#''human localization is replaceable'' my ass

[ruesol]

Mechanic Sukuna purposely lies about your car so he can see you again.

Notes: not proofread, fem!reader

main masterlist

Sweaty, grimy, and greasy. Three adjectives you’d use to describe the local repair shop. It was always filled with muscled men who always seemed to have a permanent scowl on their face, intimidating anyone who wanted help with their vehicle.

Which is why you always sent your (only) male friend there to order any kind of complicated repair work on your behalf. As a woman, you did not want to be subject to all the scrutinizing stares and intentionally inflated prices for services that would otherwise be cheap or free of charge.

Your car was your baby. A haven if you will. It was much better to take naps in there rather than sit and do homework in the library during the long gaps in your class schedule. It was the best to use in the late months of spring, with the AC blowing right in your face as you dreamt about sleeping on an iceberg.

But alas, it also had to break down when the heat was at its highest and your friend had gone on a trip with his partner.

You were now conditioned to go to the place you dreaded most. You got rid of all your pretty accessories stuck and dangling off of different parts of your car. You were not going to be a victim of chauvinism. Especially not by mechanics- it just hurts more with them of all people.

As expected, all eyes were on you (mainly because you were the only girl in the shop and you looked like you had seen a ghost). All the men there looked like they belonged to a gang- brutish, crass words slipping out of their mouths like it was nothing, grease all over their faces, and regular safety uniforms altered to show off their muscle tank tops.

Your eyes just shifted around the place. You weren’t even sure how the system worked. Were you supposed to walk over to them or did they just come to you? Did you have to get an appointment before arriving like it was a doctors office or-

“I recognize that dump.”

You turned to see who in their right mind had to say that about your ass. You hadn’t been hit on a lot in your life, but you knew how to differentiate between flattery and sexual harassment. The other men were quick to go back to their tasks, not wanting to watch your reaction.

“Excuse me?” You squeaked out with as much anger in your voice as possible (you were more like a yipping Pomeranian).

The pink haired man in front of you looked like the definition of bad news. Stark black tattoos against his pale skin, burn and cut scars all over his arms, and his pink hair was pulled back by a black bandana. With the way him and the other men looked, it seemed like all mechanics had to do a course in ‘Intimidation 101: how to look like a convict.’

“Talkin’ ‘bout your car, sweetheart. Some guy is always comin’ in here with that thing.”

Sweetheart. Passive aggressive prick

“Oh, I’m sorry. That guy’s my friend. This is actually my car and the AC is just not working properly. I think it’s broken.”

You watched as he walked over to your car and examined the interior. “Flaps are fine. I think we might have to open it up and take a good look inside. Might even have to replace the thing.”

He noticed your shifty gaze, probably worried about how much you were going to have to pay for the whole thing. Adorable.

“I know a guy who gives discounts for it. You a college student?” His unnaturally handsome face looks concerned for you. You weren’t expecting it but you welcomed it. With caution of course. You nodded meekly while looking at him. Maybe mechanics weren’t scammy towards women after all.

He clapped his hands and grinned, sharp canines visible in all their glory. The man looked like the human version of a tiger. “Then it’s basically free. Don’t worry about the cost. You can leave your car here. Want me to call an uber for ya?”

He noticed the not-so-discreet glances from his coworkers but kept his eyes trained on your wimpish face.

“I’m alright. Um, thank you. Do I have to leave my number or do you guys have that on file?”

“We do have a number but I’m guessing that belongs to your friend cause he’s always the one to come here and pick your car up after service.”

“You’re right. I think I might have to give mine.”

As stupid as it sounds, he wanted to do a cartwheel, it’s like everything was falling into place. Cute girl with car problems, no boyfriend (as far as he knows), and he gets her number.

He was going to get a celebratory beer after work.

His colleagues could see the pep in his step but didn’t bother to say anything knowing that you were still there- even if you looked like your mind wasn’t present.

He returned with a clipboard and bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from scaring you with his beaming smile.

“I’m Sukuna by the way.” He smirked as he noticed the deep blush on your cheeks. You stammered out your name to him and he swore that he could almost envision it on an elegant white card a few years from now.

“See you soon,” he said before walking away with a new air of confidence around his gait.

After you left, his friend, Toji, abandoned the car he was working on to follow Sukuna to the office. “There’s no way in hell you know someone who can install a new AC for free. I paid hundreds to fix mine.” Sukuna didn’t even look at his friend while he was talking. He just kept staring at you through the window while you were getting into your cab.

“There’s nothing wrong with her AC. She just needed to clean the filters.”

__

New serie- who said that? 👁️👄👁️

[lullabyes22-blog]

Dropping in just to tell you how much I LOVE your Sevika x Silco portrayal. I never considered Sevilco a ship before reading your fics but you make them work so well, and I really like that you gave Sevika so much more backstory and character development. As a desi girl, I also appreciate your Sevika giving us desi rep and making it so relatable and believable. The kavya, the payasam, the bidi, I can feel her being desi on my skin, lol.

And for Silco, you make him such a hot bastard, it's unbelievable.

As someone who's a huge Grishaverse fan, they're giving Kaz x Inej vibes. I think you mentioned reading Six of Crows so I believe you're familiar with the duo, but I can really see similarities between Kaz and Silco. They're both badass villains, they're both dark and twisted and have done questionable things, they both have an intense obsession with destroying a rich and corrupt society and replacing it with something better. Also Inej and Sevika are both poc women who can kick ass and they both have a complicated relationship with the men they love. I love Kaz and Inej to death but if they were a little darker and older, they could totally be Silco and Sevika.

I'm sorry, I'm rambling, but I wanted to share. Keep up the amazing writing! I hope you write a lot more Sevilco fics. You've become one of my favorite Arcane authors, and I look forward to your updates.

Thank you so much<333

I'm so glad you're enjoying Sevika and Silco content. They've been a weird 'sleeper hit' with certain pockets of the fandom (and horrified a few others) and I'm really happy the ship's being considered as a viable option.

I really did want to try and give Sevika a bit more depth re: her family, motivations and flaws, simply because there's so much (justifiable) thirst for her character as a hot mama, and plenty of 'yas queen'ing everytime she does something terrible - but not a lot of consideration for the human, complex, flawed person behind the muscle, and why she'd choose to throw in her lot with Silco and stake everything on Zaun.

I'm also so pleased the representation feels authentic - I'm basing Zaun on RL Manchester in some ways, and Queens NYC in others - both of which are very diverse, with a huge South Asian presence. If FnF was taking place IRL, Silco would've been a no-good-bounding English boy of working-class immigrant parents (probs half-French, half-German) growing up with his best friend Vander (also of German descent with a little Greek thrown in) and Sevika and Nandi would've hailed from the nearby South Indian community, all set in the 1980s. The boy would've known his way around a good plate of biryani, though I doubt Nandi would've let him within 100m of her kitchen, let alone into her bed.

Sevika, on the other hand, would've hung out with him aaaaaall the time, just so she could bum his cigarettes and booze, and snog questionable girls behind the local pub.

(He would've paid her a tenner so he could watch her and her mate snog at his twenty-fifth birthday party. She'd have agreed, and maybe tried to goad him into joining in…)

Roflmao I do remember reading SoC, but it was very long ago, and I was a bit old for the 'young adult' genre by then. I did enjoy Kaz x Inej, although the dynamics would be somewhat different, and in many ways, far less toxic: none of this 'let the monster out' nonsense as Inej wants Kaz to be a better person, not a more ruthless one.

But really, all things aside, this is all I can think of whenever I see the comparison made:

Also we fuck. A lot.

Thank you so much, and I'm very happy you're enjoying the story<333

[arbiterlexultionis]

Danny and the Spooks

So first things first, my initial idea is that this prompt takes place in a no one knows AU, and Danny somehow gets his ice powers earlier than he otherwise would, though really this could work without those two if need be.

So Danny got his ice powers pretty early in his ghost fighting career, and because he doesn’t have the support from his friends or raw power he would gather up later on he relies far more on Fenton tech to get by. That reliance on weapons means that, upon realizing that his ghost ice 1) doesn’t melt and 2) is Ghost Ice, and therefore can’t really be phased through by most ghost that arn’t him, immediately begins thinking of ways to make long term weapons out of the stuff.

A little while into his experiments with that he’s fighting Skulker and gets thrown into the house of some poor civilian, and while taking cover behind the kitchen counter looks over to see the (slightly disgruntled) homeowner doing the same while holding a 12 gauge.

“You think you can land a shot with that thing?”

“You think it’ll matter if I can?”

To which Danny replies something along the lines of “it will with this” before handing over his latest creation, a 12 gauge slug that’s had some of the material removed and replaced with his ice. Danny distracts Skulker, and his new friend pops up and puts a hole through the spine of Skulkers suit, allowing Danny to capture him. Danny thanks Mr. Civilian, who is apparently a retired Navy Seal or something, and they wind up staying in contact with each other, sometimes helping each other out with stuff and Mr. Seal testing out new weapons for Danny. Then some punk kid(yes a punk kid, doesn’t matter that he’s older than Danny, Danny still refers to him as a punk kid) decided that he wants to help defend the town and starts following Danny around, trying to help him in fights, and just refuses to stop putting himself in danger. Eventually Danny “relents” and says that he’ll let the kid help out, but only after he gets proper training from Mr. Seal, with the real plan being for the training to be way to intense for the kid to make him give up.

One problem though, the kid just doesn’t give up. Like, at all. One day Mr. Seal pulls Danny aside and tells him that Punk has finished his training and Danny gets all exited that the kid finally gave up, only for his bubble to be burst. “No no, he hasn’t given up, he just finished my training. He’s ready for combat.” And well, a deals a deal. So both Punk and Mr. Seal start taking more of an active roll in ghost fighting.

And then another idiot with more selflessness than sense shows up. And another. And, whoops three more just showed up. Eventually, Danny wound up as the accidental leader of a vigilante/ghost fighting organization dubbed the spooks by the local news. Comprised mostly of volunteers, with the best and brightest getting a rank all their own and proper pay, comprised of donations from both normal people and members and “donations” from criminals they stop because it’s not like they need the money now that they’re in prison.

I’m just imagining Danny with this rag tag group of humans doing what they can to help people.

After Danny finally manages to get some time with his friends for a movie marathon, he decides to form a new branch of the group called the R.I.P.D., the Rest In Peace Department, which is basically meant to help ghost fulfill their Obsessions and stuff in a safe, peaceful manner.

Boxy gets a abandoned warehouse full of boxes that’s been covered and insulative materials to keep ghost hunters from tracking him there.

Lunch Lady gets a great big soup kitchen which promptly morphs into a whole ass shelter for anyone and everyone that needs it so long as they’re okay with having Lunch Lady seemingly appear out of nowhere worrying about how skinny they look and shoving food into their arms.

They also have an absurd number of homemade gadgets and weapons. Think like, the entirety of the slingshot channel, ZnA productions, hacksmith and all those other types of channels combined, but their arsenal is hopped up on ghostly BS, as well as stealing equipment from Vlad and the GIW.

Skulker: I WILL MOUNT YOUR PELT ON MY WALL GHOSTCHILD

Fredrick “Dakka” Stevenson, flying the ancient crop-duster they got from old man Elijah and strapped every weapon they could to: I’m gonna do what’s called a pro gamer move.

Every other spooks member on the coms: groans

Dakka: if you want me to stop making lame meme references stop using a lame meme reference as my nickname.

Pt 2

[vvickedarts]

IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT AI

most people who know me or have been on my page know this, but I want to make it VERY clear, ai is not welcome on my page and NEVER will be. ai is not meant to replace the creative fields, the artists, the routine and process of creation, none of it. art is one thing that humanity has had for a very long time, and it's something that connects us and helps document history, stories, people, and much more. seeing ai infiltrate fandom spaces, in any regard, is frustrating. fan works should come from the heart and from the passion you have for the thing you are a fan of, the love for the process of creation, the satisfaction of the end result. that's what make fandoms so special. to have a program do it for you creates a lack of passion. it's redundant and it's boring. not to mention its stealing whose art/writing/likeness has been stolen by these programs. it's unfair to those creatives who work their ass off to create and try and make a living. "the starving artist" is a very real and true statement in a lot of cases.

and not to mention, that specific type of ai is HORRIBLE for the environment, and it is burning a hole into the ozone layer. sites where this ai sites are being built are sitting in places where resources like clean water is being tainted because of it. (look up elon musks supercomputer in memphis.)

ai is supposed to be a tool that can help like scan for early signs of cancer and assisting in risky surgery in which human error can be dangerous, not stealing from creative minds and artists. if you are looking for ways to avoid ai on social media, or try and keep ai out of your life as much as you can, you can do the following: * create your own works! "but i don't know how to draw!" neither did most artists once upon a time. the point is to learn and experiment. the mind is full of capabilities, and you are more creative than you might think. "but art has rules!" true, but you need to learn the rules before you can break them! "i'm not a good writer" to who? to yourself? to that one loser on the internet you said you suck? fuck 'em! keep writing!! creative fields need to keep flourishing and just because some person said you suck, doesn't mean everyone else in the world thinks that. most cases, they either don't create or they are just miserable. * when on search engines, such as google, when you type in the search bar, add " -ai " to the end of it, to stop ai search results from coming up. ai summaries are not always accurate. * AVOID CHATGPT, CHARACTER.AI, AND ANY OTHER "CREATIVE" AI! just avoid it. don't acknowledge it, do not use it. there is NO excuse to use it. these sites STEAL from creatives on a daily basis. talking to a digital ai character is NOT the same as a person. i know it's hard to talk to people, as i tend to be introverted myself, but i will not talk to an ai character. write a private self insert story, and consider what your character might say back to you. it's more creative, and it will most likely be even more therapeutic in the long run. * if you are being asked to told to use ai, say NO. REFUSE. saying no is a terrifying concept, but trust me, when you start learning to use the word no, the easier it will become. ask to not be involved, find an alternative, or even walk away.

"i use ai to generate ideas" FIND ANOTHER WAY. go support your local library, buy or pirate books, go out in the world, talk to people, FIND RESOURCES. ai is not the solution to finding inspiration. you have a whole world in front of you. people have done is for YEARS before the computer/ai was a concept, and we are still able to go offline and experience life. everyone's life is different, which also provides different perspectives. that perspective is going to be much more influential and more expressive then anything ai can provide. in short, there is so much creatives and especially young creatives should know: your mind and your experiences are much more interesting and passionate than anything ai can create. as preachy as that sounds, it's very true. you are much more valuable than a supercomputer or an ai program. keep creating from your own mind. it's much more rewarding, i promise.

[sunischhittheraccon]

So I've been scrolling through gf au this is my personal version of relativity falls ok Mabel steal dippers identity just like in canon with the fords ill be using the trans dipper head canon so no one knows about dipper being trans other than Mabel Pacifica ( who replaces fids) and bill parents (who will be replacing bill) because of the times being pretty transphobic Mabel still could replace dipper dipper fully transitioned will in the portal .

Pacifica and dipper meet in college just like canon ford and fidd but instead being his lab assistant Pacifica funded the project and was the one brought dipper to gravity falls for his weirdness research since she still lives there since she was a kid a say all freaky shit that happens there she still got sucked in got her ass traumatized and went crazy dipper was the one to make the memory gun in this timeline and Pacifica stole it and started using it as in canon her son then kicked her out because of her going full crazy she the started working in the local dinner for grenda she still rich since she made sure to have a secret personal account precrazy .

Mabel and dipper relationship isn't as messed up as bad with the canon stanses since I they don't have as much resentment towards each other here since there was no the science project incident never happened they were never compared to each other by there parents the drifted apart after high school in the whole Portal incident the never had a full brawl like in canon instead instead it just a shouting match were Mabel just feel like she's be used by him and it ends with her trowing the journal at him but dipper moves out the way and it hits the button and activates it dipper holds that over her and they make up right after he gets back

Dipper erased his memories of about the equation to destroy the barrior around gravity falls since he knows bills parents would need it to escape and hide clues about it in each journal just in case he ever need it in weirdmagadon ford figures it out and the stan swap happens as normal

Instead of the whole situationship with ford in bill had scalene and Euclid have more of parent child relationship with dipper seeing him as a replacement for bill who died trying escape Euclida leading to it's destruction leaving them as the only survivers instead of weirdmagadon there trying to recreate Euclida and using this universe to do it they act like dipper is just going through a rebellious phase since in their mind he just a child with how Euclidans have different life span than humans they fully just act as thought dipper is bill they even calling him that and with how similar they are

[aizawasbrazybaby]

❥𓂃𓏧Fuck The Girls

𖦹Warnings: Cheater!Ichigo x Fem!Reader, Mentions of bullying, Brief Spit Play, Pet Names (ex. Baby, Honey), Switch!Ichigo, Switch!Reader, Modern College!AU, P in V Sex, Sex Videos are made consensually

𖦹Word Count: 2.4K I regret nothing

🫧: Sorry for the late post🥲I had to start everything over. 🫶🏾🫶🏾🫶🏾

ᐕSummary: In your defense the storm came earlier than expected and your bully’s boyfriend was too hot to not fuck..

You’re an adult. Everything you do has consequences. That means hitting them will get you put behind bars. They aren’t worth the risk. You told yourself to sooth the seething anger. Tears of pure fury ran down your cheeks as your fingers massaged your temples. Coffee stained your white shirt and jeans. The hot drink had seeped through the rips leaving first degree burns on your thighs. You composed yourself enough to walk out the local cafes bathroom with your head held high. Leaving all signs of weakness in the stall.

You walked back to your table attempting to ignore the four sorry excuses of humans behind you, plus the bystander. College is better than high school my fucking ass. Just professors that overwork me and more mean bitches to put up with.

“Why do you always antagonize people?” the man with them asked severely unamused, “go apologize.”

“What? I literally didn’t do anything,” the tall brunette, his girlfriend, smiled to stop a laugh, “you should be saying that to Angie I wouldn’t have spilled my drink if she didn’t bump into me.”

“Not true,” the dark skinned woman grinned, “I just happened to trip over my own two feet.”

The four burst out in laughter.

“Go. Apologize. Now.” He said through gritted teeth.

“For what? We didn’t do it on purpose,” she flipped her long hair over a shoulder.

You closed your MacBook turning it sideways so the coffee could drain before you struck it back in your tote bag. Anger was starting to resurface and the urge to strangle every last one of them swelled. He nearly leapt from his seat, “hey! Wait a minute-” You raised a single finger as you walked out that left him in a stunned silence.

ෆ

“Who messed with the ice queen today?”

“Remember the girl I told you got caught fucking the Dean?”

He hummed.

“Her sister Angie, Lina the short haired girl, the one that’s more like their pet, that bitch Regina and her boyfriend.” You said giving him a quick rundown.

“I don’t understand..just transfer or leave if they keep picking on you why stay?” your best friend who was currently studying across the country said.

A white towel wrapped around your head and a hot pink one on your body, “and let them win? Let them think they got the better of me and be another girl they got to leave? You must’ve forgot who I am, and they got me all the way fucked up if they think they can bully me into leaving. I chose to come here and that’s where I’ll remain for my last two years.”

His head fell back, “prideful ass. It’s only two years transfer your credits and come study with me.”

“You're right,” you removed your head towel, “it’s only two more years..so I’ll finish here.”

You flashed a smile and he rolled his eyes. I applaud you for your efforts but I’m not leaving.

“Stubborn as a mule, I’d expect nothing less. What are you gonna do about your laptop?”

You sighed and squeezed the towel into your wet hair, “well luckily for me I sat at the table that has the security camera pointed directly at it anddd if all goes well they’ll hand over the footage I’ll ask her to replace the Mac and if she says no I’ll take her to court.”

“And if they don’t have it?” he switched out of his shirt and into his work uniform.

“…then I’ll resort to old habits.”

“I thought you left beating people up in the past.”

“Desperate times call for desperate measures…she’ll pay one way or another.”

“Good god,” he exhaled heavily, “text me when you get home so I know you didn’t kill anyone please”

“Eh we’ll see.”

ෆ

The bell atop the door chimed as you stepped in. Few patrons sat sipping and chatting to each other. Made sense being that the place closed in a little under an hour. Aiming for the cashier you asked for the manager and explained the situation. You let out a sigh of relief you didn’t realize you held as he went to the back. That bell chimed again and you glared at the man who entered. Ichigo.

“____? That’s your name right?” Ichigo stood next to you. So casually as if two friends were just meeting up. Your only reply was an eye roll. “I’m sorry for what ‘Gina did, I'll replace your shirt and pants.” He dug in his pocket searching for his wallet, “I’m Ichi-”

“kurosaki I know. We're in the same major class and I don’t want your money or that half ass apology especially if it’s on behalf of her.” malice laced your words.

“I feel bad for what she-”

“If you came here to,” you furrowed your brows, “how the hell did you know I was gonna be here?”

“I’m sorry it seems that camera hasn’t been working for a while. I can check the others if you like.” It was more of a question than a statement.

You faced your classmate, “no need. You can tell your girlfriend she can either replace my property or she’s gonna be in for a painful awakening.” You smirked already out the door before he could speak.

“____,” he trailed behind you like an abandoned puppy, “I’m not your enemy okay. For fucksake ____.” His hands gently grabbed your waist, guiding you to the wall of your apartment building. Arms on either side of your shoulders. Goodness he was a sight to behold. He wasn’t your usual type but with a voice that husky and low many exceptions could be made. Too many.

“Listen to me..please,” he huffed, “I’m sorry my rude clumsy girlfriend damaged your shit. Okay, I really am, and I’ll make her apologize too if it’s the last thing I do but let me replace the laptop.”

“Rude? Clumsy? Your girlfriend..that bitch is a fucking bully. Nothing but a pretty face with a nasty spirit.” you shoved him but he didn’t move, “how could you even be interested in someone like that? Don’t you want better for yourself?” You looked into those amber eyes and your blood all but bubbled. Fierceness and honesty scorched through him. A strong wind whipped across your heated skin and then it came. A loud crack of thunder accompanied with a strike of lightning. Shit. The hurricane. How could you forget about the weather warning.

You grabbed his arm dragging him into your high rise apartment. Better safe than sorry. He looked out the window watching the rain slice in every direction. “Barely made it,” your shoulders dropped. He approached you forcing his credit card in your hand. “I’m not taking your money,” you snarled, eyes falling from his..then lowered to those enchanting lips. A second too long did you let your gaze linger. A second was all he needed to notice. To follow your line of sight.

“Is it something else you..something else I can offer?” Ichigo raised a brow, a mild blush on his cheeks.

You looked his body up and down as spite pricked at your emotions and thoughts of what he looks like under you rippled through your mind. Your face was undoubtedly straight, easily mistaken to be uninterested. He took a step back for every inch you moved forward until his legs hit the couch and he sat, “Regina’s not gonna appreciate this.” You straddled his hips and he welcomed you with open arms and a cock that throbbed between your clothed bodies.

“Regina’s not here,” his hands trailed under your shirt massaging your breast. Ichigo nearly tore your top to shreds trying to remove it. Unclamping your bra in the process. His face settled between your tits before taking a hard nipple in his mouth. Tongue graciously sucking and licking the buds.

“So eager to fuck a woman who isn’t your partner,” your fingers gripped his soft locks as you released a breathless sigh at the sensation.

He pulled back, letting go of your bud with a pop sound, “I am when she brings me to her crib and throws herself at me.” His fingers dug into the sides of your ass grinding your cunt on him. A soft groan left the both of you and you kissed him. Sloppy, lustful and full of so much spite. Slick collected in your panties and partially your pajama pants. Eyes shifted down his body landing on what lay next to him. Fell out his pocket and right into the wrong hands. “Fuck I needa feel that pretty pussy on me” he sucked your bottom lip allowing his teeth to graze over it before releasing. Hands fumbled at the button on his pants. Just as needy, you removed your pajamas, sliding your panties to the side.

Fuck,” he pulled your hips down bottoming out inside of you forcing a mix of a moan and a yelp, “so tight.”

“Not so fucking rough,” your cunt fluttered around him and he stilled. Watching. Impatiently waiting for those words. A sign. His hands slid up your waist rubbing your breast more gently and attentively than any other guy you’ve been with. Something close to infatuation filled his gorgeous features.

“God your so fuckin pretty,” he whispered, “can I move?”

You nod. He lifted you up much slower this time. Carefully as if you were made of glass. Dropping you down on his cock that was already pumping precum. His raw length sent shivers down your body from the size alone. The stutter and hesitation in his hips revealed his fear of hurting you. Breaking you in half on his dick.

“Ichigo,” you demanded, “don’t make me regret bringing you here.” Your pussy clenched as tight as it could around him and his back straightened. Nails making indents in your ass. It took every fucking bone in his body not to lose control and pump into you until his cock was soft again. “Fuck me like you mean it.” You nipped at his cheek.

Confidence had him hitting every golden spot he could down there. Only being affirmed by the sweet noises you made. His favorite fucking sound that he could listen to for hours. Wanted to listen to for hours. You left kisses in a path down his neck glaring at his phone. Matching his rhythm you grinded into his thrust sending his head back, eyes shut. You snaked your hand to his chin and twisted it opposite to yours. Baring the exposed sensitive skin on his throat you risked it.

Snatching his phone you slid your tongue on his soft flesh. Not daring to slow down in the slightest or release your grip. “r’fuckin me so good honey. Feel amazing inside me,” you moan in his ear not removing your eyes. He grunts to pussy whipped to scramble the words together. No lock. You pondered if he was bold or just stupid. You wince at the half finished message on screen.

Bit of a dickhead move to dump a girl over text even if she was a piece of shit human

You open the camera staying in the messages with Regina and move to the video option. Ichigo’s head falls back as you take a handful of his silky hair..and press record. Arm outstretched so she can see that you're riding him and he’s under your complete control. Exaggerated moans fall from your throat and he responds with his own to match

“Fuck. So wet.” Is all he managed bringing a big pale hand down on your ass more than once. Your back arches and your chest presses into his.

“Love this pussy? I fuck better than your bitch don’t I?” You made sure to say loud enough for the mic to pick up.

“Fuck yes,” he mumbles, “wanna put a baby in you.” You drop down and on his cock and still yourself. Releasing a guttural moan.

“Open your mouth and I’ll let you fuck me from the back.” Hand still tangled in his hair, he obeys. You lean over spitting on his tongue and shoved yours in his mouth after it. He tasted as good as he felt. Your orgasm wasn’t too far behind. “Gonna nut in me?”

“Yes,” he chanted, “love this pussy, god I love you.” He didn’t. It was the lust speaking for him. That you couldn’t deny. Point taken, you ended the video and made sure it was delivered alongside the half finished breakup text.

“Ohhh shit,” you both said, for two different reasons. You were unfolding in each other's arms. Yes. But that video. It was too late to see the other contact icons at the top.

A group chat. This asshole was gonna dump her in a group chat. Not that I have any room to talk. His problem to deal with when I kick him out.

The apple logo flashed before the device shut down. You let go of his hair and his thrust became uncontrollable. Smashing every sweet spot he could find until he couldn’t hold back anymore. His cum coated your walls and in the blink of an eye he had you face down. Ass in the air on full display. His thumb rubbed against your hole pushing deeper and he slid two fingers from his other hand in your cunt. Not caring his cum gushed out with every pump. You winced hard as you clawed at the couch. Allowing your release to overcome you. “Good baby get it all out.” His voice an unfamiliar gentle sound.

His cock head patted your core before he relentlessly drilled into you. Mildly painful from the sudden penetration but overwhelming pleasure coursed through you. Waves of overstimulation washed over your body. The coin was flipped. He held the control over you. One of ichigo’s hands held onto the fat in your ass and the other rubbed overbearing circles on your clit. “Kurosaki,” you whined. Eyes in the back of your head.

“What is it baby? Wanna make another video?” He chuckled at the brief halt in your moans. He placed one dirty sneaker on your ebony cushion. Following his second orgasm. Increasing his pace he pummeled your poor pretty pussy until more of his semen was overflowing. He pulled out collapsing on the couch, lifting you in his arms.

“How did you know?” Embarrassment barreled it’s way to your chest and face. Avoiding looking in his direction.

“Peripheral vision is a thing baby.”

Not your baby.

“Are you not mad?” You fingered his necklace.

He shook his head, “I knew it wasn’t gonna last to begin with but…we’re not talking about that. I could have stopped you at any time but honestly I wanna see her react..their reaction just as much as you do.”

You smirked.

Asshole.

[beesmygod]

oh, so. there's this story thats semi-local to my hometown that ive been keeping up on via the reno subreddit. ive been gawking at it from afar in wonder bc i didnt know people could make this many bad decisions on purpose.

joey gilbert was a boxer who was forced to retire bc he's a cheating bitch who was roiding up and doing meth before fights. the list of drugs in his system would scatter an average human's atoms like dust.

as a shining example of the kind of education i paid for: joey gilbert graduated from my alma mater, UNR, with an english degree and then passed the nevada bar using a law degree gained from a diploma mill that is no longer accredited. so now gilbert practices law. this is the advertisement that greets you when you get off the plane at reno/tahoe airport.

every time i see this i want to laugh my ass off. the vague use of meme formatting even though he doesn't understand the conventions of an impact font meme. he has the dead doll eyes described by clint in jaws. he looks like if lowtax attended his own funeral. there's no phone number or website. google me bitch.

anyway, that's not the point. gilbert evidently fried what was left of his tenderized boxer brain with speed and has tried to fashion himself as the VIP in douglas county/vegas conservative circles. i guess he fits right in because they willingly embraced him. he was at the jan 6 riot and will loudly espouse basically any belief as long as hes getting paid. he tried to run for gov and lost the primary by over 20k votes. somehow he claims this is election fraud. he has yet to explain the mechanisms that would explain how douglas county and its republican chapter manufactured over 20000 votes for a republican primary without anyone noticing during a time when election fraud is a hot button topic, all because they feared that the guy they test research chemicals on was a legitimate threat.

hold up my bad. actually gilbert says HE won by over 50000 and the city of las vegas is suppressing the results. his case was thrown out and he was fined 88k for wasting everyone's time.

okay now: in july of 2023 (insane link btw lol. they keep saying shit like "yeah i did that. problem, bitch?",) the conservative douglas county board of trustees had a bitch fit over their lawyer, who has been in the position for over 20 years, for refusing to enforce a transgender sports ban. in an act of retaliation he was fired by a narrow vote and replaced with........

JOEY GILBERT!!!!!!!!

pros of this exchange:

cons of this exchange: he costs more, has no formal law education, the ACLU is going to rip them a new hole, its now october and he has charged the school district an eye-watering 100k in two months. the previous firm charged 18k a month.

in response, the board of trustees is convening in order to fire......the superintendent who has been in the position for 30 years bc he was against gilbert from the start.

nevada is so dedicated to being number 50 in the nation. its honestly heartwarming to think that even the dumbest, toothless hick can make it there by simply lying nonstop. thats the american way, baby!

[see-arcane]

I mean. Eggers is filmmaker and as filmmaker he probably thought “if Browning, Coppola, and everyone else was allowed to do their fanfics, why can’t I do my own fanfic?” Meaning, as filmmaker he witnessed how countless directors played with source material as they pleased. Considering his age he existed in cultural atmosphere where various adaptations already shipped Mina or her equivalent with Dracula on screen and elsewhere. So while we are here scratching our heads about how on Earth he came to Ellen-Orlok ship, for him it must have been pretty easy thought. Plus he himself directed local stage adaptation of Nosferatu while he was teenager and even played Orlok in it, so yeah Orlok IS his self-insert character from his youth. Very typical male logic trajectory.

Oh, I'm not scratching my head about Eggers specifically. I'm just mind-boggled at the whole trend.

I mean it when I say that if I sanded off all the names from the characters in the innumerable Dracula-adjacent works for the past century and a quarter, I would sincerely enjoy so many of those movies and series and books more. They all boil down to the same Blood-dappled Forbidden Bodice Ripper Fantasy starring Dark Fuckprince Vampireman formula, which can be very fun! I love when monster and human do kissy bitey fun times and all the other human characters are LAME or JERKS and NO ONE UNDERSTANDS THEIR LOVE..!

...If it's original.

The issue is now and always that all of these directors and writers refuse to actually do justice to the characters or story they're hiding behind in a way that leaves anything recognizable. Instead they'd rather make an echo chamber of their Bizarroverse Dracula Fanfic which they've more or less been passing around for 127 years while convincing themselves They Are Doing Right By the Story by basically doing literary identity theft and stapling public domain names on their OCs.

And I just don't get why all these guys insist on "fixing" Dracula/Nosferatu this way instead of just making their own stuff

If you read the book and were so sure it would be better if only you removed, warped, or replaced every single trait of every single character and plot point, then maybe possibly You Did Not Actually Like the Story. Which is fine!

But if I went around saying "Oh boy, I love Star Wars! I'm going to make a bold and subversive but lovingly and faithfully crafted adaptation of the original films!" before turning around and making George Lucas' Star Wars, a film series wherein Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi are both played by GQ models and take up 90% of the screentime slobbering on each other while the rest of the cast sit in the background and scratch their asses, I think a few folks might be a touch baffled and disgruntled in the same way.

[baradorable]

Well, from the sounds of it, NYX's finale is eh. Idk yet, I didn't buy it because the book is cancelled and the Academy X kids will likely be in limbo again, so who cares anymore? I'm not giving Marvel more money unless I get my Hellion fix.

But from the sounds of it, the issue suffers from them trying to resolve multiple plots at once, while leaving even more unresolved. That's the nature of the beast of modern comics.

Since I have the benefit of hindsight and no Marvel editorial oversight, here's how I'd rewrite NYX to bring it all together.

Issues 1 and 3 are relatively the same. For issue 2, Local is cut, instead replaced by Kiden. Mojo roped her into being his minion, and she's the one going on a crime spree with Laura. Kiden seems to genuinely think Mojo is helping mutants, but she's vouching for Laura and giving her the chance to go undercover. She helps Laura escape Mojo later on, which gets her into trouble with the big man himself.

Issue 4's ending sees some changes. I hate how Prodigy beat Hellion, so instead, he sets up a device to send out a loud blast of sound to disrupt Hellion's concentration. Maybe he hijacks the news van stuff, or he sets off some sort of EMP thing to temporarily mess with all the tech around them. Every car within five miles has their alarms go off, traffic lights are cycling through all their sound effects, lights are flashing everywhere.

For a split moment, Hellion is unable to use his power. This is enough for Prodigy to grab him with his grappling hook, pull him in and slam him into the ground. He's able to hit Julian in several pressure points to stop him from moving. Then he slaps on a pair of headphones and forces Julian to listen to Dazzler's new EP. It's a flop album, but it also hurts his ability to concentrate.

Prodigy is still arrested. Because his rescue involved messing with a ton of public property, people are quick to paint him as a criminal and a public nuisance. Forget that he saved lives - he should have just stayed away and let the Avengers deal with it. The university, to cover their ass, outright turns on him and publicly slanders him.

Issue 5 is mostly the same: everyone is trying to deal with Sophie's betrayal and counter the Quiet Council's plan. The Council have rigged the vote and are planning on making things harsher for mutants. However, there are two notable changes.

One, is that Sophie isn't forgiven for her betrayal. Kamala still forgives her instantly, but the others don't trust her. They keep her away from their plans. She still comes back later to get involved, but it's framed as her trying to fix her mess. She's been watching from a distance and has to swoop in. Kamala's speech about living together also inspires Prodigy to forgive Sophie, because like the humans, she let her fear and hate cloud her judgment. If mutants can't forgive each other, how can humans forgive them? How can they forgive humans?

Sophie isn't fully accepted by the others, but she's allowed back into the group. Her actions are forgiven, but not forgotten.

The second change: the anti-mutant bill still passes. And it's revealed that Mojo saw the events of last issue and learned of the Council. He teams up with them, since mutant oppression is great for comic book sales TV ratings.

Also, these two handsy officers start making out with each other.

Issue 6 is also mostly the same. I'm assuming it counts as cross-promotion with the Dazzler book, so. Since she's not fully trusted by her friends, Sophie's new chat addiction has a whole new layer to it. I think it also adds more to Anole's "Welcome to Team Useless" line, because he's making an effort to relate to the group outsider.

Local's role is instead taken by Kiden. Her motivation is that she's trying to help Mojo, so he'll stop going after Laura. But Laura convinces her to escape Mojo's grasp and run away with her. They know that Mojo will come after them, but it's the best plan they have now.

Prodigy has a line about wanting to talk to Dazzler about sending a message in this show: that mutants should be united. He's going to beat the Quiet Council to their goal, by creating a community of mutants in New York.

Issue 7 will be radically different. Sorry to the Synch fans, but he'll be cut. Instead, the issue will be from Bilal's POV.

His story will be a series of flashbacks, leading up to the present. We see him and Kamala bonding as they grew up. Bilal experiences a lot of hate and prejudice, but he and Aamir do what they can to shield Kamala from it. The hate they face is one of the factors that pushes Aamir to become more devoted to his faith, because he finds comfort in it and won't let anyone shake his beliefs. Meanwhile, Bilal internalizes the hate on some level.

As mutants became more known, people would begin to hate on them. A school-aged Bilal was a fan of the X-Men at first, and could identify with them as an outsider. (Wolverine was his fave. Look at issue 3 and see the Wolvie keychain in his car.) But he started to turn against them when he saw others begin to hate them. He listened to his friends. He saw evil mutants target innocent people. Maybe a friend of his is killed in the crossfire when the X-Men fight the MLF. And on top of that, he loses it when he sees former murderers join the X-Men and be treated as a hero.

By the time Krakoa happens, Bilal is already radicalized against mutants. He'll full-on siding with the Truthseekers. And with Fall of X and the rise of the Krakoan, he's pushed to become even more extreme in his views. Because if he isn't fighting, he fears mutants will be free to hurt people - including his friends and family.

Kamala is too naive, in his eyes. Maybe it's his fault for trying to shield her from the harshness of the world. That's why he needs to be so aggressive and vocal about his beliefs: he needs to get it through her thick head, that she's wrong and he's right. It's for her own good.

And yeah. Bilal's extremism is given a clearer source. While there are reasons to be wary of mutants and the X-Men, he jumped straight to extreme hatred because of the people around him. Because it was easier to fit in than stand out. He ends up becoming radicalized against mutants.

He justifies his crusade as him defending innocent people, like his cousin. While he's trying to kill and expose Ms. Marvel, he doesn't know that he's hurting the person he's trying to protect the most.

Oh, and a man named Mr. Friend claims to be an ally of the Truthseekers. He has a plan to stop the "mutant menace," and offers Bilal a chance to help.

The issue ends with Prodigy bringing mutants together to discuss forming a community that supports one another. Sophie exposes the Council's plans, and everyone looks to Prodigy as their leader. Instead, he says that he'll be their representative; they will all have a say in how things are done going forward, and he'll just help them make their vision a reality.

Issue 8 is unchanged. Maybe making Kiden have a crush on Laura is unnecessary, and it makes Laura look kinda callous to her feelings. But eh. I'm here for Hellion. Eu te amo, NYX (2024) #8.

Issue 9 is that X-Manhunt tie-in. Guess we can't change it much. I guess maybe throw in the Truthseekers as part of Doom's Patrol, guarding the Treehouse. They side with Doom. If we have time, maybe we can throw in a page where Kiden gets captured by Mojo.

Issue 10, and we're still pressed for time. Some things still can't be fully explored in my version, but at least several plots have converged.

Mojo has captured Kiden and has used her powers for his own gains. Remember those drugs he's making out of mutants? He's decided to turn them into timer-activated bombs all around the city. When they go off, they will make mutant powers go berserk. Kiden's powers let them make years' worth of batches in minutes, and allow them to go around the city and plant their weapons without being seen.

Mutants go rogue, and the Truthseekers (lead by Bilal) are patrolling the cities. They're taking down rogue mutants and being hailed as heroes for it.

Anole makes it to the sewers in time to see the Morlocks going crazy. He's able to catch Mojo placing bombs. Thanks to his camouflage, he's able to escape and warn his friends.

Ms. Marvel confronts Bilal and tries to stop him. After Ms. Marvel defeats Bilal, he goes on his whole spiel about justice or w/e. Kamala reveals her identity and his entire demeanor changes.

Kiden and Julian team up to rescue Kiden and face Mojo. Kiden feels bad about seeing them work to save her - jealousy, self-pity, all these negative thoughts. Mojo suggests using her powers to kill Julian, and he'll take the fall so Kiden can be with Laura. But Kiden refuses, and she instead uses the last bit of her strength to help Julian and Laura defeat Mojo.

Sophie seemingly betrays Prodigy and brings him to the Council, claiming that she saw the light and sides with them. Prodigy says that he knew he couldn't trust her. In reality, she's bringing Prodigy to Empath so they can fight, while Sophie stops her sisters from interfering.

Anole and the remaining Morlocks work on protecting humans. Despite the humans being terrified of their appearances, they appreciate the Morlocks for saving them.

The issue ends with a couple of recap pages. The villains' plan has been leaked to the news, and the Truthseekers are under fire. The city was saved, and the Morlock's actions have made people in the public want to rethink the anti-mutant bills. Though things are still tense between humans and mutants, there's progress being made.

Kiden is traumatized after her time with Mojo. She decides that she needs to run away again. As much as she cares for Laura, she doesn't want to be involved with superheroes and supervillains. This isn't the life for her. While she promises to stay in touch with Laura, it's unlikely they can be around each other too much. (Though this can change when we get a Kiden Nixon mini, hint hint Marvel.)

The Council is defeated. Prodigy steals Empath's credit card and uses the money to pretty up the base and buy necessities. With tides changing in mutants' favor, and with some mental prodding from Sophie, the university staff look to hiring Prodigy again. He declines, but offers to be a guest speaker at the school.

Sophie goes with Kamala to tell her parents about Kamala being a mutant. Kamala ultimately backs down, but Bilal comforts her. Sophie sees how these two family members were ultimately able to overcome their differences. She wonders if she, Emma and her sisters can do the same.

The issue ends with Laura and Julian, sitting on a roof together. Laura tells him about her recent adventure with Elektra, in her solo series. While everyone else can focus on developing the NYX community. Laura's going to do her own thing for a while, focusing more on saving people who fell through the cracks. Julian will help with NYX, feeling like he owes it to the mutants after helping the Quiet Council. But no matter what, they can always call on each other if they need help.

And yeah, the end. There are still a lot of things left unexplored. I imagine the finale would still be rushed. The NYX community is still very underdeveloped and tbh, Anole's whole role in the story could have been cut for the sake of streamlining things. But overall, I like it.

[elrallin]

Intro+Pinned

Hello hello! I'm El Rallin.

I write predominantly sci-fi and fantasy, with a focus on post-apocalyptic and post-post-apoc. As a queer person, I write a lot of stories with queer characters.

I'm an editing and publishing undergrad working part time as a copy editor for a scientific journal. I'm a huge nerd about the history of the English language, particularly Old English, which I will happily nerd about at any given opportunity.

Open to tags and asks! (Including tag lists for WiPs. And feel free to info dump to me about your projects in asks/similar.)

I often vanish for large chunks of time, during which the blog runs on a queue. I also just queue a lot of posts in general! If I vanish it's because disabilities+life are kicking my ass, and I'll return, though it mmmmay take a little bit. xD

WiPs

Fallen to Ashes - currently drafting

Post-post apocalyptic novel centering on a young drone pilot trying to get hired by a local vigilante crew to help make a positive impact on the city she has grown up in. Meanwhile, said crew's mission in the city is forcing them to either think in new ways, or give up and withdraw back to where they will be safe.

Bone-House - 24 hour novel project

Taylor, a newly hired library worker, discovers that they can see ghosts at the same time as they themself are starting to become one. Now, they need to work to save some library relics, including the bones of a ghost that has taken a liking to them, before the relics are permanently removed, and the library claims Taylor's bones to replace those that have been taken.

Voices Belonging to Monsters - summer project

A Beowulf retelling set after a viral apocalypse has permanently altered life on Earth, focusing on what it means to be a "good king" and to inherit a legacy. Told from the PoV of a Wiglaf/Unferth character who is overshadowed and overwhelmed by the legacy of a heroic leader.

Once, We Were Dragons - outlining

In a world where dragons were killed by a conquering empire, their descendants are still struggling for peace. A young half-human boy and his family flee for one of the few safe havens. Meanwhile, a human girl starts to challenge what she was taught about the world and her place in it.

I have other projects that I'll occasionally make mention of, and some characters, but these are the things that I'm working on getting drafted this year!

[thorns-and-rosewings]

As promised, this is a continuation of the Reaper King AU 💀 story from my last post. Sorry y'all, I had stuff that needed to be done or I would have just made it one long post. But honestly seeing how long this became, I think I will have to break it up even more... So be aware this is longer than the last one by quite a bit 😅

Anyways...

TW: Same as before, Definitely going to be touching on darker topics here, moreso than the previous part, so you've been warned.

Part 2...

18) KC and Bloodmoon claim their territory and to the locals it's like some sort of hellish cryptid just moved in. Murder rates skyrocket and the number of disappearances in the park also double, if not triple. And don't even start on the Park Ranger job turnovers rates...

19) Over time Bloody grows to trust this variant of Killcode more. As he's not preachy, nor a pacifist... He's someone who Bloodmoon can relate too and they have things in common. Not to mention this KC makes it quite obvious that he DOES care about the Bloodtwins. Nor has he once ever tried to use them...

-Bloodmoon is nearly impossible to control. But if he cares about someone he truly CAN be loyal and caring towards them.

-Aaand he will occasionally nap either near or on KC. Due to the core giving off a lot of heat... And Bloodmoon shows his inner cat and will just be drawn to the aforementioned heat. Which Killcode gets a small laugh out of.

20) As time continues to progress KC begins to take souvenirs from his kills. Frequently taking bones, teeth or claws from whatever he slaughters along with some of the victims blood. He takes these pieces and begins to construct a 'Rosary' using these pieces as beads after he cuts them appropriately and then paints them in the blood of the same victim. He knows the stories of each bead and can relate them all by heart.

-Bloodmoon tried to make a rosary but had little patience for it... He wasn't made to do arts and crafts sadly.

21) Things dramatically change one day when Killcode goes out for a solo hunt. He selects his target, one of the towns local drunkards and the reaper quietly follows him back to his home. Only when goes to sneak inside... He makes a disturbing discovery...

-...as he observes this piece of human garbage has a young son that he proceeds to beat senseless as soon as his drunk ass saw the boy trying to quietly get back into his room once his father came home.

21) Killcode entered a state of pure rage and he quite literally ripped this man's guts out and made him eat them. He then turned his attention to the injured and now terrified child, who is barely seven years old. And his voice becomes as soft and as calming as he can make it... And he offers this child a home away from other humans.

-The boy accepts to go with the strange creature that saved him...

-Thus becoming KCs second adopted child.

22) Now Bloodmoon had a MASSIVE problem with this. Again going back to his disdain for humans, viewing them as food and just things to kill and nothing more. But KC makes it VERY clear that this boy is now his child as much as Bloodmoon is.

-Killcode in no uncertain terms warns Bloodmoon to back off and not lay a hand on this child.

23) Bloody is PISSED for a long time... Ignoring his father and doing his own thing. Definitely releasing his stress in murderous rampages and KC let's him be for a bit. Focusing a little on helping his human child adapt to his new home.

24) But after about a week KC sits next to the sulking Bloodmoon and talks to him... Now that his anger has burned down to still heated embers. Explaining that this is something that seems to be written into his coding a need to be protective over children... possibly some leftover or entangled code from the Sun and Moon he was once a part of...

25) This discussion only gets angry growls and the Bloodtwins snap at how he's a killer like them but now he's turning into some pathetic pacifist!

...also their anger at being replaced and forgotten...

...KC just laughs...

26) He asks why in the world he thinks he's suddenly a pacifist? He's not... In fact his need to hunt and kill is even greater now. As he's going to need to bring food home for this boy to eat. Let alone how he's going to need to teach this child to hunt.

-He's got a lot to learn in order to be like them...

27) This conversation did the impossible. Calmed Bloodmoon down and... It was at that moment he grew to truly love KC as his father...

-He just grabbed onto the larger animatronic reaper and hugged him close. Not letting him see the tears of him being genuinely happy in his eyes... And he muttered 'You stupid old man...' under his breath repeatedly as he did so.

28) When Bloodmoon actually did calm down, he asked what the boys name was... To which KC shrugged and merely said that he'd get one eventually.

Bloodmoon: A new life leaves the old name behind and brings forth a new name in time.

29) Once he's healed up and ready Bloody and Killcode take the boy hunting... And his first kill is a rabbit. To which KC takes it's skull and cleans it up giving it to the boy on a leather string as it is now the start of his own rosary...

-He'll fit into this family just fine as he grows...

...However something else becomes apparent in time...

30) There was a reason the Creator put that core inside of an animatronic. As in the presence of organic material it can have a certain negative... Mutagenic effects...

-The core generates anti-matter a substance that seems to have a substantial affect on organisms, seeming to twist them to dark creatures. The Creator could not keep it to close to himself lest he fall under it's corruption. Stitchwraith never got to close to organic creatures as he was aware that the core would have a negative effect on them.

-Killcode is unaware of any of this...

-However what the Creator was unaware of was that this mutagenic effect could actually be somewhat controlled by the will of whomever, or whatever, was in control of the cube.

-Creator would have let every negative thing possible just happen without wanting to change anything. But Killcode only seeks the benefit of himself and those he cares for. Not to twist the world around him into a mindless dark parody of itself.

31) The boy in Killcodes care begins to mutate, losing human attributes and gaining inhuman ones. He better fits in with his father and brothers. No longer can he be considered human...

And he was perfectly fine with it...

...7 Years Pass...

32) Over seven additional years, Killcode has adopted even more kids. (Their info is below along with their names.)

-Wendigo (Nickname Wen): Age 14, the first adopted human. Has grown to look like his namesake. Covered in thick black fur with lanky limbs, protruding bones and razor claws. His mutation really came in after he took a slaughtered deer skull and began to wear it as a mask. One day it just didn't come off...

-Even as a young teen he's now a little taller than Bloodmoon, much to the older duo of brothers annoyance.

-Banshee (Nickname Ban): Age 12, the first daughter KC adopted. Her skin is a deathly grey tinged blue while her eyes are glowing blue and her hair is only black. She wears a long raggedy dress and a red shawl with a hood. She has the powers of her legendary namesake. She can create disorienting screeches that can even affect electronic devices.

-She's a sweetheart to her family but can be pretty ruthless to humans/prey. She often helps the Bloodtwins out with disorienting victims with her screeches so Bloody can rip and tear them apart while they're so gripped in terror.

-Vampire (Nickname Vamp): Age 10, The older brother of a pair of twins. Lives up to his name but is definitely NOT a sparkly Twilight vampire. His skin has the color of death and his eyes are blood red. He and his twin are jokesters and usually make bad ideas... That Bloodmoon goes along with because they sound like fun. He needs blood to survive, but also likes and can suffice on fresh meat too.

-He along with his twin, Lycan, get into the most mischief amongst their family. Very often with Bloodmoon as an enabler... KC often needs to save them from themselves. (Even if he secretly finds their antics funny, Killcode still has to be the responsible parent and try and stop them from being too crazy.)

-Lycan (No nickname this time): Age 10, the younger twin to Vamp. He also lives up to his namesake and looks like a werewolf. Although his features are not completely wolfish. His face still looks humanoid and closer to the earlier depictions of the Wolfman; it's unclear if he will continue to mutate or he will remain like this. He is as playful and mischievous as his sibling, though shows a tiny bit more caution. But he is most likely going to be off causing trouble with Vamp and Bloodmoon. Is allergic to chocolate, much like an actual wolf.

-Secretly Killcode has been wondering if it's a single braincell being shared between his two sets of twins, given how much insanity they get into. But damn if he doesn't love them chaos and all.

-Wisp (Nickname Will O'): Age 4, by far the quietest of KC's children. She resembles a small ghostly child wearing a light colored dress, but her entire body overall looks like a small blue flame and her long white/blue hair perpetually in motion like an aforementioned flame. She is very quiet, but undoubtedly due to her trauma prior to her adoption, (Straight up unwanted and eventually abandoned in the woods to die) she doesn't like being alone and she can be understandably clingy. Though it has gotten better over time given the proper love and affection by her new family.

-She is currently the only child of KC's without a kill count, but that is because she is simply not ready yet. This fact is understood even by Bloodmoon and no one is going to force her to hunt until she's ready.

-The Baby (Is literally a baby and doesn't even technically have a name yet, but is a little girl): Age is maybe 3 months? The story behind this child was that KC and Bloodmoon were out hunting together, as Killcode is always careful to give all of his kids affection and not overlook any of them, Bloodmoon included. As they were out they were looking for some fresh targets, but the smell of something burning and a baby crying caught their attention... Lo and behold there was a car that had clearly flown off the road and crashed into a tree, killing the two adults in the car but leaving the baby in the backseat alive... Which resulted in KC taking the little one and them burying the parents near the scene of the accident.

-The baby is the youngest child KC has ever encountered and is obviously a bit challenging to care for, thankfully he manages... And the older kids do help their father out as much as they can. Though the one who interacts the least with the baby is Bloodmoon, not because he dislikes her but because he's genuinely afraid he will hurt her.

Bloodmoon: We're built to rip and tear! Not hold tiny soft things that will tear too easily!

-He makes a fair point with this. He also has an immense dislike to the infants crying often resulting in him yowling something about the 'Alarm is going off again!' but his disdain isn't malicious. He's just not that great with infants.

33) Over those seven years it wasn't just KCs human children that mutated. The entire region that these guys call home mutated. With the forest becoming much 'darker.' The whole place has become a major hot spot for paranormal activity, specifically involving various cryptids. There are tons of reports of Sirenhead, Fleshgaits and all sorts of other horrors. As well as other just weird stuff like random stairs to nowhere in the middle of the woods and other people swearing that the forest can shift around and get unsuspecting tourists hopelessly lost.

-There is a certain amount of mutations that would occur naturally in the vicinity of the cube, but none of the mutations to the environment are overly malicious. But the dark energy can attract more things that definitely can give normal folks nightmares...

(...Also I love Creepypastas, sue me...)

34) There have been two attempts by the Creator to retrieve the cube in the forms of two low-intelligence high-fire power drones sent to find the cubes energy signature... Both attempts, several years apart, ended almost comedically bad.

(Okay yeah it's late and I am super tired now so I don't want to write anymore since I have to get to work in a few hours... But seeing as how I still have about one more portion to write for this I am going to post this now and finish the next part tomorrow 😅)

[unnervinglyferal]

One of the most uncomfortable things my brain has done has been getting attached to Mary. Like, Mary as in Mary the mother of Jesus. Not surprising but awkward for sure.

Mary is a big deal for mexicans. Regardless of anything, she is very important to our culture. Even the most brutal cartel or gang members will lower their heads and cross themselves in humility to the holy image of her. Taxi drivers hang rosaries (long bead artifacts with an amazing amount of technical specifications behind them that are meant to guide prayers towards Mary) on their mirrors to feel protection, and it's not badly viewed for people to wear rosaries as collars either. She's on the murals. She was our first ever flag. There's even one very very specific holiday we have for her, can't say I've ever celebrated it, but here in the small town where I live, people light fireworks everywhere and it's this big ass loud and happy celebration. Originally brought by colonizers to replace the goddess Tonantzin, the image of a brown skinned Mother Mary has become a symbol of and for our people. Hell, half of our fucking female population is called Maria Guadalupe (Lupe, for short) after her local name –Santa María Guadalupe. Don't even get me started on the advocations of the Virgin Mary, because theres like, A WHOLE ass different lore for that. Over here we have one called La Virgen del Pueblito (literally "The virgin from the small town").

Having said that, of course the jewish woman who accidentally recreated the fucking Pietá with the huge catholic dude with a saviour complex, as his side bled because he had a fucking nail stuck in there, WAS GOING to get attached to the jewish woman who is a LITERAL PART OF THE PIETÁ alongside THE VERY MAN MY EXBOYFRIEND WORSHIPPED and she birthed, as he also BLED FROM HIS SIDE, with NAILS stuck in his BUTCHERED HANDS.

Like, if you think about it, Mary also got ultra crucified for the sins of humanity inside of the christian lore. I do not believe this happened at all and I am not like, going to fucking convert to catholicism, but oh man. Oh man man man. Do I think of her often, with all these statues that mostly portray her in such a state of grief, looking up at the sky with hope on her big tender eyes full of tears, begging for mercy and forgiveness. Or with that compassionate soft gaze, meant to fall over the audience at the sanctuaries and parishes, filling all of their faithful spirits with motherly joy.

I do not have a mother, Feral. There's a warmth in that woman's eyes, some type of comprehension people often grow to find on their favourite characters or their favourite shows. I wouldn't say I believe in her as the holy mother of like, the almighty Christian Messiah or all that, but all I can think is "man, she's so me. Look at her, gifting herself to the christian Gxd, hoping her son will save the world as promised, knowing she will suffer but being so willing to do so for the sake of people that couldn't care any less".

I am and will always be jewish. As insufferable as it is, jews are my people and I wouldn't change that ever, it's my pride and joy to be a part of our tribe. But if I ever had to mutter a christian prayer, maybe I'd give one to her. Maybe I'd dedicate a rosary to my non religious, secular idea of her.

This is """problematic""" as fuck but this is what trauma does to a motherfucker. You cope the way you can and stick to it.

Any way to cope with being alive that doesn't cause physical injury is among the better ones, and being attached to something that's a huge part of the world you know isn't odd. You don't get to choose who your people are - in the sense of where you come from. But you do get to choose where you're going.

I've never met a catholic in real life. The christians here are lutherans, they don't believe in martyrdom or having sanctity or grace in suffering and sacrifice. In a way I sometimes wonder if they'd be more sympathetic to the suffering of others if they saw any value in it. Or even their own suffering. Languish, acceptance and embracing grief are more or less foreign concepts to them. They don't believe in saints, in Mary, or - no matter what they say - in a loving G-d.

Grief needs an outlet, some way for it to bleed out or it will fester. And not to sound messianic (fuck those clowns), but as much as we know of Jesus of Nazareth, he was still a jew, born of a jewish mother. All things considered, who else would you reasonably turn to?

[getranched]

coulddddd we have a rundown of the habitants of the ranch?

Well I'm not sure about every single being who makes this (cosmic nightmare) house a home

But I'm sure we can give you a good rundown!(also PSA this account does deal with unreality so if that kind of thing messes with you be careful)

First up is the Ranch itself! A mimic in its final stage of life! They normally become dungeons or haunted houses but this lovely guy had the (mis)fortune to become a familiar with Moon in around the 1700's I'm pretty sure. And as a fully adult mimic it spawns thousands of baby mimics which end up replacing our furniture and the like.

EREN INTERJECTION i’m eren, OR RIJU, a shapeshifter. i just live here idk. i have a friend who’s a burmese python but he doenst live here. uhmm yeah idk i just eat the food in the fridge and sometimes i’ll throw bits of my fresh kills in there too. idk uhmm yeah im friends w everyone here except for like. FD maybe?? but he doesnt live here i dont think….

tbh i dont really keep up with who comes in and who doesnt HAHA im usually in my room playing with bones or reading when im here at the ranch

Twi interjection! I'm Twilight (or just Marth) i'm just kind of here, and if i'm not, i'm tending to my acnh island Tabantha. (Also this account is being shared between 15 or less people, some are more active than others and their individual accounts are being followed by this one)

Is it really an interjection if everybody’s doing it when nobody else is typing? Who knows! I’m Vivian, local semi-moth humanoid and god/dess of the Lost and the Traveling on occasion. Unlike most local chumps deities, I am a multiversal being, which means I am THE deus ex machina in any given situation, and like to Borrow from other universes. cough cough: ner beskar’gam. Also, I have a sapient AI living in “my” spaceship (which is legally his, don’t tell xem), just for funsies

This is Sky now. I'm not really supposed to be in this galaxy, I crash landed in the front yard on one of my spaceships. I tried apologizing to the landlord but we ended up throwing hands, not my fault. Eventually I stayed at the Ranch tho. Hobbies: leading prison breaks, motorcycle rides, eating lightbulbs for the sake of trolling, antagonizing gods, blasting my friends into space. Ended up adopting a demon cat guy. (Vivian note: this is not the catboy incubus. This is a different demon cat guy) (Sky note: Yeah, my boy is the cat butler, the other catboy is a pain in my ass) (Vivian again: and a pleasure in mine)

This is Luna! I am the goddess of horses and all things related. I spend most of my time as a horse (sometimes a centaur) AND I AM NOT A CHUMP VIVI! anyway I used to run an empire ages ago before it was destroyed, and I got sealed away. I have Twi to thank for breaking my seal! Nowadays I'm restarting my cult (its horse girls mostly rn) and fixing horse races. If you ever see a horse say hello it might be me.

Heyo! I'm saria, local milf. I have deer antlers because some grass god decided it'd be cool to mix the local humans with deer. (to be fair, he was right.) I'm mostly human, though. I stream bloodborne because that game reminds me of my found family and my village. I'm still piecing together what happened to my people, but for now I bake, garden, and play my silly little video game. catch me having tea with a succubus and a doll on tuesdays and shopping with a horse on thursdays.

Hi! I'm Wild! I was Moons first kid after my dog and I accidently ended up in this world, escaped jail, and hid in her man eating garden. Most of the time, I sail the seas of my home world and have the best adventures with the greatest pirate crew u could ever imagine. But, I do come visit home from time to time, too, thanks to my crystal that lets me travel through time and space. Somebody's gotta bedazzle FD's tools and give Moon a headache, ya kno?

Yormp here! I’m not totally sure who I am, I’m working on it. Moon says I’m a creature of my own choice, but I’m not too sure about that. Before I was an omen of war, and my friends called themselves pestilence, conquest, and death. Then I died, some time passed, I don’t remember it all, got cursed to be an otter for a bit, and met Moon. Now? I’m just going to college. Learning a little. If I really do get to choose, I think I’ll choose not to be War reborn this time.

Oh… and uhh. Goose.

Hmmm? OH it's my turn! Hey hey hey! I am (the) Sun Sun Sun and when you're with me everything is fun fun fun!. I'm Moon's counter part. We share a body, we share a mind, we are the same person, but not quite! Much like Moon I am also a clown, but instead of resembling a porcelain doll I have the body of a goat (sorta)! You can think of me as Moon's opposite! We may not agree on much, but we do hold our family very dear to us! I'm also referred to as a father and much like Moon, I don't mind what I'm called! Speaking of Moon, she wants her turn to speak now!

Hello, dearest traveler,

It seems you have found our home. I'm (the) Moon. I am the one that eats many gods in this world. But do not worry, it is strictly business. As of this moment, I have taken the form of a porcelain clown. This body was provided to me by a dear friend. I am also referred to as the father of many Ranch residents. Though I am called a father, and might be referred to as Mr. Vilon, I do not care much for what I am referred to as. Most use she/her.

[Psst. Moon. Don't forget to tell them some house rules!]

Ah yes... While you are here traveler, be sure keep some things in mind:

- Mind your teeth and your belongings, else they might be stolen

- Remember to keep your feet off the grass. The plants get hungry after a certain time.

- Not everything is what it seems. I'm sure you will become familiar with our mimics both big and small.

- Do not assume a door, hallway, or stairwell will take you to the same place twice.

- The void will always listen to your troubles.

- Do not pet the cats. Some are... not the kind that you want the attention of. Or maybe they are. That's up to you.

- And most importantly, remember, that sometimes, it is better to stay lost than to be found.

Enjoy your visit,

The Vilons

[all-the-things-2020]

Further Along the Way - Chapter Ten

Summary: Din makes a decision.

Rating: PG

“It’s a done deal,” Shandilon said smugly. “They’re going to call us up. My dad heard it from Senator Kilgore himself. The Parliament okayed it yesterday.”

Din let the cadets talk. With all the rumors swirling around campus recently, he’d found that letting the students gossip a bit before class started helped keep them focused once instruction actually began. He lost a few minutes of time each day, but better to have 45 minutes of kids paying attention than 60 minutes of them only half heeding his words.

“What will we be doing?” Limante asked. He was one of Shandilon’s buddies, always ready to back the other boy up.

Shandilon shrugged. “Probably something boring, to tell the truth. The plan is to use the military reserves to replace the troops that are being sent to the Danda sector, so we’ll just take over some dumb job like guarding an embassy building. The pilot cadets might get to escort a merchant ship through the inner trade routes, but that’s about as exciting as it’s going to get for us. Still, it’ll be better than sitting in a classroom being told what to do all day, right?”

Din called the class to order at that point and ran them through some hand to hand drills. X’intari was getting better, but he still held back too much, even though his physiology made him inherently stronger than the human cadets. Din looked forward to the day when the Bendaski was confident enough to just be himself. And on that day, Din was going to match him with Shandilon and enjoy watching X’intari wipe the floor with that little jerk’s ass.

The final bell rang and Din dismissed class. As he was gathering his things, a cadet popped in the door. “Mr. Djarin, sir, the Colonel would like to see you ASAP.”

“Thank you, Cadet,” Din said. He’d been expecting this. “I’ll be right there.”

Din walked to the admin building. There was already an air of urgency on campus; everyone seemed to be a bit more focused, a bit more hurried, a bit more on edge. He recognized the atmosphere of preparation before a battle. It felt familiar but at the same time, strangely foreign. This isn’t my life anymore, he reminded himself.

The Colonel greeted him solemnly and asked Din to take a seat.

“I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors, Mr. Djarin,” Braxden began. “The Republic has asked for our help in the Danda sector, and we have responded. To replace the troops that are joining the Republic forces, we are deploying our military reserves. This means I’m losing several key members of my staff, including Lieutenant Mondella.” He paused. “High Command has also asked that we pull out third and fourth year cadets and deploy them. Captain Woreg will be forming a squadron of flight cadets to assist in routine escort duties within our local system. And we will be deploying a squadron of ground officer cadets for guard duty somewhere in the local system, as well.”

“My students,” Din said.

“Yes, your students.” Braxden leaned forward. “I’d like you to lead them, Djarin. They know you and respect you. You’re a civilian, so this isn’t an order, you have every right to refuse, but I hope you’ll volunteer for duty.” He looked Din in the eye. “I’d feel much better sending them out with you in charge.”

Din held the Colonel’s eye contact as he said, “I’m afraid I must respectfully decline, sir.”

Braxden blinked. “Are you certain?” He wasn’t angry, but looked disappointed.

Din nodded. “As you said, I’m not a member of your military, and I have other obligations that require me to stay here.”

Braxden sighed. “Your wife’s due in a few months, isn’t she? Look, Djarin, we expect this to last a few weeks, a month at most. You’ll be back long before the baby comes. These kids need you.”

Din shook his head. “My family needs me. I made a promise not to leave them again. I had to do it once and I won’t put them through that again; won’t put myself through that again.” He sat up straight. “You can fire me if you like, but I won’t go.”

Braxden sat back in his chair. “I’m not going to fire you,” he said. “You are well within your rights to refuse. This means I’ll have to send Corporal Fennic with the squadron. He’ll start assisting you with the third and fourth year classes as of tomorrow, so he can get a feel for them before they’re deployed. It might be a few days, maybe even a week, before we know where they’ll be going and what they’ll be doing.”

“I’ll get him up to speed, Colonel,” Din promised. Fennic was a good officer and a natural instructor. It shouldn’t take him long to grasp the capabilities of the cadets he’d be commanding.

“I do wish you’d reconsider, Djarin,” the Colonel said wearily. “These kids … they’re still just kids, as much as they want to think they’re ready to take on the galaxy. I just want them safe.”

“So do I, sir,” Din said. “But I can’t … I’ll do everything I can to prepare them for what lies ahead, but that part of my life is over.”

He took his leave of the Colonel and made his way to Garrick’s office, where his friend was hunched over a data pad.

“Just talked to the Colonel,” Din said.

Garrick looked up. “What did you tell him?” He already looked haggard and Din felt a pang of empathy for the man. He wasn’t going to be babysitting a bunch of green cadets on a job within the local system. The reserves could be called anywhere the Thantosian military was currently operating; maybe suppressing the pirates harassing the Clovan system, or patrolling the Survanti asteroid belt for smugglers. Or even joining the regular forces in the Danda sector.

“I told him no,” Din said.

Garrick looked relieved. “Good,” he said, closing his eyes for just a moment. “I was hoping … you’ll look after Tress and the girls for me while I’m gone, won’t you?”

“Of course,” Din replied. “Anything they need, we’re just a comm away.”

Garrick buried his face in his hands. “I thought going into the reserves was the right move,” he said thickly. “Best of both worlds. Keep my military rank, keep earning points toward a cushy pension someday, but still be here for my family. But now … maybe I should have just resigned when my time was up.” He looked up at Din, his eyes bright with unshed tears.

“You can’t second guess yourself, Garrick,” Din said. “Just move forward with what you have.”

Garrick smiled crookedly. “I know, I just … I feel bad for Tress and the girls. They didn’t choose this; I did.”

“Tress did choose this,” Din said. “She knew who you were and what you did when she married you. She chose to make a life with you, have a family with you.” He knew that the couple had met while Garrick was still on active duty. Tress had married a soldier.

“Thanks, buddy,” Garrick said. “I knew you’d understand.” He shook his head and gave a weak laugh. “Now, I’m going to go home and tell my family how much I love them. You should do the same.”

“I will,” said Din. As they stood, he pulled Garrick into a firm embrace. “K'oyacyi, my friend.”

“What does that mean?” Garrick asked.

“Hang in there,” Din replied. Stay alive was the more literal translation, but he wasn’t about to tell Garrick that.

******************************

Mariana could tell that something had happened the moment Din walked in the door. “They’re going?,” she asked.

“They’re going,” he replied. “Fennic will be going with the cadets in my place. And Garrick’s reserve squad has been called up as well.” He picked up Ad’ika, who as usual was tugging at his pant leg before he’d gotten two steps inside.

“Oh, poor Tress,” Mariana said. She’d had lunch with the other woman just yesterday and while Tress had tried to be upbeat, it was clear that she was worried. “And I was just asking her if she can watch Ad’ika while I meet with the midwife.” Tress’ cousin’s neighbor’s aunt was a very reputable midwife and had agreed to take Mariana on as a patient, which meant weekly appointments at the woman’s office. “Maybe I should just stick with the doctor at the clinic …”

“No, I think it would be a good distraction for her,” Din said, sitting on the couch. Mariana settled beside him. “And for the girls. A weekly play date would cheer them up immensely. Besides, the clinic relies too much on med droids … I’ll feel better if Valinda Knorros delivers the baby.”

Still with the droid thing, Mariana thought with a smile. Of course, she felt a lot better knowing she’d be in the hands of a woman who had three children of her own, as well as the experience of having delivered dozens more over the years, rather than a med droid. Droids were very capable (she still thought fondly of RN-42, who had informed her of her pregnancy back on Florian), but she doubted one would be very sympathetic to the pain of childbirth.

“How are your classes going?” Din asked.

“Well,” she replied. “I’m almost done with my paper for the Rhetoric class and we’ll get our scores on the Theoretical Physics of Hyperspace exam tomorrow. I just have to finish the reading for the Art History discussion, but that’s not due for a couple of days yet.” The hyperspace class was kicking her butt, as she had never been as strong in mathematics as she was in other areas, but she was very much enjoying the other two classes. Surprisingly, Ad’ika was very good about knowing when she needed to concentrate, and so far she’d been able to keep up with the workload.

“Think we can manage dinner at the Mondella’s one night this week?,” he asked.

Mariana thought over her upcoming deadlines. “Tomorrow would work,” she said. “Should I comm Tress or do you want to talk to Garrick in the morning?”

“Comm her,” Din said. “I have the feeling Garrick and I won’t have much time to chat before he’s deployed.” Mariana squeezed his hand. How many comrades has he said goodbye to and never seen again?, she wondered.

“I’ll call her right after dinner,” she said. “Speaking of which, why don’t you two get washed up while I set the table?”

When he and Ad’ika were behind the closed door of the ‘fresher, she allowed herself a moment to lose composure. Her heart was breaking at the thought of Garrick having to leave, at the thought of Tress and the girls being left behind, wondering every day if he was coming home. She’d been through that when Din had gone off after Moff Gideon, and they’d only been together a few months at that time. She couldn’t begin to imagine how hard it would be after being with someone for years.

She also felt selfish for being so thankful that Din wasn’t going. Why am I the lucky one? Why should Tress have to go through this and I don’t? The ‘fresher door opened and she wiped the tears off her face, bustling into the kitchen to get the plates. Din was probably feeling guilty enough about his decision without her blubbering all over the place making him feel worse. She smiled brightly at him as he and Ad’ika took their places at the table, but she could tell from the gentle smile on his face and the tired look in his eyes that she wasn’t fooling him one bit.

*************************

“What?” X’intari blurted out when Din told the class he would not be accompanying them when they were deployed. “Oh, sorry, sir, sorry, I just … I kind of assumed you’d be going with us.” The boy blushed dark green and several of the other cadets snickered.

“I can see why you might assume that, Cadet,” Din said evenly, shooting a look at the ones who were laughing. “But as you recall, I’m a civilian, and therefore Corporal Fennic will be your commanding officer.” He gestured at the young officer, who stood calmly in the corner, observing. “He’ll be assisting with your classes from here on out so he gets a chance to see you all in action, so to speak.”

Shandilon raised his hand. Din suppressed a groan and nodded at him. “Mr. Djarin, sir,” the boy said, looking pointedly at X’intari, who was still mortified at his outburst. “I can understand why you aren’t going, being just a civilian, after all … but why are we being placed under the command of a corporal? I’d have thought we’d have a proper officer in charge.”

“Fennic is a proper officer,” Din replied. “He’s my assistant instructor in the first and second year classes, and he earned his rank by coming up through the ranks. Just because he didn’t graduate from the Academy doesn’t mean he’s not a good officer.”

“But he’s a non-com,” Shandilon protested. Cadets who graduated from the Academy and were accepted into the military started at the commissioned rank of Lieutenant, and tended to look down on the Ensigns and Corporals who had worked their way up from Private.

“He’s still an officer,” Din said. “Hell, even a Private outranks you right now, Cadet.” That didn’t sit well with the boy, but Din was past caring. “Corporal Fennic knows what he's doing, and I trust him implicitly, and he will be in command of your squadron by order of the Colonel. End of discussion.”

“Yes, sir,” Shandilon muttered.

Din approached him and said quietly, “If I hear one word about you disrespecting him, Shandilon, I’ll flunk you, and you’ll never get that diploma.”

The boy’s eyes flared. “You wouldn’t dare. My father would have you fired so fast …”

“Do you think I care?” Din shot back. Shandilon closed his mouth and looked away. Din turned to the other cadets. “Do any of you think I care more about my paycheck than keeping you all safe?” They shook their heads. “That’s right, I don’t. And the best way for you to get through this is to listen to your commanding officer, to trust your commanding officer and to obey your commanding officer. Is that clear?”

“Yes, sir,” the cadets chorused.

“So if anyone gives Corporal Fennic any trouble, he or she will answer to me. And if that ends my career here at the Adademy, so be it.” He turned to Fennic. “Corporal, the class is yours.”

Fennic nodded and stepped forward. “Thank you, Mr. Djarin. Now …”

Din stepped back and let Fennic take control. He was still seething at Shandilon’s attitude but he forced himself to take a deep breath and relax. At least I won’t have to put up with the little shit for a while, he thought. But he would miss the others terribly.

***************************************************

Mando’a words:

K'oyacyi = 1. *Cheers!* 2. Can also mean: *Hang in there* or 3. *Come back safely.* Literally, a command; *Stay alive!*

[anthraxplus]

the cultural phenomenon of barbenheimer has taken over my mind

i did barbenheimer with a friend yesterday and it really got me thinking.

first off - it was so weird having my local theatre be so busy. it's usually the theatre you can bet on being able to sneak anything into, and while we still definitely did sneak in a buttload of snacks, they had people actively waiting in the wings as ticket checkers. so it kinda sucked that we couldn't just do the whole thing for free. but that's a bit beside the point. the theatre was the busiest ive seen it in nearly 10 years. and i'm not gonna lie, seeing a "cultural event" happen in front of me was more jarring for that reason. and as the day went on, that image in my head stuck with me. the image that all these people showed up to watch barbie and oppenheimer.

we saw oppenheimer first, in a nearly empty theatre. we sorta did this by design - we started at 10am and picked oppenheimer first because less people would choose to be that insane. i was high and trying to get myself into an impartial mindset (even though i didn't think i would end up liking it). and i think all i should really say about oppenheimer is that it's 3 nearly endless hours that doesnt give anyone any time to breathe and ends up saying a bunch of confusing, disappointing, and outright false things. seriously, the amount of times the movie brushes off the fucking truth of the situation is absolutely disgusting. obligatory linking of shaun's video on hiroshima and nagasaki. i think everyone in the movie should be forced to answer why theyre proud of making 3 hour bland ass shit boring nuclear bomb apologia. this isn't even getting into how the famous oppenheimer quote is introduced by a manic pixie dream girl (who in reality was a stanford graduate and psychiatrist, neither of which i believe are ever touched on or expanded in the film) who hops off his dick mid-fuck, walks over to a bookshelf, picks the bhagavad gita off the shelf, opens it to the exact page and verse of the famous quote, asks him to read, and slides back on his dick between "now i am become death" and "destroyer of worlds." this movie released to critical acclaim. some are calling it a masterpiece.

after some burritos for lunch, my friend and i went to barbie. this was a packed theatre and mostly everyone was wearing pink. the red in my hair has faded to a pink, so i felt like i was part of something. kinda. anyway. some little kids were loud in the front but it wasnt much of an issue. i kept thinking of them whenever the movie would say something about the struggle to find identity in a world that hates you no matter what you do. did those little children listen to margot robbie say that she doesnt have a vagina? did they parse that? it was a great movie, if a bit scattershot. it shouldve been longer, if only to fully flesh out a couple ideas and help the movie feel a little less cramped. but they would never make a 2.5 (let alone 3) hour barbie movie that talks about not just what it means to be a woman, but what it means to be human in a world that is so often contradictory hostile and praising of you. what happens when the Other we defined ourselves by isn't static? do we become different as well in relation to them? do we stay the same? do we do both? what are women supposed to do in the world when everything they do is wrong but they're never allowed to stop doing anything? how do men develop their own identity when they are so often raised into mindsets where their individuality is replaced by similarly contradictory standards and a definition that only exists in relation to women? what did ken mean when he said he had "all the genitals?" barbie is far from perfect, but it manages to ask more honest and thought provoking questions (and offers its own interesting answers) about the nature of reality than oppenheimer does.

i'm struck by the dichotomy on display here. barbie may be the more financially successful of the two films, but it is not treated the same critically. for all barbie says, it seems to get overlooked for its (still impressive) design and acting. its metacommentary is mentioned but never discussed. its "witty meta humor" is listed as a huge selling point. oppenheimer, in contrast, is a vain and shallow film that says nothing and looks somewhat cool doing it. i wonder if there are any parallels here.

i worry for what this means for movies. a nearly empty theatre for a self-important movie that lists itself as its reason for existing is treated as if it says anything at all, and a packed theatre for a movie with a script similarly packed with commentary on our very state of being gets boiled down to "cute sets and witty banter." what did the audience members take from their barbenheimer experience? my area is not very progressive, and in my experience not very invested in growth of any kind. when america ferrera delivers one of the many theses of barbie in a tear-inducing frustrated monologue on how she's never seen as good enough no matter what she does, did the audience members feel seen? did they feel understood? or did they want her to stop talking so they could go back to looking at the cool barbie dream houses? when oppenheimer breezes through the discussion of which innocent cities to burn in an unholy fire with all the tact and deliberation a group of friends has when deciding where to have lunch, did the audience feel slighted? disgusted? or did they just want to see einstein on screen again like he's an iron man cameo?

i dont know where we go from here. it feels like a tipping point for what we want from movies, and i'm not sure audiences learned anything from the past 10 to 15 years of set-ups, tie-ins, and spin-offs. i want to believe something will come of the fact that so many people are seeing barbie. maybe, hopefully, something in it sticks with people and inspires some sort of change. just the smallest amount of evolution. right now i too feel like barbie when she sits in a park and looks around at everything the human experience has to offer, and starts crying from both joy and sorrow. a woman who is so often seen as disposable and empty understands the human condition in a way she cant express, and is overwhelmed by the crushing beauty and fragility it all rests upon. she is a human before she knows she is. she doesnt know who she is, but she knows she still Is. existence is confusing and no one knows what to do about it, and the least we could do is support each other as we figure out who we've always been. i hope this is what sticks with people instead of some half-audible dialogue about how hiroshima and nagasaki were justified. time will tell, though.

[tousey-mousey]

So. I have heard the above stated unironically. For folks who agree with the above comment (which was made sarcastically, to be clear, they absolutely don't agree with the thing they said)... Here's my little diatribe. Sit down, shut up, and listen.

Gambling, especially slots like this, is strongly associated with poverty and having limited wealth. This is for many reasons but obviously one reason is fucking obvious: if you put all your money into a machine, you don't have any. These machines are specifically designed to prey upon poor people and people who were not taught financial literacy, which combined is a lot of people.

Problem gambling is DIRECTLY CAUSED BY treatment for Parkinson's disease. People who have never gambled before in their lives can suddenly develop severe gambling addictions. This is because some of the primary medications for Parkinson's disease directly elevate levels of dopamine in your brain. Drugs like carbidopa are literally designed to hyper-activate your reward pathways, because Parkinson's is a disease of low dopamine production, especially within the basal ganglia (which lets you start, continue, and stop voluntary movements and is also what's defective in people with tic disorders). People taking carbidopa have had their reward pathways ripped out of their head and replaced with a giant flashing fucking light saying "WOOOOO GAMBLING AND DRUGS BAYBEEEE!!!" It's not their fault they can't stop gambling and it's functionally IMPOSSIBLE for them to stop. Other issues with carbidopa include sudden food or alcohol addictions, other sudden substance addictions, and engaging in risky behaviours (especially risky sexual behaviours, which are kind of rampant in retirement homes). Frankly, if someone you love and have some part in the care in who has Parkinson's disease suddenly develops an addiction of some kind? You need to do something to try and stop them. Put limiters on their cards, get them blacklisted from all local casinos and put child safety locks on their phone apps, check on them more frequently, if possible become a co-signatory on their accounts and monitor their spending.

Do yous think that casinos are distributing that "hoarded wealth" that they steal from patrons? NO!!! THEY'RE FUCKING VAMPIRES!!! They fucking hoard it RIGHT BACK, and far far worse too. Old people have to pay to eat. They have to pay for utilities. They pass their money on when they die to younger family members who go out and buy houses. Casinos fucking don't. They put it in a big Scrooge McDuck pile and then they invest it into their friends' businesses and the wealth consolidation gets even worse.

These machines are fucking rigged and I cannot stress enough: were none of these other things true, that alone would make them evil. These things need to be shut the shit down because this is basically just legalised theft and I have no idea why.

I come from New South Wales in Australia, which is the unambiguous poker machine capital of the world. We have legalised poker machines OUTSIDE of casinos, which has led to virtually every pub having a stupidly high number of poker machines to the point that there is ONE POKER MACHINE FOR EVERY 88 FUCKING PEOPLE. Imagine walking into a normal-ass pub on a high street, and the first thing you see is a line of poker machines and a bunch of people sat in front of them, slowly and methodically dropping their food money into the slot. That's a normal sight in my home state, in this country that claims to give people a fair fucking go.

These machines are legalised theft, and they target the poor and the vulnerable and the elderly and the disabled. They target people that nobody cares about and systematically rob them, and this is considered "good business" instead of a "heinous crime against humanity" for no reason at all.