After a busy (but fun) few weeks of finals testing, AP testing, prom, and graduation, I am happy to say that I am back to writing! And with my return, I have also created a new blog that will promote ALL of my stories (including the fem!tube AU): princejacque. Here, you will not only get updates of my stories, but also character trivia, teasers, writing/drawing tips, and memes of my stories (I'm sorry, but I just love memes too much). Thank you all for your patience and support!

On a more serious and, unfortunately, somber note, I was recently informed of the Tobuscus scandal. I am making no claims on whether or not I believe it, and I ask that you please not discuss it in the comments because the issue deeply upsets me. In regards to how this impacts AOG+, I am choosing to keep Tabetha in, regardless. Because she is an OC, her actions don't mirror Toby's and she is her own separate person, and honestly, I think she's one of my favorite female OCs. Once again, I'm not making any claims on the issue or condoning any wrong-doing that anyone has done. I would very much prefer not to discuss/hear about it because of how much it upsets me and also other people. Thank you all very much.

The two lieutenants stood stiffly in the office. Four male soldiers stood behind the lieutenants, keeping the females in their spots.

A panel of men in black uniforms with accents of red, blue, green, and yellow sat down before them. The sunlight from the windows behind them casted dangerous shadows on their stern faces. Even though they were all different in facial features and age, they all shared one characteristic: silver hair. The tones of silver varied from a tired grey to a pure white, and they were all styled in some unique way.

The man in the middle of the panel spoke "Abandonment of your squad, unnecessary endangerment of soldiers, unnecessary waste of resources." He adjusted his glasses "Would you two ladies mind telling me the "detrimental goal" that required such desperate measures to be taken?"

Ariana gave a salute "S-Sir, we were trying to capture a Plus to perform research on…so as to improve our battle techniques."

"And did you succeed in that goal?" asked the man in his bland voice.

"No, sir."

"Did you even exterminate a Plus while on your mission?"

"…I don't know, sir," answered Ariana "Maybe one of our soldiers did after we were divided."

The frown embedded in the man's wrinkled face seemed more present as he released a sigh through his nose and looked down in what could only be called disappointment.

Another man at the panel spoke up "Do you know how many casualties there were?" he asked in a bold, louder voice.

Ariana answered "Se-Seventeen…sir."

"Correct," answered the man "Were you aware that one of them was Commander Calvin?"

Ariana gasped, staring at the man with her jaw loose.

"I'm asking if you were aware, Miss Ariana."

The Brit swallowed thickly, "No, sir," she admitted in a breathy voice "I wasn't aware."

"And do you know how many deaths there were?" the same man then went on to ask, as if his previous question had no impact on Ariana.

"…Ten, sir."

"Look me in the eyes when you speak to your higher-ups."

Ariana lifted her gaze, painfully struggling to choke out the words "Ten…sir…"

Marceline suddenly cleared her throat "Ariana isn't the only lieutenant available for questioning," she stated, matter-of-factly "I am here, as well."

Her statement earned a potent wave of dissatisfaction from the men at the panel.

The first response was an immediate open hand on the table "Such disrespect from a woman who dares carry the title of lieutenant…!" a bespectacled man growled.

The older man in the middle said "We will choose who to ask what, Miss Marceline," in a contrastingly passive demeanor.

Still in a professional tone, Marceline answered "Understood, sir."

The compliance seemed to anger the bespectacled man even more, as he grit his teeth and retracted his hand from the table.

"Miss Ariana, as the creator of…P.L.A.Y…, you will take responsibility for the failure of the headsets," continued the older man "The two of you, as the ones responsible for the expedition, will be resigned of your positions as lieutenants and jailed."

Marceline closed her eyes, the rest of her face still calm.

Ariana's hand went to her mouth, as though she would vomit.

Regardless, the two complied to remove their jackets when a pair of arms opened out to them. They also complied when their own arms were pulled behind their backs and linked by a pair of handcuffs.

"As of the resignation of Ariana and Marceline's titles as lieutenants, you, their soldiers, shall be placed under new authority," Chief Elric stated as he read the message on the tablet in his hand.

The soldiers stood before him, all with blatant looks of unhappiness and disappointment. Tabetha shook her head in disapproval. Kendall's gaze stayed low to avoid the reality before her. Crystal, on the other hand, was unable to look away, petrified by the scene. Felicia and Jamie both frowned angrily, the latter openly barring her clenched teeth like an angered tiger. Mario kept his stoic demeanor, regardless.

"Siana, you will be assigned to Lieutenant Darwin's squad. Felicia and Tabetha, you will both be placed under Lieutenant Nicholas. Crystal, you will be placed in Lieutenant Edward's squad. And Mario and Kendall, you two are now in Lieutenant Robert's squad," the large man then said "You are to meet with your squads and report to your new lieutenants, and I don't want to hear any protests about it. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir!"

A stressed glare pressed on the Chief's brown eyes for a brief moment after the soldiers gave their united compliance "Good. You are dismissed."

Felicia and Tabetha walked in strained silence, side by side, unwilling to make eye contact with the other. The only time they had acknowledged one another's presence was when Felicia began to turn down one hallway and Tabetha reached out and gently tapped the blonde's shoulder with two fingers "It's this way," the brunette had said as she nodded in another direction. Felicia had only responded with an "Oh, right."

The two females came across a door with a silver plaque that read "Lt. Nicholas' Office". Felicia's sky blue eyes darkened in a somber realization upon seeing the plaque. The reason she almost went down the other hallway is because that was where a door reading "Lt. Ariana & Lt. Marceline's Office" resided.

Tabetha knocked and almost immediately, it was opened for her. At the door was a tall, almost lanky man with small speckles of grey hair in his brunette undercut.

He grinned a cheesy grin "Ah, just who I was looking for! You must be Tiffany and Francine!" he greeted.

Both girls gave their own look of horror and discomfort.

"You mean…Felicia?"

"And Tabetha?"

The man looked down at his tablet for a moment in a studious fashion, then returned back to his silly grin "Oh right, right, my mistake! Hmm, Tabitha, it seems that they spelled your name wrong. It's spelled T-A-B-E-"

"That's correct," the brunette interjected "I have a unique spelling to my name."

The man stared in confusion for a moment, but quickly shook it off "Well, in case you haven't been told, I am Lieutenant Nicholas Schwartz," he spoke as he shook the girls' hands "Since I just finished role call, why don't you get to know your new comrades?"

Felicia held back a grimace "I don't know which would make me more uncomfortable: trying to make new friends with these guys, or opting to talk to Tabetha."

Nicholas glanced at his tablet in surprise when he noticed the time, and stepped aside to let his soldiers out of the office "I'll be down in the cafeteria in a moment," he called out as they walked away.

The soldiers replied with a "Yes, sir," or "Okay, sir," as the man retreated into his office.

Felicia and Tabetha tried to position themselves amongst the conversing soldiers. Tabetha had more ease finding a spot to walk where she wouldn't catch too much attention. Felicia, however, was immediately noticed.

"Hey," addressed a black girl "Are you two the soldiers from…that squad?" she asked.

"What squad?" asked Felicia.

This time, one of the male soldiers spoke up "The one with the lieutenants that planned that crazy expedition."

Felicia bit her lip as she held back fiery words.

"If you are referring to lieutenants Marceline and Ariana, then yes," answered Tabetha, a slightly jaded tone behind her words.

A shorter female with a notable Valley Girl accent jumped on the conversation "No way! What was it like working for them? Were they always, like, crooked cops?"

"Crooked cops?!" Felicia spat in a harshly offended tone.

Tabetha swiftly took hold of the blonde's shoulder and defended "It is inaccurate to call them corrupt in any manner," she sternly told the Valley Girl.

"Tch, after they tried to kill their own soldiers?" questioned an Asian boy "How can you even say that?"

Once again, the black girl put her hands out "Y'all, quit pestering them! They've been through a lot, okay?" she scolded "Look, they're new teammates and you should make them feel welcome."

At breakfast, Felicia and Tabetha got the chance to get to know their teammates better. The black girl with the short, curly hair was Ashanti. She was pretty much the ace of the group and also very friendly. The blonde with the Valley Girl accent was Haley. Like Ashanti, she was sociable, but she would casually make insensitive remarks without being aware and one of her teammates would call her out. Ryou was the Asian boy with glasses. He was very thoughtful and witty, yet easily flustered. The freckled boy's name was Marco. He didn't display any noticeable tics or flaws like the others, but his practical optimism made it clear to Felicia and Tabetha that everyone on the squad had a mutual appreciation for him.

Towards the end of breakfast, Felicia stood up to throw away her scraps. At that moment, a familiar "click" halted the activity within the cafeteria. In response, everyone looked up at the multiple screens materializing along the walls. As usual, the face of Chief Elric appeared on the screens. Being closer to the wall, where the trashcans were, Felicia noticed a concerning detail.

The man's strong features lacked in their stern resilience. His copper skin was faded out into a wet sand color. His eyes were unfocused, as if he didn't want to look at the camera.

"All soldiers, report to the B5 field," he said "All soldiers, you must report to the B5 field."

Without even a proper closing statement, the screens shut off and disappeared. The soldiers in the cafeteria threw away their trash and hurried to fit in a few more bites of food before leaving. Felicia, however, stood still.

"Over here, Felicia!" called out Marco when he noticed that the blonde hadn't moved.

Felicia looked over at her new teammates as they were walking out, Marco and Ashanti hesitating to make sure she didn't fall behind. Even though Felicia followed, her mind was hazy, as if she were having a realistic dream.

Her blue eyes gazed upon the many soldiers walking down the corridor "There's nothing unusual happening," she thought "So why do I feel that there's something wrong?"

Felicia's arm was gently tugged. Only when she met the suspicious face of Tabetha looking off to the side did Felicia snap out of her stupor. The brunette subtly crooked her finger in a beckoning motion and Felicia leaned in.

"Don't you remember what Chief Elric said on the first day?" Tabetha whispered.

Felicia's face scrunched up in bewilderment "What?" she instantly replied.

"He told us he wasn't one to repeat."

The blonde began to lightly shake her head as she mouthed "What are you talking…?" But her voice didn't fold into those words. Instead, her bottom lip hung as her blue eyes halted. The meal in Felicia's stomach suddenly dropped to her knees.

Tabetha continued "You are not the only one who thinks something peculiar is happening," she said "I advise that we stay on our guard."

Just as the brunette said that, they had exited the building. The intense wind from the air pressure of the door sliding open greeted them.

Like a herd of cattle, the soldiers migrated in a single direction across the aged grass in order to get to the B5 field. Even with the casual conversations amongst the soldiers as they walked, Felicia couldn't shake away her nervousness.

Finally, they coalesced with a pack of other soldiers. No, it was two packs of soldiers, each one lining a concrete walkway like passerby watching a parade. What they were watching, most didn't know.

The friendly conversations lowered into hushed whispers.

"…'s going on?"

"Didn't you hear…?"

"…getting jailed…"

"They're coming…"

Felicia squeezed her way past the soldiers, patiently trying to get close to the walkway without irritating them.

She looked up and down the walkway. One side ended in the headquarters building she had heard so much about. The other side ended in a large grey concrete building that looked extremely out of place amongst the blue and violet clean domes of the military base, itself.

As Felicia stared at the grim-looking building, crippling gasps echoed around her. The air suddenly became thin and unbreathable, but of course, Felicia had to turn around. Even though it was a ridiculous desire that went completely against her aggressive nature, Felicia wished she had just closed her eyes.

The heavy doors of the headquarters closed shut behind two figures wearing black and white clothes. Upon closer inspection, it was clear to see that the outfits were actually a humiliating version of prison jumpsuits. Rather than the baggy, full-body attire, the figures wore elbow-sleeved crop tops and capris that hung very low at the waist. Both of which were very form-fitting. The only thing indicating their purpose for prisoners was the unmistakable horizontal black and white stripes, handcuffs, and the four men holding them at their sides.

Felicia's eyes then widened when the figures got closer.

"The…lieutenants…"

The soldiers whispered as Marceline and Ariana were walked down the walkway. The Brit looked down, not willing to face the merciless gossip of the soldiers around her. Her cheerful grin was replaced with an empty look of utter embarrassment and sorrow. The Asian beside her, however, refused to let her stoic presence falter. She continued to hold her head high and walk purposefully as if she were still wearing her lieutenant jacket.

"Fucking murderers…"

"They're getting exactly what they deserve…"

"Good. Lock 'em up."

"Look at her. She looks proud of herself."

"Some nerve…"

When the two females walked by, Felicia instinctively reached out her arm "Lieuten…" her voice cracked as she slowly recoiled her arm.

Ariana immediately looked up at the sound of the blonde's voice and looked back at her, slowing her step almost to a stop. The two locked eyes for a moment, completely ignoring their situation. It felt like years had passed as they looked into one another's eyes, having a wordless conversation.

"C'mon," one of the men growled as he gruffly pushed Ariana forward and broke the exchange without care.

The woman obeyed and continued walking without a second thought.

Felicia knew that soldiers were supposed to be strong. Soldiers were supposed to be resilient. In order to do what she did everyday, she had to sacrifice some of her sympathy and compassion. She couldn't afford to feel anything.

But in that moment, there was nothing stopping the tears that brimmed Felicia's eyes.

A hand landed on her shoulder. Felicia turned to see Tabetha once again. The blonde tried to deny the display of affection. However, the more she tried to ignore her, the worse it got. Before she knew it, she was sniffling and Tabetha was pulling her into a firm embrace.

The other soldiers stared, but both decided to ignore the reality.

Crystal sighed and looked out of the window into the sky. The evening was approaching and hours had passed since the display that morning, but she still couldn't get past it. No matter what, the scene replayed over and over in her mind. Each time, she noticed a new detail that made the entire situation even worse.

She glanced back at the soldiers in the room. Although they were her new teammates, Crystal held no interest in them supplanting her previous friends. If she was going to share her anxieties with anyone, it would be with the people who had welcomed her.

"Hey Crystal," as if the devil, himself, was playing a game of Irony, one of the squad members called out to the petite woman "Have you heard anything about them making a funeral for the soldiers who didn't make it through the expedition yesterday?"

Crystal raised a brow in confusion "A funeral?" she questioned.

The girl who asked her explained "Well, somewhat. They gather all of the soldiers' belongings and we all get together to pay our respects. That usually happens within twelves hours of the death, but…" the girl looked up at the clock, and Crystal followed her gaze.

8:00 P.M.

"I don't know," said Crystal "I was just recently signed in weeks ago."

The girl crossed her arms "Well I've been signed in for two years and this is the first time something like this has happened," she huffed "Here, they've always made sure to honor those who sacrificed themselves to the cause. But I haven't heard a single word about the funeral today."

Crystal's gaze scanned the floor, as if the answer she was looking for might lie there "I…I don't know. Maybe there was a budgeting problem?"

"We're the most funded establishment on Platinum Web! And it doesn't cost a time to say a few words for the deceased," the girl firmly stated "Look, I know you're new here, so you didn't get the chance to see what things were like beforehand, but YouTube used to be a lot more thoughtful and respectful."

"It was?"

"Yes!"

"What happened?"

The girl sighed, shaking her head as she stepped up to the very window Crystal was looking out of "No one has a clue."

Haley, Ryou, and Ashanti are all original characters, but I put Marco Bodt in here as a Shout Out (and as lil' treat for y'all). How is he able to exist here, you may be asking? Reincarnation— it's a beautiful thing. :) And trust me, I plan on actually letting him live, unlike someone.

Also, two things:

-the scene where the soldiers watch Marceline and Ariana is a metaphor for all of the videos YouTube pushes to the forefront that expose and humiliate YouTubers.

-on the other hand, the scene where Crystal noticed that there wasn't a funeral service anymore for the dead soldiers is a metaphor for how little sympathy YouTube often has for users that aren't useful to them.