#Im defective aren’t I?

[mars-paws]

.

[seeingivy]

it's nice to have a friend

eren jaeger x f!reader

**part of my canary mate fic

previous part here

--

[lizontopoftheworld]: you know i’m about to do something huge today? 

[busstopbilly]: We’re finally getting married? 

[lizontopoftheworld]: NO 

[lizontopoftheworld]: okay wait that sounded mean 

[lizontopoftheworld]: like i was against the idea 

[lizontopoftheworld]: not that i’m for the idea

[lizontopoftheworld]: not that i’m not not for the idea 

[lizontopoftheworld]: ANYWAYS 

[lizontopoftheworld]: you have to stop flirting this type of thign is not good for my brain

[busstopbilly]: Everything alright? 

[lizontopoftheworld]: … 

[lizontopoftheworld]: just have a lot on my mind 

[lizontopoftheworld]: kind of scatterbrained 

[lizontopoftheworld]: i am going to confront the prick. 

[busstopbilly]: Wow, what gives? 

[busstopbilly]: Give him hell. 

[lizontopoftheworld]: nothing serious actually 

[lizontopoftheworld]: it’s just a thing for something we’re doing together 

[lizontopoftheworld]: BUT it’s a big deal because i’ve never really given input on this thing because i’ve assumed that he doesn’t necessarily want my input on this thing? granted i don’t think he takes advice from anyone but still 

[lizontopoftheworld]: i know what i’m saying is right and that i should so i’m going to 

[busstopbilly]: :) 

[busstopbilly]: Proud of you. 

[busstopbilly]: Are you nervous? 

[lizontopoftheworld]: i’ve prepared three counter arguments 

[lizontopoftheworld]: he literally will not catch me lacking and i’m going to try and keep my cool so that he knows that his dumb comments aren’t getting me 

[busstopbilly]: This is as much rehearsing as it takes for you to speak to your sister-in-law. 

[lizontopoftheworld]: god that’s a lost cause don’t even bring that up 

[busstopbilly]: Sometimes it feels like you’re a little harsh on her. 

[lizontopoftheworld]: SHE’S INSUFFERABLE BILLY 

[busstopbilly]: I’ll table that comment for another time. You’ve got to keep your wits about you. 

[busstopbilly]: Good luck, pretty girl. 

[lizontopoftheworld]: what’s up with you? 

[busstopbilly]: I am all types of frustrated. 

[busstopbilly]: It’s really hard to figure out what to do with what I’m working on. It’s aggravating because I know that it’s something that is entirely within my capabilities but I just can’t. 

[busstopbilly]: I’ve been working non-stop, been staring at my computer, and just getting so fucking frustated. It’s like I’m defective. Doesn’t help that it’s unreasonably high pressure at this point, but…

[lizontopoftheworld]: UGH im so sorry i didn’t mean to just start ranting at you with my own stuff 

[lizontopoftheworld]: you know, you’re very smart and capable. you’re going to figure it out eventually. 

[busstopbilly]: It’s weird. I was annoyed that I had the role I did before, but I fear I’m getting way too involved. I’m starting to care too much, which is never a good sign. 

[lizontopoftheworld]: it’s a good thing that you care 

[lizontopoftheworld]: and isn’t this close to like real medical stuff that you wanted to do?

[lizontopoftheworld]: just a sign that it’s something that’s actually stimulating. that you care about and want to work towards. 

[busstopbilly]: You always look for the positives. 

[lizontopoftheworld]: you should take notes, sweetheart 

[lizontopoftheworld]: and you shouldn’t demand perfection of yourself. you are not defective if something doesn’t work out. you’re still a regular person, it’s okay to get stumped or struggle with it a little bit. 

[busstopbilly]: You know, my dad DOES demand perfection of me. 

[lizontopoftheworld]: and that’s why we hate your dad. 

[lizontopoftheworld]: i know you demand perfection of yourself too, that wanting to do well is natural, but be a little bit nice to yourself. 

[lizontopoftheworld]: you’re going to figure it out. 

[busstopbilly]: Check back in at the end of the week. Hopefully, I’m still put together. 

[busstopbilly]:  By the way. 

[busstopbilly]: Sweetheart? 

[busstopbilly]: Do you mean that in a patronizing way or am I really your sweetheart? 

[lizontopoftheworld]: patronizing 

[busstopbilly]: You’re killing me. 

[lizontopoftheworld]: i’m sorry, sweetheart <3 

--

you find eren in the main conference room, early in the morning on thursday. you can tell that he’s hard at work – old scans from sessions printed against the wall that he’s made notes on, intelligible jargon on the glass whiteboards, and his hair an uncharacteristic mess – surely from the amount of times he’s run his hands through his hair. 

you clear your throat, recalling all the talking points that you had rehearsed in the mirror the night prior, as you knock on the door and cautiously enter the room. you note that the smell of coffee is overwhelming – the freshly brewed cup sitting two feet away from you – and that the trashcan seems to be overflowing with empty energy drinks. 

eren doesn’t even notice your presence, his green eyes still fixed to the scan that he’s staring at, his hand raised in the air with the pen. you note that he’s wearing his glasses, that it looks like he hasn’t slept since you saw him yesterday, as you walk up to his side. 

“working hard, hm?” you ask. 

eren’s startled by the sound of your voice, jumping in the slightest, as you widen your eyes and feel your cheeks flush. way to start off on a good note. 

“sorry! sorry, i figured you noticed that i was here when i walked up to you.” 

“were you saying something to me?” he asks. 

you shake your head. you can tell that your presence has shattered some semblance of his concentration – that he’s annoyed with you because of it –  as he sets his pencil down and basically collapses into the chair across from you. you follow suit, sitting down in the chair too, as you uncomfortably shift against the worn out foam. 

“i’m too fucking tired to have a fucking conversation with you right now.” he utters. 

you fight the urge to scoff. 

“does talking to me truly take so much effort?” you retort. 

eren rolls his eyes, before slumping back down into the chair. 

“when you’re so hellbent on arguing, it does. and you don’t seem to talk to me otherwise.” 

“you don’t have to argue if you just agree with me. and why on earth would i be so hellbent on arguing with the most insufferable person that i know?” 

eren shrugs, clearly irritated. 

“you tell me, y/n.” 

you clear your throat, cracking all the knuckles in your hand. 

“i’ve come to talk to you about colt. the trial. you can’t tell falco that he’s on the verge of getting kicked out.” 

eren pinches the bridge of his nose. 

“well, obviously –” 

“his brother means a lot to him. his accident was really traumatic for his family, and even though he promised he wouldn’t get so self-involved, he obviously is. i mean, it’s his brother. he can’t help it. and there’s a lot of hope that this is giving him and i’d be scared to prematurely stop him in his tracks if we didn’t need to. they both talk about it so much that it would demoralize gabi too.” 

“oh, it definitely would, and -” 

“and they’re both sweet kids. their sincere passion and interest in the project is so sweet, i would hate for them to feel like it’s not working, to think that all of their work, our work, has amounted to nothing. i think that you and i could figure out which treatment we should do this upcoming week on our own, if you’ll take my help, and then we can go from there.” 

“well, i - “ 

you can’t help but ball your fists in your lap. 

“look, i know you don’t really like me, that you probably think that i’m being stupid and soft-hearted and whatever right now, but this means a lot to me. and i know that basically means nothing to you, but i’m just asking you as your colleague? friend? whatever it is that we are to just do this for me. i’ve never asked you for anything before, i don’t think i ever will again, and i’d just…really appreciate it if you could –” 

you’re promptly cut off from giving your entire spiel because eren reaches forward, placing both of his warm hands on your cheeks, in efforts to get you to stop talking. you look forward, noting that his eyes are so deeply green – that he really does look exhausted – as he applies a firm pressure. 

“stop talking please.” he murmurs, his tone soft. almost like you’ve pained him my rambling for so long. 

“what?” you whisper. 

eren lets go, the warmth retreating from your face, as he leans back in his chair. 

“you didn’t hear a word i said, did you?” he asks, his tone rather soft. 

you frown. 

“did you say something?” 

“i pretty much agreed with you after the first sentence, y/n. don’t know what the fuck you’re blabbing on about.” he murmurs. 

“oh. really?” you murmur, slightly embarrassed. you wouldn’t have put so much effort if he was going to give in that easily. 

eren gives you a thoughtful nod, before leaning his head against the back of his chair, and rubbing at his eyes. 

“i’m well aware that you think i’m not capable of being fond of anyone. but i am, very fond, of both falco and his brother. i would hate to let either of them down or cause anyone unnecessary stress, especially when this entire thing is my idea, so i would like to keep it between us. i was actually intending on having this conversation with you when i arrived.” 

“i’ve been here for five hours. it’s almost one in the afternoon, eren.” 

eren groans. 

“it seems that time has gotten away from me.” 

“how long have you been here?” 

“since yesterday. i can’t seem to figure out which region to target next.” 

you swallow hard. 

“did you really stay here the entire time?” you ask. 

he nods. 

“biked here so that you wouldn’t go out of your way last night.” 

you sigh, as you flip through the stack of papers on the table. he’s highlighted a bunch of sentences, underlined and circled random words with questions on the side, as you reach for the closest pens. 

“are you okay with me helping? more than i already am? maybe i can try some machine learning with the data we already have and use some of the analysis you’ve been using so…so we can feel more confident? i know that you don’t like me but…” 

“stop fucking saying that.” 

“what?” 

“that i don’t like you. you’re prickly, but i don’t hate anyone.” 

prickly? 

“i’m consulting a bunch of people who do the stimulation, have a few meetings with specialists this week before i pick what we’re going with next week. we have to make our best chance at an educated guess.” 

you nod. 

“that’s smart.” 

“you..you can join in the meetings, if you’d like. might mention stuff for analysis that would be useful for you to hear in real time instead of repeated from me.” eren offers. 

you can’t help but smile. 

“you’re really nice when you’re tired.” 

“don’t get used to it.” 

--

[busstopbilly]: Hi princess. 

[busstopbilly]: Sorry I haven’t messaged in a while, I hope you know I wasn’t ignoring you. 

[lizontopoftheworld]: no problem 

[lizontopoftheworld]: been working myself to the bone so hard i didn’t notice :O 

[busstopbilly]: Tell me about it. 

[lizontopoftheworld]: any luck with your project? 

[busstopbilly]: Well, I’ve somehow elicited help. She actually offered, but it’s helping things move along. I’ll be able to rest after Wednesday, I guess.   

[busstopbilly]: How about you? My pretty girl’s not working too hard, right? 

[lizontopoftheworld]: i fell asleep on my laptop the other day. while i was still here. but that’s besides the point. 

[lizontopoftheworld]: worried about one of my children in the lab

[busstopbilly]: Your children? With who?

[busstopbilly]: We’d make cute children. 

[lizontopoftheworld]: you don’t know what i look like. i don’t know what you look like. 

[busstopbilly]: Oh, so you think I’m ugly?

[lizontopoftheworld]: NO

[lizontopoftheworld]: you probably think i’m ugly, you didn’t even oppose that part of that statement

[busstopbilly]: Shut up. 

[busstopbilly]: You think you’re SO funny for that one. 

[lizontopoftheworld]: it was kind of funny 

[busstopbilly]: I know you’re beautiful. Anyways, who are these children? Why are you worried about them? Are they okay?

[lizontopoftheworld]: idk 

[lizontopoftheworld]: sitting on some news that would destory them. shit at keeping secrets so i’ve been tryign to keep it together 

[lizontopoftheworld]: just want to keep them from being hurt when they don’t have to be? 

[busstopbilly]: Awful kind of you to take that all upon yourself. Are you talking to someone about it?

[lizontopoftheworld]: you. 

[busstopbilly]: Liz. 

[busstopbilly]: Besides me. 

[lizontopoftheworld]: you’re enough, you know? 

[lizontopoftheworld]: talking to you always makes me feel better 

[busstopbilly]: Me too, Liz. 

[busstopbilly]: I’d also feel better if I knew you were confiding in a friend. That someone was checking up on you if you’re stomaching something big, which knowing you, you probably are. 

[lizontopoftheworld]: you are my friend 

[lizontopoftheworld]: and you literally checked up on me today

[busstopbilly]: Liz. 

[busstopbilly]: You stress me out sometimes. 

[lizontopoftheworld]: no one asked you to invite all this stress on my behalf. 

[busstopbilly]: Someone has to do it. 

[busstopbilly]: Plus, it’s you. 

[busstopbilly]: Kind of just comes naturally. Worrying about you. Wanting to make sure you’re okay. 

[lizontopoftheworld]: you’re so cute i wish you were real

you eye the schedule that eren gave you at the end of yesterday that’s taped to the wall of your cubicle. there’s nearly seven meetings crammed into three days, each of which you’re both preparing an exhaustive list of questions for. it’s been back and forth – eren leaving comments on your document, you dropping an article into the chat between the two of you – as you read up on every last thing that you can find. 

“we brought you a peace offering.”

you look up to find gabi and falco standing at the side of your cubicle, with smiles on their faces. you return the gesture as they extend their hand out to you, with a cinnamon roll slightly squashed into a napkin, that you gratefully accept from them. 

“a peace offering for?” 

“well, first of all, we can tell that you and eren have been working tirelessly for the grant.” falco states. 

right. the grant that you already have. 

not that they needed to know that. 

“and no one likes to spend time with eren more than they need to. especially you.” gabi jokes. 

you laugh. 

“we just have a small request to make.” gabi states. 

you shoot them both a look. 

“gabi has to talk to pieck when we go to marley for the conference at the end of the month. and well, these type of things make her really nervous. also, i kind of told gabi that you’re not that fond of pieck and now she’s even more nervous to go there, so she really needs you there.” falco rambles. 

you glare at the two of them. 

“she’s not some demon you have to be scared of, guys.”  

“didn’t you say that you avoid going home because of her?” falco asks. 

you groan. 

“i didn’t tell you that for you to use it against me, falco. and…and she’s really nice actually, it’s just me having an issue with how hard she tries to be…nice sometimes. i’m sure that she will be a perfect picture of kindness when you meet her, it’s just…” 

you sigh, gesturing for the two of them to pull up chairs. the two of them give you an excited smile, both scattering to pull up chairs into your space, as you eye the cinnamon roll. it smells sweet, enough to make your stomach growl, as they attentively wait for you to talk in their seats. 

you and falco had a close mentor-mentee relationship. and by that, it meant that the two of you were really just friends, and you just gave him advice here and there. 

granted, you’re sure half of that is a byproduct of the fact that falco’s been alone in the dorms almost every single day since he’s one of the only students on the fellowship, that you’re the only person around to talk to, but it’s ultimately lead to some very serious conversations you should most definitely not be logging as work on your timesheets. 

“well, i’ve told falco a lot about pieck. but not you gabi.” you start. 

gabi offers you a smile. 

“i have an older brother named porco. he’s…he’s really plucky but you’ll like him when you meet him. he works at my parent’s business back home.” 

you smile. 

“when porco was in highschool, he started dating pieck. she kind of freaked me out because she was super preppy. captain of the cheer team, on the student council. she went the whole ten miles and we were just…i don’t know. serving people pizza in our free time. begging our teachers to tutor us during lunch. i never really understood what they saw in each other. they have nothing in common. can barely understand each other, from what it seems like.” 

“it’s romantic! opposites attract.” falco adds. 

you narrow your eyes at him. 

“anyways, she went to some big shot law school in a different country. i thought that she was going to break up with him to be honest, but they…they got engaged instead. did long distance their entire first year of marriage because my brother can’t really leave my parents. and she was really sweet through the entire thing, but…but i don’t know. her family wasn’t into it. the fact that we were immigrants. and even after we became citizens, they just thought that we weren’t worth their caliber. pieck didn’t seem to care, not even in the slightest, and she lives in our house now. practices in our city.” 

gabi gives you a thoughtful nod. 

“she gave up her entire family for your brother? is he cute? ” 

you shake your head. 

“yeah. i mean, i know they still send her money here and there, but they don’t speak to her at all. guess that’s their way of making sure that she’s taken care of, since they know we can’t.” you murmur. 

gabi frowns. 

“is she rich?” gabi asks. 

falco shoves her in the side. 

“you can’t just ask if she’s rich.” 

“no, no. y/n’s chill, i can ask her.” 

you fight the urge to laugh as you lean closer, giving gabi a coy look. 

“super rich. she has a nice cushy job and again, she still gets the money from her parents. she offered to buy me a car when i moved out here so that it would be easier for me.” 

gabi gives you a bright smile. 

“that’s a good fucking offer. i would ask her for hundreds of things if i were you.” 

you shrug. 

“it’s weird. it’s just kind of…i don’t know. she offers me a lot of things like that – money, advice – she tries really hard to be a big sister to me. porco’s sweet, but there was a lot of things that he didn’t do. i’m sure he’s told her that i work hard, that i don’t really take help from people, and i guess that’s why she’s so eager to try sometimes. but it just…i don’t know, i can’t bring myself to take help from her when we don’t know each other like that.” 

“she’s your sister.” falco deadpans. 

you shake your head. 

“it’s weird. i’m not saying that it makes sense. and she’s my sister-in-law.” 

gabi gives you a nod. 

“i know what you mean. you got here on your own, you’re convinced that you can get the rest of the way on your own too.” 

“exactly! and i’d owe her something at the end if i did take her help.” 

falco frowns at the two of you. 

“you know, you both have the same individualistic behavior. i’m not sure that it serves you any purpose. you know you won’t die if you rely on people. maybe she’s just trying to help you because you guys are literally family.” 

gabi shakes her head at falco. 

“that’s where you’re wrong falco. sometimes, the only person you have is yourself.” 

“that sounds awfully morbid.” eren states. 

the three of you turn your heads to find him standing at your cubicle, backpack strung over his shoulder, as you give him a nod. you drop your laptop into the backpack, zipping it up, as gabi takes her opportunity to argue with eren. 

“that’s literally something that you’ve said to me before.” gabi retorts. 

“right. but i have reason to say that. you’re young. you should be at the club or something.” eren responds. 

that earns him a laugh from falco, who eren shoots a wink to, before turning back to glare at gabi. 

--

eren’s able to snag the two of you a meeting with one of the people at the forefronts of trans-cranial magnetic stimulation research. you have a sneaking inkling that eren elicited some sort of assistance from his dad to get this arranged – or that his last name was enough of a segway in the first place – and it makes you slightly nervous. 

being on such uneven footing, meeting with people who are so important, when you can barely muster your one on one meetings with levi sometimes. 

nile dok. he’s got a nice office in an office building downtown, one of the soaring skyscrapers embedded in the middle of the city. 

“have you ever met nile dok?” you ask. 

eren’s taken aback by the question as the two of you walk in through the roundabout doors, waiting in the small line at the front desk. 

“yeah, uh…i’ve known him since i was a kid. he’s friends with my dad.” he murmurs. 

you give him a nod, mentally deciding that you deserve a sweet treat later for being able to predict that one, as the two of you walk up to the front desk. the girl sitting at the desk has a short bob and an almost pinched smile as she looks up at the two of you. 

“we have a meeting at four with nile dok. the last names are l/n and jaeger.” eren states. 

she gives eren a curt nod as she quickly types the names on her computer, before giving you a satisfied smile, indicating that she’s found the appointment. she reaches to her side drawer and slides two badges across the desk, with a small paper for parking validation. but before you can reach for yours, eren snatches it out of your hand, his eyes narrowed in frustration as he holds it up in front of her face. 

“what is this?” eren asks. 

“her badge?” the girl retorts. 

eren shakes her head. 

“no, no. this is a guest pass. get her a real one.” eren asserts. 

you put your hand on eren’s shoulder, squeezing hard to get his attention, as he drops the guest badge onto the desk and looks over at you. 

“it’s not a big deal, eren.” you murmur. 

he glares at you. 

“why the hell do i deserve a badge with my first and last name on it? did i do something special to deserve that that you didn’t?” he asks. 

you shrug. 

“well, you were the one who got us the meeting.” 

“yeah, i got us the meeting. not just me, you’re part of it too. i don’t entertain any of this guest pass bullshit, so just drop it. print her a real one, please.” eren murmurs. 

he turns back to the girl sitting at the desk, who is now shooting him an apologetic grin, as she types almost frantically on her monitor. you can tell that she’s avoided confrontation too much, that eren’s eyes are a little too piercing, because she’s basically pulling the badge out of the printer to speed up the time. 

and at the end of the excruciating minute, moreso for her than you, she slides a newly minted badge with your name embellished in bright bold letters. it can’t help but enrage eren more for some reason, as he turns to her one last time. 

“was that so hard?” eren asks. 

“it’s standard practice, i apologize. he’ll be on the third floor, last door on the right.” 

eren gives her one last nod before gesturing to you to follow him, to the long glass door at the end of the hallway. the elevator is empty as the two of you step in, a sweet sugary smell – like the remnants of someone’s perfume were left over – and you clear your throat. 

“thank you. for the badge.” 

“just prepare yourself, that’s only the half of it. he may be useful to us now, but it doesn’t change the fact that he’s going to act like an asshole when we meet with him.” eren mumbles. 

the elevator whirrs to a stop and you follow eren down the hallway, your eyes whizzing past all of the certifications and awards that are printed on the wall. you note that eren’s dad’s name is included on some of them, that there are pictures of them standing on big stages – cutting ribbons together, holding glass awards – as you wait in the two chairs at the end of the hall. 

“he’s an asshole now?” you whisper. 

eren looks over at you, almost like he’s pissed that you’ve even stomached the courage to ask that question, before he slightly slumps in his chair. his hand is shaking at his side in the slightest, his fingers curled into a fist, as he gives you a nod. 

“he’s been an asshole. maybe even bigger than my dad.” 

you memorize that sentence and catalog it to your memory. 

the disdain in his tone. you never realized that eren wasn’t particularly fond of his dad. and figure that it must be irritating every time he comes around the lab. 

the door opens, a girl gesturing for the two of you to follow her into the office. eren gives you one last tight lipped smile as you enter the room, overwhelmed all together. 

the first thing you note is the smell. it nearly burns your nose – the sharp smell of the alcohol mixed with the heavy smell of the cigarette smoke – as you sit in the chair closest to the door. eren’s at your side, taking his jacket off, before handing it to you and whispering under his breath. 

“cover your legs.” 

you can feel your stomach churn as you listen to his instructions, draping his jacket over the exposed part of your legs, and balling your fists underneath the fabric. 

the second thing that you notice is that nile dok doesn’t look nearly as good as he did in the photos outside. you have a small inkling that the photos outside have to be photoshopped, that he didn’t look half as haggard as he did right now, slumped over his desk chair, and that most of the things that were in this room, were meant to keep up appearances. 

the designer suit that he was wearing. the embossed stationery. mahogany wood. 

“is this your girlfriend, eren?” nile asks. 

you swallow hard. surely he couldn’t be serious. 

“she’s my colleague. why would i bring my girlfriend to a work meeting?” eren seethes. 

“your dad used to do that before he married carla. thought you were taking notes out of his playbook.” 

eren rolls his eyes. 

“i would rather roll over in my grave before i did that. and my mom was his colleague too. she wasn’t his girlfriend back then.” eren notes. 

nile gives him a boisterous laugh, smacking one of his fists down onto the table – enough to make nearly all of the belongings shake on the desk – before turning over to you. you immediately divert your eyes, noting that the carpet has some very dried out stains, one that take a trained eye to notice, and that he must knock over things quiet often. 

and force someone to clean it up. 

“what’s your name, pretty?” he asks. 

“y/n l/n.” you respond. 

“l/n? are you from around here?” he asks. 

you shake your head. 

“i’m from marley.” 

nile gives you a nod. 

“what do your parents do research in?” 

you bite down on your lip, enough to draw a pool of warm, metallic blood into your mouth. 

“they’re business owners back in marley. they don’t do research.” you note. 

“oh. what type of business?” 

“they own a pizza parlor.”

nile gives you a strange look, one that’s enough to summon eren back into the conversation again. 

“they’ve probably worked more in one day than you’ve worked in your entire life, nile. but that’s besides the point. we’ve come here to ask you some questions. both of us.” 

--

“i can drive.” eren offers. 

“sorry, what?” 

“i can drive. you seem tired.” eren states. 

you shake your head. 

“i’m fine.” 

“you don’t have to be so self-sacrificing all the time. i can tell that you’re tired, that the meeting was more jargon that was really relevant to us because that dumbass was trying to show off, that him being an asshole gets tiring very fast, so just let me drive us home.” eren states. 

the tone in his voice indicates that what he’s saying is final, enough for you to relent and place the keys in the palm of his hand before walking around to duck into the passenger seat. and you’re not sure what it is – the fact that eren seemed to be arguing on your behalf, that he seemed more approachable when he was so tired, when the two of you had a common goal – that you ask. 

“nile seems very close with your dad.” 

“what?” eren asks. 

you shrug. 

“the pictures and the certificates and stuff. your dad was in all of them.” you murmur. 

“oh, right. nile’s kind of his prodigy. he used to live in my house.” 

you frown. 

“nile is younger than your dad? and he lived in your house?” 

“y/n, he’s only a few years older than us.” 

“what? why does he look so…ugly? and old?” 

eren coughs out a laugh. you look over to note that he’s smiling, that he’s got a dimple on his left side, and that he looks awfully attractive when he does that. 

“that’s what being an asshole does to you.” eren notes.

you nod. 

“he’s into the exact type of research that my dad does. he came from…from basically nothing and my dad helped him. gave him money for his projects, invested in the company. now, nile’s got a bigger head than he knows what to do with and he feels indebted to my dad so he kisses his ass whatever chance he gets.” eren states. 

“why were you so upset about the badge?” you ask. 

“they’re doing that to purposely undermine you. because you’re a woman.” eren notes. 

you can feel your throat dry. 

“really?” you whisper. 

“i’ve met hundreds of people like nile. you’re going to meet hundreds of people like nile too. and they do shit like that – purposely choose to omit your name from badges so they can call you sweetheart, act like you’re just there as an accessory and not there to actually make conversation – that stuff. just think about it. i listed your name first on our appointment. and yet they still chose to put my name on the badge and not yours.” 

you slump down into your chair. 

“oh. i didn’t realize.” 

“even down to the very principle, learning someone’s name is a simple sign of respect. the bare minimum of what you can do when you’re conversing with someone. and yet they can barely even humble themselves to do that, because they think they’re more important than you.” eren finishes. 

you decide that it’s enough of your curious questions. only because the rest of your curious questions are ones that you sincerely can’t ask. 

did they do that to your mom? 

is that why it annoys you so much when other people do it to me? 

is your mom still a researcher?  

you reach for the aux cord that’s hanging in the middle of the seat, before navigating your way to the playlist of scores that you had made to share with eren. the music is quiet, the instrumental nearly lulling your overwhelmed brain to sleep as you press your forehead against the window. 

“i like alan. from this score.” 

“you’ve watched the imitation game?” you ask. 

eren gives you a nod. 

“it’s a good movie.” eren responds. 

you smile. 

“that movie makes me feel better sometimes. to know that women were part of the forefront of science, even back then. and they had hurdles, endless hurdles that i couldn’t even begin to understand, and they’ve paved the way for me.” 

you take a deep breath. 

“just a reminder that i shouldn’t give up when things are hard for me because they didn’t either, you know?” you whisper. 

eren takes a beat before responding. 

“granted, it’s unfair you’ve got so many hurdles when you’re already so brilliant to begin with. it’s honestly kind of fucking ridiculous sometimes.” 

you can’t fight the urge to smile. 

“you think i’m brilliant?” you jest.

eren rolls his eyes. 

“oh, come on. you know you’re brilliant.” eren responds. 

“what?” 

“you’re the only person in the program who got in without doing the bridge program. you must have some insane work under your belt for erwin, levi, and hange to trust you after meeting you just once or twice. over people they’ve known and taught for years by the way.” 

you narrow your eyes at him. 

“i’m not the only person in the program who got in without doing the bridge program. you’re forgetting someone quite important.” 

eren rolls his eyes. 

“still. you’re brilliant. would do you well to realize that now before some idiot like nile dok tries to make himself more important than you.” 

you look over at him and smile. 

“okay. okay, yeah. i promise.” 

“and hell. you know how to argue with people. i know you’ve got it in you. you’ve been doing with it since you’ve met me. maybe redirect some of your irritation with me towards people like him.” 

you lean back. 

“oh, i’ll doubt i’ll be able to do that. you just bring out something special in me, eren.” you deadpan. 

“oh, i’m sure.” eren retorts back.

--

an: anyways

taglist: @invisible-mori @multiplefandomthings @chericos @wheredidmycrowngo @chaoticpxnda @aizzon @stuffeddeer @butterfly-skinnylegend @najaemism @hellokitty-doll @constanciandrea @iblamesusy @jaegersdiary @f4irygard3n @misadear @fell-4-u @coyloves @sobbangchan @you-always-made-me-blush @th0tformikasa @yell0wdreams @itzmeme @elliesbabygirl @miniaturemartian @differentrunawayperson @k0z3me @stroberiz @stillnotherapy @cherryredribbons @bsenpai @cacapeepee @pickuptruck01 @jaegersity

[alexa-fika]

Hey there! Could you please make headcanons of the straw hats with a reader who's a marine admiral who is upset at the corruption of his fellow marines, deserts the marine and immediately accept Luffy offer to join his crew"since your not a marine you should join my crew" "ok sure" I imagine Luffy being over the moon and the others freaking out

Please use either male or gender neutral pronouns

Bye Family, Hello Family (Luffy x brother!reader)

A/N: Here we go! Another Defected Marine joins the dark side (the best side). Am I the only one who feels conflicted about Garp? Idk like he seems paternal and caring but at the same time he let his son die? But at the same time it was his job? But at the same time he did die? But at the same time he warned him? But at the same time he is one of the few good marines XD

Dividers by @/Saradika

“Im tired of this Luffy,”

Both Luffy and his brother sat together at the top of a cliff, the Sunny anchored beneath them as Luffy’s crew explored and entertained themselves around the small island they had rendezvous at; Luffy glanced at the Marine next to him. He turns to look a him, his head tilted, confused at his brother’s words

“Grandpa was wrong; this isn't what he made it out to be, Luffy. I hate it; the Marines are a farse filled with corruption.”

Luffy looks away from Reader slightly while listening to his words

“The offer to join me still stands; Monkey D Reader and Monkey D Luffy on the same crew, Shishishi.”

Reader cracks a smile at his brother’s words

“I don’t know Luffy, what about Grandpa? I wanted to make him proud.”

“You would probably make him more proud by actually doing what you want.”

Reader shrugs

“I’m not sure, Luffy; somehow, it feels like im giving up, but I really can’t take how those assholes treat pirates and others who stand against them. They always say how pirates are nothing but scum, thieves, and murderers, but aren’t we marines the same? The only difference is that they do it for this so-called justice. Pirates can have hearts, and they are living beings just like the next person. You and Ace are some of the kindest people out there with just as kind crews; even Sabo and the revolutionaries are incredibly kind, fighting against how inhumane the government is.”

He listened to Reader speak as a smile spread across his face

“So…You’re thinking of taking me up on my offer then?” He asked, raising a brow, waiting for an answer

Reader huffs out a laugh

“Luffy, all you heard from that was ‘im considering your offer’?”

Luffy laughed as well and nodded

“I also heard that you think im pretty amazing, shishishi.”

“That is just not what I said, Luffy!”Reader exclaimed, swinging at his brothers just for the latter to easily avoid the punch directed at him

“Come on, you’ve always wanted to help people, give freedom to everyone, and that’s what I want too! I want to be the Pirate King because he is the freest of all! You aren’t giving up if you join me! You’ll still be able to achieve your dream!”

He bites his lip, thinking over his brother's words

Luffy stayed silent; his gaze never left your face as he watched you think the possibilities over. He had a soft smile on his face as he waited excitedly for his brother to join him on his adventures

“Is your crew okay with this?”

“Of course they are! They trust my decision-making completely and know how much I care about you. I made them all promise to be nice to you and treat you just like they would me.”

“Luffy! You said that as if you were sure I would say yes!”

“Well, aren't you?” He smirked with his usual bright smile

“Besides, I already told them before I asked you; they’d said you were more than welcome to join us.”

“You are something else, Monkey D Luffy.”

“Shishishi, of course I am. im the next Pirate king,” he exclaims confidently

“So...You joining? You can't leave me waiting for too long, you know; I've already made plans for you and everything.”

Reader smiles, sliding off his Marine jacket and folding it, placing it on the cliff next to them, and turning to face his brother

“Where to next Captain?”

They let out a surprised gasp as, rather than words, Luffy responds by wrapping his rubber hands around him and pulling him off the cliff with him

“H-Hey! Im already regretting this!” Reader screams

Luffy just laughs as he pulls his brother off the cliff

"It's too late now!! You can't back out now!! You accepted my deal, so now you have to stay with the crew! Shishishishi”

Feel like I made it a bit confusing in between Luffy’s and Reader’s dialogues, I feel like you can’t tell who’s who, what do yall think. Also I keep avoiding using you, and I don’t even know why?? Maybe because I alreadys tarted writing without you but I feel like it would make the stiry writing smoother

Taglist:

@imaginarydreams

@amethystviolin

[crow-aeris]

So i’ve been thinking (shocking, really) about the world building for my reverse robins wingfic.

ike, sure, it’s a little fic and ppl prolly won’t notice, but i just cant help but speculate.

in this au, everyone is born with wings unless afflicted with a certain illness, disease, or genetic defect that leaves you with no avian traits (which is the excuse the kents use).

but how would having wings influence the infrastructure? well, i’m glad you asked! cities are more compact because there isn’t really as big a need for transportation unless you’re an aves that’s just not built for long-distance travels like various passeriformes birds.

planes still exist, but they’re utilized by the avians who aren’t able to fly long distances. avians who have wings like albatrosses or terns or other soaring birds would probably require licenses to do their annual migrations and travels- same applies to regualr migritory species like ducks and geese- where the instinct remains despite not needing to migrate.

of course, with the constant migration through countries, i think there would be more mixing of races and ethnicities especially within the migratory bird communities, so there would probably be less overall hostilities.

now, there will still be discriminatory and hateful ideals, and some are shown in my fics. For example, Gotham’s elites are mostly made up of raptors and birds of prey like eagles, kites, kestrels, hawks, falcons, ospreys, owls, etc- birds who actively hunt down mammalian or lizards for prey (in the real world i mean), that is because of displays of powers. Scavengers like condors, vultures, buzzards, are regarded lower on the social ladder but not as low as perching birds and song birds simply because of their ability to have sustained flight.

like i mentioned briefly, songbirds and perching birds (passerines) are regarded lowly in general due to their “weak demeanor” and overall flashiness, which gives them the reputation of being only suitable to work in brothels and such regardless of gender (but especially dudes where the aves species exhibits sexual dimorphism, eg. cardinals, peacocks, golden pheasants, etc.)

there are definitely some exceptions, being corvids. some cultures have corvids as villans, whereas others may portray corvids as intelligent and charming.

now, we arrive to genetics. im still not 100% sure how i want the phenotype of an avian to be passed down. so far, it’s mainly just sons are the same aves as their fathers (like thomas wayne, bruce, and damian are all harpy eagles, but martha wayne was a kingfisher and talia is an imperial eagle), but im not sure abt daughters. genetics is messy, but i think i’ve managed to sertle on a 50/50 chance of being born either the same aves as their mother, or their paternal grandmother. like if damian had been born with xx instead of xy chromosomes, then he’d either have been an imperial eagle like talia, or a kingfisher like martha wayne. intersex people exist too, and i think their wings would be a blend between both their mother and father’s.

now for the the supers and the other metas:

as mentioned previously, the kents claim that their adopted son had a genetic disorder that basically prevented him from growing wings (or just left him in a state similar to humans before they were all “cursed” by a diety to have wings, or whatever. in the dcu, that probably woulnd’t even be too far fetched), so clark lacked a major social component to his childhood. without wings and a tail, others would have a harder time reading his emotions, seeing as these appendages are crucial in nonverbal communication between avians, and that gives clark a leg up in reading other people, but having them not understanding what he’s thinking.

now with jon and kon, they have two VERY different situations. for jon, since his paternal side is wings-free, i just gave him lois’s ave- western kingbird- instead of making him no-winged. kon, on the other hand was a test-tube baby, so it was a toss-up on whether he’d get lex luthor’s purple martin wings, or clark’s no-wings since they’re both guys. I think kon would’ve enjoyed wings, so i gave him the purple martin wings. Plus, they’re pretty much invulnerable, and their wings are no different.

diana and the other ppl from themyscira wouldn’t have wings since they aren’t human, and same applies to the other jl members who aren’t humans.

on a wholly separate note: the lazarus pits. here, not only does it give you white streaks in your hair, it’ll bleach out your feathers. so liek if a peacock was thrown into the pit, not only would they die and come back manic, their feathers would make them look like piebald, or have different markings or white ticking.

anyways, that’s the end of my long post, and i hope yall enjoyed listening to me speculate and talk about birds and my silly little guys!!

[voidandabyssal]

Undertale, Monster beauty standards:

Beauty standards are always an important thing to consider within a culture. They say a lot about a lot more things than people realise.

Beauty standards are a pretty common component of every culture. A good indication of basic gender norms and values within a culture. So what could the beauty standards be for a gender non-conforming society?

Monsters aren’t restrained to just two (technically three) biological sexes like humans are. Every single Monster is born with the ability to impregnate and carry a successful pregnancy. Some Monster subspecies don’t even need another partner to reproduce! Asexual reproduction is not uncommon or strange within the Underground.

Monster society also doesn’t share a single standard look. Most human groups, you can imagine in your mind a basic ‘type’ from that group. E.g. you can easily imagine what a general Chinese person looks like.

Monsters are far to diverse and unique from one another for that too be a useful tool.

So aside from some more cultural specific standards for the different subspecies (which I will talk about later) Monsters the vast majority of the time rely on SOULS to project their attractiveness.

SOULS: make up the combination of ones being. It is you, it’s everything you are, you hope to be and that you will be.

To Monsters, a bright SOUL. One that is expressive, strong and powerful is a beautiful one.

Many Monsters find human SOULS to have a sort of alien beauty within them. The rainbow of colours all within a humans identity to project. Despite the many differences between the two species, much poetry has been written about the strength and beauty of human SOULS.

Of course, since Monsters SOULS themselves are stark white many take to dressing their physical form. Adorning it with fashionable clothes, keepsakes or powerful enchantments.

Dressing fashionable is like a Monster way of saying, “hey! Im beautiful! My forms beautiful! Come here and look (or be intimidated) by my masterful fashion skills!!”

Taking personal care of themselves is another indicator of beauty. Washing and brushing fur, removing dirt from between bones, horn care. Hygiene remains a focal point in their culture. Luckily, despite Monster society’s many diversities, they were all still able to access proper hygiene tools.

To not take care of oneself indicates a much larger problem. Depression is an especially deadly illness for Monsters. Many of the first signs of which develop through symptoms like avoiding taking care of oneself and managing their appearance. If you see a Monster struggling with these, maybe reach out? They are usually more open to their feelings than humans are.

Scars and injuries are viewed somewhat strangely by Monsters. Unlike many humans, Monsters tend to find scars to be intimidating or dangerous. The scarred individual dangerous or intimidating. Some scars are tolerated, if small and otherwise un obstructive to a Monsters form. Vice versa with injuries.

Monsters that suffer horrific, permanent damage are often considered unattractive or dangerous to be around. This doesn’t help the mental anguish the Monster is likely already under. Monsters like this can often find themselves self isolating or being ostracised from Monster society.

A struggle for those too monstrous for Monsters and too Monster for humans.

Monsters that have obvious diseases or defects are also considered unattractive. Dimming, an uncommon birth defect, is commonly considered to be an ugly trait to have. Again, anything that could indicate that a Monster may not be healthy or happy is considered to be an ugly trait.

Overall, despite all things said. Many Monsters find the personality and behaviour of someone to be the most attractive part of a person. The way another human or Monster acts or treats others is a very important part of this physical attraction. This of course is going to look different from Monster to Monster. Each Monster having their ideal partner’s personality and behaviour in their mind.

It’s hard to standardise such a personal thing. But if you want to impress your Monster crush, maybe dress up a little, put that extra couple minutes into grooming yourself

(Or just flash them your soul. If you really want to get their attention😉)

[cxndiedvi0lets]

why are you such a fucking violet sweat lmfao you aren’t her

You know what, why are you such a fucking dipshit. Holy fucking crap, do you have anything better to fucking do with your life than go NANANANNANA VIOLET THIS, VIOLET THAT 😹

You are so fucking obsessed with Violet, holy fucking shit, looking for any account you can find and im sick of it 😹 you wanna fuck me so bad or something? Gross, keep it to yourself, Butterfingers.

You are such a fucking pussy for being in anonymous, how about you take your time shoving two fingers up your ass and find a new reason to get the fuck off too because it seems like you have a degrading kink getting off of Violet accounts and sending shit like this.

Do you feel so fulfilled about your meaningless life because mommy and daddy didn't give you enough attention, and you're total chickenshit to even reveal yourself? Well tuff shit the world doesn't revolve around you, you fucking twat.

Stop using alts and sending me total bullshit anons or eat shit and die, you fucking, twat. I bet your father left you because this is totally giving off fatherless behaviour, and I bet your mommy smoked pot while you were born. That's why you came with as a defect.

The reason you're so bothered with me is cause you're boring as fuck, and your simple words can say a lot. You know my analysis? You're a narcisstic whore licking off any littlest attention you can find and with that said. While you think of me 24/7 why don't you lick my unshaved pussy on that too, twat.

You don't scare me and you know whats fucking funny, I might actually know you even if you don't interact with that many people, its hilarious how tumblr can have this many people in different fandom yet its so fucking small ain't it? Just like your brain, ego, and confidence.

What do you want me to say? Public announcement! I'm sorry this anon is such a piece of shit! 😹😹 whoa fucking crazy. Go fucking shower, it reeks 4chan mlp lover with a discord mod bod. Get a fucking life and touch some grass, you need a sense of reality not everything in your life revolves around you.

[techs-goggles9902]

Two Souls Entwined

Part 4 (Eventual) Captain Rex x oc

A/N: HOLY SHIT GUYS IM BACK. I COOKED UP A STORM THIS TIME. These are my personal headcannons so if you don’t like them you’re welcome to leave 🤩 feel free to criticize I love criticism. Not beta read (as always) 😆

Word count: 2883 (went way overboard)

No warnings unless you’re scared of mean Kaminoans

REQUESTS ARE OPEN FOR FAN FICTION. QUEUE: 3

“Fierfek…” 

“If you’re thinking of leaving, Kal, you know the deal. Su’cuy, Niva,” a voice says from beside the pair of stunned mandos. 

Jango Fett stands before them, looking out the window as well. 

“Jango, you said-”

“I said you’ll be training special ops troops. They just happen to be growing them.”

“What?” 

“Clones…” Niva says before Jango can answer Kal. “Clones of Jango.” 

“I knew you were the brains, ad’ika,” Jango chuckles, grinning at the girl. 

“How the fierfek did you get involved?” Kal asks. 

“A good five million and a little something special. Don’t look so surprised, you would do the same.” Jango looks between Kal and Niva before gesturing for them to follow him down the glossy corridor. Niva’s senses are overwhelmed as she looks between the toroids. 

She blinks rapidly as thoughts spiral in her brain. They aren’t her own and they change as she looks between the towers. It’s like the fetuses are speaking to her. She pauses and looks at one tower specifically, squinting slightly as her gaze lands on a certain tube. The fetus floats in the translucent liquid, an umbilical cord abnormally curling around its leg. 

“Niva, c’mon,” Kal shouts from down the hall. Niva hesitantly pulls her eyes away from the baby to jog back to her adoptive father. 

If something was wrong, the Kaminii would know. They would know. The baby’s fine. 

“You’re both dead now, don’t worry about it, Kal,” Jango says. Niva must’ve missed a bit since they’re both mid conversation about something. 

Right… I’m dead. 

“So, Ilippi threw your sorry shebs out?” Jango asks Kal, who’s expression softens slightly at the mention of his ex-wife. 

“Yeah.”

“Told you, you should've married a Mando girl. Aruetiise don’t understand the mercenary way.” 

Niva’s eyes narrow involuntarily as Jango brings up Ilippi. She refused to let Kal take their 8 year old sons into war with him, and soon, Kal’s family were no longer waiting for him to come back. 

Didn’t let those kids go into battle, what an outsider! I turned out fine, Niva thinks. 

“Ko Sai said something wasn’t right about the first batch of clones. They’ve been tested and I don’t think they’ll make the military grade, but I’ve told Orun Wa we’d look at them before… you know,” Jango explains. 

“I don’t. Please elaborate,” Kal says. 

“You’ll see.” Jango leads them down the hall, ushering them into a nearby room. 

“Welcome, gentleman,” says Orun Wa in his peaceful monotone, not even addressing Niva, with a gentle tilt of his head. The Kaminoan has a bony fin going down the back of his head and to the nape of his neck. 

“So the first batch have been confirmed as below the accepted standard?” Jango asks. 

“These units are defective, I admit there was an error made while enhancing the genetic template.” Orun says, craning his slender neck to call out to someone in the corridor. “Bring them in.”

Niva turns as the door opens, glancing at Kal. He gives her a small nod, putting a hand on her shoulder. Six pairs of footsteps enter the room. Niva notices: the footsteps are close together, shorter strides instead of longer ones that would fit an adult. 

Kal turns, his eyes widening as he looks down. Six identical boys - maybe four, maybe five at the most - walk into the room. 

These are children, not soldiers… not droids… not units… little kids. 

All had identical curly black hair and dark blue tunics and pants. Both Kal and Niva expected grown men, not… 

“Kids… Kal’buir…” Niva can’t take her eyes away from the boys as she whispers to Kal. His hand leaves her shoulder as Jango inhales sharply. The boys huddle together, one of them holding his arms back like he’s shielding his brothers from Orun Wa, two boys clutching each other as they look at Kal with their big, dark, unblinking eyes. 

Oh… He’s defending his brothers… 

It rips at Niva’s heart, reminding her once again of her brothers. She figured out fast that Kaminoans didn’t tolerate anything that doesn’t meet their society’s principles of perfection. Maybe they don’t know that it’s often imperfection that gives humans an edge?

She hears Orun Wa, Jango, and Kal talk about the boys, but she can’t bring herself to tune in. Not that she understood most of what they said, anyway. Her Basic wasn’t as up to par as she’d like. She spoke with a slight accent, just barely there, pronouncing some letters and words differently than born Basic speakers.  

Three of the boys look up at Niva with their big round eyes. Niva tries to smile and give them a wave, but all three flinch as her hand raises, making Niva immediately put her hand down. 

One of the kids mimics her wave, his scared expression softening a bit. Niva grins at him and he bares his teeth in an attempt of a returning smile. 

“What do you mean by reconditioned?” Kal says, drawing Niva back into the conversation. She obviously missed a lot. 

“In this case, termination. These units cannot follow orders and are simply too unreliable, failing to meet the personality profile required,” Orun Wa replies casually. 

“Terminated? They’re children!” Niva says, gesturing to the boys.

“Niv…” Kal mumbles, placing a hand on her shoulder again. Evil is supposed to be dark and menacing… not soft-spoken.

Then Kal registers what they meant by terminating. Within a second, his clenched fist is at Orun Wa’s chest. “You touch any of those kids, you gray freak, I’ll skin you alive and feed-” 

“Steady,” Jango says, pulling Kal’s arm back. 

“This is uncalled for, we only care for our customer’s satisfaction,” Orun Wa states. Niva watches with wide eyes, instinctively stepping towards the boys. Kal hears his heart thundering in his ears, yanking his arm out of Jango’s grip, stepping in front of the kids, who were silent. His eyes never leave Orun’s yellow irises. 

Jango grips Kal’s shoulder hard enough to hurt. Don’t. Leave this to me. 

“We could do with a few wild cards,” Jango carefully says, stepping between the Kaminoan and Kal. “It’s good to have a few surprises for the enemy, no? How old are they?”

“Two standard years.” 

Niva’s jaw literally drops to the durasteel floor. The boys look older, though. Kal slowly puts his hand back to place his palm on the head of the defending boy’s head. But small fingers clasp onto his calloused hand instead. A helpless gesture. Kal swallows hard. Two years old.

“I’ll train ‘em. What’re their names?” He asks, looking between Jango and the Kaminoan. 

“All units are numbered,” Orun Wa starts. 

“We can… give them names… right?” Niva speaks up quietly. All three men look at her. Kal gives her a discreet hand signal: later. 

“Anyway, our quality control designated them as Null class and-” 

“Null? As in, no di’kutla use?” The veins in Kal’s neck have never been so prominent. 

“Kal, leave this to me,” Jango breathes. 

“No, they’re not units, Jango.” The little hand was holding on for dear life. Another boy comes up and wraps his little arms around Kal’s leg. 

To Niva, the next minute goes by so fast. Before she can even blink, the boy thrusts his fingers into Kal’s boot, taking out the hidden blaster, tossing it to the boy who’s holding Kal’s hand. 

The boy caught it cleanly and pointed it at Orun Wa, his little fingers just barely holding the blaster steady. 

“Osik,” Jango sighs. “Put it down, kid.” 

But the boy held the weapon at the perfect angle, left hand steadying the right, eyes focused on his target. Niva looks between the men, flabbergasted at how calm Jango is. 

I couldn’t protect them… so… maybe I can protect these boys…

“Hey, bud,” Niva says, gently putting a hand on the boy’s arm as she kneels down beside him. “Put it down, yeah? No need for shooting anybody, kyr’ika. Give me the blaster.”

He doesn’t budge, barely blinking.

“You’re safe, lad,” Kal’s voice is soft as he squats down beside the kid, nodding to Niva, a silent indicator that he’s got this. “Come on… put it down. There’s a good lad. Now give me the blaster.”

The boy lowers his arms slowly, “Yes, sir…” He hands the blaster to Kal, who scoops him up. 

“Good lad…” Kal lowers his voice to whisper in the boy’s ear. “Nicely done, too.” 

A small hand tugs Niva’s, making her look down. Two pairs of big eyes stare up at her, one boy mimicking the wave she gave them earlier. Niva grins and waves back with her free hand. She crouches down so she’s eye level with the boys. 

“Hi, I’m Niva,” she holds out her hand. The boys stare at it and then one of them shakes her hand with his little fingers. 

“I’m N-7 and that’s N-10,” he says, meeting her gaze. 

“Pleasure, boys. We’ll work on names later, yeah?” Niva keeps up her smile. N-10 looks at N-7, nudging him with his elbow. Niva can barely hear under his breath as he whispers to N-7, “I wanna shake her hand, let go.” 

Niva lets out a small laugh, N-10 now holding her hand and meeting her gaze just like N-7. These were little boys but were so much like grown men. She’s aware of Kal and Jango speaking behind her. 

“What kind of armor is that?” N-10 asks. 

“It’s made out of beskar. It’s Mandalorian - do you know what that is?” Niva replies. Both boys shake their heads. “Well, I’ll teach you.” 

“You talk funny,” N-7 chimes in.

“So do you, little man.” The boy’s eyes widen as he looks at N-10, who gives him the same wide eyed look. Niva can see N-7 mouth silent words to his brother, We talk funny? She smiles at the pair’s sudden realization. 

“Ad’ika, let’s go.” Kal looks down at his daughter, the little marksman who pointed the blaster at Orun Wa on his hip. Niva nods and stands, her hand slipping from N-10’s much smaller one. 

Niva doesn’t even need to help Kal take the six boys to their quarters. The tiny soldiers silently march behind the two Mandos. 

The walk back to the room was eerily silent. Kal occasionally tried to make simple conversations with the boys, all attempts ending in one word answers from various kids. 

Niva could hear the boy’s thoughts and felt their emotions. Not a clear thought, though, just a jumbled mess entangling with her own thoughts. Multiple voices spoke to her as she walked beside her father figure, some small and quiet, others prominent and deafening. 

As the group walked down the sterile halls of Kamino they passed lines of other clones, all the same age as the Nulls, marching in the opposite direction. One of the boys caught her eye, his shaven head differentiating him from his brothers.

He caught her eye, his amber irises following her green ones as they passed each other. His thoughts melted into her own. The bridge of Niva’s nose pulsed with a deep ache, silencing her overcrowded mind. 

“Ad’ika… Niva, are you okay?” Kal’s voice broke her trance. 

“Yeah… yeah, I’m fine. Headache, ‘s all, Buir.”

“Mm… Have you ever finished that story of yours? Remember, the one you wanted to write before we met?”

”I remember. No, I haven’t done much with it since then. Should I?”

”Maybe. Just find something inspiring, like these little lads.” Kal reaches back to ruffle one of the boy’s hair. 

“In… In what?” 

“Something that gives you ideas, ad.” 

The first night with the boys was… something. Niva hardly slept with two little four year old boys clinging to her all night, their little fists white knuckling her sleep shirt. 

Kal settled on names for all six of them, taught them a bit of mando’a, filled their little bellies with uj cake, realized how traumatized they were, and knocked out with Ordo - N-11 - on his lap.

N-7 and 10 - now Mereel and Jaing - clung to Niva as if she were their lifeline. They held her pant legs tightly in their little fists when they walked down the corridors or just to the ‘fresher. Whenever she’d ruffle their mops of brown curls they’d look up at her with a confused look, not aware it was a sign of affection. 

The first time she did so, Mereel looked terrified, his pools of amber going wide, like his eyes were taking over his little face. 

What did the kaminiise do to you boys… 

Niva eventually worked up enough courage to begin wandering the halls of Tipoca City in her spare time, finding training areas and barracks under construction for the millions of clones that will eventually call this sterile place home - or as close to home as possible. 

On her fourth day of exploration, she saw the kaminioan. Of course there were kaminiise everywhere, it was Tipoca City, but this one was different. She sat on a tall bench - built specifically for kaminioans - overlooking one of the few functioning training areas. 

Her skin, a sickly gray, shined in the light. Her large black eyes with blue-gray irises were focused on the cadets through the glass. Niva was intrigued by her, the way she looked at the cadets like they were roba up for slaughter. 

Niva made a habit to walk past her on her walks since the kaminioan always sat there at the same time everyday. A couple days after first seeing her, she spoke up, not looking away from the cadets. 

“Can I help you, Ms. Niva Veen?” She startled Niva, stopping her in her tracks. 

“How do you know my name?” 

“I read your file, Mandalorian. May I ask why you’re always walking about instead of training our troops?” She still didn’t look up. 

“It’s my free time, I finished training one standard hour ago,” Niva says as she walks up to the kaminioan. “What’re you doing?”

“My job.” 

“May I ask what your job is, then?”

“I am Chief Scientist Ko Sai’s assistant. I’m here to study the Generation Ones, seeing what should be improved and changed in later Generations,” the kaminoan answers in the same monotone Orun Wa used several days prior. 

“What’s your name?” 

“Nala Se.” 

“Nice to meet you.”

“Why do you always come here?” Nala Se asks with a sigh, seeming to be done with Niva. 

“I’m-” Niva couldn’t think of the correct word. “You’re just always out here. You look sad sometimes.”

“I am allowed to feel emotions sometimes, Niva Veen.” 

Niva cocks her head. “I’m good at reading people. You seem more than sad, like you’re focused on something important to you, something to prove to someone.” 

Nala Se finally looks away from the cadets, her massive eyes meeting Niva’s. “You’re correct, actually.” She leans back slightly and pauses, her eyes widening as she realizes something. “I need a trainer. Not for myself, but for… special ops troopers. You seem qualified, for a sixteen year old.” 

“I can train troops. I know what I’m doing,” Niva replies, narrowing her eyes slightly. Nala Se hums an acknowledgement, standing and turning her back to the girl. 

“Follow me, then,” she says. 

The private tubing system fascinated Niva, her face nearly pressed to the glass as she zoomed past the water and its inhabitants. 

“Have you never seen an ocean before? It really isn’t that intriguing,” Nala Se says. 

“Not this close…” Niva replies as she unfocuses her eyes to see the water streaming past her. 

The lab was just as sterile as the rest of Kamino, but the dimness was a mixture of soothing and eerie. They entered through the floor, directly in the center of the lab. 

“You remember how the six other Null ARCs were disposed of?” Nala Se asks Niva. 

“Yes…” Where is this going? 

“I saved them. Orun Wa and Ko Sai didn’t think they’d last in combat, you see. One was smaller than the rest, one stockier, two very thin, one a female. The female and one of the lankier cadets had poor eyesight compared to the average clone,” Nala Se explains. 

She walks to a panel on the wall, opening a hidden door. A hidden door in a hidden lab. What else lies in these walls? She continues, “I was tasked with the extermination of those six. Yes, I directly disobeyed orders, but once I show the higher ups, I’ll be rewarded. I will surpass Ko Sai to become the next Chief Scientist.” 

Niva watches as the hidden door leads to a brighter corridor. The hallway leads to another door, small noises can be heard from behind the transparisteel. 

“CT-9903 and the female would’ve never lasted. I’ve done all I could to preserve their eyesight but not much can be done. Both require glasses. In addition, I modified the entirety of the batch so they can’t be traced back to the Nulls.”

“Wait,” Niva says, “CT? Not ARC?” 

The door at the end of the hidden hallway behind the hidden door in the hidden lab opens to reveal six clones, the same age as the Nulls, sitting on their respective six bunks, dwarfing them. 

“Clone Force 99, this is Niva Veen. She will be continuing your training from now on.”

Mando’a used:

Kaminii means kaminoan (the se at the end of certain scenes is just plural as in kaminoans)

Fierfek is just some random curse I think

Aruetiise means traitor

Shebs means your rear

Ad’ika is a term of affection for a kid (ad means the same)

Buir is father/mother (no gender in Mando’a)

Taglist: @fionajames @sevdidntdie @dangraccoon @hellhound5925 @skellymom @angie-is-silly (why did you change your fucking name dude 😭 you gave me a stroke trying to find you)

LMK IF YOU WANNA HOP ON OR OFF THE TAGLIST

[mirikiro-san]

I’ve just been thinking and well, I wanna say some of my Dandy’s World hc’s because I’m totally not planning anything by doing so. So, let’s get into it!

• Toons and Twisteds are more different than how most of the other people in this fandom seems to depict them, this being they aren’t as related as ‘corrupted toon becomes a twisted’ (note! This isn’t me ragging on anyone who depicts it like this, I just find it more appealing to me ^^) Twisteds to me seem more like defective tries at making toons!

• Going with the last point, common and uncommon twisteds have a ton of themselves, rares having about four or five and mains having two. Dandy of course has one.

• Dandy’s twisted is connected to him and activates when he feels anything strongly. When he disappears it’s just him trying to calm down. (No im not trying to reason him away I just like this idea lol) I also imagine all the toons give him their tapes when they’re done because like what could they use them for??

• Toons, when they either have duplicate toons in the party or when on a floor with a twisted version of them, will either refer to themselves with their secondary name or give a name to the twisted. Because like how crazy would it be to say ‘Oh look out there’s a twisted Tisha roaming about!’ With a Tisha in your party story wise that probably feels so dehumanizing even if it isn’t the toon themself.

• Twisted Glisten sometimes imprints on toons.

• Twisteds are younger than their toon counterparts (minus Dandy’s, his twisted is older than him).

• Duplicate toons that run into each other often usually become more likely to permanently use their secondary name.

Well, that’s it really ^^! If you find anything interesting you’d like to use yourself, go right ahead :D

See ya!

[melodyssolarsystem]

CHAT CHAT CHAT CHAT CHATC HATC HATCHEHSUHS IM INSANE REVOATION !!! REVALATION !!!!

SO. we’re starting to see a trend with the vitamins from @daily-vitamin-honami . these “defect” vitamins that we aren’t supposed to take… they have leo/need in them. the whole gang. everyone. with honami singled out. and our replacement vitamins? honami. but shes alone. there is no one else in the image with her

AND WE’VE BEEN SEEING THIS TREND THE WHOLE TIME !!! every vitamin. every vitamin is JUST honami. it’s either a vitamin with only honami in it, or a vitamin deliberately cropped to only feature honami (e.g anniversary illustrations). i’m not sure what this means yet or if it means anything at all (maybe i’m reading too far into this) BUT I REALISED IT !!!! and i couldn’t just. NOT say anything. i needed to scream my thoughts into the void thanks for coming to my ted talk

(ps. please tell me if you don’t want mentions vitahona 🙏 i wasn’t sure where else to put this)

[chaosbuggo]

HEADCANONS

first, i have to credit an old friend for a lot of these, dont kill me for some of these,,

Ill start with this. I dont mind ships, but most of my friends despise them, i’ll name some i like. Anne x Guardian, Finn x Richard, Ron x Guardian.. yeah thats about it.

i dont care if you ship other ships, your au is your au, blah blah blah..

Hcs for characters overall

Richard: Adopted an infant(Alexandria), early 40s, in denial bisexual, orphaned, has an unnamed sister. Might be a bit narcissistic, but not muuch

miles: dead wife, anne’s older brother, mid 30s to early 40s, straight , raised by their bad- ish parents. Latino mexican. (Projecting onto my hcs shh)

anne: late 20s to early 30s, bisexual- kind of butchy. Miles’ younger sister. Raised by their neglectful grandparents, latina, Mexican. (More projecting muahaha!!!)

guardian: grew up to be the guardian, pale from never going outside(touch grass!!!/j) , early to late 20s-30s, pansexual. Italian (EVEN MORE PROJECTING??)

ron: transgender male, bi. Anxiety, mid 30s, usually did work and never really interacted with people.. greek. (Ok buddy. more projecting it is.)

Po: youngest sibling, about 4-5. Loves playing with her siblings and scooter, has a fair share of injuries from her scooter. She loves the rabbits, and is fond of her siblings, usually up before sunrise to watch the sun rise. Chinese

dipsy: middle oldest sibling, shorter than laa-laa, more laid-back. He loves sleeping and watching the sunset before he goes to sleep. 7-8. Sarcastic. Jamaican.

laa-laa: 5-6, loves playing ball and putting bandaids on po’s wounds after she falls off her scooter. Laa-laa has a kind, soft demeanor but is not pathetic, likes playing “princess”/“ballet” with tinky. She can be tough when she needs. Australian.

tinky: 8-9, loves playing with his tutu and using his purse for magic tricks to play on his siblings. He loved helping them no matter the situation, but was bad at standing up for his siblings, which is why laa-laa didn’t mind taking that role. Russian.

lenny: mid 30s. Transmasc or transfem, im calling it rn. (Will use he/him for him for now.) probably has a sibling-like relationship with gary. Engineer. German.

gary: late 20s. Mischievous, probably likes pranks. Engineer, gay. Cuban and Italian. (Mostly cuban)

finn: “straight”(pansexual), very odd relationship with richard. Anne swears she’s seen them about to kiss. Had a smoking habit at some point(he quit cus hes so good), and isn’t great with kids but somehow acts like a great “uncle”(mom/j) figure toward alexandria. French, vaguely has an accent.

conor: asexual. Kind of reminds me of todd chavez, jokes around a lot but knows when to be serious. Late 20s. Japanese and a mix of german.

dutch: late 20s, straight, best friends with conor. French.

Biology (ahh!): male teletubbies have 2 nipples, while females have 6. Genitals are rarely used or shown, because of the machines. Usually, they’re covered by fur. Like humans, teletubbies need to get haircuts/their fur cut short. hermaphrodite teletubbies have a bigger chance of happening for the teletubbies as a species by at least 2.47%. Hermaphrodites fur usually grows much much longer than female or male tubbies combined. They usually onlt have 4 nipples. All 3 genders are capable of giving birth.

DEFECTS : paws- can happen on only hands or feet. hooves - only happens on feet, double antenna- head, no nipples, tails, and double jointed legs similar to a deers or dog. Sometimes teletubbies aren’t even born with a gender (genitalia isn’t necessarily needed due to teletubbies mostly absorbing/vomiting food, oo magic is a thing in my au too)

ok i forgot even more stuff so heres even more edits uhmmm… woopsie doopsies sorry gang i have a fever rn😔😔🙏

[hardlypartying]

seeing people on twitter defecting from jiara to riara cuz they aren’t satisfied with jj and kiara’s chemistry this season BAHAHAH yay for riara?

i love when i get asks like this bc i have no idea what’s going on out there in the world of riara 😭💗 love to hear people are joining us, sucks for jiara bc i feel the same way lmao. like if im gonna have to see them on the screen, i want to enjoy the scene 😭 their scenes used to occur so organically and now it feels abrupt and clunky. i wish we got to see more of their relationship progress on poguelandia. that build wasn’t really there so i can understand why people are upset— it’s just surprising to me that they’re jumping to riara bc that is SUCH a different vibe than jiara 😧

[osarina]

carinaaa the new chapter omg 😭😭 i stayed up just to read it and you keep outdoing yourself each time!!! petition for reader to “dispose of” mori and run the pm herself 😊 readers backstory hit extra hard because i can really relate to still remaining with people who caused me harm because i thought that i owed them or had to please them but have now made a lot of progress into a healthier mindset and am rooting for reader to be able to do that herself. i truly love this whole series, pm setting is the most interesting imo and you’ve executed it beautifully! the way everything progressed with them felt very natural and it was really enjoyable to read. loved the little tidbits of lore you dropped on their past shenanigans as well. possessive characters are my favorite and i loved the portrayal of it with dazai in this fic!! on that topic, i wonder how chuuya feels about all this and how it looks from his pov if he’s really been going around with unrequited feelings for years, that brings a whole new angle of angst into the story 😭 anyways my thoughts aren’t coherent rn but i just wanted to leave a comment to express how much i love your writing and this series 🫶🏻

NONNIEEEEEE I HOPE YOU DIDNT STAY UP TOO LATE, IM SORRY IT TOOK ME SO LONG TO POST 😔😔

you have me blushing i’m weeping thank you so much 🥹 honestly i’m really excited to get more into pmreader & mori’s background, because it’s rllyyyyy complex & runs pretty deep. i’m gonna do a character sheet w her ability & a few fun facts that are gonna get into it a little but i have one fic planned that’s rlly gonna get deep into it that i’m excited for. BUT it makes me sad to hear that you relate to that part of her😔 whoever it was that made you feel that way did not deserve u precious nonnie, i’m glad you’ve gotten yourself into a healthier mindset, it makes me happy to hear 🫂

IM GLAD YOU ENJOY THE SETTING, i’m having so much fun going back and forth between fics set in the present canon verse & back to pre defection, ive left so many little tidbits in them that we’re gonna see full fics about in the future and it makes me giggle and YESSSS we love possessive characters in this house - dazai is SO ridiculously possessive over her too, was before he defected, is even more now after 💀

chuuya and reader have a rlly complex relationship actually. fun fact: they were each other’s first kiss & first time, but it was not like … romantic in anyway. i suppose ill touch on it now because my next pm reader fic is gonna get deep into it, but as we’ve seen implied in canon w kyouka and dazai, it’s pretty clear that the younger members of the pm are taught to use their bodies as means to an end for strategic purposes. pmreader was mentored by the woman that mentored kouyou for 2 years & chuuya was obviously mentored by kouyou, so kouyou figured reader’s mentor trained her in the same way kouyou was trained (she was) and directed chuuya & reader to each other, advising them to learn with each other before bringing anything to the field, so they did. THIS is when chuuya started developing a crush on her but it faded after a few months, despite what dazai thinks, but obviously reader & chuuya both care very deeply for each other.

[silawastaken]

yes im the same anon!! yayyy for the post. I agree with everything. Regarding midnights? Hmmm I’d say Mastermind, the Great War and Midnight Rain are probably the most ssk coded :3 bigger than the whole sky COULD be ssk but only if chuuya had actually been a vampire and tried to kill Dazai I think :3 could also be post-divorce ssk but I don’t think the divorce was ACTUALLY tragic enough for bigger than the whole sky. OH AND KARMA!! CHUUYA IS SOOO DAZAIS KARMA!!! Actually!! Would’ve could’ve should’ve could be ssk coded but I think they aren’t toxic enough for wcs :/

For fearless like I said if this was a movie. Fifteen (lol), the way I loved you and uhhh forever and always?? Tbh all ts songs make me think of ssk the brainrot is THAT bad.

For lover it’s deffo daylight. For rep? I did something bad, don’t blame me, bla bla bla that entire album is 15/dark era core idc 🗣️ I said what I said!!! New Year’s Day? (Actually that song was kinda ruined for me because I used to love an edit associated with one of the very recently exposed exdsmp guys!! and now when I hear it I get very mad haha!!) Getaway car??? Call it what you want????

God I have to stoppp I’m actually going insane! :3 anyways slay glad to know im not the only one that very heavily links ssk to taylor swift.

GETAWAY CAR IS THE SKK SONG.

You're so right with all of these, midnights is very dazai coded and forever and always is so the divorce era ESP THE PIANO VERSION OMG

I think an skk au based off of lover would be such a cool idea because I think a lot of lover would fit a college au OR OR like a strangers/ex friends to lovers au where they've both ended up in the same place for summer break(great now i have ANOTHER fic I want to write 😭)

and i do think new years day is such a sweet song for skk but i think i know which edit you're talking abt so yeah... i get it unfortunately

I'm on my easter break so maybe I'll actually finish all my taylor swift skk comparison things and post them 🤞🤞

ALSO in regards to bigger than the whole sky, if you were thinking about it as a Chuuya pov after Dazai defected where he believes Dazai is dead... :DD would've could've should've is literally my fav on midnights, and I wouldn't compare it to skk, but more just Dazai, and his relationship with Mori sooo yeah!!!

[genderdotcom]

more thoughts on this. i've been reading too many drizzt books now the writing style has infected me and i need to be quarantined or put down or something. tw for haarlep's deal (implied) (deleted and reposted this bc im indecisive over it)

(DISCLAIMER. THIS WORK REFERS TO EYES AS “ORBS”. WEAR APPROPRIATE PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT AT ALL TIMES)

Dirin explained everything. His defection, his disguise, the innkeeper that had taken him under her wing and the bards he learned from on the road. He spoke with as much urgency as he could muster- this was a hero he was talking to. And he knew well the reputation his kin had.

Heedless of his tale, the ranger took a potato from her pack. It had sprouted, taking root in the darkness of her bag of provisions- but she began to peel it nonetheless.

Dirin began to feel, infuriatingly, as if he was making excuses and defending himself to an implacable sa’varsh. 

“Why did you call me out on my disguise if you didn’t wish to speak with me? Lay it out plainly, please.” He bit out with no small amount of barely reined-in irritation.

“Fine, fine. Like I said, I had a gith friend. And I like to stick my nose places it’s not needed.” He nodded, understanding it to be the most important quality of those fabled heroes he so looked up to, but the tiefling barreled on.

“I mean, it passes the time, y’know? Not much else to do.” “You’ve done a lot already, if the tales I’ve heard are true.”

“They aren’t.” Her reply was prompt.

“None of them? So the curse of Moonrise Towers still stands? So Baldur’s Gate is overrun by gh- by mind flayers?” “I know what ghaik means, mate, you don’t have to translate yourself to me. And what does it matter if I did all those things? A half dozen others were right there doing more than me.”

Yes, he knew all about them. The noble Blade of Frontiers, the archmage Gale of Waterdeep, Karlach Demonsbane who laid down her life for the city; even fragmented tales of a woman that must have been a Githyanki. Well, the ranger’s claim that she had a gith friend would corroborate that. It would have been the perfect tale to tell to get him in the spotlight were it not for his treacherous, cowardly heart skipping beats at the thought of mentioning his kin.

“Is there something special about this town, for you to stop here?” There didn’t seem to be. In the few months Dirin had spent in the town- more of a village, really- the people had proven themselves to be nothing but ordinary, though perhaps with more of a tolerance for novelty than he’d expected.

“Absolutely nothing. Didn’t you hear me? I’m not doing anything.”

It had been six months since the Netherbrain fell, and Dirin had heard many tales of Riah, the tiefling fighter- now a ranger, it seemed- and her stalwart defense of the Sword Coast’s frontiers. Her small knife pressed through the potato, and she dropped the cubes into the simmering pot. Her hair fell into her face hampered only by her horns.

She looked tired.

The stew was finished before the sun had fully set. Despite Dirin’s insistence that he didn’t need anything from her, he had his own food, she ladled it into two wooden bowls and pressed one into his hands. The warmth, at least, brought some life into him as they both sat there, sipping at it in silence.

A violent shudder passed through Riah’s body. Though Dirin could see nothing afoot, she convulsed strongly enough that the bowl of stew in her hand slipped and spilled over the packed dirt. Recovering quickly, she shook off the droplets that had landed on her hand and simply stared at the stew slowly absorbing into the ground.

“What happened? Are you al-” Dirin brought up his hand, ready to cast a healing spell, though he knew well that his prowess was very limited; but she stopped him with a gesture.

“Fine. Just an old wound.” Her breath hissed through her teeth. There was something tightly wound about her posture in that moment, the horrible tension of prey unable to flee. “It doesn’t la- ah- last too long. Usually.” She leaned down to pick up her bowl, her scarred red knuckles bleached pink from tension. 

“You’re a hero. I’m sure any healer along the Coast would-” “No, they wouldn’t. Couldn’t.” Waiting for Dirin to finish his sentence was too much of an effort, it seemed. “‘S what I get for dealing with… well, I told you already. It’s fine.”

But she made no effort to pour herself more stew, and spent the rest of dinner staring silent into the fire. Her nails bit bloody crescents into her palms.

Following some unspoken agreement, they took watch in shifts. The strangeness of the situation was almost soporific to Dirin, but ingrained discipline kept his eyes open from the middle of the night to the morning. 

He’d almost expected Riah to pack up and leave. Instead, she cleaned up the campfire and took her turn sleeping with no words exchanged. She was asleep in moments- but the twitches and shudders remained. Sweat beaded on her brow and pooled in the wrinkles of her twisted, pinched expression. If this was an illness or injury, it was like none he knew of.

Dirin woke with the dawn. Riah was still up, poking at the coals of the campfire with a long stick.

“It doesn’t usually last that long.” She said in lieu of ‘good morning’. “I’m fine now.” There was something in her other hand, a balled up piece of paper- a letter of some sort? 

She staggered to her feet, unfurling the crumpled sheet. Her piercing blue orbs examined it for one long moment, flitting between it and his face, there and back.

“Say, Dirin- your name was Dirin, right? How do you feel about going to a party?”

[fandaniel]

hi rio another sleepy ask from me bc i got a lot to say

if you had to describe hermes to someone who knows nothing abt xiv how would you do it (its me im the someone bc im starting from the beginning again)

hiii so for no spoilers bc i think the reveal and the mystery behind who he is but so… think of a guy who lives in a different world from our own and that world valued progress to making life better above everything else. and in this world there is magic that lets you create things, make new things, new creatures to bring into the world, but to make sure it doesn’t mess with the environment and ecosystem, it is heavily tested by many people on a planet far away. there is a scientist in charge of this all, his name is hermes, and he was put in charge while the former lead scientist went into politics.

in this world though, they have a set believe between most everyone that when you are done with your task, you will die and its often beautiful. but hermes watches living beings be killed everyday due to having defects, and it makes him scared, because he sees all living things as equals, what if he’s a mistake? the anxiety of death weighs on him but everyone around him doesn’t bother to listen to him, nor really care to, because making living things that aren’t human is like… art, its not important. they’re animals.

so he forms a type of magic based on emotions, making a bunch of creatures that will answer the meaning of life beyond the stars that he is stuck on, hopefully good news will come from their report! but, every creature and planet besides their own race are dead, suffering from all sorts of awful things. and the creatures made of emotions become nihilist. because they feel the dread of every creature that had died. and hermes tries to fight it, but it is the truth, to live is to suffer. it is too much for him.

[wormbloggign]

His bare chest was muscular, waxed hairless, the belt and leggings of his costume slung low enough that I could see the lines of his lower stomach that pointed to his… yeah.  It was admittedly distracting.  It was meant to be distracting.

what the fucj is going on with the las vegas capes...

“And it’s required. Vegas is one of the worst cities for sheer number of villains,” Rime said. Her entire demeanor was rigid, which maybe fit in a way with her ice powers. “Vegas employs a group of unsponsored thinkers and tinkers to monitor the venues, much like the PRT does with the economy, ensuring that everything is above-board

why is everyone in worm so okay with surveillance states? is america just like this?

sorry to say, taylor, but cops and robbers is probably more of a justification that implicitly justified your place in a system than an actual analysis on how society works

“Well, I didn’t expect you’d let me go. Do what you have to. I made a deal with the devil, you caught me, for better or worse,” Pretender said. In a quieter voice, he said, “About time I pay the price.”

(cauldron mention lets gooo)

shes quipping! im so proud of her

“Sniper rifle,” I said, in the same instant the thought came together. “Wha?” Leister asked, incoherent and confused. Prefab’s head snapped my way.  “You sure?” “I’d point,” I said, “But he’d notice.  Our masks and helmets cover our faces, or I’d be worried about lip-reading.”

she's simply on top of her game. intel master.

they are still living things taylor...

“Maybe ‘tenacious’ is the word you want,” Vantage offered.  “There aren’t a lot of people who get knocked out and still manage to win a fight.” “Are you all this pedantic?”  I asked. Vantage only laughed, though I saw Rime glancing at me, and she didn’t look pleased. “Alexandria was always hard on us,” Arbiter said.  Her voice had a strange tone to it, oddly melodic, “Getting us to focus on grades, extracurricular stuff, on top of what we did as a part of the team.”

subtle reminder for taylor that she killed their boss. they possibly blame her for the situation on the strip getting worse

“Weaver did what had to be done,” Rime said. “Not pretty, not kind, but sometimes you have to use a knife to cut out a cancer.”

they think of her as a knife... interesting...

from the b names that come to mind, i am worried, from the powers they have, im confused (i dont know any that are grey and spinning..)

? whos this.

We made our way out of the craft. Odd as it was, I felt a mixture of relief and… an emotion I couldn’t place, at the realization that I didn’t have to fight to convince my teammates that we had to help other people.

thats... yeah :)

“You were there for the Leviathan fight,” I spoke to Bambina.

aah. yeah okay, that tracks

yeah that tracks, of course the villains have some kind of popularity contest

damn, maybe taylor should defect too, i think she'd do great as a villain