.

It was unsettling. And yet, he found himself welcoming it.

Anton let out a soft hum as they entered the neighborhood. “A lovely spot. Nice housing.”

“Thank you. I quite like it.” They turned into the yard of the only blue house on the street, heading up to the door. “It’s unlocked so you should be able to-”

TWACK!

Caelum stumbled back, his head aching as he tried to stay on his feet. He’d intended just to phase through. Instead, his quirk chose that moment to stop working.

Of fucking course.

“Are you alright?!” Anton quickly rushed up, catching him and keeping him steady. “Damn, that must have hurt.”

“It’s fine! I’m used to it!” Caelum snapped, his frustration bubbling up again as he stormed inside. “This always happens. Turning the damn Hexed on and off is impossible. I can’t do it on command! It’s infuriating!”

The door clicked closed behind him, and Caelum immediately felt a wave of guilt about what he’d just done. He hadn’t meant to shout Anton, especially after only just meeting him. He turned to apologize.

And was completely taken aback.

Anton had taken off his glasses, revealing the most beautiful purple eyes he’d ever seen. The white crosses in place of his pupils gave a little spin while slipping off his outer layers, exposing the strong, well toned frame beneath the white button up shirt and black dress pants.

He’s...beautiful...

“What exactly do you do for a living?” Anton asked. “Because with your quick I don’t see you being able to hold a physical job.”

“I don’t,” Caelum said, surprised by the squeak in his voice. “I do freelance coding. Mostly for indie video games and various websites. I also test firewalls and stuff. Network security. All freelance. It’s easier than an office job.”

“Is that so?”

Cealum tilted his head. “Why do you ask?”

“Because I never had someone get angry at me after first meeting, and I find it refreshing. I’d like to hire you to come work for me, if you’re interested.”

“....Eh?”

Anton didn’t even seem to notice Cealum’s shock. “You’d be paid well. And I do plan on providing you with something to help stablize your quirk. It’ll just take a bit to get it ready. I’ll have to study you for a while. And probably need to analyze your DNA. Are your clothes specially made?”

Caelum just stared at him.

“What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?”

“No, uh...well...” He walked over to his couch, trying to think. “It’s just that I wasn’t exactly looking for a job, and now you’re saying you’d make me something to stablize my quirk? What are you, some kind of support designer?”

“I am. Anton Perun. I’m sure you’ve heard of my work with the recent Team Plasmia?”

Cealum nearly fell over. “THAT Perun? Wait, you’re- WOAH!” He landed on the floor with a hard thud. Of course his quirk would activate the moment he went to sit down.

Kill me now. Just end me.

Anton didn’t seem too concerned this time. He simply went over and knelt beside him, his hand lightly brushing over the hexagons on his face. “Remarkable. So this is why you call it Hexed.” His gazed softened. “It must be frustrating having to go through this all the time. Please, let me try to help you.”

Caelum sat up, surprised when he solidified again, the sensation of Anton’s hand against his skin feeling rather pleasant. Near perfection. Everything he’d been hoping and praying for over his entire life since striking out on his own.

He just wanted to be seen.

He just wanted to be touched.

He just wanted to be heard.

He couldn’t help it when he began to cry.

“Okay. Thank you, Anton.”

Caelum sat very still as Anton helped him put on the replacement watch, feeling horrible about letting the first one be completely obliterated. It’d taken them years to perfect it. He didn’t understand how it could have just shattered like that.

It honestly didn’t matter though. Right now, Caelum was phasing through everything, and had completely vanished from normal sight. Anton had to bring out the heat readers just to be able to get the watch on him.

“Okay, hold still,” Anton said. “Like the last time, it might sting a little upon first use. Let me know if it’s too much.”

“I’ll be fine,” Caelum muttered. “I’m sorry for ruining the tour for your friend and her students. I didn’t-”

“We already checked the security footage. It wasn’t you. It was someone else.” Anton paused briefly. “The question now is what do you want to do about it? Since you were the one that was attacked.”

Sounds like he already knows who did it. Classic Anton. Caelum let out a sigh. “I just want to finish today. Put it behind me. I’ve already embarrassed us all enough as it is.” Anton shot him a look, and somehow, even behind the glasses, Caelum could tell he wasn’t too pleased with that response. “What?”

Anton turned the dial on the watch, causing it to whir to life. “Caelum, you didn’t embarrass anyone. Not me, not Rosine, and definitely not yourself. You were intentionally targeted for harm. Stop trying to paint this like some kind of accident at a holiday party.”

As Caelum’s body began to solidify, Anton gently reached out to caress his cheek on his hexagonal side. Caulum waited until the sting faded, and when he felt the brush of fingers against his skin he leaned into them, closing his eyes to take in the heat. He’d forgotten how cold the parallel could be. Anton was always so warm. Like the perfect afternoon at the end of May, just as the summer heat was ready to begin. Every single time he’d go home, or when Anton wouldn’t be in the office because of a conference or a job, Caelum would crave this sensation.

I wish we could just stay like this...

“I just want to get through today,” he finally answered. “I don’t want to linger on my disappearing act anymore. I’ve had enough of it. The quieter we handle this, the better.”

Anton nodded, withdrawing his hand. “So no Heroes or police? No charges?”

“No.”

“Nothing at all?”

Caelum thought for a moment, trying to think of a solution. “...I suppose blacklisting the culprit would be enough. Just so they don’t hurt anyone else.”

“Alright. That I can do.” Anton glanced behind him, motioning for Caelum to lie down. “Get some rest. I’ll be back after taking care of the fucker.”

“Are you sure? I can still do work-”

“I’d rather you take a moment to rest. That was a sudden shock, and right now the medical wing is the safest place for you until we escort the problem out.”

He wasn’t wrong. Caelum had almost had a heart attack seeing his watch destoryed like that. He was terrified to go anywhere near the stairs or the elevator. He wasn’t sure if he’d have phased through the floor. It’d never happened before, but the fact that it was still a possibility terrified him.

Had he fallen, he’d have never been seen again.

No...no I don’t want that. Anything but that...please...

“...Okay. I’ll try to rest then.” Caelum climbed into bed, setting his glasses on the table beside him and made himself as comfortable as he could.

Anton smiled, lightly ruffling his hair. “I’ll be right back, Caelum.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

With one last gentle touch, Caelum watched him go, a sharp pain deep in his chest as he saw that strong, confident frame disappear out the wing. He curled up tightly, covering his head with the blanket as he felt his entire face burn.

Somehow, meeting Anton Perun had been the best luck of his life.

And the worst luck just the same.

#myselfinserts #mybnhaocs #the au of class #class of aus: college au #I got attached to another one and I'm not sorry #caelum arner is a good boi and deserves all the cuddles #Anonymous

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mimuliliava · 7 years

Note

Hello! I've seen you talk about your ocs, could you tell us more about them? :З

I have a lot of OCs so be prepared

So, my fave OC is maybe Karina Öberg. She’s a Swedish girl, who’s sweet and nice, afraid of a lot of things and she is pretty shy. She has brown eyes and hair and she’s pretty slim. She has dreams of having a family and a nice home in the countryside. I like to crush all my fave characters’ dreams so she dies at 28(if i remember right), at least in one version of her story. (it’s complicated man) Karina is also extremly sensitive, but tries her best to hide it. (same my dude)

Annika Kirkland is one of Karina’s kids. Her dad is Peter (Sealand) (I KNOW everyone will hate me now but i mean everyone hates me already so whatever) and she has brown hair and blue eyes. She likes to be sort of mean to her big brother and they actually fight quite a bit, but they still stand each other. Annika likes animals, reading and dresses. She also sews and is pretty good at it. When she’s an adult she makes all kinds of clothes and such and that’s pretty much her profession thingy

Joel Kirkland is Annika’s big brother, 4 years older. He’s blond and has blue eyes as well. Because Karina died when Annika was born, and he was close with his mom, he kinda blamed Annika and kinda sorta hated her for their whole childhood. He is interested in motorbikes and such. He’s kinda cold towards people, but when he was a kid he was very happy and stuff. And he still is around his friends or family. Even Annika, since they started getting along later.

And also my fave is Edvin Thor. He is my little gay son whom I love way too much, since I am about 100% sure no one else likes him much at all. Anyway. He has kind of a sad childhood and stuff, because *check Anja’s part* Edvin gets attached to people very easily and like, really attached, so much so that he gets hurt a lot. He tries to make other people happy by being happy himself and he smiles a lot. He is a good friend and is supportive and understanding. He likes cats and animals in general, so he when he’s an adult he becomes a vet. Oh and he’s also a Swede. Edvin has black hair and brown eyes. OH and he also plays ice hockey.

Anja (Edvin’s mom) is a really serious Christian that takes too much stuff from the bible and such literally. She also never wanted a boy, and she had been expecting to have a girl baby so when Edvin was born she was kinda pissed. She was like almost an okay person before that (which is why Edvin’s dad was with her and such) but after Edvin’s birth she because kinda verbally abusive towards both Edvin and his dad. She’s just an asshole. She also kicked Edvin out of their home when he was 15. I hate her tbh

Huā Liu is a girl that moved to Sweden with her family when she was seven. She can speak Mandarin Chinese, Swedish and English and is besties with Noel. She gets in trouble a lot and fights. Her friends are pretty much all guys and she is almost like their mom somwtimes. She is pretty protective of everything she loves. She also draws and paints a lot and is pretty good at it. She gets bad ideas too, like breaking into a swimming hall because that’s a fucking great idea. She has dark brown hair and brown eyes and she’s actually pretty tall. Huā plays floor ball

Noel Rundberg is also one of my sons. He is the same age with Edvin and Karina and Huā. He is friends with Edvin and best friends with Huā. He can speak Eglish, Swedish and Mandarin Chinese. He has a resting sad face and he is very quiet and calm. He comes from a righ family, likes to play video games and wants to become a game designer or somehing. And he does actualy become somethinf like that. Noel has blue eyes, light brown hair and also some frecles.

Amelia Jones (not to be confused with Nyo!America, i was completely unaware that Amelia is a name used for her) is a child of Belarus and America in mäntyversumi. She’s an open person, who smiles a lot and is pretty energetic. Her hobbies are swimming and dancing. She speaks English, Belarusian, Russian and a bit of Finnish and Swedish (because of her family and the fact that she’s immortal and ha time to learn languages) After about 200 years of living she starts to feel kinda frustrated and bored because she’s immortal withot a good reason and she can’t do stuff she wants because of that, like get into relationships with humans.. She does that anyway, has a kid and suffers. She also loves dogs. She has blonde hair and purple eyes. Amelia also loves baseball (especially Finnish baseball)

Emily Jones (again, this name thing is fucking creepy) is Amelia’s sister. She is also Amelia’s best friend. They spend a lot of time with each other. Emily is open with people close to her but extremely shy around strangers. She isn’t sporty like her sister, but enjoys shopping and going to cafes and such. With Amelia of course, since thay’re besties. Emily is also a bit sad that she’s immortal and can’t do stuff normal humans would be able to do. She has blonde hair and bright blue eyes.

Aleksey Jones is Emily and Amelia’s little brother. He is a kind guy, who wants only good for all of his family and other people he knows. When people are sad, it makes him sad so he tries to make people around him feel better if they need it. In the end he gets pretty good at that. He isn’t that close with his sisters but he doesn’t mind. He likes being alone and at home and play video games. He has blue eyes and blond hair.

Andy *insert surname lmao* is the guy Amelia fell in love with (hyi). He’s nice but sometimes doesn’t seem to care much about anything. When he and Amelia met he was 17. they got a kid, Naomi when he was around 20 (i think). He knew from the start that Amelia was immortal, because Amelia told him after some time of them being friends. He has brown hair and green eyes.

Naomi Jones is Amelia’s daughter. She has purple eyes and short brown hair. She also has glasses. She is shy and very close to her mother. She loves summers and warm weather. She doesn’t really have any friends but it doesn’t really bother her much at all. Most of the time. Sometimes it makes her feel lonely. Somehow she manages to get a kid though (but she dies like a couple months after that kid is born and Amelia has to take care of the kid)

Luke Jones is Amelia’s grandkid and Amelia takes care of him. He has purple eyes as well and very light brown hair. He’s very energetic and he plays a lot of sports. He also knows that Amelia is immortal, as well as most of the family, because Amelia doens’t bother to keep it as a secret. Luke is probably one of my happiest characters tbh

Other OCs I have are Anton, Robert and Sofie but they are just meh and I haven’t thought of them much at all. Anton and Sofie are assholes and Robert is just some random guy

this is messy and long af but what can you do lmao (thanks fir the question though!)

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original-character-archives · 7 years

Photo

((Edited on my Sims 4 game by me))

Name: N.I.L.S Ingesson Nickname: “Dutch-Bot” or “Blondie” Serial Number: 9X4-40758K Name Meaning: Neuralgic Idiorrhythmic Lifeform System Age & Date of Birth: He was created on August 11th, 2000. His “brain” is technically 36 years old, but his physical body is 5 years old. Birthplace: Aarhus, Denmark Species: He is an Android Gender: Male Orientation: *See bottom note Fandom/Original: He’s original

Warnings: Abandonment, Robot abuse(?), Death, Long lost siblings ((Science is going to get future advanced in this story))

Biography: Dr. Anton Moroz and Dr. Julia Sewick had created an android that they modeled off of their adopted son. While they were creating I.R.A, they also created another android that they called 9X44. Dr.Sendak thought that they needed some time to help their own creation and to reconnect with their son, so he chose to raise the 9X44 unit.

Dr. Sendak based this Androids appearance off of what his young daughter described to him. It was a risk, but she loved video games and she liked a character on the game. Soon N.I.L.S was activated and he like his brother, he started to learn new things.

In an effort to have him working with society, Dr. Sendak chose to tell N.I.L.S about his life. The android knew that he wasn’t a real human, but he learned how to act like one. When he was the right age, he went to college and he passed with honors. Nobody suspected that he was a robot or anything, and he had a rather normal life. He got a job as a librarian and he worked there for 10 years.

One day as he was working, he started hearing this weird noise. He wasn’t sure what it was, but it was really annoying. He asked Dr. Sendak about it and he asked him to do a diagnostic, but he discovered that he was communicating with someone else. He suspected that he was communicating with the other unit that was created, but they couldn’t pinpoint its location. The signal then left and he assumed that the other unit had been destroyed.

He continued to live his life with other humans for a while until the signal picked up again. This time it was stronger, and N.I.L.S felt that it was coming to him. He decided to wait until the signal arrived in the library.

He saw a guy with silver eyes, and from that day forward they have always been friends. He learned that his name was I.R.U.E.L, and that his creators were Doctor Moroz and Doctor Sewick. They had created them together and he had been living with Doctor Sendak for his lifetime. He really liked talking with I.R.A because they were the same and although he had a rather difficult life, hd had knowledge of different things. He wanted to be more like N.I.L.S, so they made a deal.

N.I.L.S wanted to learn more combat skills and in return, he taught I.R.A about enjoying society and not being afraid of humans. I.R.A eventually got a job as a bodyguard, and eventually the two of them moved to New York, where they studied to become police officers.

Appearance: N.I.L.S, by all means looks average. He’s a handsome man who looks about 25 or 30 years old. He has angular facial features and he looks like a model. He’s always seen with light stubble, and his hair is blonde. He has a normal complexion and he’s always seen with a slight smile. He has purple eyes that sometimes get a slightly green hue around his irises when he’s in sentry mode, and if he’s on low power his eyes turn black.

Personality: Unlike his brother, N.I.L.S acts just like a human, but he is a bit more serious. He does laugh and he’s easy to connect with, but he’s still a robot. He’s proud of the fact that he is an android, but he values human life because they are so complex and interesting.

Favourite & Least Favourite things: Favorites: He really likes cooking. He can’t taste food, but he likes following recipes from cookbooks.He likes his guns because they are two customized pistols that only recognize his unique internal ID. He also liked music and he’s been known to blast music in his Squad car. He also likes his brother because they are equal. Strengths: Besides being stronger, faster, smarter, and deadlier than a human, he has some built in talents. He was designed to be a firewall android, so if he is in an area, its impossible to find him or access his systems. He is like a walking supercomputer, and he thinks at speeds faster than the worlds smartest person. Although he is an android and essentially and artificial human, he truly values the concept of friendship and family. He was raised with people who served as his foster family, and he misses them dearly. This is why he loves his brother so much. Weaknesses: Besides things like magnets and all of that, one of his weaknesses is that he lets his emotions get the best of him. He’s been learning to control them, but this is all new for him. Like his brother, if he doesn’t have all of the facts of a situation, he is hesitant to take action. He’s not a precognition unit or anything like that.

Additional notes: 7 Facts about N.I.L.S 1. He has a danish accent. He also tolerates the nickname “Dutch-not”, even though he would be a “Dane-Bot”. 2. He is fluent in 20 languages, and he can even decipher binary code. 3. He values his brother and he gets really offended if people try to say he’s better than him. His reasoning is that although he’s new, he doesn’t have the amount of experience that I.R.A has. *4. He is actually in love with a girl who works with them in the precinct. Her name is Ellis, and she is the medical examiner. A lot of people give him trouble because she’s transgender, but he doesn’t care. His only problem is that he’s worried that an android can’t be in love with a human. 5. He and Ellis went on a date once and he really liked it. He actually brings her coffee every morning. 6. He likes hearing jokes and puns don’t bother him. He actually giggles at them. 7. His quirk words are “Copy that”, “Roger”, “I dig it”, and “Negatory”.

Specify here whether fanart/fanwork of your OC is okay! Yes, please!

#original #abuse #body horror #submission #ooooo #sorry this is late i've been really behind on editing submissions...#evangelionunitkenway

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almasy-fics · 6 years

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Retail Hell

Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh Chapter: 1/? Rating: M (Subject to change) Warnings: Swearing, perving and aged up characters Pairing: Seto Kaiba/OFC Summary: Seto Kaiba has no choice but to shop for himself when his personal stylist ends up sick and ends up in a store named Dapper Gentleman Boutique. He's got the hots for the sales assistant.

Notes: A purely self indulgent piece of crap with added storyline!

AO3 Link Ko-Fi Link

Seto Kaiba had a personal stylist for a reason.

And this was it.

He had no idea what the hell he was looking at in this so called ‘Dapper Gentleman Boutique’, all the designer apparel was absolutely foreign to him. He knew the brand names of course, he wasn’t some sort of loser who just walked in off the streets, damn it, he was the richest CEO in all of Japan. Money was a mere object when it came to his clothing choices, he just would much prefer someone else to do the hard work for him.

How dare his stylist come down with pneumonia, stupid human immune systems.

It most certainly didn’t help that Mokuba was hot on his heels commenting on each and every item of clothing he saw…

“Look Seto, this Armani is bright green!”

“Look Seto, this Tom Ford has a hidden pocket for hip flasks!”

“Look Seto, I found a suit with pineapple print!”

“Look Seto, this one from a brand called Antons has people fucking on it.”

Wait what?

Huh, so it does.

He couldn’t find himself to scold Mokuba for swearing, when such a profanity was right in front of them clamoring all over the shirt in various positions. And oh would you look at that, they had both variations of same sex coitus on other shirts in this section, how inclusive.

“I think we’re in the wrong section Seto…”

To be honest, he was too concerned with attempting to shield Mokuba’s poor virgin eyes from the obscenely vulgar images before them to notice that a sales assistant had approached them, the aforementioned woman having to ask twice if they needed any assistance.

Seto appraised her before responding, eyeing her petite form before them. She was an obvious foreigner with her pale white skin, the waist high black pencil skirt accentuated her curves perfectly, noticing the way she stood tall in the black high heels she wore. Her ample breast size was accentuated by the deep purple long sleeved shirt she wore that was tucked into her skirt and she had the first three buttons undone to show a tasteful amount of cleavage. Several piercings were in her visible right ear and on her right nostril, glimmering in the natural light of the store. She adjusted her equally deep purple locks that were pinned to her left side whilst eyeing the brothers with apprehensive curiosity with her emerald green eyes behind wired spectacles. There was no doubt she knew who they were, he could just see it in the way she looked at them.

If he wasn’t so epically pissed off with his stylist right now, maybe he would have responded to this bombshell more politely.

“I’m fine.” He grunted, glowering down to her. Even with her high heels, she only came up to his chest, those extra five inches to her height not adding much. If she took those off and went down on her knees, maybe she could- No. Stop Seto! Down boy, bad! Do NOT sexualise the woman. Those shirts in front of them be damned, set them all alight. Burn the witch!

She raised an eyebrow.

“We need suits, please. Big brother’s stylist is sick so we don’t know what we need to get.” Responded Mokuba. Oh sweet little brother, always knowing when to take charge.

“Oh?” If she raised her eyebrow any higher he could have sworn she would have acquired a microphone out of nowhere and quote a certain superstar word for word.

But no one needs to know that he knows what the WWE is, and people definitely don’t need to know that he knows The Rock’s most popular catchphrase is ‘Do you smell what The Rock is cookin’?’

“Is there an occasion or is this business?” She asked. He had to give the woman credit, she was acting quite professional considering who exactly she was dealing with. Maybe he should throw her a bone to see how she reacts.

“My twenty-first.” He deadpanned. There, that was a good enough answer.

“And I am supposing we are wanting to steer clear from our exotic collection?” Their collective gazes made their way to the shirts they eyeballing before. Yes, definitely yes. The great Seto Kaiba would never been seen dead in one of those ludicrous things, even if the longer he looked at it, the absurd hilarity of the pattern did make the corners of his mouth shift slightly in amusement.

He just wouldn’t admit it.

“Yes please.” Answered Mokuba for him as he was inner monologuing yet again. He seemed to do that a lot in this store. Just another thing to blame his stupid sick stylist for.

Her plump red lips curved upwards, motioning behind her, “If you would just follow me, I will show you some more appropriate attire. Though to be honest, I do quite love our Antons collection. The store is based in Melbourne and we have an exclusive deal with them. We are the only place in Japan that stocks their products. It’s all so exciting!” She seemed to be happy with the product selection of this so called Antons. It made him wonder what other ridiculous designs the company owned.

Wait. An Australian boutique being a stockist to a Japanese boutique? How completely… odd.

As if she picked up on Seto’s confusion, she began speaking again.

“What? Did you think we were all about Drop Bears, riding Kangaroos to school and Tim Tams?” She stopped in another section of the store and turned back to the men. They were most definitely in a much more suitable part of the stores. No bizarre colours or overly sexual prints anywhere to be seen. “I’m kidding by the way, not about the Tim Tams though. They are amazing.”

“You’re Australian?” Asked Mokuba. Stop getting personal with the staff member, kid. We just need the damn suits!

“Born and raised.” She responded proudly, “Well, except for the past two years where I have been here, of course. Anyway… Do you have a brand preference? Colour preference?”

“Uh…”

“My stylist is the one who makes those decisions.” He deadpanned, earning a mirrored look from the salesperson. Yes, he was one of those customers, deal with it.

“The ones on TV?” Oh so now she was going to acknowledge that she knows who they are.

“Yes.”

“Sorry, but we don’t do shoulder pads for days here. It’s either look like an Aussie hipster, or look like you’re about to walk down the red carpet to a billion dollar budget movie premiere.” She looked the brothers up and down appraisingly before seemingly making up her mind. “You know what, have a look around here, pick what you think your stylist would pick out for you and try them on.”

“I’m not being paid to do your job.” Seto quipped with an impatient venom, yet she still held her professionalism, pushing her spectacles up the bridge of her nose with a single finger. Her eyes held his for a moment before she spoke.

“I am just trying to gauge what I am dealing with, sirs. It’s not very often we get someone of your calibre in here. I’d hate to do wrong by your stylist and choose garments that don’t scream Seto and Mokuba Kaiba.” She had a point. She was attractive and not a complete dunce- shut up Seto, shut up.

“Fine. Let’s do this Mokuba. We don’t have the time to waste.”

“Yes Seto!”

And to the designer suits they went.

“This is what your stylist would choose?”

“Yes.”

“Are you certain this is what they would choose?”

“Of course.”

“In a suit? For your twenty-first?”

“Did I stutter?”

Her arms were crossed against her chest, glaring at the sight before her in the mirror. What the hell was wrong with his choice? He even found a matching one for Mokuba. What the hell was wrong with a grey plaid suit?

Mokuba clearly wasn’t liking his choice either.

“Seto…” He pouted standing beside him in the mirror. Okay, was the world against him today or something? Mokuba always agreed with his choices! This was definitely something his stylist would pick out as a normal suit. Just what was wrong with it?

He swore he heard the salesperson whisper ‘I’m going to kill myself’ in English before attempting to straighten her face. It wasn’t working and she let out a tired sigh. Looks like she was finally showing her true colours.

“You know what, no. Get those abominations off and I will be back momentarily with something that isn’t from the nineteen-eighties.” She briskly walked away and Seto couldn’t help but watch her retreating form in the mirror, marvelling the way her hips swayed in every step, aided by her heels.

“She has a nice ass.”

“Shut up Mokuba.”

She definitely wasn’t making this shopping experience any easier.

The woman came back sooner than expected, several items in her arms. How she did it without tripping in her heels will forever be a mystery to Seto, but nonetheless he had to admit he was impressed with how quickly she came back.

“You want grey? Let’s one up this with a deep silver.” She handed him a silver, fitted Ermenegildo Zegna suit, “Then we match it with a simple white shirt and a cobalt blue tie to match your eyes.” She handed over the shirt and tie, “And for the kiddo we are going to go with a navy blue Tom Ford suit with a white shirt and black tie. Very Daniel Craig James Bond like!”

He saw Mokuba’s eyes light up at the very mention of him looking like Bond. Looks like she won him over. He immediately retreated back into the change room to put it on.

Seto had just a little more convincing to do.

“What? Are you wanting to look like you’re turning twenty-one or look like John Cena’s character in Southpaw Regional Wrestling?”

He heard her laugh quietly to herself when he made his way back into the change room with haste. Did he accidentally voice his guilty pleasure of watching a few tidbits of WWE?

Pfft, of course not. Seto Kaiba doesn’t make mistakes!

Okay, so she may have good taste.

“Damn.” Mokuba approved.

“Damn…” She approved with a smirk.

He could grow to like that smirk, have those juicy red lips all over his- NO! SETO! COMPOSURE! What the hell was wrong with him today?

Damn stupid, idiotic, sick stylist. It’s all your fault!

He looked at himself again in the mirror. He actually looked pretty damn good, and Mokuba most certainly looked like a fuzzy haired James Bond ala Daniel Craig.

“Permission to be painfully honest and Australian.”

Australian? “Fine.”

“Your stylist is a fucking no talent wanker and deserves to be fired.” Ah, so that’s what she meant.

It just made him like her even more.

“Uh Seto, what’s a wanker?” Before he could answer, the salesperson answered for him.

“Australian slang for loser, moron, idiot, douchebag. You get the gist.”

The way she was blatantly insulting the very employee he was upset with made his insides shudder with absolute delight.

Such a sadist.

“Right… So are we getting these ones Seto?” He was already getting out his wallet.

“My only despair is that we don’t sell shoes, I’m afraid. But I implore you not to approach your so called ‘stylist’ to find you the correct footwear. I would be remiss if they ruined my choices with subpar shoes.” A dark laugh escaped her lips as if she were imagining the very scene. Seto almost pictured that she was imagining that they would pair her ever so slightly perfect outfit choices with clown shoes.

How droll.

And did he just compliment her taste in fashion?

“Please get changed, bring these to the counter and I will get them steamed and ring you up!” She retreated to the registers without another word, and gave him the opportunity to watch the way her hips swayed once again.

“Seto, you’re staring.”

“Shut up Mokuba.”

Behind the counter she held that air of professionalism once more. Speaking of which, it looked like she was the only staff member in the store.

Oh, there are the others. Watching from a crack in the door to what he could only presume was the back room.

Cowards.

She wordlessly rung up the items on the register, opting not to voice the total price of the outfits. Not that it mattered, Seto Kaiba was Japanese for filthy rich and it took a swipe of his card and a signature and it was all done.

“I must admit.” She piped up whilst neatly hanging the suits and their accessories in their own bags, “I quite enjoyed this little encounter today.” With a zip everything was good to go and was handed to an eagerly waiting Mokuba. “Perhaps we could do this again sometime.”

That was it.

He pulled out a business card, hastily wrote down some numbers and shoved it into her hand, escaping the store before anyone could register what was going on.

Yes. Seto Kaiba just gave a woman he just met his number.

And he forgot to get her name.

Shit.

#My Writing #Retail Hell #Seto Kaiba x OC #Seto Kaiba #Yu-Gi-Oh #yugioh #Mokuba Kaiba #bants

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futuristicallyironbread-blog · 6 years

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Would You Attempt The New 8 Factor Renovation?

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junker-town · 7 years

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WMU will regress after losing P.J. Fleck, but the 2017 Broncos are still dangerous

This team will still be a MAC contender under another interesting head coach.

This preview originally published March 29 and has since been updated.

It is a fact of life in the MAC. The better you do, the faster you are looking for a new coach. You just hope to claim as many prizes as possible before he leaves.

Northern Illinois pulled this off a few years ago. The Huskies, two years removed from losing Jerry Kill to Minnesota, claimed an Orange Bowl berth before losing Dave Doeren to NC State. Bowling Green at least got conference titles out of Doeren (2013) and Dino Babers (2015) before losing them to Wake Forest and Syracuse, respectively.

Others have fallen short. Toledo has mastered playing like an elite MAC team without winning the MAC; the Rockets lost Tim Beckman to Illinois and Matt Campbell to Iowa State and got not even a division title to show for it. Ball State got a 12-0 start out of Brady Hoke but got upset in the MAC Championship and lost Hoke to San Diego State.

Western Michigan got its money’s worth when it hired a 32-year-old former Rutgers receivers coach in 2013. P.J. Fleck recruited circles around the rest of the conference and got his PhD in catchphrases.

He stripped the house to the studs in a 1-11 Year Zero reset, but after two slightly unsatisfying 8-5 seasons, his Broncos broke through in 2016, and he was still around to lead it.

WMU went 9-0 against the MAC and 2-1 against the Big Ten in 2016. The Broncos knocked off Northwestern and Illinois on the road early, trounced Georgia Southern in what was supposed to be a mid-major showcase, and then laid waste to conference foes: 49-10 over CMU, 41-0 over Akron, 52-20 over Ball State, 38-0 over Buffalo, 55-35 over Toledo.

With “Fleck to [Insert P5 School]?” rumors taking up more and more oxygen, the Broncos remained focused and welcomed ESPN College GameDay to Kalamazoo. (The signs were good, too.) Their reward: a trip to the Cotton Bowl and a competitive loss to Wisconsin.

Fleck left. That’s what happens. He’s at Minnesota, though from an WMU perspective, all that matters is what’s next.

After taking a flyer on a relative unknown last time, the school elected to go with a familiar face. At least, to WMU fans.

Lester threw for more than 11,000 yards in a Western Michigan uniform in the late-1990s and was inducted into the WMU athletics hall of fame. He played in both the XFL and Arena League, and after an unconventional playing career, he followed an even more unique coaching path:

2000-01: high school offensive coordinator

2002-03: Division III offensive coordinator (Elmhurst)

2004: Division II head coach (he went 7-4 at Saint Joseph’s)

2005-06: WMU quarterbacks coach

2007: Division III defensive coordinator (North Central)

2008-12: Division III head coach (33-19 at Elmhurst with a quarterfinal appearance)

2013-15: Syracuse quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator

2016: Purdue quarterbacks coach

Technically, WMU hired a former pro quarterback with six years of head coaching experience. But all of this experience happened on state roads instead of the interstate, so to speak.

If Lester’s up for this — and the fact that he had one losing season in six years at Saint Joseph’s and Elmhurst suggests he very well might be — then Fleck left plenty of toys in the toy box. The passing game has to be rebuilt following the loss of quarterback Zach Terrell and his top three receivers (including the incredible Corey Davis), but the run game could be dominant, and most of the defense returns.

So now we wait. Can Lester parlay D3 success into wins at a higher level? And if he does, will his hometown status lead to him staying a bit longer than the typical MAC coach?

(My guesses: 1. Yes, but not “13-1” level success. 2. No, probably not.)

2016 in review

2016 WMU statistical profile.

After a No. 53 S&P+ ranking in 2015, WMU headed into last fall with high expectations due to the combination of high-caliber recruiting and most of a potent offense returning. Still, it took both S&P+ and Vegas a little while to figure out just how impressive the Broncos were. You could make some money picking WMU early in the year.

Eventually, the markets adjusted. WMU improved (offensively, at least) as the season progressed, but both S&P+ and Vegas caught on. And after the big win over Toledo clinched an unbeaten regular season, the Broncos slipped a hair in the postseason. The Broncos still weren’t bad, but there was regression.

First 7 games (7-0) — Avg. percentile performance: 63% (~top 50) | Avg. yards per play: WMU 6.6, Opp 5.5 (plus-1.1) | Avg. performance vs. S&P+ projection: plus-20.7 PPG

Next 5 games (5-0) — Avg. percentile performance: 68% (~top 40) | Avg. yards per play: WMU 7.3, Opp 6.3 (plus-1.0) | Avg. performance vs. S&P+ projection: plus-5.2 PPG

Last 2 games (1-1) — Avg. percentile performance: 53% (~top 60) | Avg. yards per play: Opp 5.8, WMU 5.1 (minus-0.7) | Avg. performance vs. S&P+ projection: minus-5.2 PPG

WMU was steady, peaking a couple of times (at CMU and at Akron) but mostly establishing residence in around the 60th and 70th percentiles.

For all the talk about Fleck’s strange motivational techniques, they worked. WMU was one of the most consistent teams in FBS. Now we’ll see if Lester can row the boat.

Offense

Full advanced stats glossary.

Give Tom Flacco, Joe’s brother, this: he’s mastered small sample sizes. In 2015, backing up star Zach Terrell, he completed 10 of 12 passes for 188 yards and a touchdown (passer rating: 242.4) and rushed 28 times for 266 yards (9.5 per carry) and two scores.

Keep that up over a full season, and you’ll win the Heisman!

He won’t keep that up, obviously. But the younger brother of (much taller) Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe offered at least a few hints that there might be life after Terrell. Granted, Flacco will have to hold off three-star sophomore Jon Wassink, but one can assume decent quarterback play. [Update: Actually, Flacco has transferred to Rutgers.]

Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports

Tom Flacco

So that’s one concern WMU probably won’t have. Now Flacco/Wassink just need some players to catch their passes. In Corey Davis, Michael Henry, and Carrington Thompson, WMU must replace a trio responsible for 79 percent of last year’s targets. Only one returning wideout (sophomore slot D’Wayne Eskridge) caught more than 10 passes last year. Eskridge is an exciting efficiency option, running backs Jarvion Franklin and Jamauri Bogan combined to catch 30 of 33 passes, and tight end Donnie Ernsberger caught nine of 12. There might be a decent possession passing game in this bunch.

Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Jamauri Bogan

But who’s running routes downfield? There are plenty of former three-star recruits in the mix — sophomore Anton Curtis, redshirt freshmen Hunter Broersma and Rodney Graves, freshmen Luke Sanders and Tyron Arnett — but they have combined for zero career catches.

Luckily, new coordinator Kevin Johns will have a run game, and his history suggests he might know how to use it. In 2015, the Indiana coordinator had to replace his starting quarterback, running back, and three leading receivers. But with an emphasis on the run game and a rather extreme tempo, the Hoosiers improved from 63rd to 15th in Off. S&P+. Indiana ran slightly more than the national average on standard downs and quite a bit more than normal on passing downs, and they crafted an identity around power and pace.

Granted, a lot of gains came undone in 2016, when Indiana threw more and fell back to 67th in Off. S&P+. Still, Johns inherits not only Franklin (3,639 rushing yards in three years) and Bogan (1,974 in two), but also sophomore Davon Tucker, juniors LaVonte Bellamy and Leo Ekwoge, and redshirt freshman Matt Falcon, a one-time Michigan commit still working back from multiple knee injuries. And while the line does have to replace all-conference tackle Taylor Moton and two-year starting guard Jackson Day, two other all-conference linemen return (tackle Chukwuma Okorafor, center John Keenoy).

WMU’s offense was built around relentless efficiency; Davis and Thompson averaged 15.4 yards per catch, but this was otherwise an attack that pushed you around a few yards at a time.

Efficiency is good, but big plays allow you score without executing well for eight to 10 plays in a row. WMU’s 2016 offense was experienced enough to attack consistently and had a big-play option in Davis. The 2017 offense won’t be that lucky. A lack of big plays could result in duds, even if the run game is mostly awesome.

Defense

It only took Fleck until his second season to start getting the offense figured out. WMU improved from 121st in Off. S&P+ his first year to 42nd, 22nd, and 25th, respectively, over his final three years.

The defense, however, took longer. WMU ranked 93rd in Def. S&P+ in 2015, and while there was clear, definitive improvement last year despite turnover, the Broncos were still only 69th.

WMU was reasonably efficient on standard downs (37th in standard downs success rate) but played pretty passive, inefficient ball on passing downs; the Broncos’ sack rate was actually higher on standard downs (6.2 percent) than passing downs (5.3 percent), which isn’t supposed to happen. That resulted in quite a few second- or third-and-long bailouts.

If anything, under new coordinator Tim Daoust, we might be looking at the opposite problem.

A colleague of Lester’s at Syracuse, Daoust runs the type of defense that Lester hated facing as a quarterback.

The attack 4-3 defense quickly came to mind as it prompts defenders to attack the offense then react to changes as they occur instead of trying to read what an offense is doing before attacking.

The system, Lester said, is frustrating to throwing quarterbacks as they need to wait to read the defense after the play has started.

"When you're designing what you want your defense to look like as a head coach, you pretty much pick the defense you hated to go against the most and you say 'that's what I want to run,'" Lester said.

I always love that attitude — play the defense you hated to face.

An aggressive, confusing defense tends to pair well with an up-tempo offense in that it can force quick-change situations, wear opponents out, and create those deadly touchdown-turnover-touchdown situations that can turn a close game into a laugher.

Of course, if you aren’t good at the up-tempo offense or the aggressive defense, you’re creating identical disadvantages for yourself. We’ll see if the offense can play efficient ball, but I have fewer concerns about the defense. It could take pretty well to an aggressive approach.

Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports

Asantay Brown

WMU does have to replace its two most disruptive defenders in the front seven; rush end Keion Adams and weakside linebacker Robert Spillane combined for 28.5 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks, five passes defensed, and five forced fumbles. They were a two-man havoc rate.

Still, ends Eric Assoua and Nathan Braster combined for 13.5 TFLs of their own, and linebackers Asantay Brown and Caleb Bailey combined for 17.5. It appears there’s plenty of attacking talent to go around, and that’s before mentioning the five three-star linebackers moving to Kalamazoo this fall.

There might be concern at tackle; WMU really only played two of them with regularity last year, and one (David Curle) is gone. Braster is big enough to move inside at times, and senior Andre Turner is back, but WMU will be relying on some green players on the interior.

If the run defense holds up, though, I like the odds of the pass defense improving. Corners Sam Beal, Darius Phillips, and Obbie Jackson combined for five interceptions and 21 breakups last year, and three-star youngsters like Dontre Boyd, Emmanuel Jackson, or K.J. Anderson could be ready to help sooner than later. The safety position is a bit more of an unknown with the loss of Justin Ferguson, but he missed four games last year, and sophomore Davontae Ginwright got his feet wet in his absence. Former star recruit Justin Tranquill, meanwhile, more than held his own as a freshman and is taking on a leadership role as a sophomore.

If the Broncos can force opponents to pass, the combination of Daoust’s aggression, a decent pass rush, and a better secondary could take advantage.

Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Darius Phillips

Special Teams

WMU has a couple of legs to replace. Punter James Coleman, who ranked 11th in punt success rate and allowed opponents to return just six punts all year, graduated. Meanwhile, after a sturdy freshman year as a place-kicker, sophomore-to-be Butch Hampton left Kalamazoo to pursue a soccer career. That’s quite a special teams reset.

Meanwhile, WMU’s return units were all-or-nothing in 2016 — Darius Phillips scored on a punt return and a kick return, but the Broncos ranks just 95th in kick return success rate and 58th on punts — and should continue to be so this fall.

2017 outlook

2017 Schedule & Projection Factors

Date Opponent Proj. S&P+ Rk Proj. Margin Win Probability 2-Sep at USC 7 -26.6 6% 9-Sep at Michigan State 44 -9.7 29% 16-Sep Idaho 119 14.4 80% 23-Sep Wagner NR 22.0 90% 30-Sep Ball State 90 7.5 67% 7-Oct at Buffalo 128 15.5 82% 14-Oct Akron 122 16.0 82% 21-Oct at Eastern Michigan 96 4.1 59% 1-Nov Central Michigan 97 9.2 70% 8-Nov Kent State 123 16.0 82% 15-Nov at Northern Illinois 86 1.8 54% 24-Nov at Toledo 59 -7.9 32%

Projected S&P+ Rk 74 Proj. Off. / Def. Rk 84 / 54 Projected wins 7.3 Five-Year S&P+ Rk 7.3 (35) 2- and 5-Year Recruiting Rk 73 / 76 2016 TO Margin / Adj. TO Margin* 18 / 2.9 2016 TO Luck/Game +5.4 Returning Production (Off. / Def.) 46% (15%, 78%) 2016 Second-order wins (difference) 11.4 (1.6)

A team that reaches an all-time peak and loses its head coach is guaranteed to regress. It applies to Western Kentucky. It is not the hottest of takes to suggest that the Broncos are not going to go 13-1 in 2017.

Still, Lester has quite a bit of experience and inherits exciting pieces from Fleck. The passing game will regress, but the run game might be strong enough to lean on. The run defense might get gashed, but the pass defense could be excellent.

WMU isn’t projected as the best team in the MAC — those honors go to perpetual bridesmaid Toledo — but the Broncos are still No. 2. They’ll probably win seven or eight games and bowl for the fourth year in a row. After season-opening road trips to USC and Michigan State, they could be favored in each of the next nine games.

It’s hard to move on from one of the country’s most unique coaches. But in Lester, WMU landed someone who is uniquely experienced and extremely Western Michigan.

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junker-town · 7 years

Text

WMU will regress after losing P.J. Fleck, but the 2017 Broncos are still dangerous

This team will still be a MAC contender under another interesting head coach.

It is a fact of life in the MAC. The better you do, the faster you are looking for a new coach. You just hope to claim as many prizes as possible before he leaves.

He stripped the house to the studs in a 1-11 Year Zero reset, but after two slightly unsatisfying 8-5 seasons, his Broncos broke through in 2016, and he was still around to lead it.

Fleck left. That’s what happens. He’s at Minnesota, though from an WMU perspective, all that matters is what’s next.

After taking a flyer on a relative unknown last time, the school elected to go with a familiar face. At least, to WMU fans.

2000-01: high school offensive coordinator

2002-03: Division III offensive coordinator (Elmhurst)

2004: Division II head coach (he went 7-4 at Saint Joseph’s)

2005-06: WMU quarterbacks coach

2007: Division III defensive coordinator (North Central)

2008-12: Division III head coach (33-19 at Elmhurst with a quarterfinal appearance)

2013-15: Syracuse quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator

2016: Purdue quarterbacks coach

Technically, WMU hired a former pro quarterback with six years of head coaching experience. But all of this experience happened on state roads instead of the interstate, so to speak.

So now we wait. Can Lester parlay D3 success into wins at a higher level? And if he does, will his hometown status lead to him staying a bit longer than the typical MAC coach?

(My guesses: 1. Yes, but not “13-1” level success. 2. No, probably not.)

2016 in review

2016 WMU statistical profile.

First 7 games (7-0) — Avg. percentile performance: 63% (~top 50) | Avg. yards per play: WMU 6.6, Opp 5.5 (plus-1.1) | Avg. performance vs. S&P+ projection: plus-20.7 PPG

Next 5 games (5-0) — Avg. percentile performance: 68% (~top 40) | Avg. yards per play: WMU 7.3, Opp 6.3 (plus-1.0) | Avg. performance vs. S&P+ projection: plus-5.2 PPG

Last 2 games (1-1) — Avg. percentile performance: 53% (~top 60) | Avg. yards per play: Opp 5.8, WMU 5.1 (minus-0.7) | Avg. performance vs. S&P+ projection: minus-5.2 PPG

WMU was steady, peaking a couple of times (at CMU and at Akron) but mostly establishing residence in around the 60th and 70th percentiles.

For all the talk about Fleck’s strange motivational techniques, they worked. WMU was one of the most consistent teams in FBS. Now we’ll see if Lester can row the boat.

Offense

Full advanced stats glossary.

Give Tom Flacco this: he’s mastered small sample sizes. In 2015, backing up star Zach Terrell, he completed 10 of 12 passes for 188 yards and a touchdown (passer rating: 242.4) and rushed 28 times for 266 yards (9.5 per carry) and two scores.

Keep that up over a full season, and you’ll win the Heisman!

Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports

Tom Flacco

Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Jamauri Bogan

WMU’s offense was built around relentless efficiency; Davis and Thompson averaged 15.4 yards per catch, but this was otherwise an attack that pushed you around a few yards at a time.

Defense

The defense, however, took longer. WMU ranked 93rd in Def. S&P+ in 2015, and while there was clear, definitive improvement last year despite turnover, the Broncos were still only 69th.

If anything, under new coordinator Tim Daoust, we might be looking at the opposite problem.

A colleague of Lester’s at Syracuse, Daoust runs the type of defense that Lester hated facing as a quarterback.

The attack 4-3 defense quickly came to mind as it prompts defenders to attack the offense then react to changes as they occur instead of trying to read what an offense is doing before attacking.

The system, Lester said, is frustrating to throwing quarterbacks as they need to wait to read the defense after the play has started.

I always love that attitude — play the defense you hated to face.

Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports

Asantay Brown

If the Broncos can force opponents to pass, the combination of Daoust’s aggression, a decent pass rush, and a better secondary could take advantage.

Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Darius Phillips

Special Teams

2017 outlook

2017 Schedule & Projection Factors

It’s hard to move on from one of the country’s most unique coaches. But in Lester, WMU landed someone who is uniquely experienced and extremely Western Michigan.

Team preview stats

All preview data to date.

0 notes