#Ail-Tech

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Thinking the unthinkable

On SEPTEMBER 24th, I'll be speaking IN PERSON at the BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY!

Time and again, I find myself thinking about radium suppositories: specifically, I get to thinking about the day that the consensus shifted from "radium suppositories are great" to "stop putting radioisotopes up your ass."

The thing is, people really liked radium-based quack remedies. They drank radium-infused water, smeared radium cream on their faces and bodies, and yes, rammed radium suppositories up their assholes:

https://maximumfun.org/episodes/sawbones/radium-girls/

The fact that this made whatever ailed you sicker didn't deter the radium true believers: if you're getting sicker, then you must need more radium.

When I think about the debate over radium, I imagine that the people who understood that radium was really bad for you must have run up against critics who told them they were being unreasonable. "You can't tell people to stop using radium. Tell them to use suppositories with less radium. Tell them to use them less frequently. But you can't just tell people, 'stop putting radium up your asshole.' They won't take you seriously."

About 20 years ago, I started pitching various institutions that reviewed consumer tech policy on the idea that they should reject any product that had DRM. After all, DRM didn't just restrict how you used a gadget today, it provided a facility for nonconsensually, irreversibly field-updating that gadget to add new restrictions tomorrow. How could a reviewer in good conscience say, "Go ahead and buy this device if you need this feature," if they knew that at any time in the future, the gadget's maker could take that feature away and leave the buyer with no recourse?

Here's the warning I (half-seriously) suggested magazines run alongside such products:

WARNING: THIS DEVICE’S FEATURES ARE SUBJECT TO REVOCATION WITHOUT NOTICE, ACCORDING TO TERMS SET OUT IN SECRET NEGOTIATIONS. YOUR INVESTMENT IS CONTINGENT ON THE GOODWILL OF THE WORLD’S MOST PARANOID, TECHNOPHOBIC ENTERTAINMENT EXECS. THIS DEVICE AND DEVICES LIKE IT ARE TYPICALLY USED TO CHARGE YOU FOR THINGS YOU USED TO GET FOR FREE — BE SURE TO FACTOR IN THE PRICE OF BUYING ALL YOUR MEDIA OVER AND OVER AGAIN. AT NO TIME IN HISTORY HAS ANY ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY GOTTEN A SWEET DEAL LIKE THIS FROM THE ELECTRONICS PEOPLE, BUT THIS TIME THEY’RE GETTING A TOTAL WALK. HERE, PUT THIS IN YOUR MOUTH, IT’LL MUFFLE YOUR WHIMPERS.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/12/08/playstationed/#tyler-james-hill

No one took me up on my offer. Over and over again, magazine editors, managers of nonprofit review outlets, and indie gadget reviewers told me that it was unrealistic to publish a roundup of, say, this year's portable music players with the recommendation, "Just don't buy any of these. None of them are fit for purpose."

In other words: No one wanted to publish, "The correct amount of radium to stuff up your asshole is zero."

But the correct amount of rectal radium for you to administer is "none" and the correct car for you to buy today is none of the cars:

https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/privacynotincluded/articles/its-official-cars-are-the-worst-product-category-we-have-ever-reviewed-for-privacy/

This isn't the first time the correct automotive recommendation was "don't buy any of these cars." Back before seatbelts came standard in cars, the correct car was "don't buy a car." Sometimes, the correct answer is "none of the above." Even if that makes you sound unserious, the alternative is that you counsel people to put radium up their asses in a bid to seem "reasonable."

Today, DRM-infected products are routinely downgraded and bricked:

https://www.theverge.com/2024/9/5/24236237/ftc-software-tethering-letter-consumer-reports-ifixit

Even when companies face public uproar over these disastrous decisions and vow to reverse them, they can't, because these downgrades are one way:

https://www.stereocheck.com/news/music/unfortunately-you-cant-revert-to-the-old-sonos-app-anymore/

That's bad enough when it's your smart speakers, but what about when the company bricks your wheelchair:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/06/when-drm-comes-your-wheelchair

Or your $100,000 exoskeleton:

https://paulickreport.com/news/people/paralyzed-jockey-michael-straight-wants-to-keep-walking-but-manufacturer-wont-repair-exoskeleton

The reality is that we're living at the end of a catastrophic experiment in deregulation and its handmaidens, corruption and regulatory capture, and there are lots of "normal" things that we just need to stop doing. Not do less of them – just stop.

Like, the correct amount of collusion between realtors representing sellers and realtors representing buyers is zero:

https://www.latimes.com/business/real-estate/story/2024-03-19/realtor-rules-just-changed-dramatically-heres-what-buyers-and-sellers-can-expect

We got that one right, but there's plenty more that we're still engaged in this pathetic, denialist bargaining over. What's the correct degree to which White House officials should cycle back into working at the industries they oversaw? Zero. How many times should such a person come back to work at the White House? Again: zero:

https://prospect.org/power/2024-09-19-next-administration-can-stop-ethics-scandals/

When the Biden admin dropped its executive order on ethics just hours after the inauguration, they trumpeted that it "went further than any other towards slowing the revolving door and limiting conflicts of interest while in office":

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-order-ethics-commitments-by-executive-branch-personnel/

And it did. But it was also full of loopholes, because banning these conflicts of interest altogether was viewed as politically unserious, so the correct amount of radium up the administration's asshole was set at non-zero. The result? Well, it's about what you'd expect:

https://therevolvingdoorproject.org/what-the-hell-is-anita-dunn-even-allowed-to-work-on/

Congress hasn't updated consumer privacy law since 1988, when it took the bold step of…banning video-store clerks from telling the newspapers which VHS cassettes you took home. Since then, a coalition of commercial surveillance companies and the cops and spies who treat their data-lakes as massive, off-the-books anaerobic lagoons of warrantless surveillance data has prevented the passage of any new privacy protections for Americans.

The result? Stalkers, creeps, spies (both governmental and corporate), identity thieves, spearphishers and other villainous scum are running wild, endangering every American's financial, physical and political wellbeing. The correct amount of commercial data-brokerage for America is zero:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/12/06/privacy-first/#but-not-just-privacy

In other words, we should order every data-broker, every tech giant, every consumer electronics company and app vendor to delete all their surveillance data. All of it. The correct amount of radium in that asshole is – as with every other orifice zero:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/08/07/revealed-preferences/#extinguish-v-improve

From the perspective of the radium pitchmen, the most shocking thing about the past four years has been antitrust enforcers – like Lina Khan, Rohit Chopra, and Jonathan Kanter – who refused to bargain about how much radium we needed to stick up our butts. Fearless of being branded as "unserious" and "unreasonable," they seriously, reasonably said the right amount is none, actually.

None. Which is why they're so mad at Khan and co. Which is why they're so bent on getting Kamala Harris to fire Khan – despite the fact that this would burn precious political capital in the senate. Some people just love the feeling they get from a radium suppository – especially the suppository salesmen:

https://prospect.org/politics/2024-09-19-lina-khan-doesnt-need-to-be-confirmed-again/

The paperback edition of The Lost Cause, my nationally bestselling, hopeful solarpunk novel is out this month!

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/09/19/just-stop-putting-that-up-your-ass/#harm-reduction/a>

Image: Museum of the Health Sciences https://www.uab.edu/amhs/

[burningembers91]

Money Makes the World Go Round - Suh Seok-Woo x Fem!Reader

tagging: @shittyprofilebutfuckit

Synopsis: Consumed by his role as a Fund Manager, Suh Seok-Woo hires you to care for his daughter and mother. But when you seem to know more about his own family than he does, will Seok-Woo be willing to change? Or will he discard you, his beautiful house keeper, just like he discarded everyone else he's ever cared for.

A/N: Every time i watch this film, I go through a rollercoaster of emotions with this character. He's such a selfish shit in the beginning, but so selfless at the end, and that's the vibe i'm going for.

Suh Seok-Woo was a selfish bastard, unashamedly so. He’d been that way his whole life, for reasons his own mother couldn’t quite fathom. Everything he did, he did with himself at the forefront of his mind. It was why he was so good at his job, why he didn’t flinch when he had to tell people that their life savings had disappeared, simply because the market had changed. “You knew the risks when you chose to invest,” he’d explain, not bothering to keep the bored tone from his voice as he listened to his clients sob down the phone, begging him for help. If people didn’t understand the risks, they shouldn’t invest; it wasn’t rocket science.

 It wasn’t that Seok-Woo didn’t care about people; he was just very selective about those he chose to give his time to. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for his daughter, sparing no expense for her happiness, buying her all the latest toys and tech, making sure all her clothes were designer and bang on trend. He opened his home to his ailing mother, giving her a life of luxury when she’d spent most of hers looking after him. His daughter and his mother were Seok-Woo’s world, and he simply didn’t have time for anyone else. It was why his marriage hadn’t lasted, why his ex-wife had upped and left, demanding half of everything even though he was the one who had worked hard to provide her with the lifestyle she’d become so accustomed to. She’d spent 8 years leeching off him, and he refused to entertain her any longer. That was why Seok-Woo was selfish; he’d learned at an early age that there were people who gave, and people who took. People who gave were fools, taken advantage of and bled dry due to their misguided attempts to be good people. He’d worked hard to get where he was, and he wasn’t sharing anything with those who didn’t deserve it.

Funding the lifestyle he wanted came at a price though. He barely saw his daughter, out of the house before she woke up, and returning home long after she’d gone to bed. It was a small price to pay though, and he was sure Soo-An was grateful for the gifts he often left her. His mother tried to tell him that his daughter needed her father, but Seok-Woo had explained many times that he worked hard to provide his little girl with everything she could possibly want. He even hired the best housekeeper, someone who took care of things day to day, provided only the best care for his daughter and mother, and someone who could help Soo-Ann with her schoolwork and extra-curricular activities.

You’d come highly recommended by the agency, your qualifications exemplary. You kept Seok-Woo’s home in working order, making sure he wanted for nothing. You cared for him family, providing Soo-An with the love and stability that her father didn’t realise was lacking. You loved his little girl, and his mother too, but you couldn’t stand the man who paid you to take care of his home. It astounded you that Seok-Woo couldn’t see his daughter didn’t want the latest gaming console, or the newest pair of sneakers that she’d outgrow in a few months anyway. All she wanted was for her dad to be there for her, to ask her about her day and attend her school performances. He couldn’t see that his mother’s arthritis was getting worse, that some days even the most basic of tasks were near impossible for her. You’d thought a few times about leaving, but if you didn’t look after them, who would?

Seok-Woo was rude, and conceited, so wrapped up in his own world that he didn’t have time for anyone else. Your daily conversations took place each morning and night, where he would tell you what he needed doing, and you’d debrief him on daily events. Sometimes you wondered whether you were his housekeeper, or his personal assistant. He was so cold, so aloof, and yet so strikingly handsome that it floored you every time you looked at him. You couldn’t understand how a many with the sweetest, warmest eyes could be the coldest person.

You often assumed Seok-Woo didn’t notice you, that you were nothing more than a faceless presence that kept his home and family in order; but that wasn’t true. You were beautiful, and whenever he spoke to his mother and daughter, they consistently sang your praises. Seok-Woo often added little bonuses on to your paychecks, to let you know he thought you were doing an excellent job. The extra money never went unnoticed, but it annoyed you that your boss couldn’t just outright tell people that he was grateful for them.

“Thank you for the extra money,” you said to him one night. “No problem.” He was already engrossed in his phone, responding to emails despite fact it was 11pm. “I may be speaking out of line here, but you don’t always need to give people something to show how you feel. Sometimes it’s just nice to hear that you think we’re doing a good job.” Seok-Woo looked at you, confusion plastered to his face. Gifts, money, that’s what people wanted. No one ever got anywhere by hearing something nice said about them. You could see he didn’t understand, so you tried a different approach. “Soo-An would really like you to go to her next recital. She’d rather you were there to watch her sing. She doesn’t want another Nintendo Switch, or a new dress.”

The two of you stood staring at each other, the ticking of the kitchen clock the only sound in the room. You’d overstepped the mark, you could tell, but you’d never met anyone as emotionally unavailable as Seok-Woo. “Sorry,” you mumbled, “I was out of line. Goodnight, Mr Suh.” You headed off into your room, leaving Seok-Woo staring at the space where you’d just stood. No one had ever told him they didn’t want something, especially when it was money. He thought back to all the gifts he’d given Soo-An, all the new Nintendo games, and clothes, and new dolls. She’d always said thank you, but her smile had never reached her eyes. His mother had always been grateful for the jewellery that he given her, but had she really wanted it? When he’d fought with his ex, he’d made it up to her with gifts, but never once said sorry.

Maybe you were right. Maybe it was only him who needed material goods to be happy. But when he’d spent his whole life focused on nothing but riches, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to change.

[hopesangelsprite]

Needed Me

Pairing: Intoxicated!Geto x Black!Reader

Summary: Geto's never been fond of you, his non-sorcerer wife; only using you to appease the public and better his image. But when he swallows a particularly nasty curse, he finds you of use very quickly.

Warnings: slight dubcon, language, degradation (it's Sugu guys-), hair pulling, size kink, cunnilingus, dacryphilia, mating press, creampie, marking, choking/breath play, mentions of death

MINORS/AGELESS ACCS DNI, viewer discretion advised.

A sigh escaped you gazed out the window of your bedroom from your bed, luxury bedsheets complimenting your equally lavish living quarters. A breeze drifted in from the window causing the jewelry in your hair to jingle like wind chimes, the sound filling the quiet room. Outside your window, you could hear the hustle and bustle of daily life and your heart twinged a little. How desperately you wanted to be among people again.

From the outside looking in, your life was picture-perfect. You had a huge house, closets filled with every kind of designer brand under the sun, the latest tech, and a gorgeous husband. You scowled at the thought of your husband and turned away from the window. That sick bastard was the cause of all your misery.

Geto Suguru, a priest to some and a powerful sorcerer to others. To you, he was nothing more than an egotistical, overgrown pain in the ass. You'd met him on tour in Japan, easily charmed by his good looks and kind demeanor. When the rest of your friends left the country, you stayed behind to build a relationship with him and within the year you were married. That's when things took a turn for the worse. He wasn't as sweet anymore, you often caught him looking at you with disgust. At first, you'd thought it was a race thing, but you quickly found out it was far more sinister than that.

Suguru had revealed the Jujutsu world to you by unleashing one of his curses upon you after an argument, only letting up when you cried and begged him to take it away. For a long while after that, you were afraid of him. You let him do whatever he pleased with you from showing you off like some glorified pet to locking you away in this room. Slowly, though, the fear he'd instilled in you turned into hate and eventually passive-aggressive rage. His curses no longer frightened you as the exposure slowly built up enough energy within you to see and ward them off.

Apparently, that made him despise you even more, his insults shifting from how much of a disgusting "monkey" you were to how you were a scourge to the Jujutsu world. After a while, those insults stopped affecting you, as well.

You let a sigh pass your lips as you brushed through the locs you'd recently been allowed to get with your fingers. Your hair jewelry jingled more as you thought about what life would be like once you were free from him, how you'd lived once you managed to escape to whatever side Geto hated so much.

Those thoughts were short-lived as the sudden sound of your bedroom door bursting open startled you. You looked up only to find the devil himself crossing the door's threshold, face flushed and eyes dark. Behind him, one of his underlings rattled on about how he should be resting and that the "curse" would wear off after a few hours. Suguru growled almost inhumanly before reaching back to grab their throat, the sound of bones being crushed causing you to wince as their corpse fell to the floor. "Someone come clean him up, please.", Geto spoke into the hallway before stumbling into your room and slamming the door shut behind him.

His robes were disheveled, nearly slipping off him. The closer he drew to you, the more you could see that something was ailing him. His hair was down, a few strands clinging to the perspiration on his forehead. "Who shit in your cereal this mo-", you started to ask before his hand lashed out and closed around the pillar of your neck. Geto leaned in, hatred and lust outshining the black of his eyes, as his hand tightened with the intent to strangle you. "You shut the fuck up and hold still before I break your pretty little neck just like that weakling I killed a second ago.", he warned as his free hand began roaming the expanse of your chest, "Consider yourself blessed that I've found use of you.".

Suguru hissed through his teeth at the feeling of your tits in his hand, eyes darkening with primordial lust. He released your throat to shove you onto your bed, caging you in with his larger body, before working on removing your skirt and panties. In the back of your mind, you remembered overhearing Mimiko and Nanako talking about how awful Suguru's cursed technique was, how terrible the curses he swallowed must taste. Pity filled you as you lifted your hips, allowing him more access to you. "If you needed me to take the taste away, you could've asked.", you moaned as Geto spread your folds with his tongue, "Poor bastard.".

Geto glared at you, purposefully nipping at your bud and drawing a yelp from you. In turn, you grabbed a fistful of his hair, back arching at the feeling of him savoring you. Suguru groaned, the vibrations spreading through your pulsing cunt, and released you with a wet pop. "If you weren't such a pathetic bitch, I'd eat you every day.", he murmured before licking a stripe from your entrance to your puffy mound, "So damn sweet.". You shuddered, the knot in your tummy tightening quickly, and rolled your hips as he devoured you like a man starved. "If you weren't so fucking vile, I'd let you.", you replied with shaking thighs. Sensing your nearing orgasm, Geto pulled away from you fully, wiping your slick from his face with the back of his hand.

You glared at him as he rose to tower above you, ready to give him a piece of your mind; the words died in your throat as you watched him remove his robes, pants and underwear following soon after. Your cunt clenched around nothing at the sight of his heavy cock bobbing as it sprang up past his lowering waistband. His shaft was thick, so thick that you imagined your fingers wouldn't touch if you tried to wrap them around him. A singular bead of precum dribbled from its pale pink head trickling past prominent veins.

Suguru grasped your ankles, pulling you flat onto the mattress and directly under him. He leaned forward as he placed them onto his shoulders before spreading you wide with his hands at the back of your knees. "Don't think begging or crying's gonna make me have any pity on you.", he informed while caging you in with his whole body, "In fact, it'll only make me fuck you harder.". You rolled your eyes, lashes fluttering as Geto's inky hair brushed your forehead, and spread yourself further. "Don't think I can't handle a good-", you started only to be shut up by Suguru filling you up with one quick thrust, "Fuck!". Tears welled in your lash line as you tried to adjust to the unfamiliar sting of being stuffed wall to wall. Geto moaned whorishly as you fluttered around him, the crazed lust from earlier filling his eyes again.

You'd barely had time to catch your breath before he was pulling out and slamming back into you, hips rolling as they set in at a mad pace. As your body acclimated to his, the stinging pain melted into hot pleasure, and you found yourself fighting to keep quiet. Suguru cursed under his breath as his head dropped between your neck and shoulder. You gasped, the sound breathy and broken, as you felt him bite at your sensitive brown skin. He continued marking up your neck as you squirmed beneath him in a sad attempt to gain some distance between the two of you. Suguru chuckled between loud, lewd moans and rested his full weight onto you, deepening the mating press he'd trapped you in. "You're not going any fucking where.", he teased and you clenched around him harder.

He was right. There was no way you'd be gaining any leverage against him, any kind of relief from the overwhelming drag of his hefty cock against your plush walls. He was so much bigger than you, so much stronger. Your back arched, heaving tits pressing against his chest, as you moaned abashedly at the thought. "That's right, stop fighting and take it.", he practically mewled as his hips snapped against yours faster, "Learn your place beneath me, slut.".

Stars clouded your vision along with fat, hot tears as you came around him with a sob. Your body shook violently, your hands clawing at Suguru's back in search for something to ground you. You found nothing and plunged further into pleasure, another orgasm assaulting your core as soon as the last ended. "F-fuck you- don't stop!!", you cried as Geto shifted, the tip of his cock hammering against the spongy spot within you that you never seemed to be able to reach. He pulled you impossibly closer, his own moans choked and strained as he devoted all his energy to stuffing your weeping cunt with his seed.

Suguru came with a whimper, almost gluing his hips to yours as he pumped you full of hot, sticky cum. His hips bucked as he pumped into you a few times more before rolling onto his back with you still attached to him. Your body trembled as you tried to sit up after a while, as you tried to separate from him. Geto growled, arms locking underneath your own to hold you in place. His softening cock began stiffening inside you once more as he pulled his knees upward and braced himself.

"Where the fuck do you think you're going?", he questioned while grasping at the fat of your ass, "I didn't say we were done yet.".

[yunuen]

the line is covered in jellyfish (NEW CHAPTER) ship: jayce/viktor summary: Jayce and Viktor survive the Arcane, a blizzard, and the silence between them. Slowly, they put themselves back together—piece by stubborn piece. word count: 17k (2/3) teaser: “I don’t know,” Viktor murmurs when Jayce hesitantly asks what the fusion of flesh, tech and magic that makes up his ailing body is. He keeps his gaze downcast, slender, synthetic fingers tightening around his staff. “There’s still no word for what I am.” Jayce says nothing, but beautiful is the word that comes to mind. That has always come to mind. Read it now

[church-of-crayak]

do you. do you think andalites evolved to never get a stuffy nose or are allergies like, twice as lethal sgdjs

there's a theory i've read (i'm not sure if it's a theory or if it's propped up by something i've glossed over in the books, and i'm not sure whose theory it is so i dont know who to tag) that's like... andalites wiped out a large percentage of the wildlife on their planet out of fear, as prey animals, and that's why they're stuck with like 1 bird and 3 other creatures on their planet. so i'd think they've also wiped out a lot of external-influence disease on their homeworld? they're really good at meddling with stuff, and they notoriously HATE when somebody is "weak" or incapacitated in any way on account of the raging ableism.

i think if an andalite were allergic to pollen it would probably be a foreign contaminant from whatever planet they're visiting. it would be really funny if ax were allergic to ragweed pollen, or if aldrea were allergic to the foliage on the hork-bajir homeworld, and i think if they were it would be Very severe/hard to deal with.

also technically with morphing tech (as we see from rachel) you can be allergic to the dna of a creature, so surely this has happened to a few andalites before, esp. since there's an andalite word for "vomiting up the creature that ails you" (or maybe hereth illint just means "to vomit when you've got no mouth" and it's used in context of rachel's situation because that's the only word they have to describe it)

[raccoonfallsharder]

kinktober 2024 masterlist ❤︎‬❤︎

three books. three flavors. ‧₊˚♡༉‧₊ soft & sweet | word count: 37,320. [COMPLETE] ‧₊˚♡༉‧₊ sultry & spicy | word count: 15,595. [COMPLETE] ‧₊˚♡༉‧₊ sensual & shameless | word count: 38,775. [COMPLETE]

details below...

⊹₊⋆☁︎⋆⁺☀︎ sunshine ☀︎ ⋆⁺☁︎⋆₊⊹ 18+ only | no use of y/n | f!reader | 4/4 parts | word count: 37,320. [COMPLETE] you take a stranger home for a night of celebration. why not? after all, it’s not like there will be any longterm ramifications. an expansion on day 15 of kinktober 2023.

KINKS: public sex, spanking, light praise/degradation, shower sex, temperature play, sensation play, free-use, soft/pleasure dom vibes, somnophilia, praise kink, body worship, biting/marking. check the sunshine masterlist for a more specific breakdown.  CONTEXT: au based on the mcu but i’m playing loose with the timeline and who’s still alive and stuff. let’s say post-endgame? grumpy/sunshine vibes (obviously), “secret affair” (no cheating), workplace fantasy, angst, comfort, relationship anxiety. sub reader/dom rocket. HEA of course. ☁︎⋆⁺☀︎ part one | dawn | wednesday, october 8.  ☁︎⋆⁺☀︎ part two | merediem | thursday, october 10.  ☁︎⋆⁺☀︎ part three | golden hour | wednesday, october 16. ☁︎⋆⁺☀︎ part four | vespers | saturday, october 19.

᠊ᡃ࡚ࠢ࠘ ⸝່ࠡࠣ᠊߯᠆ࠣ࠘ᡁࠣ࠘᠊᠊°.⋆｡✶˖ evasive maneuvers ⌖˖✶｡⋆ 18+ only | no use of y/n | f!reader | 2/2 parts | word count: 15,595. [COMPLETE] rocket promises you an abundance of rewards in return for your assistance brushing up on some of his old résumé skills. an expansion on day 9 of kinktober 2023.

KINKS: predator/prey dynamics, breath play, restraints & rope-play, dirty talk, blindfold & gag, gunplay, electricity play, forced orgasms, overstim, dacryphilia, tech/sex toys, aftercare, biting/marking. check the ᠊ᡃ࡚ࠢ࠘ ⸝່ࠡࠣ᠊߯᠆ࠣ࠘ᡁࠣ࠘᠊᠊°.⋆｡✶˖ evasive maneuvers ⌖˖✶｡⋆ masterlist for a more specific breakdown.    CONTEXT: mcu-based, shortly after volume 2. established relationship (you’ve been with the guardians for a while). safeword discussion. sub reader/dom rocket. HEA of course. ᠊ᡃ࡚ࠢ࠘ ⸝່ࠡࠣ᠊߯᠆ࠣ࠘ᡁࠣ࠘᠊᠊°.⋆｡✶ part one | the hunt | tuesday, october 22.  ᠊ᡃ࡚ࠢ࠘ ⸝່ࠡࠣ᠊߯᠆ࠣ࠘ᡁࠣ࠘᠊᠊°.⋆｡✶ part two | the bounty | monday, october 28.

you are cordially invited ★⋆.࿐࿔˚⋆˙‧₊ to the fifty-second bicentennial masquerade exhibit in exitar: a night of haunting hedonism (hosted by the tivan group).

18+ only | no use of y/n | f!reader | 2/2 parts | word count: 38,775. [COMPLETE] you'd do anything for enough money to care for your ailing mother — including agreeing to a night working for the collector. too bad you weren't more prepared to be part of the entertainment.

KINKS: wolf/bunny references, exhibitionism, voyeurism, sex pollen, noncon/dubcon*, public sex, crawling, edging & overstim, dacryphilia, begging, praise/degradation, light humiliation, come-eating, dacryphilia, biting/marking, aftercare. *neither rocket nor reader are necessarily the "aggressor" in this scenario, but have both been forced to ingest an aphrodisiac by a third party. check the you are cordially invited ★⋆.࿐࿔˚⋆˙‧₊masterlist for a more specific breakdown.  CONTEXT: AU based on mcu vibes. resourceful reader is also a bit of a nihilist (expression of apathy toward life/death). caretaker reader/discussion of ill parent/parent death. the collector & his friends are creepy bastards. sub reader / dom rocket. HEA of course. warning for no smut in part one, too-much-lore, + unhinged plant-science. ★⋆.࿐࿔˚⋆˙‧₊ part one | tricks | thursday, october 31. ★⋆.࿐࿔˚⋆˙‧₊ part two | treats | tuesday, november 5.

pink, gray, & orange support & mdni banners and kiss divider by @/saradika-graphics | purple support/mdni banners by @/cafekitsune | pink flower, gold rose, & masquerade dividers by @/sweetmelodygraphics | yellow flower dividers by @/thecutestgrotto | silver sparkle divider by @/strangergraphics

[rabbitfics]

Pull of Tides

Techno's head has felt like spider silk all day, seeming to lose focus and time sporadically as he tries to complete his chores. If only he could remember what he had been doing...

Well, Dream is happy to oblige.

Dreamnoblade, Bottom Technoblade, mind control, loss of time, dubious consent, Techno POV

WARNINGS: [Disorientation,Timeloss,Gaslighting,Dissasociation,Dubcon,Manipulation,MisuseOfMagic,VaginalPenetration]

Techno had been struggling to stay focused seemingly all day, eyes drifting off and clouding up in short bursts no matter what task he'd been doing; From tending his animals to sorting his storage again, he seemed to be stopping to stare at empty space for hours on end.

It didn't make any sense, he had gotten a great rest and eaten. He'd even had his coffee. There was no reason to be so inattentive and dissociative.

And then he was blinking back to what he had been doing, staring down at the collar in his hands and the scraps of gold across his jewelers workbench with no clue how long he'd been dazed by the clouding across his mind.

Then he heard a quiet chuckle, blearily turning to find Dream, perched comfortably on a chest nearby.

“You… stealthy green nerd…” Techno mumbles, trying to remember why it was so odd to find the other man in his house. It felt like he'd been there a while.

“Now don't be like that, why don't we just go upstairs and hang out?” The hunter supplied pleasantly, and was done motioning to the ladder by the time Techno had stood from his chair.

The climb was short but oddly sluggish to Techno, hooves scraping the ladder rungs by muscle memory alone, and suddenly he was pinned face-first to the wall in his foyer.

“You've been acting strange today, Tech,” Dream purred in a concerned, soothing tone, contrasting to the firm hands on the ailing party's hips, “Are you feeling okay? I can make you some stew if you'd like to sit down…”

“I think I'm ok, don't have a fever or anythin.” Techno sighed, shutting his eyes for just a moment.

When he opened them again he was in Dream's lap, on the couch facing his low-burning fireplace, calloused yet exploratory fingers dipping below his clothes.

He could feel Dream's hot breath on his ear, voice still soft and genuine as he gently pulled Techno's tired limbs. Posing him in his lap.

“Don't worry about it, let's just get you comfortable and I'll worry about the rest, ok?”

He slipped a soft hand over Techno's eyes and after what felt like a heartbeat to the piglin, he was knelt on the ground between Dream's legs, an odd salty taste on his tongue.

As the fog lifted this time, he noticed things slowly. A spoon before his lips, empty. But Dream looked slightly flushed holding it, a dark look in his eyes with a flash of satisfaction behind it.

“Soup good?” He asked quietly, moving to put the spoon on the arm of the couch. The kneeling knight almost shut his eyes again as they followed the shiny object. But furrowing his brows and trying to see through the sluggish fog obscuring his thoughts, Techno noticed.

There was no bowl, no smell of cooked meat in the air. But Dream seemed to be sweaty, clothes ruffled and pants open. Techno's jaw ached a bit and he could feel the tenderness of his lips.

“Dream, what-” He manages to breathe before a hand obscures his vision and he's floating once again.

When Techno next meets reality, he can feel warm pleasure shooting through his hips, Dream's thumb rubbing his clit as three other fingers pump in and out of his hole. His clothes are entirely gone now, Dream still almost completely clothed. The fire looked like it had gone out hours ago.

“Dream! Wh- ah!” He yelps, eyes already starting to lose focus but the warrior bites his lip against the tides of magic over his mind. And then it clicks, and he almost wants to kick his co-conspirator in the nuts.

“I was trying to work, Dream!” Techno groans, head dropping back onto the other's shoulder. No wonder he'd been so exhausted, why so much of his memory seemed obscured. “All day, all day! You horny loser!”

“Shhhh…” The hunter soothed, nibbling on the others ears. “Just go with it~”

The cheery suggestion makes the pulse of magic hit even stronger, jumbling every thought Techno had as his body shakes, and making the pleasant friction blanket his senses in static.

Next is a pounding rhythm of red-hot pleasure, the cock in his cunt already pumping fast and deep. It felt like he was going to shake apart, sore limbs wrapped tight around his companion.

When had he been turned around and put on his back? Were they in a bed? It was so hard to concentrate on anything but the burning ache of who knows how many orgasms.

“D-Dream, please-” Techno gasped, hair fanned out on the bed and sticking to his skin. “Please, gonna-”

“Just drift off, baby,” His eyes looked like acid, swirling with unnatural light. “I've got you, you're doing so good for me.”

Techno felt his eyes roll back, back arching as what felt like his third orgasm hit. His only coherent thoughts were how good he felt, looked, sounded, was being. None of them felt like his own.

His next moment of clarity was sharp, pulling a strained groan from his throat as Techno felt the hot cum in him being fucked in further, dripping out around Dream's still-hard cock. He felt so full, so tired.

“With me, honey?” The hunter whispered against his lips, smug and just a little breathless.

Techno whined high and desperate as he felt his body tense like a bowstring, every sensation and sound suddenly as sharp as glass. He was so close, so unbearably close.

“Dream, plea- please-” He stuttered as all of the things that had felt so soft and surreal poked at his nerves like knives.

“Are you going to be good for me?” Came the reply, like a sweet soothing shadow over his senses. Cold water on a blistering day. It felt like the fog had solidified with sparks dancing at its edges. But only in the instant that Dreams voice echoed in his ears.

“Yes, yes, so good I swEAR-” Techno can't help his voice cracking, it feels like he's being shocked, electrocuted, burned. The heat burning so much brighter as that pleasantly cold control dances just out of reach.

“Good boy.”

And then everything is condensed, the fire flares to white light and then his mind is floating as if in a dark sea devoid of temperature. Soft feeling dances across his skin like seaweed and he can vaguely tell his body is existing somewhere else, still in that inferno and something possessive in the shadows reminds him of more warm, heavy spend filling his pussy, a faraway hiss repeating breathlessly ‘I did that, I filled you so good, stuffed you full, made you a good little fucktoy all day’

And Techno silently purrs back at the absence of his own thoughts, that acidic control muffling his usually racing inner monolog. He was so happy to serve, usually red eyes fogged with magic as he let it settle in like a hand pressed to his neck.

[mandos-mind-trick]

Stella

Summary: You never thought it would happen. It wasn't supposed to, but it did. You're on the run from the Empire, pregnant with Crosshair's child. Feelings come to light and you get the chance to live your dream life both with the man you love, and your child's father.

Pairing: Hunter x reader, previous Crosshair x reader

Warnings: Pregnancy, unplanned pregnancy, brief discussions of abortion, mentions of a casual relationship, lots of discussion of pregnancy related stuff, lots of feelings, repressed feelings, description of labor but nothing graphic, may cause baby fever, brief mention of PTSD, major AU, kind of a crappy ending.

A/N: This was originally a very early version of how Midnight was gonna play out and I decided to change it and make it it's own story. I was going to post this for Father's Day but I just couldn't get a good feel for it that day and so I'm posting it a few days late. I'd also like to say I've never given birth, I based most of this off of what I learned going through my landlords pregnancy while she still lived with us.

Part 2 here

MASTERLIST

It comes out of nowhere. 

The nausea, the uncontrollable vomiting. The smells. You know they don’t smell good. Getting them to shower is like trying to brush a tooka. You had quickly grown accustomed to the sweaty man stench that permeated the air in the ship, only noticing it when it got exceedingly bad. 

Now it’s almost unbearable. 

You groan, pressing your head back into the wall behind you. Every little movement of the ship is sending your stomach rolling, but there’s nothing left in it to puke back up. You’re exhausted, but the thought of sleep is so far from your mind. 

“Are you...alright?” The gentle hand on your shoulder is almost too much. 

Sweet, sweet Hunter always looking out for you. 

“Don’t feel good.” You murmur, your words almost a slur in an attempt to move as little as possible. The last thing you need is to puke again. 

He moves away from you, speaking quietly with someone. You crack your eyes open as the presence returns, this one a little different. You jerk back as a datapad is thrust in your face, your hand weakly batting at Tech’s arm. 

“Body temperature is normal.” He says, moving the datapad down as he scans your body. “No sign of any respiratory distress either.” He lowers the datapad as you smack his arm again. 

“‘M fine.” You murmur, curling up in a ball. “Nauseous.” 

“Yes, it’s likely just a stomach ailment.” Tech says, moving to stand. “Bacteria related, from either food or contaminated water.” 

“But we eat the same food.” Wrecker says, listening in on the conversation. 

“Yes, but we were designed to be resistant to most common illnesses that nat-borns can be ailed with. They pass through us with hardly any symptoms.” Tech says. 

“Lucky you.” You murmur, leaning your head against the wall. It’s cold and feels nice against your skin. 

“She’ll be fine in a day.” Tech says, unconcerned as always. 

***

You are not fine. 

Your stomach had settled a bit later that day, enough to eat a ration bar and chug some water. You’d gotten some sleep, at least for a few hours. 

Then you’d puked through the landing on Ord Mantell. 

You drag your feet as you follow the guys to Cid’s, exhausted from the constant sickness. You lean against the bar, considering downing a bottle to either knock you out or at least give you an excuse to be puking your guts out. 

“I want you to stay here.” Hunter says, pulling you aside. “No offense, but you’re not exactly in the best shape.” 

You nod. “No complaints. I don’t think I’d want to go anyway.” 

“Omega is staying too.” He says. 

“Oh good. Maybe she can kick some ass at dejarik again.” You jest. 

A smile pulls at Hunter’s mouth. You’re still making jokes which is a good sign. “Keep an eye on her.” 

You wave your hand. “Yeah, yeah. I’m not going anywhere.” 

You slump over towards one of the booths, stretching out on it. 

Your eyes snap open as something hits the table in front of you. You look up blearily, seeing a cup sitting there. “What is that?” You slur, pushing yourself to sit up. 

“Water.” Cid says. “The kid says you need it.” 

“Thanks.” You murmur, shocked she’s not charging you for it. 

“What’s the matter with you anyway, sassy?” Cid asks. 

“Been sick to my stomach the last couple days.” You say, taking a sip of the water. It’s room temperature, likely from the tap, but it’s still water. “Tech said it's probably some bacteria. Something I ate.” 

“You sure you’re not pregnant?” 

You sit up a little straighter, the fog clearing. You stare at Cid, wide eyed. “What?” 

Cid shrugs. “I just figured, cute thing like you cooped up on a ship with a bunch of men...” She begins walking away. “They’re a bunch of fools if they haven’t even tried.” 

They have.

Successfully.

It started because you hated each other. Crosshair pushed your buttons more than anyone you’d ever met. He enjoyed it, pushing you to the point you were seeing red. He rarely ever saw consequences, Hunter stepping in before you could break his teeth or rearrange his face. 

You hated him. He was rude, crass, and downright mean to you for literally no reason other than things that were out of your control. You hadn’t chosen to be added to their squad. In fact, you would have preferred literally anything else. They weren’t unkind, well, most of them weren’t, you just weren’t happy about being cooped up in a far too small space with four, eventually five, men. 

Something shifted after you quite literally saved their asses. The 100% success rate would have been broken had you not been there to save the day. 

That was the first time you and Crosshair fucked. 

He had been seething, more so at his own failure and you having to be the one that saved the day, than anything else. You had wound up pinned to the fresher wall, his hips slamming into yours as his teeth drew blood on your neck and shoulders and his fingers left bruises on your hips. 

It became something after that. 

Hate fucking turned into just fucking which turned into...something. 

You wouldn’t call it love, at least not to him. You’re not sure he’s capable of that much. Lust, perhaps, was a better word. 

You fucked after every mission. Even between missions. You fucked in the fresher, in the bunks, even once in his bunk on Kamino. 

You felt bad for Hunter, but he never complained. 

He’d been the one to hold you while you cried endlessly about Crosshair’s betrayal. When you’d shut down, going through the basic emotions because a switch had been flipped in Crosshair and he’d turned into someone else. Someone who didn’t care. 

You’re still not over it, but at least you can ignore the pain now. 

Or, you thought you could. 

It couldn’t be possible. You both had implants. It was supposed to be impossible. 

It would have been...right before Kaller. 

That only makes it so much worse. 

****

Your hands are shaking as you make your way down the street. You had left Omega with Cid, not telling her where you were going, but she probably knew. You hadn’t even thought it could be a possibility. The symptoms checked out, though. The nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to stimuli. All the stereotypical signs you knew of. 

You hope to the Maker it’s some sort of bacteria, some foreign parasite slowly eating your insides. 

The clinic isn’t difficult to find. It’s tucked away in a corner, inconspicuous, unless you’re looking for it. You had considered going to the medical center, but you couldn’t trust they wouldn’t report you to the Empire. You had to be on some sort of wanted list now. 

So you had sought out a rather sketchy private clinic, paying upfront. You’re led back into a small room with old medical equipment. You take a seat on the table, anxiously awaiting the doctor’s arrival. 

An older woman steps into the room, giving you a quick once over. You probably look like most of her clientele. Young, desperate, nervous. You tell her why you’re there, the symptoms you’ve been experiencing. She instructs you to lay on the table, doing a quick scan head to toe. You stare at the screen, watching the results pop up. 

“There.” She points at a small dot in your uterus. “There’s a fetus, all right.” 

She zooms in, showing the small, deformed looking thing that could barely be described as human-like. Tears blur your vision for a moment and you hastily blink them back. 

“But...but how? We both have the...the implant.” You ask. 

“Implants are only 99% effective.” She answers. “They work most of the time, but then there’s still that 1%. If the conditions are right, viable pregnancy is still possible.” She studies the scan. “I’d say you’re about 8 weeks in. Still well within the realm of a safe termination, if that’s what you want.” 

You should. You can’t raise a child. Even if circumstances were different, you’re by no means capable of taking care of another human being. But...this is Crosshair’s baby. This may be the only part of him you ever get to see again. Can you really throw him away so easily like this? 

“I...I don’t know.” You whisper, staring at the screen still. 

“Well, I’ll remove your implant while you decide. Keeping it in any longer runs the risk of harm to the fetus. Replacing it will be easy.” You barely feel it, the quick cut and pull and then the cold bacta spray. You’ve gone numb. “Think on it.” She says, patting your shoulder. “Come back if you decide.” 

You walk out of the clinic in a daze. You’re not sure where you’re going, the world around you spinning. You’re pregnant. You’re pregnant with Crosshair’s baby. There’s a baby inside you. You feel like you may be sick. 

***

You’re not sure where you are. You’ve been wandering. You’re not even sure how long. You’re half dazed and lost. Even if you had been in your right mind, you’re not sure you could have found your way back now. You should stop, you should sit down, find a map, anyone that can point you where to go. 

You can’t stop walking. 

If you stop moving, you’ll have to feel. 

You don’t want to feel. 

You nearly walk straight into someone’s chest, a strong hand grips your arm to keep you standing. Your name is being called, drawing you from your dazed state. You look up, meeting a familiar pair of brown eyes. 

“Echo.” You say, blinking in surprise. 

It must be far later than you thought. 

“I’ve located her.” He says into his comm, looking you over. “She appears unhurt.” He holds you at arm length again, staring down at you. “What could you possibly be doing clear across town?” 

“I’m...what?” You look around. You don’t recognize anything. 

He pulls you slightly closer, looking at your eyes, checking your head. “No head injury that I can see. Cid said you left on an errand. You’ve been gone for hours.” 

“Oh.” Is all you can say. 

“Hunter is not pleased.” 

The words bring tears to your eyes. Of course he’s not. You’re in for a brutal reprimanding when you return. You’re not sure you can handle it. You don’t have much of a choice as Tech all but pulls you along behind him in the streets, leading you back towards the spaceport. 

At least Cid wouldn’t have to bear witness to your reprimanding. 

You’re already in tears by the time you’re climbing the steps to the Marauder, the others already back. Hunter turns on you as soon as you enter, his face stern and eyes practically blazing. 

“What the hell were you thinking?” He snaps, stomping towards you. “Running off alone like that, wandering around the city unprotected. You put all of us at risk being that careless!” 

“Hunter,” Echo warns, taking a step closer to the angry clone, but Hunter ignores him. 

“You can’t keep making these stupid mistakes. What if you had been seen? What if something had happened? You left Omega alone, wandered off somewhere doing what? What was so important that you selfishly put all of us at risk?” 

You can’t help it. You deserve the reprimanding for being so careless, but you still can’t help it. The tears come, flooding down your cheeks and dripping onto the floor of the Marauder. A sob tears from your lips, your body folding in on itself as you cry. 

Hunter and the others blink in surprise. You never cry. Not all the times you’d been injured, not when you watched the regs shoot General Billaba, not when Crosshair had betrayed all of you. You wanted to. You desperately wanted to cry over Crosshair, over losing everything, but you hadn’t. 

Now everything comes out at once. 

“I’m pregnant.” You sob, squeezing your eyes shut, hoping it might stop the tears. It doesn’t. They still keep falling. 

The Marauder is still in stunned silence. Your legs threaten to give out, Tech guiding you into one of the seats. You bury your face in your hands, unable to stop the tears from falling. 

Echo puts a gentle hand on your shoulder, kneeling down next to you. “It’s Crosshair’s, isn’t it?” 

You nod, inhaling shakily. “Eight weeks. Right before Kaller.” 

“But you both have implants.” Echo says. “That should be impossible.” 

“Technically the implants are only 99% effective. Though the chance is small, there’s still a chance of pregnancy even with both parties being protected.” Tech says. “We’ll need to remove the implant if you intend on seeing the pregnancy through.” 

“Are you going to keep it?” Echo asks. 

“I don’t know.” You sigh. “I shouldn’t. I can’t raise a baby in this. It’s too dangerous. The Empire and bounty hunters chasing us, the dangerous missions we’re being sent on. We live on a ship that’s too small for us already, I can’t have a baby in here. I shouldn’t.” 

“But...it’s Crosshair’s.” Echo says, voicing the unspoken.

You curl in on yourself again, wrapping your arms around yourself. You’re not sure you’re ready to let Crosshair go yet. 

“I think you should take some time. Consider your options.” Echo says. 

“We don’t have time.” You croak. “I can’t go on missions like this.” 

“We’ll talk about this tomorrow.” Hunter finally says. “I think we all need to get some sleep.” 

He at least has the heart to look guilty. 

***

You can’t sleep. 

You had ensured them you were fine on the floor still, at least for now. You knew you weren’t going to sleep, so the thought of taking one of their spots is too much. You’re not sure what you’re going to do. You don’t want to terminate the pregnancy, but you may not have a choice. You can always leave, go off on your own. You don’t want to, though. The boys are like family now. 

You rise from the floor, heading towards the front of the ship. Hunter is in the cockpit, having stayed up to keep watch. You’re still in the dock on Ord Mantell, and the ship is locked and secured, but still he insisted on staying up. 

You sit in the pilot’s seat, not bothering to announce yourself. He knows. He probably knew you weren’t sleeping. 

It’s quiet between you two for a few moments. You’re both staring out the viewport, refusing to look at each other. 

“I’m sorry for what I said earlier.” He finally says, glancing at you. “I had no idea.” 

“You couldn’t have known.” You say. “Cid was the one that suggested it. When I told her I was sick she immediately asked if I was pregnant. I had to know. I went to some backdoor clinic. Somewhere that wouldn’t ask questions.” 

“Do you want to keep it?” He asks. 

“It’s a baby, Hunter.” You chastise. Over the last few hours, you’d been thinking more and more about the fact there’s an actual human growing inside of you.

“That doesn’t answer my question.” 

You finally look at him, meeting his gaze. It's the serious look you recognize, the look of a Sergeant worried about one of the soldiers under his command. But there's something deeper. Something more under that gaze. 

"The smart thing is to terminate. You know that and I know that." You say. "Before the war, I never thought about having children. I never considered it. I never wanted it. But then Omega came into our lives and...I started to think maybe I do want a family. Maybe I do want children." You look back out the viewport. "I don't want to keep the baby just because of Crosshair. That wouldn't be fair." You shake your head. "The war's over. If the situation had been different, I would have gone back to my life and had to decide what comes next. Maybe...maybe I want to settle down. Maybe I want kids and a house and a boring job. I don’t want to leave, but...Hunter I’m tired.” You turn to look at him again. 

“I know.” He says. The look is still there in his eyes. He knows. He knows better than any of them. “It’s your decision. Whatever you decide to do, you know we’ll support you completely. I think you’ll make a great mother.” 

You smile, leaning your head back against the seat. “Thanks. In my daydreams about my life, I’m not a single mother, but I guess some things don’t happen in the order you expect them to.” 

“Crosshair isn’t the...paternal type.” Hunter says. “Even if he knew...” 

You shake your head. “Crosshair wasn’t ever part of those daydreams.” He looks at you in surprise, but your gaze is out the viewport again. “I know he didn’t love me. I don’t even think he liked me. We fucked because it was easy. Stress relief. I...I don’t think I loved him either. He...He was rough. He hurt me sometimes, but I never said anything. I know he needed it, and it was easy to pretend with him.” You lift one of your legs, resting your heel on the edge of the seat. “I...I liked someone else when I first joined. But they were unattainable, and Crosshair just...jumped right in. I don’t regret it. I knew it would end when the war did. I just never thought I’d be here.” 

“I don’t think any of us did.” Hunter says. “None of us could have guessed what was going to happen two months ago. I never knew how you felt about Crosshair. I thought...maybe he was the one you liked. I could hear your heart rate pick up, the way your breathing quickened, I could smell the sweat, see and hear every little nervous twitch and shift. I thought it was about him. I tried not to let it bother me. I shouldn’t have...I would have been decommissioned if anyone just heard my thoughts.” 

You turn the seat, staring at him wide eyed. Your heart is pounding harder than it was a moment ago. “Hunter...” 

“I was in love with you from the first time we met. You already knew our names, knew all about us. You...cared. Kriff, I wanted to tell you. I wanted to confess, but I knew it was a risk. Then Crosshair...I had to accept that you didn’t feel the same way.” 

Tears pool in your eyes once more as you stare at him. Had he felt the same way? Had he been willing all this time, even after you had fallen in bed with Crosshair to forget? 

Hunter moves from the copilot seat, kneeling in front of you. “I’ll find us a place, somewhere safe to settle down. Someplace you can have your house and your family and Omega can be a kid. Just tell me that I’m the one in that daydream.” 

A tear slides down your cheek as you stare at him. “You can be.” 

He cups your face, brushing the tear from your cheek. “Can I kiss you?” 

You nod, closing your eyes as he leans in. The kiss is soft, hesitant but you can feel the emotion behind it. All those times he’d had to lay there, all those times he’d been forced to listen to you and Crosshair and he never said anything. 

He wraps his arms around you, tugging you onto the edge of the seat. You feel tears prick your eyes once more. He shushes you, pressing small kisses against your lips. 

“Hunter.” You quietly sob, trying to pull away. “I’m so sorry.” 

“Don’t be.” He says, pulling you against his chest. “I won’t lie and say it didn’t hurt, but I thought you were happy and that’s all I ever wanted. I could live with it, so long as you were happy.” 

You cling to him tighter, clutching onto the edges of his armor. You hate crying. You hate it, but you can’t stop. “Stupid pregnancy hormones.” You cry. “I hate this.” 

“It’s alright.” He says, rubbing your back. “We’ll get through this.” 

His words don’t help, only making you cry harder. “I don’t deserve you.”

“You deserve the whole galaxy, cyare.” He says, kissing the side of your head. “While I can’t give all that to you, I’ll give you what I can.” 

***

You don’t get your chance to find your new home right away. 

Instead you find yourselves back on Kamino. You had avoided all of the action, Hunter refusing to allow you to join them. 

You stand on the landing platform, staring at Crosshair. It’s been weeks since you’ve seen him. The last time, he’d been so willing to kill you for the Empire. You also hadn’t known at that time that you were pregnant. 

You walk up to him, staring hard at him. He glares at you, not unusual for him. He was being stubborn, determined not to come with you despite the Empire having just tried to kill all of you. You know they don’t care. However loyal he is, he’ll never be anything but expendable to them, just like to the Republic. 

“Crosshair,” You hate the way your voice wavers. “I’m pregnant. I’m pregnant and it’s yours.” 

His glare hardens, staring hard at you. He knows you’re not lying, at least about being pregnant. You’re beginning to show, hardly more than a small bump but it’s very noticeable that it hadn’t been there before. 

“You deserve to know that what happened between us was nothing more than physical.” You continue. “I never really had true feelings for you. I don’t expect you to be with me. I don’t expect you to even be a parent to this child, but they deserve to have you in their life, and you deserve to be in theirs. So march your ass over there and get on that ship.” You point behind you at the ship. 

He narrows his eyes at you. “Why would I want to do that?” 

“Don’t be a prick, you know damn well that the Empire doesn’t care about you. You’re expendable to them, just like you were to the Republic.” You curse the tears gathering in your eyes. “Your brothers love you, Crosshair. Yes, they left and I can attest to the fact they regret it. Get your ass on that ship now before I have Wrecker come out here and drag you on board.” 

He continues to glare at you for a moment before his shoulders sag a bit. You know you’ve gotten to him, but you don’t back down, even as he walks past you. He climbs the steps to the ship slowly, passing Hunter as he goes. Hunter puts a hand on your back, and you feel a bit of a weight come off your shoulders. Crosshair’s back and safe, and you’re all dead in the Empire’s eyes. 

***

You put a hand on your stomach, breathing for a moment. The pressure is getting worse, something you can no longer ignore. You push yourself to stand, making your way towards the fresher. 

“Again?” Crosshair asks as you pass the couch. 

“Well, if your child would stop kicking me in the bladder, I wouldn’t have to go so much.” You snap, though you’re not so much angry as annoyed. 

It’s been nine months since that fateful day before Kaller, nine months since your lives had changed and fallen apart. You’ve been working hard to piece your lives back together slowly. It will never go back to being the same, and you all know that. 

Finding this planet has been a lifesaver. Far off the beaten track, filled with nothing but farmlands, it hadn’t been hard to decide this was your new home. You had found an abandoned, worn down place and fixed it up, making it your own. Tech had built more than enough rooms, but they had quickly realized sleeping alone was a lot harder when you’d had someone around you your entire life. 

Wrecker had quickly moved into Tech’s room, both of them usually keeping different sleep schedules, and Tech usually passed out hard enough Wrecker’s snoring didn’t bother him. Crosshair had moved into Echo’s room silently, both of them still plagued by nightmares. Omega was the only one thrilled to have her own room, and a real bed. 

Of course, you and Hunter had taken the largest room, which had quickly become stuffed with things for the baby. 

You knew the change had been a bit jarring for Crosshair. Even if he hadn’t felt much of anything for you, you hadn’t missed the jealousy that had crossed his face whenever you and Hunter were close. He never said anything, he never acted on anything, just silently brooding as he usually did. 

Things changed when you’d held him one night, his head in your lap, fingers laced with his as he shivered through another nightmare. Something shifted between you two, an understanding. Even though you weren’t involved physically with each other any more, he was still the father of your child. You still cared for him and wanted him around. 

You were in love with Hunter, but you still cared about Crosshair. 

It had come so easily, the love and affection between you and Hunter. He loved your unborn child like she was his, even if she was technically his brother’s baby. Tech had proudly jumped in, correcting you that since they were clones, technically the baby could genetically be all of theirs. Of course, with Crosshair’s enhancements, it was uncertain how much they would affect the baby, how much of those enhancements would pass on to offspring. 

That only made you worry, and it often kept you up at night. Would something like their accelerated growth pass on? It was hard enough coming to terms that you would likely outlive all of them. You can’t stand the thought of outliving your children too. 

You sink down on the couch next to Crosshair after finishing in the fresher. He passes a sideways glance at you before going back to whatever he was doing on his datapad. You let out a sigh, stretching your legs out. Your feet and ankles are swollen, something you’ve come to terms with. They’re always swollen, always aching. Something’s always hurting. 

Being pregnant certainly had its ups and downs. Did you regret it? No, but you couldn’t wait for it to be over. Of course, once it was over, there was an entirely new battle to face. You’d have a newborn baby, another human entirely reliant on you to care for them. That idea scared you more than actual childbirth. 

You lean your head back, relaxing on the couch in the quiet of the house. Wrecker, Tech, and Echo were in the barn working on some upgrades before the harvest season. Hunter had gone into town to pick up Omega from a friend’s house. It was just you and Crosshair, both of you happy to sit in silence. 

You’re nearly asleep when the door opens, Omega and Hunter coming in. Omega is talking about something animatedly, Hunter only halfway listening.

“Why don’t you go get cleaned up then you can help start dinner.” He says, steering her down the hallway. He bends down, kissing the top of your head. “Feeling alright, cyare?” He murmurs, leaning over the back of the couch. 

You open your eyes, smiling up at him. “Yeah. But if I have to visit the ‘fresher one more time because this baby is kicking me in the bladder, I might scream.” 

He chuckles lightly, kissing your forehead. “She’s going to be a fighter.” 

“She already is. She’s been beating me up for six months.” You pout. “I can’t wait until she’s here.” 

“Tech says any day now. If she’s not here in two weeks, we may have to consider inducing.” 

You make a face. “I’d rather not. It’s bad enough Tech is going to be the third member of this squad to see my vagina.” 

Crosshair’s shoulders shake as he laughs silently. 

“We might as well invite Wrecker and Echo in, make it a full set.” You push yourself up from the couch. “Everyone gets to see my vagina.” You start making your way down the hall. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to scream in the ‘fresher.” 

***

You can’t sleep. It’s early, the sky still dark out the window. Hunter is awake too, his arms wrapped around you, cradling your stomach. She’s been moving a lot, every time you’d settled and gotten close enough to rest, she’d move again, pushing on some organ inside you. 

You’d given up on sleeping. Hunter had snoozed for a bit, but he’d been awake most of the night too. He had told you not only could he hear her heartbeat, but he could also hear her moving. It freaked you out, and you can only imagine how he feels. His nose is pressed against your neck, inhaling deeply. 

“Are you smelling me?” You ask quietly. It wasn’t unusual, he smelled you more than what most would consider normal, but you knew with his senses he could pick up even the smallest change if he focused. 

“I think it’s going to happen soon.” He says, kissing your shoulder. “She sounds different.” 

You sigh. “I hope so. I can’t stand this waiting.” 

You’d lost your mucus plug a week ago. Tech had said she could come at any time now. AZI’s predicted due date was technically tomorrow, but if you didn’t go into labor by next week, Tech said you’d need to be induced. 

You were hoping that was not going to be needed. You’ve been having some light cramping since yesterday, but nothing substantial. 

You smooth your hands over your stomach, breathing out a sigh. “Come on, baby girl. I know you want out as much as I want you out.” You push yourself up to sit, rubbing your eyes. “Hunter?” He grunts in response. “Will you get me some of the leftover meat from last night?” 

You can practically hear his smile as he pushes himself up. “You want some fruit too?” 

“No, just the meat.” 

He gets up, heading down the hall to the kitchen. He had grown used to your strange cravings quickly, keeping many things on hand just in case. There was never any waste, as Wrecker would eat anything and everything you didn’t want. You move to the rocking chair in the corner, hoping you can get her to settle enough that you can get some sleep. Once you go into labor, you know sleep will be impossible. 

Half the day passes and there’s no sign yet. The cramps have started to increase a bit, getting more uncomfortable than painful. Hunter sticks close, watching and waiting. He’s hovering a bit, but you know it’s just what he’s going to do. 

You spend a lot of the day on the couch, trying to relax and sleep as much as possible. You get up every so often, stretching your legs. You’re in the kitchen when it happens, something wet leaking down your thighs. 

“Well, either this is very embarrassing, or my water just broke.” You say. 

Chaos erupts, both Hunter and Tech trying to see. Omega is jumping excitedly as Echo tries to contain her, poor Wrecker looking around confused. Crosshair is the only calm one, seated at the table. The only movement he makes is moving the toothpick from one side of his mouth to the other. 

You move into the bedroom as planned, having refused Tech’s offer to give birth in his lab. It was much more sterile, he insisted, but you wanted to be comfortable. This was already going to be awful, the least you could get was some comfort. 

The contractions begin to get stronger into the night, most of what you had to do now was more waiting. At least things were moving. Sometime in the next two days the baby would come. You shift through various positions sitting and standing, just trying to be comfortable through the contractions. Tech and Hunter wait patiently, Hunter helping support you when needed. AZI does regular scans, checking on the baby’s progress, making sure she’s not in distress. 

The only thing that’s missing is Crosshair.

You wanted him to be present for the birth, since this was his daughter. He deserved to see the birth of his child. Even if he wanted nothing to do with her, he deserved to see her be born. 

“Go tell Crosshair to get his toothpick chewing ass in here.” You grit out after another contraction. They’re getting closer and closer together, the time getting closer and closer. 

Hunter steps out, leaving you leaning against the side of the bed. He returns shortly after, Crosshair stepping in. Whatever Hunter had said, it had motivated him without much of an argument. 

You wave him over, leaning against his chest. “I’m gonna kill you after this.” You murmur, wrapping your arms around him. “This sucks.” 

He wisely keeps his mouth shut, wrapping his arms around you. You squeeze him as another contraction tears through you, the night getting later and later. 

It’s not until early in the morning when it happens. Hunter sits behind you, propping you up and supporting you. Crosshair kneels beside the bed, holding your hand as you push. Tech kneels at the end of the bed, AZI keeping a live scan to make sure everything is going fine. 

You’re half delirious, weak and exhausted as you bring your daughter into the world. Tech lays her on your chest, getting the warm rags to clean her off. Tears blur your vision as you listen to her cry, letting go of Hunter and Crosshair to hold her. She’s so small, so delicate. You can hardly believe it’s happened, it’s finally over. 

Tech has to practically pry her from your arms to check her over and clean her up, Hunter helping clean you up. He and Crosshair get you settled in bed, Tech bundling your daughter in a blanket before passing her off to you. 

You hold her, staring down at her in awe. You can hardly believe she’s really here, your baby is finally here with you. She’s so tiny and pink, with a shock of white hair on top of her head. You smile, tears rolling down your cheeks as you stare at her. 

“She’s so beautiful.” You whisper, holding her close. “You made a beautiful baby, Crosshair.”

“I think that’s all you.” He says, moving closer to you as Hunter all but shoves him closer. 

You smile. “Would you like to hold her?” 

He blinks at you for a moment. You shift, offering her over. He takes her hesitantly, like he’s scared of breaking her. You adjust her in his arms, making sure they’re both comfortable. He stares down at her for a long time, like he can’t believe he really made her, like she’s not real. 

You smile, watching him as his eyes soften a bit, his finger lifting to trace her cheek. She opens her eyes, staring up at him. They look like little shining stars, and you hope they’ll be brown like his. 

“Have you thought of a name?” Tech asks, cleaning up the rest of the mess. 

You had discussed it with both Hunter and Crosshair, the latter being less enthusiastic about having to choose. You wanted his input, even if he was positive he wanted nothing to do with raising her. 

“Stella.” Crosshair answers, still staring down at her face. 

You had brought that name forward as an option, adding it to the neverending list of possibilities. You had decided to wait to officially choose, wanting one that would match her perfectly. 

You glance at Hunter and he gives a small nod. “Stella it is.” 

Hunter wraps his arms around you, letting you lean against his chest. “Get some rest, mesh’la.” He says, kissing your head. “You did a lot of work. She’s in good hands.” 

Crosshair glances up at Hunter, Hunter giving him a reassuring smile. Maybe he does want to be part of her life after all. 

Taglist:

@bobaprint, @star-trekker-0013, @rosechi, @lune-de-miel-au-paradis

[philtstone]

42. true love’s kiss - as u wish! 🫡

the original plan for this prompt was something wildly different and then this -- whatever it is -- Came To Me. shoutout to The People for voting that they wanted a sleepy one. another mollyverse ficlet for my audience of 2 <3

The downside of living in a household with very defined taste in popular cinema, Juliet decides, is that when all the other parents are patting themselves on the back for their person-first-literate socially-aware unproblematic child-rearing achievements, your five year old daughter is on an obsessive quest to bestow true love's kiss.

Juliet doesn't know how to tell Marla Sapperstein (husband in tech, teaches pilates on Wednesdays, doesn't have an ounce of creativity in her perfectly sculpted almond mom figure) that it is not her fault modern kids' media is soulless and her husband is an incurable romantic. Besides which, despite her diet of John Hughes and Classic Disney, Molly's framework for love can be pretty much distilled to whatever it is Starfish has going on in his ailing squishy body.

Unconditional. Genderless. Also -- and Juliet is very vehement about making Marla and her judgey eyebrows understand this -- who's to say that Molly is not the prince in her imaginings? Or in fact that there is a prince at all?

Check and mate, Marla. Feminism. Love wins. Our family is just as progressive as yours.

"Jules," Shawn says one night, sprawled under her while they comfort-watch Pretty in Pink for the trillionth time after a mundane week from hell, "haven't we technically won by default? You're the pastry winner of this outfit. Marla hires a nanny."

That is not the point, Juliet insists, as the outdated gender dynamics of Shawn's favorite movie play out on screen. The point is that Juliet hates being judged, and Marla is wrong, but there is no way to prove Marla is wrong because the whole system is rigged. Maybe if all the new crap wasn't so fast-paced it ruined kids' (in this case, already somewhat tenuous) attention spans, they wouldn't have this problem.

Also, frankly, Juliet likes princess movies. Ugh!

"Is this because you saw Janeece hitting on me at that last parent night thing?" Shawn asks, sighing and looking down at her.

"I know you know her name is Janet," Juliet mutters mullishly.

"Sweetheart. You don't need to prove to the other moms that you're a good mom." Shawn pauses, contemplative. On screen, Andie mopes alluringly, yet with great uniqueness and outcast flair, against a locker. "Or that we're normal. Whatever that means. Besides, I don't want Mol to watch stuff on her own, and you know I can't sit through bad movies."

Shawn sits through bad movies all the time. Hot Dog, for example. Sixteen Candles. He grumbles at the second one but doesn't really disagree.

read the rest on ao3 <3

[aldieb]

did name change in system at work BUT it locked me out of every single program BUT i’m ailing terribly so i called in sick and didn’t need my email anyway. huge problem for monday me though lmfao. this is the one time i miss being de facto tech support… i would have taken care of that shit

[sleepyfan-blog]

Observing

Author’s Note: this is Mer-Sirass’ debut! I hope you enjoy it! Next

Tagged: @kit-williams @bleedingichorhearts @the-pure-angel @egrets-not-regrets

Warnings: none, please ask me to tag if something bothers you

Summary: Sirass and his human study some clownfish

Ancient Terra was filled with all sorts of fascinating things. Despite how primitive the technologies that humanity had created in the third millennium, the natural spaces on Terra were many and vast. Sirass had initially believed that he'd landed on a low-tech pleasure world. Yes, there were scents of pollutants in the air and water, and there was mild habitat destruction... But the natural beauty of Ancient Terra could not be overstated. 

For example, Sirass and his beloved bonded had been studying sea anenome and the fish that lived in harmony with the largely sedentary marine invertebrate. He had initially believed the creature to be some sort of plant, and had been pleasantly surprised to find out that it was an animal of some kind. The symbiotic relationship that it had with the brightly colored fish that lived between it's many tendrils was fascinating to study. The iron warrior could see why his bonded had chosen to devote their life to studying the creatures that lived within the oceans and seas of their homeworld. 

That and his human's chosen field of study was the reason why the two of them had met. He'd gotten caught up in a massive net by an industrial fisher and had been thrashing around, trying to pull himself free of the fucking thing when his bonded human had swam over in the protective equipment that allowed them to breathe. They'd seem to think that he'd been some sort of dolphin - and by his primarily grey tones, he didn't blame her. His thankful rumble in their native tongue when his human had freed him - along with his bold black and yellow striping on his fins had brought them up short. They'd signed at him, asking him to surface with them. He'd agreed and that was the first of many conversations that the two of them had shared.

The small orange and white striped fish didn't seem to care - or even notice - Sirass' watchful gaze as it meandered around its' home. Several dozen much smaller clownfish poked their tiny heads out from the top of the sea anemone as it's tendrils waved along with the gentle ocean currents. He lightly poked his human from their intense perusal of the wider coral reef - some sort of sickness had been plaguing the ecosystem, which his human and their colleagues were desperately trying to figure out the cause of, or at least a way to treat the ailing coral reef. If the coral died, it would likely mean the collapse of the entire ecosysem in the area, and it would take years if not decades to bring back the underwater ecosystem to a fraction of what it was.

Sirass had his suspicions as to what was going on, but had not voiced them, yet. He would patrol this area later, when his human and their friends had left. 

After all, not all astartes were friendly with humans on ancient terra, even if most were neutral. Sirass didn't want to possibly put them in danger. 

His human cooed silently over the baby clownfish before counting and writing down their numbers, gesturing for another human to come over as they began tagging the clownfish babies.

Sirass was happy to help catch any escapees who managed to evade the much clumsier baseline humans.

[rickva186]

Hey I’m VA.

Out of character: VA’s my longest standing Rick and Morty OC. I’m just now putting him back on the tumblr.com.

People who knew VA: Welcome back! Some things have changed, lots of background loring’s happened.

People who don’t:

VA is a big Rick-obsessed narcissist. He loves Ricks! Well, he did. He’s grown and now he’s a well rounded character. Jeez there’s a lot to unpack…

I’ll type out the lore later. Just know that

He used to be a Big Rick Pharma Tech

He’s sweet on Ricks

✨Lore happened✨

His tag is #va186 there’s some old nuggets of who he was in there. Feel free to dig around.

My art is under #my art

I collect rp intro posts under #rp intro post ---- VA'S LORE

VA-186 was a pharmaceutical engineer in the Citadel, he created drugs and miracle cures for what ailed the Rick problem. He ran a shop which employed similar VAs, such as VA-187 and VA-186b (that guy's a weirdo we don't talk about him). He also employed one of his clones which now roams the universe as Janerith (whole sub plot, I'll post about it later). He grew up in the Citadel and in my own timeline of events he was taken from his dimension by the Citadel to become a cog in their machine. VA was known around the Citadel as Rickcestual, and even pioneered this lifestyle in his own way. It was his ahem, gay pride movement. This was around the time where he met Doc Rick (https://doc-rick-a106.com/) and had well, his story rocked. On tumblr.com he was around messing with Ricks, being a nusense while in the background lore happened. Lore - he had a relationship that sent him spiraling and left him with ghosts in his brain. The Citadel blew up in a season (if I remember, I kinda refuse to rewatch RAM) and he was left out of the Rick loop for a while. He retreated to his planet and lived life there peacefully. Until he eventually got married to himself, or Lumberjack Rick, and was happy with him for a bit. He lived with him for a while and VA-186's Earth blew up too with the Smiths and Jessica escaping. VA's on and off relationship with iterations of Doc, known now as Nutty, still persisted even whilst married. VA quickly left Lumberjack after being 'too happy' and started his own adventures at this time with VA-186 Morty (reunited after the earth exploding and them conquering a planet). VA would then go on to submerse himself in VR fantasies until his death where he went to Hell. This brings us to the current time where he's technically still from Hell (subplot: he's 'alive' to torture people, kinda like Crowley from Good Omens) he's on his own, and his Morty is adventuring on his own with Rick's portal gun.

This is the most lore I've ever written for VA so sorry if none of it makes sense or you never saw any of it. He's been a thought experiment for years now.

[dokidokitsuna]

Inventor/Invention

-In case you didn’t notice, I’ve been trying to make most of the characters in this AU look like they’re age 50+...which is something I’ve never done before, and it might explain why the designs have been so hit or miss. ^^;;;  Fortunately, Susie seems to be a hit; I like how this drawing came out. ^^ I think this body type + clothing aesthetic + age demographic is a particularly rare combination; personally I’ve never seen a character who looks like this before. And yet, I managed to make it work~.

-Susie (the current ‘President Haltmann’, btw) is basically Magolor’s right hand, and helps him with all the technological aspects of his conquest-- not only did she create Auto-Nightmare, she also had a large hand in cloning Blade, and studies the progression of her disease throughout the story. In return for playing the tech support role, she’s allowed to have the Haltmann Works Co. drain resources from all the worlds that Magolor conquers-- which he would agree to, of course, since it would be an easy way to keep his new subjects in line (read: oppressed and afraid) while he’s off looking for more heroes to murder.

It makes me wonder, though, what would happen if the “player” chooses to have Magolor become nicer over the course of the story…like, if he really does turn himself around, he and Susie would have to come into conflict over this deal eventually. ^^; Maybe I just won’t let him get to that point; maybe the best he can do for the purposes of the story is learn to love Blade and take care of her…while completely ignoring all the evil he’s done to the rest of the universe, and simply not giving a damn about letting the HWC consume everyone and everything he left behind. XD

-P.S. Susie basically has two main designs: she’d appear in this physical form for certain cutscenes, but fight exclusively with her mecha (which I totally will draw at some point…I promise…⚆u⚆; )

-Auto-Nightmare is the result of me wanting to finally use Nightmare in an AU for once, but wanting to do it in an unorthodox way. ^^ Besides, I can’t really see a more canon-esque Nightmare willingly being subservient to someone like Magolor…and in terms of traitors/fickle allies, Mags already has his hands full with Marx. I don’t need another character in the party who plays the same role…

So Auto-Nightmare was born, combining the Power Orb with some of Nightmare’s accessories to create this cuter, more unassuming design. Which eventually informed his character concept.

-”Auto” is not really Nightmare; not even an amnesiac-reset version of Nightmare. Technically he’s just a machine that was designed to force Nightmare’s Power Orb to awaken…but ultimately failed, and now simply draws from its power to create his own identity and abilities. The result is this walking bundle of anxiety who feels inferior to his “former self”, and tries to make up for it by doing everything his bosses tell him to do. ^^; However, over the course of the story, he befriends Blade, and starts to become more assertive. He may not be able to stand up for himself, but he quickly learns to stand up for his ailing friend, even to the point of openly criticizing Magolor for his treatment of her.

-As you might have guessed, this is where his “death” comes in. ^^ Soon after I decided he should be Blade’s only real friend, I kinda knew he had to die, because he would end up getting in Magolor’s way. Isolation is a large part of what makes an abusive relationship work; a victim with a staunch supporter who genuinely wants what’s best for them will escape your control eventually... …Besides, Magolor is terribly petty, and would probably be offended by this ‘magic tin can’ talking back to him…enough to snap and shatter his face while Blade is unconscious, if the "player" so chooses. =T

Because Auto isn’t really alive, he doesn’t exactly die…the Power Orb itself can even reform on its own. But breaking it in the first place causes his whole system to reset: he reverts to a silent, emotionless shell who just stands around and follows simple commands...and this is a devastating, soul-crushing event for Blade. Especially if you go one step further and choose to have Magolor lie about what happened to Auto, and/or imply that she killed him accidentally during one of her Malady flare-ups.

-On that note, if you don’t choose to have Magolor go down ^that sickeningly cruel path and just leave Auto alone, Blade actually does kill Auto accidentally, leading to a similar outcome. But at least then, it becomes an opportunity for Magolor to help Blade through this traumatic experience, and start to form a genuine bond with her. Again, if the "player" so chooses~.

[knizuu]

DECIDED A REBLOG WOULDN’T BE ENOUGH- // FANG RANT PT 2

Ok ok ok, WE BACK AND CHATTIN’. TIME TO GRAB POPCORN OR WATER IDK TO ENJOY MY RANT <33 +uhh warning ig: get ready for BEEG over analyzation lol 

.

.

.

Soooo

Notice the color used on the arrows? Symbolizing yellow and red? If you see this conversation as a mockin’ful, you can relate the meanings. If used negatively [seems fitting for this scene], you get this: Yellow meaning cowardice, and red meaning warning. 

Honestly, this is VERY fitting, knowing how scared Fang is in Fang’s Big Break. The amount of fear he gets in Superstars as a whole really makes you worry for him. Bean is pretty explanatory, he’s “getting tired of Fang’s antics”. Reason for Bark not having the arrow, I'm not sure, possibly because he’s not verbally arguing, or he’s not as mad as the others. Either way, I think Bark is just more caring about the situation. With this hypothetical situation, I think Fang is just scared that he’ll be alone. So he turns reactive in the face of a jerky persona. For Bean, he’s gaining more independence. I know this rant isn’t about ‘im but I really do realize how much Bean is getting as a character. He’s speaking more, asking the questions, getting sassy more on screen. 

Okay, now let’s get into connecting Fang’s Big Break with Fang the Hunter. I’m claiming that FTH is before FBB, because I’m sure that’s the motion for it. Looking at the images below, don’t they look similar? Somewhat? Now I want you to mash those frames up, with the speech including the thoughts.

“Bean?! Bark?!” [Get your act together! You’re repeating your past mistakes! You’re better than this! You have to be!] Both are in distress, and it shows how much content is missing from the cover [saying that Fang is just what he shows to be]. And even if both situations are VERY DIFFERENT: See how that helps my case even more. In FTH, he’s with his crew and now they’re gone. Of course he’s gonna yell out for them, that’s the first instinct. This is expected, if you lost the people near you, of course you’re gonna call for ‘em. Nothing deep is seen here, but for the right image, I differ. I say it over and over again, but he really is trying to be better. The context is, he’s on a hunt and he angered a bird who now is chasing him along with crushing his cork gun. A big difference between the situations is that he STARTED alone compared to becoming alone. With no one else in his mind, he’s gonna worry for himself. But he isn’t getting mad about being alone [at least, from what’s written], he’s not yelling for help, he has only himself to talk to. And what does he notify himself? “Get your act together”. He’s trying to stop his mistakes, whatever that may be. 

Let’s use that past sentence, and although it ails Hooligan fans [INCLUDING ME AHHHHHH </3], let’s imagine Bean, Bark, and Fang harshly separated. If you put that hypothetical with Fang’s thoughts, you can imagine he’s telling himself to stop being careless.+SINCE I’M STILL MAKING THIS HAPPY, THIS HYPOTHETICAL DEF HAS BEAN AND BARK COMING BACK <33

From sources, people push others away so that they won’t get hurt. Well, you could use that to correlate with Fang’s behavior. 

This is what Sega calls him, a jerk, “our favorite jerky jerboa!”, even in Archie, “And a total jerk”. This actually lines up with pushing others away, making this term more seemingly true. Going to the main point, you can see why Fang would want to stop acting this way. It led him to be alone, without “his boys”, without the zaniness that his gang brings him. It’s not the same anymore. (this is where I insert my shipping blast btw)

 In Superstars, this is correct! We don’t see Bean or Bark, we’re introduced to Trip [a WHOLE NEW gal], Fang is working very close to Eggman, and heck, his tech got upgraded.

*okay rando thing: In FTH, he wishes the Marvelous Queen gets the upgrades she needs to take Sonic down. In Superstars, he gets more than that, he gets his own robot ALONG with tons of upgrades for the MQ…if FTH is before Superstars, would he feel achievement? Somehow? +yknow, until it blows up [yeh, i'm not joking] 

BACK TO LE COMIC, …oh ye I technically went over everything. Or at least, what goes into his mentality,..UHH

Let’s look at Trip rq. Trip the Lizard gets an entire arc in Superstars! Her dynamic between her and Fang is simple, Trip tries to help or Trip tries to do what Fang says and Fang just relents and belittles her. Once Trip gets kicked by Fang, [Trip had to gull to stop Fang] she gains her heroism and sides with Sonic. Fang gets defeated by her anddddd ye that’s the last of Fang in that story. Now, I'm gonna show how sweet she was, even if Fang wouldn’t return the respect. 

I know Sonic Channel isn’t usually taken as canon, but like SHE GIVES HERSELF THE BAD PANCAKE, LIKE AWHH<33 And she doesn’t give up when given commands, tho that can be because she’s verbally forced to. And in the left image, Fang isn’t mad or annoyed about her behavior. Obviously it’s a calm setting, +he’s getting something good. Gosh, he looks surprised, or a little concerned,  because “Why is she still being like this after the stuff I push her through?” It’s not new to him though, it’s like Bean and Bark all over again. They stick together through many things. But the more he doesn’t let others in his life, he’ll just get hurt more and more. This is where I'd say Fang should try to listen to himself, “Get your act together” “You’re better than this”, but in the sense he should open up, that he should be more emotional and let his mind speak. I think that explains why he’s unlikable to some, he’s just reacting madly with no reason. And if I were to find a reason, it’d be because he’s not getting what he deserves, a close bond. And bringing up the sad fact, if he doesn’t let himself be himself, he’s not going to get what he needs. I swear, he’s regretting his choices, but it seems like he’s gone far. Trip could’ve helped but she moved sides. In FTH, Bean and Bark are staying, and I can only hope it STAYS.THAT. WAY. Cause like, Team Hooligan has been together for SO LONG, Bean and Bark are having fun with Fang, and Fang is leveled out with Bean and Bark. 

Ngl, this is supposed to be a “This is why the way he is” more than “He’s justifiable”, but I think my rant could give new insight as to why he’s not a horrible character. Especially when there’s so many others already avoiding an unlikable Fang, Fang Gang being my prime example :] cause we love the silly jerboa! We don’t STOP loving him, and we make sure of that. <33

[yunuen]

reader and writer friends, can you help me out choosing a summary for a fic i've posted? i'm thinking of changing the one i picked originally and i'm stressing about it idk even why:

OPTION 1:

Jayce materializes in the middle of a blizzard, because of course he does. His body hits the ground with a sickening thud and a crack. The momentum — impossible, given he had no mass, no velocity just moments ago, floating weightlessly as he was in a sea of raw magic — carries him downhill quite a distance.

His first coherent thought is of pain.

The second, as ever, is of Viktor.

OPTION 2: “I don’t know,” Viktor murmurs when Jayce hesitantly asks what the fusion of flesh, tech and magic that makes up his ailing body is. He keeps his gaze downcast, slender, synthetic fingers tightening around his staff. “There’s still no word for what I am.” Jayce says nothing, but beautiful is the word that comes to mind. That has always come to mind. OPTION 3 (CURRENT):

When Viktor finally asks Jayce why he stayed behind, Jayce stares at him as though he’s supremely disappointed by the question — as if Viktor has betrayed his own brilliance by asking something so irredeemably stupid. “How could I not? We’re partners.”

Partners, Jayce calls them. Not for the first time, Viktor wonders: Partners in what?

[mostlysignssomeportents]

This day in history

On OCTOBER 23 at 7PM, I'll be in DECATUR, GEORGIA, presenting my novel THE BEZZLE at EAGLE EYE BOOKS.

#20yrsago Sony bullies Retropod off the net https://web.archive.org/web/20041018040446/http://www.retropod.com/

#15yrsago This Side of Jordan – Violent jazz age novel by Charles M Schulz’s son Monte https://memex.craphound.com/2009/10/16/this-side-of-jordan-violent-jazz-age-novel-by-charles-m-schulzs-son-monte/

#10yrsago FBI chief demands an end to cellphone security https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/17/us/politics/fbi-director-in-policy-speech-calls-dark-devices-hindrance-to-crime-solving.html

#10yrsago Please, Disney: put back John’s grandad’s Haunted Mansion tombstone https://thedisneyblog.com/2014/10/16/petition-to-return-a-lost-tombstone-to-the-haunted-mansion/

#10yrsago How Microsoft hacked trademark law to let it secretly seize whole businesses https://www.wired.com/2014/10/microsoft-pinkerton/

#10yrsago If you think you’ve anonymized a data set, you’re probably wrong https://web.archive.org/web/20141014172827/http://research.neustar.biz/2014/09/15/riding-with-the-stars-passenger-privacy-in-the-nyc-taxicab-dataset/

#10yrsago The lost cyber-crayolas of the mid-1990s https://memex.craphound.com/2014/10/16/the-lost-cyber-crayolas-of-the-mid-1990s/

#5yrsago “The People’s Money”: A crisp, simple, thorough explanation of how government spending is paid for https://neweconomicperspectives.org/2019/10/the-peoples-money-part-1.html

#5yrsago What it’s like to have Apple rip off your successful Mac app https://memex.craphound.com/2019/10/16/what-its-like-to-have-apple-rip-off-your-successful-mac-app/

#5yrsago Blizzard suspends college gamers from competitive play after they display “Free Hong Kong” poster https://www.vice.com/en/article/three-college-hearthstone-protesters-banned-for-six-months/

#5yrsago Terrified of bad press after its China capitulation, Blizzard cancels NYC Overwatch event https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-10-15/blizzard-cancels-overwatch-event-as-it-tries-to-contain-backlash

#5yrsago A San Diego Republican operator ran a massive, multimillion-dollar Facebook scam that targeted boomers https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/craigsilverman/facebook-subscription-trap-free-trial-scam-ads-inc

#5yrsago Britain’s unbelievably stupid, dangerous porn “age verification” scheme is totally dead https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2019/10/uk-government-abandons-planned-porn-age-verification-scheme/

#5yrsago Not only is Google’s auto-delete good for privacy, it’s also good news for competition https://memex.craphound.com/2019/10/16/not-only-is-googles-auto-delete-good-for-privacy-its-also-good-news-for-competition/

#5yrsago Edward Snowden on the global war on encryption: “This is our new battleground” https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/oct/15/encryption-lose-privacy-us-uk-australia-facebook

#5yrsago In Kansas’s poor, sick places, hospitals and debt collectors send the ailing to debtor’s prison https://features.propublica.org/medical-debt/when-medical-debt-collectors-decide-who-gets-arrested-coffeyville-kansas

#5yrsago Want a ride in a Lyft? Just sign away your right to sue if they kill, maim, rape or cheat you https://memex.craphound.com/2019/10/16/want-a-ride-in-a-lyft-just-sign-away-your-right-to-sue-if-they-kill-maim-rape-or-cheat-you/

#5yrsago #RedForEd rebooted: Chicago’s teachers are back on strike https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/union-strike-chicago-teachers/

#1yrago One of America's most corporate-crime-friendly bankruptcy judges forced to recuse himself https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/16/texas-two-step/#david-jones

Tor Books as just published two new, free LITTLE BROTHER stories: VIGILANT, about creepy surveillance in distance education; and SPILL, about oil pipelines and indigenous landback.