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literaryvein-reblogs · 6 months ago

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commonly confused words

accept: to receive except: with the exclusion of

advice: recommendation (noun) advise: to recommend (verb)

adverse: unfavorable averse: opposed to

affect: to influence (verb); emotional response (noun) effect: result (noun); to cause (verb)

aisle: space between rows isle: island

allude: to make indirect reference to elude: to avoid

allusion: indirect reference illusion: false idea, misleading appearance

already: by this time all ready: fully prepared

altar: sacred platform or place alter: to change

altogether: thoroughly all together: everyone/everything in one place

a lot: a quantity; many of something allot: to divide or portion out

angel: supernatural being, good person angle: shape made by joining two straight lines

are: plural form of "to be" our: plural form of "my"

accent: pronunciation common to a region ascent: the act of rising or climbing assent: consent, agreement

assistance: help assistants: helpers

bare: nude, unadorned bear: to carry; an animal

beside: close to; next to besides: except for; in addition

boar: a wild male pig bore: to drill a hole through

board: piece of wood bored: uninterested

born: brought into life borne: past participle of "to bear" (carry)

breath: air taken in (noun) breathe: to take in air (verb)

brake: device for stopping break: destroy; make into pieces

buy: to purchase by: next to; through the agency of

canvas: heavy cloth canvass: to take a survey; a survey

capital: major city capitol: government building

choose: to pick chose: past tense of "to choose"

clothes: garments close: to shut; near cloths: pieces of fabric

coarse: rough course: path; series of lectures

complement: something that completes compliment: praise, flattery

conscience: sense of morality conscious: awake, aware

corps: regulated group corpse: dead body

council: governing body counsel: advice; to give advice

dairy: place where milk products are processed diary: personal journal

descent: downward movement dissent: disagreement

dessert: final, sweet course in a meal desert: to abandon; dry, sandy area

device: a plan; a tool or utensil devise: to create

discreet: modest, prudent behavior discrete: a separate thing, distinct

do: a verb indicating performance or execution of a task dew: water droplets condensed from air due: as a result of

dominant: commanding, controlling dominate: to control

die: to lose life; one of a pair of dice dye: to change or add color

dyeing: changing or adding color dying: losing life

elicit: to draw out illicit: illegal, forbidden

eminent: prominent imminent: about to happen

envelop: to surround (verb) envelope: container for a letter (noun)

everyday: routine, commonplace, ordinary (adj.) every day: each day, succession (adj. + noun)

fair: just, honest; a carnival; light skinned fare: money for transportation; food

farther: at a greater (measurable) distance further: in greater (non-measurable) depth

formally: conventionally, with ceremony formerly: previously

forth: forward fourth: number four in a list

gorilla: animal in ape family guerrilla: soldier specializing in surprise attacks

hear: to sense sound by ear here: in this place

heard: past tense of "to hear" herd: group of animals

hoard: a hidden fund or supply, a cache horde: a large group or crowd, swarm

hole: opening whole: complete; an entire thing

human: relating to the species homo sapiens humane: compassionate

its: possessive form of "it" it's: contraction for "it is"

knew: past tense of "know" new: fresh, not yet old

know: to comprehend no: negative

later: after a time latter: second one of two things

lead: heavy metal substance; to guide led: past tense of "to lead"

lessen: to decrease lesson: something learned and/or taught

lightning: storm-related electricity lightening: making lighter

loose: unbound, not tightly fastened lose: to misplace

maybe: perhaps (adv.) may be: might be (verb)

meat: animal flesh meet: to encounter mete: to measure; to distribute

medal: a flat disk stamped with a design meddle: to interfere, intrude metal: a hard organic substance mettle: courage, spirit, energy

miner: a worker in a mine minor: underage person (noun); less important (adj.)

moral: distinguishing right from wrong; lesson of a fable or story morale: attitude or outlook usually of a group

passed: past tense of "to pass" past: at a previous time

patience: putting up with annoyances patients: people under medical care

peace: absence of war piece: part of a whole; musical arrangement

peak: point, pinnacle, maximum peek: to peer through or look furtively pique: fit of resentment, feeling of wounded vanity

pedal: the foot lever of a bicycle or car petal: a flower segment peddle: to sell

personal: intimate; owned by a person personnel: employees

plain: simple, unadorned plane: to shave wood; aircraft (noun)

precede: to come before proceed: to continue

presence: attendance; being at hand presents: gifts

principal: foremost (adj.); administrator of a school (noun) principle: moral conviction, basic truth

quiet: silent, calm quite: very

rain: water drops falling; to fall like rain reign: to rule rein: strap to control an animal (noun); to guide or control (verb)

raise: to lift up raze: to tear down

rational: having reason or understanding rationale: principles of opinion, beliefs

respectfully: with respect respectively: in that order

reverend: title given to clergy; deserving respect reverent: worshipful

right: correct; opposite of left rite: ritual or ceremony write: to put words on paper

road: path rode: past tense of "to ride"

scene: place of an action; segment of a play seen: viewed; past participle of "to see"

sense: perception, understanding since: measurement of past time; because

sight: scene, view, picture site: place, location cite: to document or quote (verb)

stationary: standing still stationery: writing paper

straight: unbending strait: narrow or confining; a waterway

taught: past tense of "to teach" taut: tight

than: used to introduce second element; compared to then: at that time; next

their: possessive form of "they" there: in that place they’re: contraction for "they are"

through: finished; into and out of threw: past tense of "to throw" thorough: complete

to: toward too: also; very (used to show emphasis) two: number following one

track: course, road tract: pamphlet; plot of ground

waist: midsection of the body waste: discarded material; to squander

waive: forgo, renounce wave: flutter, move back and forth

weak: not strong week: seven days

weather: climatic condition whether: if wether: a neutered male sheep

where: in which place were: past tense of "to be"

which: one of a group witch: female sorcerer

whose: possessive for "of who" who’s: contraction for "who is"

your: possessive for "of you" you’re: contraction for "you are" yore: time long past

commonly confused words part 2

#writing #writing reference #words #writeblr #literature #poetry #poets on tumblr #writers on tumblr #spilled ink #creative writing #writing tips #lit #langblr #studyblr #dark academia #vocabulary

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appleblueberry-pie · 8 months ago

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I NEED MORE YANDERE e42 MILES!!!!

This is a list of things he's done without your knowledge.

"Sneaked" two thousand dollars into your savings account. Best part about this is you actually never did find out that he did this. You just thought you were finally becoming financially responsible.

Fixed your TV remote 2 times.

Bought you more boxes of ramen.

Learned to make your favorite dessert.

Drove your ex's car off of a cliff

Drove your ex's girlfriend's car off of a cliff

Got on your teacher's good side for you.

Started doing calisthenics

Became pescatarian

Stopped drinking energy drinks and instead became a tea-drinker

Donated to 5 animal shelters and volunteered to help feed the homeless(one of the short programs he joined at school)

Broke 3 ribs and repaired

Got stabbed and repaired

Illegally traded with dominating gangs in Brooklyn

Illegally helped transport medicine inside of hospitals due to dominating gangs in Brooklyn

Tried on shoes he wanted to get for you to see if they'd be comfortable, understanding that people would think he's flaming for doing so.

Tried on earrings he wanted to get for you, thinking if it looked good on him, it would definitely look good on you, understanding that people would think he's flaming for doing so.

Same thing with perfume.

Got scared of you when you interrogated him for smelling like the new perfume he just bought you.

Whispers compliments to you when you sleep on his shoulder while y'all take the train.

Screamed like a lil girl when he picked up a potted plant from a flower shop, hoping to get you a succulent, and a slug dropped from the crevice of the pottery, plopped onto his hand, heavy, cold, and slimy.

Listens to all Ariana Grande albums

Annually kidnaps all boys who he knew premeditated asking you to prom, knowing your his, and drops them off by a random lake in the dead of night. Tied up, taped mouth, lightly drugged, and confused.

Attempted to give up being tender-headed so his mama could do his hair in that cool ass pattern he knew you wouldn't be able to stop admiring. It didn't work, but the result definitely made you happy.

Bombed 2 drug major illegal drug factories. Probably one of the main reasons why the crime underworld hates him.

Sketched over 40 different ways the wedding ring he plans to give you will look.

Finished 2 big notebooks that are just full of rants and drawings of you. He's halfway through his 3rd one.

Has a pinterest board just like yours that is full of clothing and room aesthetics that you like. Plans to make most of them a reality for you.

Kicks his feet at ur messages.

#miles morales #earth 42 miles fluff #yandere #yandere x reader #yandere x you #reader #yandere character #across the spiderverse #atsv #spiderman #yandere miles morales #yandere earth 42 miles morales x reader #yandere earth 42 miles morales #earth 42 miles x reader #earth 42 miles morales #earth 42 miles morales x reader #earth 42

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marlynnofmany · 3 months ago

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One More Earth Animal

Since the only reason our spaceship had a cat was because I’d rescued a family of them from people who had no business keeping any animal, and since a couple of crewmates had helped in that rescue, and everyone was agreed that it was a deed well done, I was very interested when I heard that our newest courier job was transporting another rescued cat.

I was loading supplies on the far end of the ship when I got a message from the captain about this last-minute addition. I was the animal expert — from the same planet as our new cargo, no less — and she requested my presence. The extra info that the cat had been dumped on a colony world by illegal traders who hadn’t been able to sell it just made me hurry through the hallways faster.

As I entered the cargo bay, my thoughts were on whether I should have detoured to grab a medical scanner, and wondering if Telly would want to be friends with the furball in the cage. Where was that cage? Ah, over by the door next to the captain and the customer. Other crewmates were loading boxes while they talked.

“I’m glad you’re going in the right direction,” the customer said while she signed the payment tablet with several red tentacles, while waving two more for emphasis. “This isn’t the first time somebody’s dumped live cargo, and at least this time I know a guy from the right planet who’s eager for a new pet. Sounds like he misses Earth, and would be happy to have anything that reminds him of home. Oh hey, speaking of which!” She waved a tentacle at me as I walked up. “Another Earthling. Good luck all around.”

Captain Sunlight nodded and took the payment tablet back, every inch the dignified lizard alien. “Yes, Robin here has been a big help with animal cargos, cats in particular.”

“My pleasure,” I said with a wave. “Can I get a look?” The cage was the kind with bars on the front and only ventilation holes on the sides; good for animals that needed to feel safely hidden, but not great for trained veterinarians wanting to inspect them without opening the door.

“By all means,” the customer said, scooting the cage forward. “It’s been very calm. It shouldn’t give you any trouble.”

I crouched down from my tall human height and peered into the shadows, hoping the cat was healthy, not calm because of illness. Had they scanned it already? They must have.

A skunk peered back at me.

“Oh jeez!” I fell back and scrambled away, startling everyone in the room. “That’s not a cat! Keep your distance!”

Captain Sunlight immediately stepped away, alarm on her scaly face. “What is it? What’s the danger?” The customer was babbling in surprise, but I ignored her.

“That’s a skunk,” I said, fully aware that the name probably meant nothing here. “They’re a breathing hazard when provoked. They spray a toxic liquid that will ruin the air on our whole ship until it’s properly cleaned. You’re lucky it didn’t do it already.” I aimed that last at the customer.

She flailed her tentacles in distress. “It’s been very calm! Not afraid of anyone! Are you sure it’s not a cat?”

“Yes,” I said firmly. Then something else occurred to me. “Have you scanned it for disease?”

The tentacle movements turned guilty. “My assistant said he did…”

I leapt to my feet and raced down the hall. “Be right back! Don’t touch it!”

They replied, but I was already out of earshot, dodging past crewmates without stopping to explain. Rabies was largely eradicated on Earth, but this wasn’t Earth. And a potentially rabid skunk was infinitely worse than a tame one.

Eggskin was in the medbay; I didn’t pause to see what they were doing. I just grabbed the hand scanner from its spot on the wall and raced back the way I’d come. “Need this, thanks!”

Questions followed me, but I ran faster. Almost plowed into Blip going around a corner, but I ducked under her muscular elbow with an apology and kept going. Blop was right behind her, stepping to the side. The pair also had questions that I ignored.

Back in the cargo bay, Captain Sunlight was questioning the customer on the far side of the room, with Zhee and Paint also standing back. The cage was right where I’d left it.

I activated the scanner, getting as close as I dared. “Please don’t have rabies. Please please please.”

After a moment, the scanner pinged: Free Of Disease. Relief hit me like a wave. “It’s not contagious,” I announced.

The scanner was still processing, and it came up with extra information that made me laugh in deeper relief.

“Its stink gland was removed!” I collapsed onto the floor in front of the cage. “Doubly safe. Everything’s okay.”

Captain Sunlight said, “That is good news.”

The customer pressed several tentacles over where her heart probably was. “I didn’t need that kind of scare today! Clearly I should have words with the assistant who identified the species.”

“They got the planet right, at least,” I said, shutting off the scanner. “But yeah, if there’s a chance there are more skunks wandering around out there, you do NOT want to assume they’ll act like cats.”

Captain Sunlight was thinking ahead. “Will this be a problem for the recipient? Since it’s not the animal he’s expecting?”

The customer spread her tentacles. “He did say that he’d welcome any creature from home that could handle living indoors!”

I waggled my fingers experimentally, and the skunk waddled forward to sniff them. “I think it’ll be okay.”

Captain Sunlight asked, “This is an acceptable companion animal, once the gland is removed?”

I laughed. “No, they make terrible pets. But people have kept worse. I’ll have a talk with the guy on delivery, and I think it’ll be fine. This little fluffer has probably been raised by hand. And skunks really are adorable, once you get past that whole spraying issue.”

“Good to know,” said Captain Sunlight. She finished the transaction with the customer, who was more than happy to leave the skunk in our possession. Zhee and Paint expressed their own relief and finished moving boxes around. The captain volunteered to put the scanner back while I brought the animal cargo to our quietest storage hold.

I carried the cage very carefully, the polar opposite of my wild dash through the corridors earlier.

It took a while for Eggskin to find me, since apparently Blop had gotten a papercut or something that needed tending to, but after a few minutes the medic entered the storage bay with all the caution of someone approaching a dangerous creature.

Eggskin probably wasn’t expecting to find me holding it and cooing sweet nonsense while it chittered happily in my lap. But it really was friendly, and like I said, skunks are adorable.

~~~

These are the ongoing backstory adventures of the main character from this book.

Shared early on Patreon! There’s even a free tier to get them on the same day as the rest of the world.

The sequel novel is in progress (and will include characters from these stories. I hadn’t thought all of them up when I wrote the first book, but they’re too much fun to leave out of the second).

#my writing #The Token Human #humans are weird #haso #hfy #eiad #humans are space orcs #skunks #in spaaace #always an exciting concept

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womenaremypriority · 14 days ago

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Sharing the words of Beka Saw Munduruku, a 21 year old indigenous climate activist who’s super cool.

—

I have come to the United States to ask the Cargill-MacMillan family to stop the destruction of our land. My people are called the Munduruku, which means “the red ants.” We are 13,000 strong, divided into 160 communities. Life is simple here. We plant, we harvest, we create. We learn by watching our elders. This is how we learn the riches of our culture: our stories, our forests, our animals.

We have lived here in the heart of the Amazon for over 4,000 years. But now our world hangs by a thread.

Modern science tells us that our forests stabilize the climate and shape the weather. My people have always known this. Science tells us the Amazon is nearing a tipping point, a point of no return where the forest will no longer sustain itself. My people already see and suffer from these changes.

But this is not our biggest problem.

There is illegal mining, there is illegal logging. There is the theft of our land and our trees and the damming of rivers. There is the murder of those who defend the land and the brutal intimidation of our leaders. And all of these problems grow because companies like Cargill covet our land and subject it to so-called development.

We have been fighting against Cargill for a long time. It has been devastating.

Your executives tell us that Cargill is a good company, that they have pledged to end the destruction of nature. But this is not our experience.

In every region where Cargill operates, you are destroying the environment and driving out or threatening the communities who live there.

Despite your many commitments to end deforestation, the destruction has increased.

Last year alone an area of tropical forest twice the size of Massachusetts was destroyed.

And while your company publicly promises to end these practices, you only expand further into our lands.

The worst example of Cargill’s unceasing expansion is the Ferrogrão. The Ferrogrão is a 1,000-kilometer railway that Cargill wishes to cut through our lands to transport soy. Soy produced from the destruction of the Cerrado – a critical ecosystem south of the Amazon.

Last year the forests and savannas of the Cerrado were destroyed at a rate of 8,000 acres a day. This is an area of destruction the size of your hometown of Minneapolis every five days.

Our relatives in the Cerrado are the target of constant threats from ranchers and land-grabbers. In addition to this, they are suffering from pesticides from the crops and the contamination of their rivers and streams.

The Ferrogrão will impact 16 Indigenous territories including those of the Munduruku, Panará, Kayapó, and our relatives of the Xingu Indigenous Land. This railway will destroy 2,000 square kilometers of the Amazon forests we live in, including Munduruku lands that are currently federally protected Indigenous Territory[1] It will open our lands to more land grabbers and illegal miners and loggers who already invade and burn our lands and murder our people.

The Brazilian Supreme Court has ruled that the Ferrogrão is illegal, but economic interests like Cargill want to change the laws to allow for construction. Cargill has said that anyone who opposes the Ferrogrão is “irresponsible.”

We are fighting for our lives. For our land. For our cultures. For our children and grandchildren.

This is not irresponsible.

What is irresponsible is for your company to make promises to end deforestation while continuing to expand into our territories and giving license to others to do the same.

You have the power to stop this.

You must cease the destruction of our forests. You must stop expanding into our territory. You must stop selling commodities from lands stolen from Indigenous peoples. You must stop the murder of the defenders of these lands.

Listen to the guardians of the Amazon and cease your destruction. We defend our lands not just for our people but for all of humanity. Your company is harming our collective future.

We wish to leave our children and grandchildren the life our ancestors gave to us.

I am Munduruku, and I will never give up this fight.

Beka Saw Munduruku

—

#my post #feminism #radblr #environment #climate justice

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thesummerstorms · 3 months ago

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Absolutely though, Annabeth doesn't know Jason is alive in the Annabeth Wayne version of The Lightning Thief.

So when she and Percy and Grover break into the Underworld and see Elysium in the distance, she asks Grover, somewhere between hesitance and stubborn unwillingness to hear anything different —

"That's where Thalia and my brother are, right?"

And Percy watches as Grover starts to qualify his answer, only to catch himself and very gently reassure her that of course that's where Jason and Thalia are.

She grips her knife more tightly, looks at Elysium longingly for a moment, then turns her away with a grim determination that doesn't belong on a child's face but that Percy immediately recognizes.

He didn't even know she had a brother, but suddenly he thinks of his mother's face and the understanding, wordless, sinks bone deep.

They press on towards Hades.

It takes Percy years, until after the sirens, to let on that this moment has shifted his world on its axis just as much as the god-gifted Oreos split between them in the stifling air of an illegal animal transport.

#annabeth wayne #pjo x dc #dc x pjo #in my mind this scene 1000% happened wrt Thalia ANYWAY #but adding Jason T just makes it hit that tiny bit harder #percy jackson

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fattocatto-wizard · 1 year ago

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Finally! After over a month of waiting, I’ve finally found the time to finish my tower and reveal it to you all!!

Here’s what it looks like: (sorry if my art is bad)

(Note: image is not to scale)

(Note: I am visible at the base of my tower in this image)

My tower is a cat tree! The tower is many stories tall and the parts of the tower are scaled up to accommodate medium humanoid beings at the same scale as a normal cat to a cat tree.

Getting up it without being able to parkour or being a master of teleportation is a big challenge. Most of the lower levels are easily accessible, however.

A fair warning; my tower has non-Euclidean geometry as certain rooms are bigger on the inside and may lead to rooms that were not previously there, rooms and platforms may move around when you aren’t looking, and you may be randomly transported to a different part of the tower without noticing.

Don’t expect to be getting anywhere important with that teleporting, however. You will not be brought anywhere that isn’t very different than your current position on the tower, and the upper levels are completely inaccessible via this method. Actually, when you’re climbing the upper levels, you may be teleported lower on the tower.

In the fields below it, I grow various herbs, potion ingredients, drugs, and other plants! Like catnip and weed! I do most of my alchemy on the first floor and the dungeon underneath.

The entire thing is covered in comfortable fluffy cat-tree cloth and I’ve enchanted the area to always be clear skies, and warm and sunny during the day and perfectly cool in the evening.

The sunsets here are absolutely stunning.

The front entrance is obviously locked and only I have the key, so please just knock on the metal knocker to the right of the door; it’s enchanted to allow me to hear it if I’m there. If I’m not there, it will alert you that I’m away and I do ask you to politely leave if I am not home. Unless I have invited you, then I will allow it to open for you beforehand.

The tower has been warded with a tall field of force that fits around the tower’s dimensions, so don’t expect to be flying in.

I’m always welcome for visitors, so feel free to visit whenever I’m around.

Only I can properly navigate the tower, unless I give someone access, which I may or may not do, depending on the circumstances.

The tower gets quite windy, but it’s never enough to affect you because of the enchanted weather. The wind is always a warm breeze.

My tower is situated to the northeast side of wizard island island, along the cliff side coast, just southeast of the gray wizard council local.

From my tower, I can see most of wizard island, however a small portion of the island is blocked by the volcano. (Ex. I can’t see the Pirate Cove, Necrobotanist’s Tower, Ari’s Cafe, and Breakfast Wizard’s Diner and Cafe)

Thanks for waiting patiently! Hope to see y’all around!

@mersinia @the-gnomish-bastards-hat @combustion-witch @average-void-wizard @odd-animated-armor @slymewitch @a-mushroom-dev @a-mushroom-wizard @mossy--wizard @mossthewizard @wizard-at-large @wizardothesea @wizard-island-island-smp @magical-bear-dubin @magical-fox @alchemical-overreaction @transtyranid @transgender-wizard @verylegalwizard @blooper-malte @aroace-wizard @good-wizard @good-wizard2 @gavamont @pollution-wizard @the-mighty-dalob @the-moth-wizard-of-mayhem @the-illegal-wizard-council @ashen-the-tiefling @the-necrobotanist @terrencetheshark14 @the-frog-wizard-leep @the-wozard-council @siley-the-wizard @profeshinul-wizurd @sluttyambiguouswizard @yourlocalbreadenthusiast

Sorry if I forgot someone!

Oh, and have a happy Thanksgiving! 🍁🌽🥧

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wizard-island-trading-co · 1 year ago

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Current Member List

These are the members of Wizard Island Trading Co. as well as our supporters. Each member listed here has access to a personal dock, warehouse, and Dock Wizard located in the Pirate's Cove on Wizard Island Island. If you wish to join, or for your details to be changed, please let me know.

PRIVATEERS

Myself (Captain of the Stocky Jasmine)

@officialgrigori (Evil First Mate of the Stocky Jasmine)

@mathemagical-corsair (On-call Mathemagician)

@spilledmilkii-but-a-diff-blog (Insurance Policy)

@sorceress-foxgirl-lilac (Sorceress)

@irving-the-pirate-wizard (Captain of an Unknown Vessel)

@the-spotticus (Captain of the Erlking's Daughter)

@captain-celeste-cinderbeard (Sexy Captain of the Sea Serpent)

@treethatspellstree (First Mate of the Damned Spectre)

@necromanceradept (Skeleton Ship Captain)

SMUGGLERS

@the-mud-mage (Smuggler and Earth Supplier)

@the-jnadfzard (Dream Smuggler)

SUPPORTERS

@wizard-hamnet (Groundskeeper)

@yourlocalbreadenthusiast (on-call necromancer and manager of Wizard Island Island)

@the-caffeinated-necromancer (on-call necromancer)

@the-wizard-of-revolution (Diplomat and Crisis Manager)

@blacktipreefsharkwizard (Resident Shark of the Cove)

@verylegalwizard (on-call Lawyer)

@not-a-goose-in-a-trenchcoat (Sudden Acquisitions Expert and Grocer)

@wizardgosleep (Dock Wizard)

@wizardcrow (Crow Wizard)

@uneven-daemon (Finder of Curious Things)

@detectivewizzard (Wizard Investigations)

@ratslawyer (Alchemist)

@lowly-wizard-apprentice (Student of Piracy)

@ripleyalamode (Biomancer and Curse Consumer)

@profeshinul-wizurd (Trap Master and Accident Magnet)

@goblinchief (Chief Goblin)

marty (Reminder that we are at least not him)

@the-shrimp-that-fried-rice (Pretty Self-Explanatory)

@8s-wizard-railroading-blog (Land Transport Company)

@odd-animated-armor (Forge Master)

Rave Skeletons (on-call crew) (like regular skeletons but wear various glow sticks and/or novelty glasses) (provided by @the-necrobotanist)

Dock Wizards (ship repair and modification) (imagine a neon green jawa)

SUPPLIERS

@the-necrobotanist (priority supplier)

@wizardvalshadar (supplier)

@alvareus-the-sorcerer-of-seals (illegal scroll supplier)

@shotgunspellcaster (ammunitions supplier)

@combustion-witch (liquorice and book supplier, and construct forge master)

@lixorloveslicorice (Liquorice Chef)

@freelancing-mycologist (mushroom supplier)

@magical-bear-dubin (Forest Supplier)

@redavatar101 (Alcohol Supplier/Consumer)

@thesluttyvampirewizard (Vampiric Import Provider)

@panem-crustus (Carbohydramancer)

@insertblogaesthetichere (mushroom supplier 2: this time it's personal)

@alchemical-overreaction (Alchemist)

@thelycanwitch (Lycan and Lycan accessories)

#wizardposting #wizard posting #pirateposting #wizard island island #wizard island island lore #Wizard Island Trading Co.

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differentlylimbed · 5 months ago

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should probably make an intro post, i'll make a better version in the future lol

i'm lucas, 19, from the UK, he/him. this is a blog for me to talk about disability and related topics, i'll probably reblog some general stuff too though.

i don't mind sharing my diagnoses etc if asked but don't see any point making an exhaustive list for no reason.

relevant disability stuff:

i have a limb difference (rotational deformity). my body has been visibly disabled since birth, i'm a full-time crutch user since i can't weight bear on my twisty leg. don't call me deformed.

i had a traumatic brain injury recently which resulted in a significant loss of vision; i also have expressive aphasia. i'm still finding my place in the blind/VI community and figuring out which terminology to use - i meet the criteria for legal blindness/partial sight but sometimes use VI too. i use a screenreader and rarely reblog undescribed images.

i have severe ADHD, navigating newly medicated life. also diagnosed PDA profile autistic, dyspraxic, and sensory processing disorder. disability stuff aside, music is probably the most important thing in my life, i spend most of my free time playing guitar and going to concerts, punk/grunge subculture wise but other fav genres are classic rock, emo, metalcore and goth rock. physical media enthusiast, i don't have a smartphone and i love talking about it. i like public transport, nature, smoking weed, supermarkets, mango fanta, psychedelics, illegal activity, cigarettes, talking to strangers and animals. i hate cops and tiktok. i love meeting new people and answering questions (disability related or otherwise), dms and asks are always open. tracking # lucas talks , i don't usually tag content warnings but let me know if you want anything particular tagged. i don't have a dni, just be normal. nice to meet you all and thanks for reading :)

#lucas talks #intro #pinned #cpunk #cripplepunk #actually disabled #physically disabled #physical disability

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the-angry-acrobat · 20 days ago

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just curious, do u support circused that have wild animals in them-?

(tigers, lions, elephants, bears, etc.)

no, I am very strongly against it. the truth about animals in circuses is that they are abused and endure lives of complete misery, usually illegally poached from the wild and sold or bred into circuses, purely for entertainment.

in circuses, animals are made to perform unnatural tricks which none of them would willingly carry out. elephants are made to stand on one leg and spin in circles – often while standing on top of small stools. these are actions elephants have never been observed carrying out in the wild precisely because they cause long-term damage to the animals’ physiology. it is well documented that elephants are forced to perform these actions by being terribly abused, and young elephants are savagely constrained in a process called ‘the crush’ which breaks their spirit and forces them to comply. big cats have been popular in the circus industry, but many have their teeth and claws removed rendering them harmless to their abusers. they are ‘trained’ with whips which teach them to fear the handlers and not attack.

the actions animals do in performances are so unnatural that no animal could be encouraged or instructed to carry them out – they would have to be forced. initially this is done with violence, then with the promise of food. as a result, many circus animals are also underfed to keep them hungry and eager to please.

the animals commonly abused in circuses are extremely stressed by circus conditions. the loud noise of the music, the cheers of the crowd and the dizzying lights all disorientate and cause stress to wild animals. over prolonged periods can result in abnormal behaviours and health problems related to anxiety. for species such as tigers, bears, macaques, etc, performing on stage is deeply traumatic.

the living conditions for wild animals in circuses consistently fail to meet the animals’ most basic needs. when the show ends, the animals typically return to isolation in small barren cages which give them no opportunity to carry out behaviours natural to their species, or to interact with their own kind. investigation into animal circuses found 100% of facilities failed to meet the animals’ basic needs. bears were found rocking in tiny cages – a well-known sign of stress and mental health disorders – and macaques chained by their necks.

circus animals are often transported over large distances with circuses, even transporting dolphins by truck and plane which is clearly unsuitable for the species, and more. they are abused, humiliated, and treated absolutely dehumanisingly. how anyone that treats an animal like that could live with themselves, I don’t know. but none of that matters when it comes to monetary gain.

as with any industry that creates financial gain, some people try to defend animal circuses. they say the animals are stimulated by training and performance, but all the evidence and the experts disagree. defenders of animal circuses also argue that seeing animals perform is a form of education which raises awareness and appreciation of wild species. but the truth is very different.

in reality, animal circuses teach nothing. the behaviours they see are completely unnatural and give an entirely false impression of the lives and needs of animals. seeing animals abused on stage only teaches people that animals are here for human entertainment and that we can treat them in any way we please, regardless of their emotions and needs. this is not a lesson people want to teach their children.

and animals don’t belong in circuses. they belong in their natural habitats, free, in their own cycles of life, wild, ferocious, untamed, and left the fuck alone. they should not be in the circus industry, and any entertainment industry for that matter. having wild animals in captivity is horrific, vile, inhumane and just plain wrong. when animals are caged, it's a loss of what and who they are. it’s wrong to capture wild animals and confine them in captivity for people to go and gawk at them. and I can’t believe some people don’t understand this.

however, animals that do enjoy the stimulation of circus are dogs. dogs love training and performance. they love to learn, with the right rewards. a lot of the time they consider it play time, and for them, getting attention from their people is always a good thing. it depends on the dog, and some dogs may not enjoy performing tricks they've learned. but most of the time, as they are so smart and energetic, dogs do enjoy performing.

I love animals with all of my heart and I will advocate and fight for them forever. the circus I am in is also obviously very against it.

in short, no, I do not support and never will support animals in circuses, and that’s not even an option. animals deserve a far better life than the ones they've been subjected to.

#ana posts #asks #answered asks #animal cruelty #animals #animals in circuses #anti animals in circuses #anti performing animals #save animals #set animals free #anti animal cruelty #return wild animals to their homes

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dougdimmadodo · 2 years ago

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Chambered Nautilus (Nautilus pompilius)

Family: Nautilus Family (Nautilidae)

IUCN Conservation Status: Unassessed

The fossil record shows that hard external shells were common among early cephalopods, but today the six living species of nautilus are the last cephalopods to retain the external shells of their ancestors, limiting their agility and flexibility but providing them with a highly effective defence against predators (primarily octopuses and large fish) and granting them a high degree of control over their buoyancy: within the shell of a nautilus there are several chambers with a tube-like structure across which gas and water can be transferred, known as a siphuncle, running between them - by filling a chamber with gas the nautilus can increase its buoyancy, by filling a chamber with water it can decrease its buoyancy, and by balancing the number of gas-filled chambers and water-filled chambers it can maintain neutral buoyancy. The Chambered Nautilus is the largest living nautilus (with exceptionally large individuals having a shell diameter of up to 25cm/10 inches, although smaller sizes are more typical), and can be found in the Indian and western Pacific oceans where it typically inhabits shallow coastal waters and coral reefs. It swims by forcing water out of a flexible tube-like structure near its head called a siphon (which can be aimed to alter its direction of movement), and feeds largely on carrion and detritus which it locates using a pair of chemical-sensitive structures that protrude from above its eyes, known as rhinophores. Although they lack true tentacles, Chambered Nautiluses possess as many as 90 small limbs beneath their eyes (called cirri), which lack the strength and adhesive suction cups of the limbs of squids and octopuses but are capable of grasping carrion (as well as the occasional live animal, such as small crabs) and transporting it to the small, parrot-like beak hidden beneath them. When food is abundant Chambered Nautiluses often gorge themselves, storing excess food in a muscular pouch-like organ called a crop where it can be slowly released into the stomach when it is needed. Chambered Nautiluses reproduce by laying eggs (which are typically hidden in cracks in rocks or between lobes of coral, and hatch after about a year into small but fully-developed young instead of the larvae seen in most cephalopods), and while most cephalopods reach maturity, mate and die within just a few years nautiluses are relatively long-lived, reaching maturity at around 5 years old and potentially living for 15-20 years. The interior of a Chambered Nautilus’ shell is lined with a beautiful silvery substance known as nacre or mother-of-pearl which helps to protect the internal organs if the outer shell is damaged, and the demand for nacre (as well as full nautilus shells) for use in decorations and jewellery has led to a high rate of both legal and illegal hunting of this species, resulting in the Chambered Nautilus being classified as a CITES Appendix II species in 2016 (essentially meaning that they are not currently threatened with extinction, but are now legally protected so as to prevent them from being put at risk of extinction in the future.)

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Image Source: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/123467-Nautilus-pompilius

#Chambered Nautilus #Nautilus #naurtiluses #nautiloids #cephalopods #zoology #biology #Teuthology #animal #animals #marine wildlife #marine biology #cephalopod #wildlife

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lej222 · 18 days ago

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'Banana Fish' - The Series That Broke Me

TW: mentions of r@pe, physical and emotional ab@se, p@dophilia, forced pr@stitution, de@th, dr@g usage, child p@rn@graphy and violence! Also, HEAVY spoilers for the ending of the manga and anime. PLEASE BEWARE THE TRIGGER WARNINGS AND SENSITIVE ISSUES DISCUSSED IN THIS POST!

Banana Fish is an action-thriller manga that was serialized in 1985 in a shoujo magazine and was later adapted into a 24-episode anime series in 2018 by Studio Mappa. Even to this day, it is regarded as a classic work that has changed the shoujo landscape and attracted a high number of male readers, making it hard to categorize it into just one genre. With over-the-top action scenes, eccentric fashion and gang wars, Banana Fish remains an 80s classic that was somehow able to move new generations of fans with the anime adaptation changing the setting into modern times. The title of the manga is a reference to J. D. Salinger's short story, "A Perfect Day for Bananafish", and shares its themes of violence and innocence, symbolized by the two different worlds the main characters of the story represent.

Banana Fish is a character-centered work with sensitive issues

Unlike most of its contemporary shoujo manga, the story of Banana Fish takes place in the United States. The main protagonist, Ash, is a 17-year-old boy who has suffered terrible physical, sexual and emotional abuse ever since he was a kid. He is the leader of a young gang in New York and transports goods to the Mafia, something that he does for survival after escaping the clutches of the feared Mafia leader, Golzine. One day a man is murdered in front of his eyes who gives him a phial containing a strange powder while saying the words 'Banana fish'. Ash recalls his brother muttering the same thing after he returned from war. He was a soldier who developed a mental health disorder and Ash uses his illegally earned money to try to improve his condition.

While Ash starts to secretly investigate the strange drug, a photojournalist named Ibe arrives to the city from Japan with his young assistant, 19-year-old Eiji, to write an article about juvenile American gangs. He wants to meet a journalist friend of his, but the local detectives inform him that he's in prison. They advice him and Eiji to visit Ash's gang to take some pictures for their report. Ibe later reveals that he brought Eiji along on his trip to give him a new inspiration after the boy had to give up on his pole-vaulting career due to an injury. Eiji is a pure-hearted and innocent soul who looks younger than his age and is curious about the differences in cultures.

After Ash realizes that the powder itself is a dangerous drug called 'Banana fish' and it was used on his brother, he starts a fight against Golzine who wants to sell it to the government. Eiji and Ibe both accidentally get involved in the confrontation and decide to help Ash in order to uncover the truth.

While the main plot of Banana Fish revolves around Ash's fight with the Mafia, it's the major characters of the story who truly move the plot forward. Their personal stories, thoughts and relationships are all important, even when the series becomes more action-packed. From very early on in the story, we are reminded that Ash is a murderer - even if it wasn't him who chose this lifestlye and he was a victim himself, Ash knows that he has to pay for his crimes. This is precisely why this message gets reinforced in the most emotional moments of the series when Ash has to willfully kill even his own friend to end his pain.

Ash was forced to experience horrible things ever since he was a kid and his choices were taken away from him. At only 17-years old, he doesn't care if he's alive or not and he's heavily traumatized but deep down has a good heart and only wants to be free. It's not until Eiji enters his life that we see the the real Ash behind the persona he built to protect himself. Despite being part of a corrupted world, Ash is drawn to the light and freedom that Eiji represents in his existence; however, Ash has to face the truth that the longer Eiji stays with him the more corrupted he might also become himself. Ash's reluctance to completely sever his ties with Eiji only puts him in danger, but Ash still doesn't want him to hold a gun in hopes of protecting him from his dark world, saying that "one murderer is more than enough."

BL? Close Friendship? Does it even matter?

Many people recommend Banana Fish as a BL classic and leave viewers traumatized who are not familiar with the triggering contents of the series. The protagonist of the story is a victim of child p@rn@graphy, pr@stitution, ab@se and r@pe. Marketing the series as a simple love story without mentioning the heavy subject matter is nothing sort of disrespectful. To avoid confusion, Banana Fish is an action-drama first and foremost. There's a deep connection between two male characters that is the heart of the story, but it doesn't define its genre.

When Eiji first meets Ash he asks if he can hold his gun - it's a simple question without any ulterior motive that illustrates Eiji's naive and innocent worldview. Ash, who lost his inner child after the trauma he had to endure, finds himself agreeing to his request. Ash's bravery and dedication to his friends inspire Eiji to also do his best and that's when he decides to jump over a wall with a metal pipe to call for help, overcoming his painful memories about pole-vaulting. Eiji becomes the image of freedom and warmth for Ash, someone who can make him unguarded and peaceful, just an ordinary teenager. Even though they come from different worlds, Eiji and Ash understand each other deeply and would do anything for the other.

Let's make this clear - Eiji and Ash love each other, but the nature of that love is up to interpretation. The creator Yoshida Akimi is known to have given contradictory answers on this matter. While she claims that Banana Fish was inspired by 'Midnight Cowboy' and the deep platonic relationship between its two male characters, she has also referenced famous queer movies with her art and put illustrations in her artbook that lean towards a more romantic interpretation. And then we haven't even talked about the subtext and the ending of the manga. Or the fact that 'Midnight Cowboy' is considered to be an essential part of queer cinema by many people so its interpretation also varies.

While Yoshida has said she wanted to portay a platonic friendship, her art and the relationhip between her characters were clearly influenced by queer media. Up to this day, it's impossible to decide which interpretation is true. And it doesn't matter. Ash and Eiji share a profound connection in the story that is beyond romantic or platonic love. It's the bond of two souls that have found their other halves, two individuals who inspire each other, a love so strong that it transcends our mortal existence because it will never cease existing. I would even go as far as to call it the purest form of love.

We also have to consider the publication date of the series. Banana Fish is a product of its time, and it's evident in how it portrays intimacy between men. There's no positive depiction of sexual relationhsips between men and every homosexual encounter is r@pe or ped@philia. Compared to these negative experiences, Ash and Eiji's non-sexual relationship feels more intimate. This might seem like a contradiction, but it's not surpiring given the stigma homosexuality had at the time of publication. Banana Fish was published in 1985 when the AIDS crisis made people fear homosexual acts and think of them as 'dirty' and stigmatized. No wonder that a platonic connection might have seemed like the purer form of love at the time. The argument that romantic feelings cannot exist without intimacy is also an inherently flawed one, because it implies that people who are physically unable to have a sexual relationship or do not have sexual desires are not capable of loving another human being. Which we know is not true.

We also have to keep in mind that Ash was a victim of sexual assa@lt and repeatedly gets violated in the story. It is never romanticized- it's portrayed as a vile act and the perpetrators receive no redemption arc. Yoshida has stated that Ash probably wouldn't want to have a sexual relationhip based on his past - a statement that made several survivors like Ash voice out their own opinions. They pointed out that while it might feel impossible to some people, past victims might want to be intimate with a trusted partner, even if it's a slow healing process. It's not about what Yoshida said, but the way she rejected any sort of possibility of Ash exploring positive sexual experiences in the future, which again points to an outdated perspective on survivors of SA. We obviously don't know Yoshida's intentions and I'm not trying to analyze her answers, but I would agree with many readers that these questions are better left up to interpretation. Writing about male victims of SA in the 80s and how they also felt violated and broken after experiencing such horrible trauma was a big deal and she deserves the credit for highlighting such a delicate issue, but by today's standards the topic could have been handled in a more sensitive manner.

Whether Yoshida truly intended to portray a close friendship or she simply didn't want her work to be labelled as a bl instead of a crime-thriller and lose readers who would never touch anything bl related with a ten-foot pole - we'll probably never know. And frankly, it's not important. It doesn't change the fact that Banana Fish has inspired countless bl works and Ash and Eiji are regarded as one of the most beloved m/m couples in manga/anime. It doesn't change the fact the manga depicted an incredibly healthy and supporting relationship between two boys who loved each other unconditionally.

Finding hope and purpose amidst despair

Like I've mentioned before, Ash is a heavily traumatized individual who is thrown from one hell to another. His existence seemingly has no purpose and he wouldn't mind dying, but what keeps him going is his desire to make those pay who prey on the weak. His life is a never-ending cycle of violence and trauma and he flinches at the smallest touch or camera shutter. Through sheer coincidence, it's a photographer assistant that fills his life with meaning and purpose. Ash's deepest desire is to be free from exploitation and violence so when he sees Eiji "flying" in the air it makes him feel inspired. He becomes the first person to save him without wishing for anything in return. Eiji has a pure soul and Ash doesn't want it to get corrupted, for him, protecting Eiji's innocent worldview and happiness becomes the most important thing. Even though he knows Eiji would be safer in Japan, he still cannot let him go. Just like the leopard in Hemingway's story that Ash recites, Ash is looking for a purpose in his life, something that can set him free from his pain. The leopard froze on the mountain while it was searching for something that was more valuable than its life. At the top of Ash's Kilimanjaro there's a future with Eiji - going to Japan with him, always staying by his side.

When he's with him, Ash lowers his guard and doesn't sense danger. He's just a 17-year old boy who laughs about funny jokes and enjoys the company of another human being. He's uncomfortable with people approaching from behind but doesn't even flinch when Eiji does it. He stops shaking when he hugs him despite flinching at other people touching him. However we choose to interpret their relationship, Ash and Eiji's souls are intertwined. Eiji gives Ash hope for a better future and the opportunity to dream. The tragic irony of their situation is that the same circumstances that allowed them to meet each other in the first place are also the ones that force them apart.

It's important to mention that the anime adaptation clearly went for the more romantic interpretation. From promotional arts and visual storytelling to the opening and ending sequences, the series put a big emphasis on the relationship between the two boys and how they changed each other's lives. The second ending in particular, titled "Red", very clearly symbolizes a love beyond friendship and it shows the two of them at a field with the sun shining on Eiji while Ash is watching him from afar, mesmerized by the light. The colours of the rye field and the setting sun are blending together, creating a sense of tranquility where time seemingly stops existing. This video gaines even more meaning after the last episode, especially with the lyrics:

"In spite of how the world decides to see my life Would I still have a chance for us to say goodbye? Over and over again If I decide to burn instead of fading out I still would like a chance for us to say goodbye Over and over again

If we can be found, we sure can get lost Through all the madness of falling in love If we're truly lost, I don't want to be found Here dying alone

The stain of RED that colors the pavement Painted with blood of somebody you love Is this the sacrifice for the broken Losing the purest of what's in your heart"

(or in other words, the ending that still gives me emotional damage because of its powerful imagery)

Eiji is also an anchor to Ash's humanity. When we first see Ash, he is in many ways disconnected from his emotions - he wouldn't mind dying but doesn't want to give up his life willingly. He doesn't like killing people without a reason, but he accepts it's a part of his reality. However, Eiji makes him let his guard down. To everyone else, he's a capable gang leader, a highly intelligent individual, an object of worship and fear. In front of Eiji he's just a normal teenager and he doesn't want him to see his "ugly" side. Whenever Eiji is separated from him, Ash becomes disconnected from his emotions once again. But Eiji is also the one who makes him feel like a human being in his last moments.

The most cruel, yet beautiful ending

I will be completely honest - I initially hated the ending. When I first saw it, I thought it was the cruelest thing I've ever witnessed in any anime and I still stand by my opinion. Ash's death was cruel - after a life full of trauma he finally found his happiness, only for it to be taken away from him in the very next second. Ash decided that he would let Eiji go because they are too different for Eiji's safety, until he finds his letter with the plane ticket Eiji left him. Ash becomes unguarded once again and doesn't notice the danger until it's too late. However, Ash chooses to spend his last moments at his favourite place - in the library. He sits in the seat where Eiji did and reads his letter that says Eiji might say goodbye to America but he doesn't want to say goodbye to Ash because his soul will always stay with him. Ash passes away knowing that somebody loved him and cared for him, and he also cared for that person - Ash found meaning in his life through loving another person. This scene was so beautifully done that I was violently sobbing through it. Don't get me wrong - Ash deserved better. He was just 18 years old, a heavily traumatized victim who just wanted to be with the person he loved; however, I'm comforted by the knowledge that he was happy in his last moments. A cruel, yet tragically beautiful way to end his story. A thematically fitting conclusion, even if it seems unfair and left me with a hollow feeling.

While it came as a shock to me as a viewer, Ash's death was carefully foreshadowed in the series. Salinger's short story, which was the inspiration for the title, is a tragic tale of a soldier who has experienced so many horrible events that he cannot regain his place in the world. He talks about banana fish that were originally normal fish at first, but once they swam into a hole full of bananas they ate so much they couldn't get out. This story is a metaphor for the soldier's PTSD about war, he's just like the banana fish in the sense that he cannot go back to what he once was before he became corrupted. Ash, similarly to the soldier, has way too much blood on his hands. While most of it was for self-defense, Ash admits that he cannot break free from his cycle of violence and there are moments when he has no other choice but to kill another human being. Ash already sees no way out of the "banana-hole", but his liberation comes in a spiritual form through meeting Eiji and loving him unconditionally. Knowing that there was someone whose soul would always stay with his was what finally made him free of his ill fate full of violence.

That doesn't mean that the ending is not problematic. Yoshida stated that Ash's death was a karmic consequence of him killing other people. While Ash was a victim himself, I can understand where she's coming from. What I cannot understand is why it was only Ash who had to suffer these consequences - other characters who have killed others didn't die at a young age. It makes Ahs's death even more cruel when he finally decided to tell Eiji his feelings. Also, there seems to be a strange message about how death is salvation for broken people. Yoshida never even entertained the idea that Ash would have been happy in Japan, but he wasn't even given the opportunity to try. While the library scene is one of the most beautiful scenes I've ever watched in anime, it still leaves me with a conflicted feeling. Tragedies indeed happen in real life, but this one especially hurt. I understand the themes of the series,but it didn't make the ending any less painful which is proof of how impactful it was. The anime director likely shared my sentiment because they decided to leave the ending open. Ash is sitting at the library with a smile on his face, but we don't know if he truly passed away. Maybe someone will notice him and call for help. Maybe one day he can go to Japan.

In the manga; however, Ash is clearly dead. Even after 8 years, Eiji still cannot move on and even another character says that Eiji is forever Ash's. He lives in New York, mentions Ash in conversations without saying his name, chases after people who look like him. And even though Eiji can finally bring out his photos, there's an underlying implication that he'll never completely heal. I've mentioned the second ending's significance and I believe it beautifully illustrates how the connection between the main characters is one that transcends their physical existence. It might even seem like as if they've met again in the afterlife because their souls are always together. I'm not saying that Eiji should never be happy in the future. He might never fully move on, but he deserves to have a peaceful life. But I also like the implication of the second ending that one day they will meet again in different forms because the connection between them was so deep that the duration of the time they knew each other in the corporeal world is actually irrelevant.

Banana Fish was a series that broke me and made me cry, and the relationship between Ash and Eiji made me think about what I would want to remember in my last moments. It is a work full of triggering moments and tragedy, but at the end of the day what's important is what you take away from it even if it's not the author's intention. Whether Ash found peace through a close friendship, romantic love or a deep soulmate connection, it doesn't matter. But I'm happy that at least in his final moments he finally found his purpose.

#banana fish #banana fish anime #banana fish manga #eiji okumura #ash lynx #banana fish spoilers #anime #manga #anime review #manga review #meta

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havocdream · 22 days ago

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Unheard and Unseen - Thirteen

Summary: Vintra and Hunter discuss recent events on their way to Coruscant, urgently trying to come up with a plan to cover up Vintra's illegal meeting with Arvin Haradan and to track down the possible culprit who leaked the intel about her flight off the planet.

Word count: 5.7k

Warnings: Swearing | Mentions of assassinations | Mentions of explosions | Mentions of death of children | Self harm

Notes at the end of chapter

Chapter twelve -> Jawa-brained animal

Masterlist

Half-truths

Despite the constant travel Vintra had to make as part of her role as a Galactic Senator, she’d never had the privilege of boarding a military ship. She assumed it’d be different from a private or commercial vessel, but her imagination failed to fully grasp the reality of what one of these ships was until she stepped through the hatch of the Havoc Marauder.

It looked larger inside than it did from the outside, with up to three distinct areas loaded with navicomputers, weapons, equipment, and ammunition. In the cockpit, the control panel spanned the entire front edge, featuring hundreds of commands and two screens in front of the pilot and co-pilot seats, displaying comprehensive data on the space surrounding the ship. Two additional passenger seats were positioned behind each pilot's chair. Along the side walls were energy feeders and data cabins, housing the ship's internal power processors.

To the right of the entrance, a narrow corridor led to the safety seats for transporting additional passengers. These seats offered more protection than those in the cockpit, with extra harnesses and secure fittings against the ship's walls to ensure stability during transit. The adjacent room was more spacious, housing two large computers on each side that received real-time updates about the status of various fronts of the war, military intelligence messages, database updates, and alerts on major socio-political or military events—like the recent bounty hunter attack on the Senate Building and the Executive Office Building of the Republic on Coruscant, news that Vintra was still unaware of.

At the rear of the ship were the soldiers' sleeping bunks, accompanied by a narrow locker. The final feature was an exclusive compartment for rear artillery, operated only by whoever was stationed there.

However, despite being a well-equipped and secure vessel tailored for an elite military group, the same praise couldn’t be extended to the orderliness of the interior. Vintra accidentally kicked food wrappers, nearly tripped on an attachment from one of Crosshair's rifles tangled in her sleeve, and her shoe heel got stuck in what she swore was a half-eaten piece of fruit.

But what provoked her fastest reaction was the smell—a mix of grease, smoke, sweat, and dirt that the ventilation system barely managed to purify. It was reminiscent of a pet food store in one of the sublevel districts of Coruscant's capital.

"Doesn’t this smell bother you?" she asked the clone behind her, covering her nose and frowning in disgust, fully aware that Hunter’s senses were far more acute than an average person. He tried not to roll his eyes.

"I’m used to it," he admitted with a slight, humorless shrug, as if it wasn’t that big of a deal.

Hunter, who had just finished boarding and closing the hatch, gestured for the senator to take her designated seat—one of the safety seats in the mid-cabin. Vintra walked through the narrow corridor with difficulty, trying hard not to trip over the many items scattered on the floor.

"How... can you even walk in here?" she muttered under her breath, shaking her foot to free it from a cable that Tech or Hunter had likely forgotten to pick up. Behind her, the sergeant advanced without a care, stepping on whatever happened to be in his path.

The ship's lights turned on, and the engine's warming vibrations made the floor and walls tremble slightly, signaling that takeoff was imminent. Vintra hurried to the nearest seat and sat down quickly, but as soon as she reached for the seatbelt, she found out there wasn’t one.

"This is an attack shuttle, not a first-class space yacht," he remarked sarcastically, leaning against the opposite wall with his arms crossed, clearly amused by her struggles with the safety protocols.

"You don’t say," she retorted with equal sarcasm, nodding toward the mess scattered throughout the hallway she had just crossed. Irritated by her inability to figure out how to lower the safety bars above the seats, Vintra shot Hunter an increasingly frustrated look, baffled at his refusal to assist her. "Well? Are you just going to stand there?" she pressed. He barely shifted the muscles beneath his eyes, his expression intrigued and suspicious ever since he had pulled her out of the room with Senator Haradan.

"You’ve got a lot of questions to answer, senator," he suggested, but Vintra found no humor in his comment. She stood abruptly from her seat, determined to fix the problem herself.

"So do you! Let’s start with the rancor in the room: how the fuck did you find me?" demanded the ederian as she strained with all her might to pull down the bar. It clattered noisily but refused to budge. The ship's thrusters began to hum louder as they heated up. "Rodova isn’t exactly a well-known planet; it’s barely on any maps these days," she added between light panting and futile attempts to adjust her dress while keeping her back turned to the sergeant.

"It wasn’t easy, especially since you were presumed dead for quite a while," his dismissive tone clashed with the gravity of his words. For a moment, Vintra almost thought she had misheard him, as if the news of her death were a trivial mistake in the morning reports.

But she remembered what the sergeant had mentioned earlier—information she’d brushed aside in her adrenaline-fueled concern over losing her deal with Arvin. Her network had intercepted an enemy message: someone had planned to capture or kill her. The explosion of a ship in Evadelar suggested the plan had been executed successfully.

"After analyzing some debris we managed to recover, Tech identified it was from a commercial cargo ship, incapable of reaching half the speed of light. Wrecker studied the level of destruction and determined the explosion had occurred less than five hours prior… From Coruscant, it would’ve been impossible for that ship to reach Evadelar in under ten hours; it must’ve been in transit for at least twenty-two; and according to surveillance records, you were still on Coruscant fifteen hours earlier," Vintra gave up on the metal harness, unable to find any visible lock to release it or an automatic switch to activate it. "So, we mapped potential destinations within fifteen hours of your location and cross-referenced them with the control station maps, eliminating those paths… Only a few options remained. When I noticed one of them led to the Jalor Sector, I was certain that was where you’d gone. It’s the only sector resembling Evadelar. I figured the enemy intel might have been wrong about the exact location but not the conditions, as both are infamous smuggling routes."

Just then, Vintra spotted a lever on the side of the seatback bearing a symbol resembling the safety bars. Without hesitation, she gave it a full turn, releasing the heavy gear above her, that would’ve slammed down onto her head, hadn’t Hunter caught it at the last second.

“Every ship leaves a trail that’s almost imperceptible to the eye, but with the right equipment, we can track it. And it turned out, the only planet those traces led to was Rodova. We found your ship there and then I had no trouble tracking your steps,” he explained behind her. Vintra had instinctively covered her head with her hands when she saw the metal bar falling toward her. At some point, the sergeant had crossed from the threshold of the hallway to her side to prevent her from being knocked out by her own desperation—though all that trouble could’ve been avoided if the sergeant had helped her from the start.

“Of all the squads in the galaxy, it had to be yours that got called,” she muttered, lowering her arms and quickly taking a seat. Hunter slowly lowered the safety bars, adjusting them to the ederian’s size. His hands brushed against her waist as he secured the sides of the seat. The textured detail of that part of her dress felt like a blend of cotton kisses and brocade dusted with fine specks of stones. The intricate weave in his skin created an unexpected sensation, as if he were accidentally bridging the gap of thousands of light-years between an insignificant soldier and one of the Republic’s greatest political figures.

“Well, all of this could’ve been avoided if you hadn’t decided to break the law,” he reminded her, his lips curving into a threatening smirk as if the whole situation amused him. And it did, as it was one of the few ways he could assert his authority over her. “Which brings me to my questions.”

After finishing the adjustments, he stood slightly above her, his hands resting on the two bars enclosing the senator’s face. There was no escape—not from the jolts of the ship at full speed, nor from the truth he demanded.

Vintra pressed her back harder against the seat when she realized how close Hunter’s face was to hers. She instinctively tried to put more distance between them but found she couldn’t. She didn’t know where to place her hands; gripping the bar would mean touching his, so she rested them on the edges of the seat beside her legs, doing her best not to shrink into herself to hide her neck, as if she bore there her darkest secrets.

“What are you up to?” he asked in a low, menacing tone that sparked an almost uncontrollable urge in Vintra to answer him immediately. The deep vibration in his voice felt like a natural command for her tongue to spill what she was most determined to keep hidden. “You’ve been dragging the stench of a secret since you recognized us, and it’s only grown heavier. Your vital signs now scream for help and regret, as if you’ve made a mistake.”

Vintra furrowed her brows, terrified that Hunter could see so much through her.

“It’s in your eyes, your desperation,” he continued, nodding toward the safety bars with his chin, “your constant swallowing, your obsession with glancing over your shoulder on the way here.”

She couldn’t help but silently curse herself.

"What’re you hiding from?"

It would’ve been easier to say what she wasn't hiding from.

“I know you’ve had… a complicated month on Coruscant,” the ship finally started to levitate, ready to leave the planet and enter hyperspace. Hunter didn’t seem to lose his balance with the slight shakes of the vehicle, nor was he worried about finding something to hold onto. Vintra gripped her hold tightly. “The accusations from your opposition are alarming, and your defense hasn’t looked very good—”

“Seems like now you’re a real expert on the political context,” she commented with irony, almost offended that her recent defeats were now being judged even by him. Hunter hardened his gaze, but Vintra didn’t feel threatened or intimidated by it; it seemed more like the clone was concerned.

“I wanted to make sure you were alive,” he admitted with complete honesty, in contrast to Vintra’s reluctant intention of doing the same. She softened her gaze at his confession, remembering how she had basically dismissed him when, in his words, his squad was called whenever the danger increased. “Is this an attempt to win back the Senate’s approval?”

Vintra held her breath, her eyes meeting his. It was true that returning to Coruscant wasn’t something Vintra looked forward to at the moment. She had spent a month with a terrible case for her defense.

Forty standard rotations ago, a terrible accident had occurred in one of the primary schools on Coruscant. A gas leak had caused a devastating explosion at the educational center, claiming the lives of several children and staff members. It was a case that shocked the capital planet for several days, with many media outlets and public figures using their voices and resources to support the grieving families and loved ones.

However, a few days later, the Senator from the Nemeda System boldly addressed the Senate, blaming Vintra for the explosion’s deadly toll. “Had we had infrastructures made with thusten, the explosion would never have left the kitchen area and reached the classrooms and hallways.” That’s what Astar Farwan, one of the leaders of her opposition regarding the Druad bill, had said to spark a flame that quickly turned into a chaotic fire of blame, accusing fingers, and endless speeches justifying Druad’s occupation.

Several media outlets supported Farwan’s proposition, with entire pieces criticizing Vintra for failing to look out for her own people by wanting to deny them access to a material that could’ve saved the lives of so many children, siblings, or friends. The public, which had supported her so strongly at the start, began juggling between their undeniable support for her peaceful proposal and their disgust toward her for preventing thusten walls from saving so many young lives.

Despite securing a lot of votes over the last two months, she was starting to lose allies due to the growing public disfavor every time her face appeared in a new headline or cover, still firm in her arguments for the liberation of Druad and her disinterest in acquiring thusten.

“I need something to convince the Senate that this bill’s possible,” she admitted, her voice barely audible over the noise of the ship almost ready to jump into hyperspace. “Something irrefutable, like the evidence that even the Separatist Parliament is willing to support it.”

The Havoc Marauder finally propelled into hyperspace with such a jolt that it destabilized Vintra for a moment, forcing her reflexes to release her grip on the seat and reach for the bars in front of her. Her soft, slender hands covered the thick, gloved and strong ones of the sergeant, who turned his attention to her involuntary gesture, though no reaction appeared on his face.

Vintra, with her cheeks flushed and her chest wrapped in shame, lowered her hands beneath his, her grip tightening on the metal that protected her. Hunter returned his gaze to her, and one corner of his lips lifted in a mocking smirk.

“Hm,” muttered the clone, curious about the mixed signals emanating from her like a short circuit with different origins. “Your words are true, but you’ve left out the ones that matter most,” he accused, certain that Vintra must be involved in something risky or shady to dare evade the truth in front of him, knowing he’d recognize her intentions.

Under Hunter’s outstretched arm, Vintra noticed another figure entering the room, with an apathetic expression and tense gestures. Hunter glanced at Wrecker but quickly returned his gaze to the senator and moved his presence away from hers. Neither seemed affected by the speed at which the ship was traveling, while Vintra felt that if she removed her hands from the bar, she’d fall.

“What?” the clone leader asked, his gaze narrowing but never leaving sight of Vintra.

“The Kinyen Senator was killed,” Wrecker informed both, although it was Vintra’s face that seemed to fall in horror at what she’d just heard, her eyes quickly moving to the large clone. “The rest of the kidnapped senators barely survived an explosion, and the Chancellor and company have already been freed and sec—”

“What are you talking about, trooper?” she asked in fear, unsure if she really wanted to know.

“Mavan Stent has requested to speak with the senator,” Wrecker ignored her, knowing Hunter would explain soon. The sergeant looked at him.

“Tell him he’ll speak with her once we land,” Wrecker nodded to his orders, and Vintra looked at the sergeant with evident frustration and confusion. “Get the others, we need to discuss the plan.”

The jolt of the bars from Vintra’s desperate attempt to remove them returned Hunter’s gaze to her, with little warning that Vintra might succeed. The ederian growled in frustration.

“I want to talk to my Chief of Intelligence!” she complained, desperation painted in the violet of her eyes. But Hunter remained unmoved.

“You won’t talk to anyone until we’re all on the same page,” the clone crossed his arms in front of her and analyzed her. “If there’s a traitor in the higher ranks of the Republic, manipulating the information about what happened today is key,” Vintra’s face started to paint with distress; the nonsensical news she’d just heard didn’t seem to have settled well. “There was a bounty hunter siege at the Senate Building,” Hunter finally explained upon sensing her fear. “I still don’t know the details of the operation, we were sent to find you when it happened,” footsteps were heard approaching them, and Hunter glanced at his brothers down the hall.

Vintra hit her forehead against one of the bars in front of her, causing Hunter to return his gaze to her in alert, surprised by the violence with which Vintra had been acting since they had met again. She replayed the clones’ words in her mind and created a fictitious scenario about what had happened on Coruscant that day. Why had they sieged the Senate? Who had been kidnapped? Why hadn’t Mavan contacted her sooner? Who would have betrayed her?

When the clones entered the room and Tech was about to speak, Hunter’s outstretched hand signaled him to wait. The sergeant’s furrowed brow towards Vintra reflected unease; his senses had picked up something different.

The squad sergeant didn’t like what seemed more and more like regret within Senator Selana, as if her entire existence had suddenly become a mistake, and everyone agreed with that statement. Something had her cornered, sinking her into a pit of guilt…

Was it the school incident? Did she believe her opposition was right? Did she feel guilty for the children’s deaths?

“Are you alright?”

The genuine and almost delicate interest came from his mouth, not wanting to impose more frustrations and moral burdens on her. A sad gasp escaped her.

“I’m fine,” once again, she dared to lie to him when she knew he’d recognize it. Vintra took a deep breath and raised her gaze to the clones. “What’s the plan?”

There were three figures waiting on the landing platform near Coruscant’s Federal District, none other than the Supreme Chancellor himself, along with his Vice Chair, Mas Amedda, both anxious to know how Senator Selana was and what news she was bringing back. Beside them, the Chief of Intelligence from Ederon, Mavan Stent, watched impatiently as Clone Force 99’s combat ship made its rough landing, eager to see his dear friend and finally hear the details of her important mission.

Mavan made little effort to hide his nervousness. He bit down on the skin around his nails with such force that he couldn’t stop tearing off small pieces of it, making the Chancellor glance at him with a mix of distress and disgust. But Mavan paid no mind to the disapproving look from the Chancellor, for the powerful man didn’t understand the true position Mavan was in with his superior.

He had failed to protect Vintra's critical negotiations because he had gone to an insignificant meeting with Admirals and Vice Admirals about a stupid, incorrect information leak. Because of his absence, chaos had ensued in both his intel network and the army’s, and the Republic’s top trackers had been sent to pull Vintra out of a meeting authorized by the Supreme Court—one that had likely been interrupted and ruined.

Mavan was sure he had never felt as much fear in years as when the ship’s door opened, and from the darkness inside, Vintra Selana’s copper-colored robes gradually emerged, until the morning light revealed her stunning figure. Behind her, the clone sergeant hurried down with her.

“Vintra! It’s such a relief to see you’re alright,” exclaimed the Chancellor, Sheev Palpatine, with a shy tone. He stood a couple of feet away from the ramp Vintra was descending, dressed in a luxurious set of ochre velvet fabrics that formed a thick, long robe with voluminous, curving sleeves and a high, sculpted collar that reached up to his cheekbones, almost like a protective cone. On anyone else, it would’ve looked ridiculous, but on the Supreme Chancellor, it gave him an imposing and threatening air. "I’m sorry for this terrible misunderstanding. Should I assume the negotiations didn’t go well?" asked the wise man with regret, as he walked toward her and offered his pale hand to help her down the last steps.

Vintra took a deep breath of the fresh morning breeze blowing across the open platform, surrounded by the typical urban sounds of the capital, and took the Chancellor’s hand in good faith. A confident smile appeared on her face as her feet touched the ground.

"Not at all, Chancellor, hasn’t the Supreme Court informed you yet?" Vintra responded to her leader’s concern, and a delicate pat on the hand holding hers tried to convey calm about the situation, although the Chancellor only expressed confusion. "Arvin Haradan had a health issue, he wasn’t going to be able to attend our meeting today... but he contacted the Separatist Court to let us know that he was willing to support the negotiations and present a Druad ceasefire bill in the Separatist Parliament."

Mavan’s mouth threatened to fall open in astonishment at what he was hearing, but he held himself back, remembering his manners as the leader of one of the galaxy’s most powerful factions. He couldn’t help but feel a wave of relief upon hearing that everything had gone well, and that his absence hadn’t cost Vintra dearly; they still had a valuable card to play for defense in the Senate...

But as he noticed how her nostrils flared every few seconds, and how her posture seemed to slightly lean forward, as if she were carrying a backpack full of stones on her back and pretending it was something she could bear, Mavan guessed that Vintra was lying. He knew her too well to not recognize those patterns instantly, but the most alarming thing wasn’t that she was lying, but that the lie was directed at the Supreme Chancellor himself.

Something Vintra had never done in her political career.

"... Isn’t that right, Mr. Stent?" The Chancellor’s voice, followed by the gaze of both Vintra and him fixed on him, snapped Mavan out of his bewilderment, unsure if he had managed to hide his reaction well enough to avoid suspicion.

"Sorry, it’s just that I’m so relieved this valuable plan hasn’t fallen apart," the ederian with ash-colored hair and sapphire eyes feigned nonchalance. His young but mature face always helped him hide the expression lines that would form when his worry or distress were too intense. "I assume you’ll want to discuss your speech for the next plenary as soon as possible," he addressed Vintra, eager to have a private conversation with her. Vintra nodded slowly and gave the Chancellor a kind and apologetic expression.

"Mavan’s right, I’m afraid I must rush to the Supreme Court to draft my proposals for the Separatist Parliament and my speech before the Senate regarding this incredible news," Vintra apologized for having to leave. "I know you’ll be expecting a report on the whole situation, Chancellor. I’ll meet with you tonight after Philo’s funeral, if that’s alright with you."

Vintra's large purple orbs were known to have a mysterious power of persuasion, if she set her mind to it with full intent. They served her as if within them existed two giant planets equipped with their own magnetic field—hypnotic and dangerous if anyone got lost in them for longer than usual, it was a one-way trip to her control.

Chancellor Palpatine didn’t usually give in to such clear manipulations, and he had all the authority to demand Vintra clarify everything at once, without giving her the time to surpass him in information advantage or keep him in the dark any longer about that crucial matter. The negotiations with the Separatists, the first to be formalized by the Supreme Court and a nearly winning card for Druad’s bill, were an event that he, as Chancellor, had to have complete knowledge of.

However, the harsh gaze Palpatine perceived from the clone standing behind Vintra stopped him from giving the order. Unable to see his alert eyes due to the visor covering them, it was as if the Chancellor knew the clone was closely evaluating his response, like a rodent gradually being led to a perfect bait to finally be caught.

He didn't understand the meaning behind that gesture, as it felt like Vintra was hiding something or scheming something. There was more behind the words she spoke.

"Of course, Vintra," he said after a moment of reflection on that predicament, curious to know where that sudden distrust and intriguing attitude would lead. "I'll see you in my office after the ceremony."

The confidence with which the Chancellor's hand touched her shoulder gave Vintra the impression that the Chancellor knew he had been tested. It wasn’t the gesture she had anticipated when the sergeant had suggested saying that. And she didn’t like having to unnecessarily disturb the most valuable political relationships she had, but if it was about hunting down an infiltrator, she had to trust the instincts of the man who had discovered that Luvid Stass was the orchestrator of her assassination attempts.

"I'm afraid the Republic owes you an apology as well, sergeant," the Chancellor said to Hunter, his expression wrapped in a halo of imperceptible signals for the clone. "We wasted your squad's talents on a mission that involved no real danger, after all."

Hunter had to acknowledge that the Chancellor’s cunning was worthy of praise. His intent to try to extract information from him made it clear that the Senate leader knew they were hiding something, and it involved danger. His apology was more of a warning.

"Better safe than sorry," replied the clone with respect, as if wasting his time wasn't a big deal. Although his tone was double-edged, more of a bounce-back to the warning made by the Chancellor.

Palpatine gave the clone a knowing smile, one that clearly warned him not to try anything clever with him. Vintra noticed the Chancellor’s deadly glare, a look known by all politicians as the signal to flee the scene, for it was the anticipation of a bloodbath.

Between the two men, Vintra’s figure and face intervened. "At least we can rest assured that the sergeant and company are the ones capable of finding the impossible," she softened the scene, with her gentle face and soothing tone, like a maiden defending a knight before the king.

The Chancellor fixed his fiery gaze on Vintra, which served as a lagoon to cool off and grant mercy. "Such a relief," the head of the Senate murmured with irony.

When the Supreme Chancellor boarded his shuttle alongside the Vice Chair and offered a final farewell to those still on the landing platform, Vintra waited only a few seconds before turning to the clone with suicidal intentions.

"Next time you want to be annihilated, make sure I'm not close enough to get stained with your blood," she scolded, her voice like the clash of iron, harsh and with sharp impact. Behind the visor, it was impossible for Vintra to know the clone's expression, who seemed to just observe her without any emotion. "You know where to find me."

That was the last thing she said before approaching an impatient Mavan toward her personal transport. Hunter relaxed his shoulders and let out a sharp sigh.

"Wait," the sergeant's voice stopped her, as he activated his visor's channel to communicate with one of his brothers. "Go with her," he ordered someone, immediately revealed to be Wrecker as he appeared at the hatch and, weapon in hand, positioned himself once again next to Vintra Selana. "There's still a hunt for you, and your guard hasn't returned," the clone reminded her while making it clear there would be no discussion as he crossed his arms. "If word gets out about your successful negotiations, rest assured someone will try to silence you."

Vintra held her frozen gaze on him for a moment. Although part of the plan was to consider that one of the presents could leak this crucial and threatening information, it didn’t take away the fear of not catching the imposter in time. From the corner of her eye, Vintra glanced at Mavan, a cold pang piercing her chest, at the height of her heart. The mere possibility that Mavan could be the traitor hurt, and it even sent chills down her spine to imagine a scenario where her old and trusted friend would take a moment alone with her to twist her neck and end her life.

Part of her had been unable to argue with the clone when he told her that Mavan and the Chancellor couldn’t be excluded from the same level of distrust as everyone else. Not because she believed they were guilty, but because she trusted Hunter’s instincts.

It wouldn’t be the first time that someone unimaginable to Vintra turned out to be behind her assassination attempts.

But Vintra also trusted her own instincts. It may have taken her time to believe that Luvid Stass wanted to kill her, but Mavan was as impossible as eternal life. There was no room for logic, and deep inside, she screamed with certainty that Mavan would never betray her, not even to save his own life.

General Windu's gaze hesitated for several seconds, unsure whether to turn into confusion or astonishment after witnessing what the sergeant of the Clone Force 99 was communicating to him.

“An infiltrator? Here on Coruscant?” he questioned incredulously from the seat across from the clone, who stood firm and at attention before the Jedi. The room they were in ascended to nearly the top floor of the Coruscant Central Command Building, just a few streets away from the Federal District. The walls of the place, in the hours of dusk, were bathed in warm artificial lights, bright enough to make out the large filing cabinet of classified reports in the darkness, and the touchscreen board that traced route calculations and real-time information of high-profile targets across the galaxy. All of this oversaw by the wise Jedi Master, who, in those days, was referred to as 'General.'

“Or a traitor,” suggested Hunter, his expression serious and alarmed, but confident in what he was conveying. General Windu, whose authority was emphasized by his perfectly tailored brown robes and adorned with his unique lightsaber, sighed in frustration. Hunter wasn’t a soldier who made mistakes in such accusations, and, in truth, it wasn’t hard for him to believe what he was saying.

What was difficult to accept was the clone's request to be reassigned as bodyguards for Senator Selana.

"I’m afraid this is a case that one of our Jedi Knights should handle, sergeant," the general confessed after a moment of reflection. "The Order has... suspected this infiltrator for some time now, an entire division has been tracking him for months," he explained, and Hunter was beginning to tire of realizing that everyone he’d spoken to that day revealed a bit of truth but hide the bulk of it. "Needless to say, they haven't had success," he raised his hands slightly to show how empty they were. Hunter raised an eyebrow.

If the Jedi Order had an entire division dedicated to monitoring the figures of power in the Republic to track down the traitor, and they still had nothing, it complicated things. First, because they weren’t sure if they were talking about the same person—there could be two impostors at play. Second, it might suggest that the data leak had come from their front of the war, not from the Separatist side.

“In my experience, general,” Hunter began, his purpose in that room being to ensure his mission was to protect Senator Selana, “if you haven’t found the culprit, it’s because they know how you operate,” he placed his hand over his chest to emphasize his figure. “My squadron tends to work with uncommon, hard-to-predict methods, and we have the advantage of knowing that this person is close to the few involved in the negotiations Senator Selana was having with Senator Haradan,” General Windu’s frown seemed to indicate that he recognized the points the clone was making, almost convinced that reassigned them to Coruscant wouldn’t be such a bad idea. “Besides, we have the Senator’s trust to take care of her security.”

His final argument, the best he had, pierced the Jedi’s core like a fine needle, leaking enough conviction to accept the sergeant’s request. Of course, they were a group of clones worthy of the most complicated challenges the war was presenting more and more.

But this was different, because it wasn’t an impostor he believed even they could face. And he wasn’t willing to sacrifice his best clone unit for the inefficiency of the Jedi Order itself.

“Why are you interested in this case?” the Jedi asked after a moment of uneasily observing the clone, on an exciting journey to try to decipher him. The question caught Hunter by surprise, leaving him speechless for a good while.

He hadn’t thought about it, as his mission to find and secure Senator Selana had already concluded. The fact that there was more danger lurking didn’t mean it was his responsibility to protect her. And yet, he felt like it was.

“I already had to turn my back on her once when she needed us most,” he confessed, almost without thinking about how to put his words. But as soon as he found the little sense of what his gut felt and his mind thought, there was no turning back with his tongue. “I think this is a case only my unit can handle, and her life’s still at risk… it’s not natural for me or for them to turn our backs on this kind of danger.”

And as if some invisible force was laughing at him from a higher plane in some far-off space but still alongside him, Hunter felt the vibrations in his head and chest from revealing part of a truth but omitting most of it.

I'm sorry I took a while to post it, I thought december was going to be chill but suddenly my job's important (booo) and I have to be responsible lol.

Thank you for reading!! I don't know if you felt this chapter short like I did, my excuse is that it serves as a bridge between the first scenario and the core of this current part. Once we press full speed we aren't slowing down! :)

See you soon! xx

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