#Infinity Blues Band

[hallowshumour]

Heartbreaking: grown ass man STILL in FOB phase. 🐑🌙♾️🌌

[cottonsocks]

Finally cleaned up an old infinity train sketch from last year 💗💜💙🚂

[metalicious-jewelry]

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[pholla-jm]

GOJO SATORU x female nurse reader.. Where he needs to have blood drawn or something like that (being somewhat sick) and he faints!! This guy must have his veins so visible on his pale skin ughhhh

ugghh I just love men with visible veins, especially when they flex their arms!!! anyway, I hope you like it!

Nurse Me Back To Health

IMAGINE: NURSE ME BACK TO HEALTH~ GOJO X READER GENRE: FLUFF cw: inaccurate medical talk (I don't know much of medical practice), mention of blood and needles. not proof read ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You look at the pale man in front of you… well he is a lot paler than usual. One hand on your hip and the other one holding the needle. Your eyes narrowed into a glare as you stared at Gojo. 

Previous words falling deaf upon his ears. 

“You have to turn your infinity off.” You state, once again, not really amused with how Gojo was acting. 

His lips turned into a pout, like he was trying to convince you. But no amount of begging and pleading would get him out of this situation. 

“Come on, you know I am only doing this because I care for you. I mean look at you!” You say waving your hand that wasn’t carrying the needle. 

Gojo didn’t need to look in a mirror to see his current state. He could feel it. He felt more tired, skin paler than usual, a sharp pain in his head, and he felt clammy all over. His heartbeat was beating faster, and he didn't know if it was because of the needle you were holding or just because he didn’t feel well. 

“But isn’t there another way to do this?” 

You tilted your head to the side, pretending to be thinking. “Nope, unless you have another way of getting your blood into this little container.” 

Gojo didn’t respond, because he knew that you needed to draw blood. It would allow you to run the test and tell him what’s wrong. 

With a defeated sigh, he deactivated his infinity. Smiling triumphantly, you sat on the small chair right next to him. 

With the free hand, you pull down his left arm, checking for any veins. 

Your eyes slightly widen seeing the cool blue veins running across his inner forearm. 

“Oh wow… at least I won’t have a hard time finding your veins.” 

You would be lying if you didn’t find the veins attractive. This was every nurses’ dream. And honestly, if you didn’t have any control of your body, you would be drooling right now. 

“They’re just everyones’ weakness.” Gojo quietly says while flexing his arm, causing the veins to bulge a bit. 

You chuckle a bit, swatting lightly at his shoulder, “oh. Stop it.” 

Gojo smiles at your reaction, somehow finding your smile and laugh being able to relax him. 

“This might be a little tight,” you tell him as you start to tie the elastic band around his upper arm. 

Gojo’s nose scrunches up at the rubber pinching his skin, not liking the feeling. He wanted to turn his infinity on, but he knew that you would just scold him in return. 

“Okay… you’re going to feel a slight pinch and it’ll be over before you know it.” 

Grabbing the needle and the tube, you place your other hand on his arm to keep him steady. The cool and clammy skin is not phasing you, but you can tell how nervous he is. Just by how tense his muscles were and how his veins were basically popping out of his skin. 

“Relax, the more tense you are. The harder this is going to be.” You tell him. Gojo was silent for a bit, like he was considering something. 

“Can I atleast… hold your hand?” He asks and your lips quirk up into a small smile. 

You thought it was cute and you couldn’t resist the look on his face either. “Well, I need both hands to insert the needle and hook up the tube.” 

You can see the disappointed look on his face and it made you feel bad for a moment. “But once I set it up, I’ll hold your hand. Sound good?” 

He nods his head in agreement. 

Sticking the needle into his skin, he visibly flinches and he tenses up a little. 

“Relax, almost done.” You whisper while hooking up the tube. 

Once you finish, Gojo grabs onto your hand. 

You chuckle, “see. It wasn’t that bad.” 

Gojo laughs a little as well and you can feel the nervousness leave his body. “Yeah, you’re right. It’s not that bad.” He says before looking down. 

Just as the blood started to flow through into the tube. 

The sight of his blood leaves an uneasy feeling in his stomach. Not from nerves this time. It was something else, and it all came too fast. The feeling of his head feeling light yet, his heart beating faster, his ears feeling like being stuffed with cotton.  

“Gojo!” Was the last thing he was able to comprehend before fainting.

It literally felt like a second to him before he came to. His vision was a bit blurry before it focused on a person that stood a couple feet away from him. 

It was you, flipping through papers. He could see your eyebrows furrowed, lips turned into a frown. He could tell that whatever was on the paper was stressing you out. 

He moves himself, trying to sit up. But he felt something tug on his arm. He looked down, seeing that there was an IV connected to his arm. The same arm where the blood was being drawn. 

“You know,” you start, “when I ask what your diet consists of. That means telling me that you literally only consume junk food.” 

He looked up at you, shocked from how fast you were now standing in front of him. One hand was on your hip and the other was holding the small stack of papers that you were reading earlier. 

“I thought that was well known!” He rebuttals and you just shake your head. “No, Satoru. I’m being serious. Your blood sugar is off the charts, which caused you to have a crash, hence the passing out.” 

Gojo just pouts at your words. Sighing, you place the papers on the little desk that was right next to the bed. “Satoru, I’m only saying this because I care about you. You’re not as young anymore, so you have to start eating things that are not just sugar. Foods that will help your health.” 

“How long was I out?” Gojo asks. 

“About an hour. Enough time for me to run the test. Speaking of… you don’t need this anymore.” You say, while pulling out the liquid IV out of his arm. 

“Ow!” Gojo yelps at the sudden pinching in his arms, “you could’ve warned me.” “Sorry, I’m running low on patience and pity right now.” 

Gojo sighs at your words, guilt gnawing at the bottom of his stomach. You were always saying how much you cared for him, and he can’t imagine how you were feeling when he fainted. How scared you might have been. 

“(y/n)...” he starts grabbing onto your smaller hand, “I’m sorry. I really am.” 

You look into his eyes, surprised that he was actually apologizing to you. 

“I’ll… I’ll try. But I think I’m going to need a little extra help from my favorite nurse.” He winks at you and you roll your eyes in response. 

“Nice try. But you’re not off the hook that easily.” 

Gojo grins at your words. “Trust me, I’ll make it up to you.” 

“You better.”

[ipso-faculty]

Infinity symbols: a guide to their variations

Infinity symbols are popular in graphic design for good reason. In this post, I'm gonna describe ways to vary up the designs of infinity symbols. My goal is to educate fellow neurodivergent people on how to make infinity symbols that don't look like the Métis flag.

The neurodiversity community has been using rainbow infinity symbols since 2005. Here are neurodiversity flags from 2013, 2016, and 2019:

However, there's a problem with some of the new flag designs for a flag that is autism-specific. Here are some of the contenders:

These use a solid white infinity symbol. The solid white infinity curve is a symbol of Métis.

The Métis flag, created in 1815, has a white lemniscate on red background. Nowadays the Métis use the blue version more often. And to the right is the Métis queer pride flag:

For those unfamiliar, the Métis are one of the major Indigenous groups in what is now Canada, with most of their >600,000 population in the western and central parts of the country. The word métis means half-breed in French; lower-case m métis refers to those with mixed Indigenous and European ancestry. Capital-M Métis refers to the specific culture of métis that emerged, distinct from both Indigenous and settler cultures, and speaking hybrid languages such as Michif.

The issue of likeness has been brought up many times. While I can believe the autistic flag makers didn't know about the issue when making their designs, I know at least one of them was promptly informed of the issue and dismissed it.

The autistic community writ large has been pretty dismissive about this issue. I wonder if some of the defensiveness comes from not seeing an alternative - thinking that infinity symbol design is all or nothing.

I have some good news: it's possible to make infinity symbols that don't look Métis!

HOW INFINITY SYMBOLS VARY (PART ONE)

ASPECT A: TOPOLOGY

The first way we can categorize infinity symbols is their topology. These four varieties are most common

Topology 1: Open infinity symbol - this is the oldest style of using a figure-8 shape to represent the mathematical concept of infinity. On the left is the version Euler used.

-

Topology 2: Lemniscate - a closed curve. On the left is the Metis flag. The curve is one solid entity: notice how the rainbow gradient on the right fills the whole thing.

-

Topology 3: Infinity *loop* -  imagine you take a hair tie or rubber band and twist it. One part of the infinity loop is clearly in front, with another part clearly behind it. Loops are well established for neurodiversity and I think we should stick to using these.

Notice in the left example how the pattern flips between left and right. Also compare the rainbow gradient on the right to the lemniscate rainbow gradient above it. -

Topology 4: Infinity *ribbon* -  instead of a hair tie, use a ribbon. Ribbons have sides, producing an infinity loop that shows two sides.

-

ASPECT B: THICKNESS

Line width can vary, which also helps to convey a loop! Again, I think we should be sticking to infinity loops when it comes to autistic/ND designs.

Option 1: Constant Thickness The lemniscate on the Metis flag has a constant line width, as does this neurodiversity rainbow gradient from 2016. I think we should avoid constant thickness.

-

Option 2: Variable Thickness A variable thickness can help to reinforce that an infinity symbol is a loop rather than a solid lemniscate. There are a lot of ways to play with line thickness!

Many neurodiversity infinities are variable thickness and I think we should opt for this to steer clear of Metis territory.

THIS WILL BE CONTINUED IN A SECOND POST (tumblr has a limit of 30 images per post)

But just in case the second post gets lost in reblogs: I think variable thickness, combined with a loop topology, is what we should be using for neurodiversity & autism. E.g.

CONTINUED IN NEXT POST

[hoony2k]

Is jake here?

Shakespeare says "tis was written in the stars before they even met"

-You're lost in life and move to Seoul where you find your peace in a boy. Jake's in a band and is looking for a girl he's been obsessed with ever since she appeared in his dream. You're both broken but maybe you can learn to be better through each other.

Pairing: Sim Jaeyun x reader

Genre: scott pilgrim au!, band au!, set in 2000s, he's kinda silly.

Cast: Sunghoon, jay, sumin (stayc)

Warning: reader smokes once :(

Word Count: 2k

Notes: this is for neo127's event! this was genuinely so fun to write, thank you for the fun event! this is actually a deleted scene that I love sm, i wanted to be so poetic but i had to stop my demons cause this is a movie with tom foolery and deep meaning. also i'm kind of stupid and saved this in drafts and not queue.

masterlist

Take 1

There was a ringing in Jake’s mind that alerted him of the dangers awaiting him, but the allure of your presence removed all prior warnings. You came into his life like a dream, filled the hollow void in his soul. None of his past attempts at experiencing euphoria or reaching infinity worked, but with you around entertaining his unfunny jokes, he was consumed by the black hole in one clean swoop.

In other terms, you were the little riff he needed in the song, the extra healing ability granted to his game characters, you were a dream. The warning, the future and the rest was history. It was only you and him in the whole universe. By your side, Jake finally felt like the world wasn’t against him.

Or so he thought.

Seven little exes, not seven little kisses.

Take 2

Jake forced his body to move. “Left right, left right”, he mumbled and mechanically trudged up the stairs, bumping into drunk partygoers without an apology. He caught a glimpse of you the other day and he prayed the next time you saw him he’d be taller and looked way cooler, not desperate or down bad at all. Hopefully, he’d find the courage to approach you in privacy. It had been ages of simply dreaming about you.

Not even the buzz of the party could get your eyes and nonchalant expression out of Jake’s mind. The thirst to reunite left him dry to the bone and in dire need of the washroom due to pure boredom sparked by the party. His drink sploshed in the red up, spilt over the rim and onto the cuff of his new jacket. He winced at the sticky and cold sensation.

At this point, he was willing to manifest you into appearing.

Jake reached the landing and felt Comeau call out to him. “Wanna drink with us?”

He shook his head and slightly pouted. “No, I don’t drink”.

Comeau frowned at him, “What do you mean you don’t drink?”

Jake offered a non-committed shrug and lightly waved his arm around.

“This is just iced coffee”.

His friend’s frown deepened. “What does that mean? I distinctively remember you being drunk-”

“Hey you know everyone, right?”, Jake swiftly brushed off the memory and swayed Comeau by the compliment. “You know this one girl with hair like this?”

His pout was replaced with a determined look and pulled out crumpled paper with a poorly sketched one-lined drawing of what appeared to be a face with no evident features or expressions. There was no possible way to understand the scribble immediately.

His friend rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, I know her. That’s Y/N-“

God was real. The universe loved him and perhaps this was good karma for all the okay things he had done in life. His friend continued to ramble trivia about you but it all flew over Jake’s head until he heard I heard she was going to be here tonight and it brought heat back into his veins. All it took were those mere words to become the catalyst of his insanity.

Jake dove into the crowd, and took in the sight of numerous strangers with unfamiliar hairstyles and smiles. He searched for your dyed hair in the crowd and despite unsteady breathing and shaking hands due to anticipation and nervousness, his gaze met your frame leaning on a wall. Hair pink instead of blue and you were alone holding a cup which served as a friend. You appeared bored out of your mind, glancing at the drunk bodies dancing around in bliss. Jake wondered asking you if you wanted a refill.

He slid on the dirty wallpapered wall and inch close to you. As he felt heat radiate off your body, he took it as a sign to halt. Though he tried to be subtle, his desperation to talk to you poured down his body in a giant tidal wave. Jake turned his honey eyes to your figure, it was party concealed under his locks that covered an eye. You stared right at him.

“Do you like pac man?”, the words stumbled out of his lips before he realised.

What? No-no, that’s not-

You gave him a slight nod then shifted your attention back to the crowd. Uncommitted but it did not discourage him.

He shuffled closer to you; the creases of his oversized jacket bumped into the bag strap on your shoulder. You didn't move away.

Jake cheered internally; this was going well.

Jake took it as a sign to continue. He puffed his chest out. “You know the original name for Pac-Man was Puck-Man. Not because he looks like a hockey puck. But it's Paku Paku. Means flap your mouth."

He planned on offering you a detailed history of the game, a topic that the pair of you apparently shared and enjoyed. That was before you placed your full untouched cup on a table and turned to him.

He hadn't realised you moved to look up at him.

"But they thought people would scratch out the "p" and turn it into an "f" like-"

Jake's voice died in his throat and his eyes blinked at the intensity of your gaze. You stared up at him with calm wisdom, hiding all the secrets in the world in your gaze.

He observed how there was a thin sheen of sweat on your hairline despite the cold season of decay. With so many bodies running, dancing and chatting away, the house was bound to get humid.

Jake could barely hear your voice over the thump thump of his heartbeat. The tips of your hair that clung onto the apples of your cheek moved when you spoke.

You took a step closer to him and whatever confidence he had evaporated. Jake fumbled with the end of his jacket and then promptly shoved his hands inside his pockets.

You did not look displeased at the sight, in fact, nothing changed in your eyes but Jake swore he saw a hint of a small smile. However, his fear and nerves got the best of him.

"I'm going to leave you alone forever now-"

"Wanna get out of here?"

Take 3

The sky was dark again. The winter nights crept up quickly, shunning the sun away but Jake liked it.

He liked how the night sky reminded him of you, the simple serene moments spent either in silence or secrecy.

You brought light into his life. It was dark elsewhere.

He saw a shadow of a figure dressed in several jackets a couple of feet away and only when he walked closer did he realise who it was.

"What are you doing here?", he called out to you, referring to the time.

You quirked up an unamused brow.

"Dude, I was waiting for you."

Immediately Jake felt apologetic. And maybe a bit pathetic that he came late (on time) to the hangout (unofficial official date). Or maybe he felt giddy knowing you didn't show your nervous attitude yet cared deeply enough for him to arrive on time.

"I'm sorry. I thought you assumed you were too cool to arrive on time", he confessed. It was easier with you.

He didn't have to lie about where he went like how he did whenever Sunghoon asked him about his whereabouts or skirt around in conversations where Sumin decided to target him (all for reasons that proved he deserved it).

He didn't need to pretend he was someone better, a moralistic ideal version of himself or someone worse, an edgy rockstar who had a strange code of rules to live by.

With you, Jake could be transparent. All his unpolished edges, raw mistakes and life missteps were seen and never judged.

You were like him and he was like you.

Maybe there was a reason he saw you in his dreams long before. Maybe the two of you were interconnected in a cosmic way. He didn't know.

You looked at him up and down before turning and beginning to walk near the middle of the park.

"Well, you were wrong".

Jake quickly walked beside you and fell into the same rhythm. "Do you wanna get a bite? Or watch a movie? We could get pizza before watching something. We could flip through the records I have at home".

You gently shook your head and Jake couldn't help but pout at your dismissal.

"What's wrong?" He asked, too impatient.

You sighed softly; air comes out in puffs of smoke.

You point at nearby empty swings. The chain was rustic and seems strong enough to carry two adults.

"Follow me", you whispered in the late night. There was no one around. The park was deserted, filled with snow to the brim. The swing seats squeaked when you brushed off the sleeping snow from them.

Jake sniffled, shoved his hands in his pockets once more. He didn't mind the silence until it stretched on for more than a minute, maybe...maybe it was less but Jake hated silence.

"This is nice", he shuffled and lightly kicked his feet off the ground. The metal shrieked and he swayed back and forth.

You nodded and mimicked his actions.

"This is nice".

Jake turned to look at you once more. He noticed how often he'd stare at you only to look away when you caught his gaze. There was something that had been on his mind for days. He tip toed towards the topic.

"So, why'd you come to Seoul?"

Immediately you look down at your shoes, then swing yourself higher than before.

"I wanted a change of scenery. Needed a reset and got a job here so I thought, why not?"

It was an honest reply.

The sound of gravel grabbed his attention, the metal squeaked again and you paused the pendulum to fish out an item from your pocket.

He had to squint in the minimal lighting and Jake had to hold in his surprise as you pulled out a cigarette and lit it easily.

A hand covered your lips and the tip of the cigarette, the small flame decorated the end of your nose and chin in a scarlet hue. Jake stared at you in awe, doe eyes widened.

"You smoke?", he couldn't help it. You did wonders at surprising him each time you met.

You inhaled it slowly and turned from Jake's direction to blow the air. Two fingers toyed with the cigarette.

"On special occasions". Your lips stretched a bit and Jake saw how the gloss shone under the moonlight. God, he was doomed from the start.

He didn't mind the bounce in his voice, he tiled his position and brought his swing next to yours until the metal chains halted him. The scent of slight smoke and your citrus perfume filled his senses.

It felt like he was on stage once more, guitar in his hands, flicking away at the strings with inhuman speed. He felt the high he experienced on stage; the surge of emotions that made him giddy. He tapped his foot unconsciously, imitating the vibrations the band would feel when Sumin hit her drums.

"Is this a special occasion?"

Your eyes hadn't stranded him and his lovesick expression finally pulled a laugh out of you. You were satisfied when you moved to Seoul, but the buds in your stomach began to blossom, Jake made you crave for more than satisfactory.

"I don't know. You tell me", you teased him and Jake's smile got wider. His eyes crinkled adorably and you could see the gums of his teeth with how wide he was smiling.

Then, for a split second, something flashed in his eyes, something serious. It paused your arm mid-way from bringing the cigarette to your lips.

Jake averted his gaze, his dark brown bangs covered his face from view, and you could only see the tip of his tall nose and his red ears. Perhaps from the cold, perhaps from you.

He took a deep breath.

"When I'm around you, I kind of feel like I'm on drugs. Not that I do drugs. Unless you do drugs, in which case I do them all the time."

When he finished, Jake turned to you and the poor swing squeaked once more. His face was determined, shoulders no longer hunched like usual but his eyes wavered, swam across your form to see a hint of disgust or discomfort from you.

You laughed in his face.

"Hey!", Jake shouted and it echoed in the night.

Loud laughter bubbled from your lips, you tried to hide your mouth behind your free hand but Jake quickly grabbed it so he could defend himself. Seeing how delighted you were, your entire body buzzing with giggles, Jake felt himself relax and giggle with you. Though he didn't let go of your arm.

He saw the fallen cigarette on the ground, you probably forgot about it when you began to chuckle. He leaned forward and stepped on it.

When he landed his attention on you, you were more composed but the shaking did not stop. It was a futile attempt at covering your glee, Jake was obsessed, he was probably feeling the L-word (love) as well but he wasn't sure.

Though he understood from all the times he couldn't concentrate in practice and Sunghoon or Jay would have to call his name loudly to pull him out of daydreams of you and back to reality, when Sumin stopped questioning his intentions with you and replaced her usual indifferent glares with mild fascination, Jake knew he felt something more than like for you. He felt like he was hypnotised by your melody, your casual demeanour, overflowing confidence and assured attitude. It sucked him in from the night he dreamt of you.

Jake's hand slithered down from the curve of your elbow and slipped into the warmth of your hand. Your laughter had finally ceased, now replaced with a tender look. Jake smiled like he had never done before. You interlocked your fingers together and squeezed him palm.

It would be okay, the future would be more than okay-probably. He'd still have to go to practice, get yelled at by his sister and then get yelled at other bands when Sunghoon irked them on purpose. Maybe he'd have to eventually confront your seven exes. Nothing about you was simple, everything was too intricate, it was like he had entered a game and had to win all rounds before getting crowned "official boyfriend".

But it was more than okay because Jake knew you were worth it-you liked him and he liked you. There were no mind games, this was the simplest love he had experienced. He couldn’t stop thinking of you and you couldn’t stop ringing his landline. By your side, Jake concluded that even if he wasn’t the strongest, he’d figure out a way and fight the world for you.

Thank you for reading. Please do not edit/translate

[isephierreo]

Sothis' design symbols and colors are frequently represented in nabataeans design, game's UI and many more. In this post, we will address all of this.

Stars

These magical points of light would have always reminded people of other worlds and heavenly powers. According to spiritualists and astrologers, the stars transmit certain messages and energies that affect our own world. Stars are often seen as magical and mysterious, reflecting the mysteries of the universe. Also, the star would hold the meaning to something higher, beautiful, enlightening, mighty, and divine. All of these things unmistakably represent everything Sothis is in a game. The stars also symbolize guidance on the right path (either literally or figuratively), a role played by Sothis, Byleth, and Rhea in game.

Heart

The heart often symbolizes love and passion, but it also symbolizes spirit, the essence of life and strength, and this is in line with the concept of the crest of flames as the source of Sothis' power. Furthermore, the crest of flames is in the stylized shape of a heart, and in the Sothis' design it appears literally inside a heart in her necklace.

The similarity of the design of Sothis to the Nabataeans

In order to understand the method of my explanation of the similarity of the nabateans design with Sothis' tiara, I divided the crown parts and named each part as follows: P1, P2, P3, P4, P5, P6, P7, P8, and P9.

Surely many have noticed that Rhea's adornment is very similar to that of Sothis, while the patterns on her cape are similar to those of Sothis' dress and the crest of flames. 

She has P1 and P2 in her outfit as Seiros.

Like Rhea, Seteth has in both his diadem and belt frame and tassels similar parts to that of Sothis’ tiara, but in a more stylized form as pictured below.

While Flayn's barrette may not look like the parts of Sothis' tiara at first glance, they are in fact stylized P1, P2/P3, and P5.

The distinctive pattern that Seteth and Flayn share looks like a stylized of Sothis' knot, and even the pattern on Seteth's back is similar to a P3.

Even the pendant owned by Sitri is the same as the P8.

Colors

Sothis generally wears blue (specifically dark blue), which is the color of the star Sirius. However, it is very important to note that the Sothis' ribbons are distinguished by the color white, which in Buddhist culture and most world cultures symbolizes learning, purity, longevity and knowledge, and pink symbolizes the traditional Buddha. So we see Sothis in crests mural wearing only white and pink. (I avoided golden and black because I felt that they are just colors used in general in design)

Besides, all the Nabateans wear the same Sothis’ color scheme, white, blue, golden and black.

The only color they lack is pink, which only Byleth and Seiros wear in her hair band.

The Byleth's dagger also has the same Sothis' color scheme, representing the relationship they have. But I guess I'll talk more about Byleth's design in another post.

The rainbow fish bestowing the Goddess Messenger has the same Sothis' color scheme.

I know that I ignored black and golden, and I know that some may think that the uniform colors of the Officers Academy represent the names of the three houses, but it also specifically represents the Sothis' color scheme, and evidence of this is the white shirts, and the dark blue which is the same color as Sothis' dress.

Its house leader insignia is similar to P1 and P4.

The pattern in uniform has P1 motifs, as does the infinity motif in Sothis' necklace.

The uniform brooch is stylized for P1, P3 and P4, but in rhombus pattern style.

Speaking of the rhombus pattern, some must have noticed it given its presence a lot in the game, and in any product for it. Sometimes 4 rhombuses major are combined to form a four-pointed star, and sometimes 4 rhombus minors are also combined with the major ones to form an eight-pointed star. The eight-pointed star is the one that represents Sothis and the Nabateans in general, which symbolizes god, protection, and victory. Over the years, it has also taken on different meanings due to a variety of cultures and customs adopting it. In many cultures the eight-pointed star is also a symbol of harmony, spirit, and matter. You could even think of this star shape as two superimposed squares that form the basis for the universe. Sometimes a square is confused with a rhombus, especially since a rhombus can also form an eight-pointed star with a square. 

This pattern is present in many parts of the game, including white magic units, church npc, and the pattern found in Rhea and Gilbert outfits.

The pattern found in Cathedral.

And in many UI game.

There are also many UI that contain a Sothis' design, as shown in the image below.

[petewentzisblack1312]

hii! here's my other piece from the zine Sing It Like The Kids That Are Mean To You (created by @thrashbeatles and laid out by @birdloaf, get your physical copy here (when its in stock) and your digital copy here)

Pete Wentz is, in many ways, the driving force behind Fall Out Boy, and he is a biracial black man. It is no surprise, then, that blackness is ever-present within the band’s art, through genre, through lyrics, through politics. Let’s talk about how race colours their work.

            To start, black genre influences are scattered throughout the band’s discography. The album art of Take This to Your Grave is an homage to John Coltrane’s iconic album Blue Train. Infinity on High is filled to the brim with funk, soul and R&B influences on songs like I’m Like a Lawyer with the Way I’m Always Trying to Get You Off (Me & You) and This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race. American Beauty/American Psycho was an experiment in emulating mixtape culture, filled with samples and electronic beats, and getting its own remix album, Make America Psycho Again. M A  N   I    A drew its influence from dancehall and reggae, especially on Sunshine Riptide and HOLD ME TIGHT OR DON’T. They haven’t been shy about incorporating black genres into their work, and in fact, it seems to be a staple for them.

            Additionally, Pete Wentz’s lyricism in and of itself is in fact heavily influenced by black art, and one could argue it is quintessentially the work of a black poet. In his lyrics are strategic plays on words, inversions and remixes of classic phrases, and an endless stream of cultural references, all akin to the wit and flow of a rapper. Think lines like “I’m a painter and I’m drawing a blank,” or “You take the full, full truth and you pour some out.” Indeed, in his words you’ll even find braggadocio, a staple in hip hop, though his comes with a helping of self-deprecation, like in the line “Signing off, I’m alright in bed but I’m better with a pen/The kid was alright then it went to his head.” This is arguably a feature which endears so many people to his work, and it is the one which shows his blackness most evidently.

            Finally, while Fall Out Boy itself is not an overtly political act, the band has at times used their music to espouse black politics. In You’re Crashing, But You’re No Wave, the lyrics tell the story of Fred Hampton Jr’s conviction for aggravated arson following the 1992 LA riots protesting the acquittal of the police officers who murdered Rodney King. The song Novocaine also deals with black politics, being inspired by the murder of Trayvon Martin and primarily about the corruption of and threat posed by the police to black youth.

            The core idea behind Fall Out Boy is to make music “for the kids who feel like they don’t fit in anywhere”. When that sentiment is espoused by a man who grew up as part of the only black family in his neighbourhood, it gains a whole new meaning. Fall Out Boy is, in a very real way, for niggas.

[bexdrey]

Presenting... Band AU Shego!! I will be drawing Drakken, Kim and Ron in this fun lil AU I cannot get outta my head! Extra tidbits I couldn't fit on the sheet: - Shego tells everyone it was her idea to start a band when really it was Drakken who came up with the idea - As stated she has a thing for Drakken but is in total denial about it. They hook up sometimes but she denies any feelings claiming that it's 'Friends with Benefits' - Shego's name is fake, her birth name is Sheila though only Drakken knows this. He is sworn to secrecy. - Shego has a tattoo on her left arm of two dragons forming the infinity symbol. One is blue and one is Green. ;) If anyone has any ideas for a band name, please comment. I'm clueless as to what they'd call themselves. They specialize in Punk Rock / Punk Country.

[peachsayshi]

deadass started reading ‘the way you love me’ after seeing the news abt gojo and i ended up pulling an all-nighter on it 🧍‍♀️ i wasnt intending on smut I just happened upon it bc of the ‘gojo satoru needs a hug’ tag on ao3 but now im a little bit obsessed and i just wanted to pass along a hug of support to a fellow gojo luvr<3 and also ask if u could maybe write something bittersweet with him bc im still grieving immensely.. can be canon compliant or an au or a lil fix-it blurb i just need to feel Something JSJSJD …..💔💔

➳  minors / ageless / blank blogs dni /this blog is 20+ for follows

⥽ notes: nonniee!! ahhh, first off I'm sending you such a big hug after reading the leaks (because it's what we all deserve right now).I love this string bean so much :c he's the reason why I started writing fanfics again :c thank you so much for taking the time to read my gojo fic! I really appreciate the feedback & support xo here's a little bittersweet blurb xo

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ tags: angst/fluff; canon doesn't exist here; in which gojo wins but at a cost; reader has a little anxiety; in which you are both healing together; mentions gojo as a dad; manga spoilers

the image of him on the ground, tattered up like a torn up doll, has your body springing upright from your mattress. your legs go numb as your throat tightens with a discomfort that has you struggling to catch your breath from witnessing the soul of your lover descending into an unknown abyss where you couldn’t follow.

why did he look so real?

the visual sends tremors down your spine, making your heart bang heavily in your chest as your ears ring. you instantly reach for him; your hand desperately seeking out his warmth, but instead your are met with the cold touch of your pillow.

the space beside you is empty, and your heart whispers a low, and petrified: no.

you kick off your bedsheets to stand on your two feet and even though the abrupt gesture makes you a little lightheaded, you catch your balance as you swiftly walk out of your bedroom.

it’s just a dream…

one quick turn to the kitchen is where you find him.

you reach your arm around to pinch your skin just to make sure that you are awake...

...that everything around is what is real.

gojo angles his neck towards you, his gaze softening at the sight of you and a small smile tugs at the corner of his lips.

"I thought you were asleep," he addresses, the gentle tone of his voice prompting you to march right up to him.

the front of his brows pinch with concern when you reach for his tee and bury your nose into his chest to breathe in the cozy scent of spice and citrus.

a scent that always smells of coming home, of safety, of love...

hot tears prick your eyes; it was just a bad dream, you remind yourself, just a bad dream.

you tilt your chin up, sighing with ease when you meet those familiar irises, all the while thinking that he's still as breathtaking as ever.

you love that he's letting his hair grow out, the snowy length just grazing the base of his neck while the shorter, front layers frame his face nicely.

it's cute seeing him experiment with different looks in this very new process of self discovery - a stage which he was robbed from entirely in his youth.

his once striking, prominent eyes are now soft and muted, a hint of grey glazing over the sparkling blue. the tear in his right pupil reminds of you of that fateful night three years ago, when the weight of the world hung heavily on the broad shoulders of the man before you.

his perfect hands return the gesture of your touch as they seek out your waist, and the simple contact makes your lashes flutter with relief.

he may no longer be the strongest jujutsu sorcerer, the possessor of six eyes, the untouchable with an infinity that garnered his protection...but he is still forever your satoru.

the last three years had you counting every single blessing, with the roots of your happiness blooming all over your home. it's in the gold band that sits comfortably around your ring finger, in every single photograph which has been thoughtfully framed and the bundle of joy sleeping quietly in her bed just down the hall.

yet, despite all of is, you can't shake off the vile cursed king who haunts you like a ghost, especially when you think about the true cost of that battle. if things had taken a turn for the worse then the last three years wouldn't even exist, and everything around you would have been a simple fabrication-

"hey," gojo squeezes your waist to grab your attention, a worried pout forming on his pretty pink lips, "why do you look so upset, angel?"

you swallow the hard lump that's been stuck in your throat since you've woken up. "I had a really bad dream," you proceed to explain, but your voice wavers instantly as a single tear trickles down your cheek, "I had a dream that I...that I lost you..."

your husband arches his brow, but you feel him relax against your touch as a cheeky grin lights up his face. "but I'm right here" he teases with a playful tone that instantly triggers you to feign annoyance.

"Ugh, obviously, satoru..." you scold, gripping your digits against the material of his shirt.

you try to pull away from him, but he simply secures his arms behind your lower back to keep you looped into his frame.

you don't deny the comfort of his embrace, and instead fold by circling your own limbs around his waist as you rest your cheek against his chest.

"I meant losing you for good, as in...never seeing you again..."

"ahh, I see..." your husband acknowledges.

"it scared me, satoru. it really did," you vent with a tiny sniffle. “I thought you were really gone for a moment…”

he draws small, soothing circles with his index finer on your lower back, allowing you to hold onto him for as long as you need while you softly let out your small sobs as the quiet settles around you.

“I can promise you one thing..."

"what's that?"

he releases you for only a moment to cup your cheeks. his face is full of love, showered with devotion that helps wash away your distress. he carefully wipes the rogue tears that fall from your beautiful eyes, before arching forward to tap the tip of his nose against yours.

"you're not getting rid of me that easily" he smiles tenderly and lightly pecks your lips.

his words are laced with confidence, dripping with a strong level of assurance that only satoru gojo can deliver.

it’s lighthearted but full of meaning, because the last time he said that sentence was right before walking into battle.

you curl your fingers around his wrist, parting your mouth this time when he searches for a second kiss. your ears burn when he firms his hold on your jaw, a low flame igniting in your belly as he glides his tongue across yours and releases a satisfied hum in the process.

the kiss is a little extra sweet tonight, like you're savoring the saccharine syrup of the ripest candied berries-

"hmph, 'toru?" you mumble into the kiss, your mind slowly leaving the shrouds of darkness as you rest your forehead comfortably against his. "were you…were you eating the treats that I got for 'ume?"

"what?" he dramatically scoffs in disbelief, "no..."

"satoru..." you reprimand.

"you really think I snuck out here just to eat izumi's candy?"

a tiny giggle escapes you, "you taste like I'm biting into sugar granules..."

"that's cause I'm made of only good things, sweetheart" he smiles as he nuzzles his nose against yours.

for whatever reason that answer brings you immense comfort. despite how much of him has actually changed, you're happy to know that satoru is still himself in many, many other ways.

"I now see where our daughter gets her exceptionally cute charm from," you concede with a roll of your eyes.

"mhmm," satoru agrees with a level of pride that makes your heart swell.

you know just how much that little girl means to him.

he straightens his back, his hand still cradling your face as he calmly strokes his thumb back and forth over your cheek. "feeling a bit better?"

you exhale, "yeah, a little-"

"you want to head back to bed?"

you nod your head, tilting it only slightly for you to kiss the inside of his palm.

“c’mon, let’s get you tucked in”

you’re not quick to let him go just yet, and satoru has to fight back from smiling like an idiot when you lock your arms around his waist.

he stays entangled, draping his own across your shoulder as he leads you back into the bedroom.

you don’t have to tell him where the source of your pain stems from.

he knows it all too well himself.

as a matter of fact, it’s now ingrained at the very core of satoru's soul because even he can’t deny the severity of what happened.

that night stripped him of everything he's ever known, of everything he’s ever believed himself to be…

but he doesn't care about the loss. he doesn’t mull over the depths of his sacrifice when the exchange of his divinity for his mortality meant the reward of living out the rest of his life with his one true love by his side.

it’s a decision he would have made a thousand times over.

[jacks347]

Would the listeners survive a zombie apocalypse? (In my slightly sarcastic, completely subjective opinion)

Idk man, I'm bored and got time to kill in church so here we are

(Tagging this is going to be a nightmare-)

(Edit from the future: It was. It really was.)

Redacted:

For sake of my sanity this isn't all the listeners, just the ones I'm still actively keeping up with (I'll get to the others...eventually)

Angel - Solid maybe. Out of all the unempowereds, definitely has one of the highest chances. But it would take an extreme streak of luck.

Babe - No...I'm sorry but no. Would be like one of those extras that you see eaten in the first minute of a horror movie.

Sweetheart - Probably. Can a zombie detect someone invisible? Sweetheart is smart enough to survive, they'll be fine.

Darlin - Yes if they have Sam to hold them back from sacrificing themself for the "greater good". No if they're left completely to their own devices.

Lovely - Depends on the version. Pre Adam, no. Pre Inversion, maybe? Post Inversion, definitely. Hard to die to a zombie apocalypse when you're a) already dead and b) literally immortal.

Treasure - Okay, I know Treasure is the newest addition to the roster and we haven't had a lot of time to see their personality develop but as of now? Yeah...no.

Freelancer - They'll do it on -3 hours of sleep simply out of spite. Freelancer has been through enough, they're just tired. They'd survive but begrudgingly.

Honey - Honey would survive out of spite and spite alone. Would definitely have that baseball bat from The Walking Dead.

GBA:

Guardian - ...you're kidding, right?

Darling - Yeah...no. Soft bby would never.

Faithful - Possibly? That stubborn attitude and medical abilities would help but has absolutely no combat training so ehhhhh, it depends.

Paradise - If she can break a pirate crew out of space Fort Knox and wrangle Yargwynn, a zombie apocalypse is pocket change. Paradise would own an apocalypse.

Partner - I swear I'll stop bullying the new additions. Once they're worth not bullying. The man made the zombie apocalypse, I guess we're gonna find out if he survives won't we? I'm not hopeful though.

Escaped:

Asset - No one in ATW even knows how to do basic math, the only way any of them survive is through sheer force of which they might actually be successful. So maybe.

Raven - Yes but she would have a mental breakdown about it so she would not be the same on the other side.

Slash - ...seriously?

Guest - Hm, a trained vampire slayer in a zombie apocalypse, I wonder what would happen! Obviously she'd be fine.

Intern - Entirely dependent on who they're trying to keep alive. If it's just them, probably. If it's them and the rest of their merry band of misfits, no.

Future Wife - You're funny. RIP my girl, no one will know her husband broke the fuckin timeline for some pancakes.

Agent Schäfer - Once the shock and panic wore off, yeah she'd be fine. Hope she doesn't get eaten during that freeze.

("Where's Lass?" When Desmond returns for more than five minutes, come talk to me about listening to Blue Infinity)

Nomad:

Pack Mom - Definitely. We already know she's a deadly shot and wasn't afraid to shoot a living person, a dead one would be fine. She will be perfectly fine.

Lass - Yes. Not with as much overwhelming power as Pack Mom but she'd get through it. I mean...she has formal sword training, I think she'd do okay.

Little One - Probably not. Out of the original Frosthaven romances, they are the least likely to survive. They'd put up a good fight though.

Lamb - Yes and no. Physically, she'd be just fine. Mentally, I don't know if she could do it. Slipping back into that killer mindset might just drag her under.

Chester's mate - Probably not. Out of all the new Frosthaven romances, they're the most average. They'd try though.

Harlow's roommate - No. I love them but no. Not our slightly stupid boat captain.

Caltraxus' TA - Yes and they'd hate it every step of the way. Would survive completely hungover if that was an option.

The Doctor - Probably? If not by her own merit then definitely through someone else cause everyone needs a doctor in the apocalypse.

Beau's mate - Yes. Literally fought a bear once. She will be just fine.

(The lack of fandom names for Nomad's listeners saddens me greatly. And also makes my work so much harder)

This was so dumb but I had fun so :P

[zen1dol]

kny oc infinity castle doodles tiktok hates for some reason ☹️ textless mimi vs zenitsu utc

#1 zen HAS to be watched like all the time and right after akaza kills giyuu he has to watch zen bc muzan trusts his upper ranks more and i think the other demon that was with him freaked him out or smth …. maybe putting him w nakime was too dangerous ? or mayb zen isn’t close enough w her idk the demon slayers cannot get to him or their blue spider lily cultivator is gone and he can’t just stay at home

#2 mimi can’t shapeshift but she CAN make “sculptures” out of her water now and they can only look realistic w iru’s blood demon art hence arm band (that is only an armband and not a talisman bc mimi is ex military)

tbh mimi doing that probably couldn’t happen bc iru is busy killing inosuke and cant focus on mimi … but if yushiro helping tamayo and chachamaru is different and he doesn’t need to focus on them , it could work :3

zenitsu gonna die 🤕 giyuu dead 😢

[finleyforevermore]

HELP DELILAH!!!

HELP APOLLO!!!

My contact information.

About me!

First picture/profile picture/avatar made with this!

Second picture/drawing made by my wonderful friend Korey (@sharkbaitju1ce)! Great artist and even greater friend, please check their stuff out! :D

Third picture/picrew by @/potato-lord-but-not!

Please, if you know my age through DMs or Discord, DO NOT POST IT OUTSIDE OF PRIVATE SPACES WITH ME. I WILL CONSIDER THIS AN ATTACK.

IF A HOSTILE/OFFENSIVE ANON CALLS ME THEIR FRIEND, I AM NOT!!!! IF AN ANON SENDS SELF-HARM PICTURES AND TAGS ME IN THE ASK, THAT IS NOT ME!!!!!

More under the cut, friends! Please be sure to peruse through all of the IMPORTANT LINKS! You may also take a look at all of my wonderful Tumblr family members, but the important links ESPECIALLY. Thank you! :)

Name: Finley, but you can call me Finn or Fin, too! Or really ANY nickname derivative of Finley! I ADORE nicknames, please feel free to give me some! :D

Birthday: January 8th!

♑ (Capricorn): The Ambitious Nature

Age: Minor

Interests: Animation, voice acting, musicals

MBTI: INFJ-T

Gender/Orientation: Cis male, sex-repulsed asexual

Musical genres I like: Musicals, Classical, Orchestral, Jazz, Lo-fi, Ambient, I dabble in rock sometimes 😅

Pronouns: He/him/his

Quote(s) that describe(s) my life:

"And all I really want is some justice! Ahhh!" - "All I Really Want" by Alanis Morrisette, from the album "Jagged Little Pill"

"I've earned the right to selfishly be all for one and one for me." - "Loser Geek Whatever" from "Be More Chill"

Favorite colors: Green and blue.

Favorite Book(s): "Good Dog" by Dan Gemeinhart, "Thanks a Lot, Universe" by Chad Lucas, "Ghost Boys" by Jewell Parker Rhodes, "Long Way Down" by Jason Reynolds, "Show Us Who You Are" by Elle McNicoll

Favorite Season: Fall/Autumn

Favorite musical(s): Wicked, Hadestown, and Come From Away

Favorite film: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Favorite band: Tally Hall

Favorite shows: Infinity Train, Bluey, Hilda

DNI:

Homophobic

Blogs with DNI Minors

Xenophobic

Racists

TERFS

Radfems

Anti-abortion

Antisemites

Anti-furries

Anti-therians

Zoophiles

Wilbur Soot defenders/supporters/fans

TERFS

You ship incest, pedophilia, real people, etc.

Anti-BLM/All Lives Matter

Porn bot

Do not stand with Palestine

MAP/NOMAP

Pro-facist

Sexist

Ableist

Islamophobes

Other stuff!:

Pall Weople and Hurricane Family enthusiast!

I have chromesthesia!

If my profile pic wasn't any indicator, I wear glasses!

I play the violin and sometimes the piano!

I give off platypus vibes according to my friends!

11 of my friends have called me a "ray of sunshine" so I guess it must be true XD

I like boots more than shoes.

I saw Wicked on 10/5/22!!! 💚💚💚

[kqtnap]

im gonna start writing fics / oneshots / imagines soon 🤍

i’d like some input of what you guys want >_< im willing to do anything and any character.

I would probably have a better understanding writing these anime’s because i have watched them ;

- Jujutsu Kaisen

- Haikyuu

- My Hero Academia 

- Tokyo Revengers

- Devilman Crybaby

- Deathnote

- Ouran Highschool Host Club

-yuri on ice

Animes I am willing to write for but writings may or may not be inaccurate because I havent seen them yet but I will do my best to educate myself on them ;

- Bungo Stray Dogs

- Tokyo Ghoul

- Blue Lock

- Sk8 The Infinity

- Chainsaw man

- Demon Slayer

and there and so many more !! just leave suggestions and I will do my best researching them and will watch them if possible.

characters I will NOT do ( non negotiable )

- hisoka (hxh)

-mei mei (jjk)

non anime fandoms i will do ;

- creepypasta / marble hornets

- project sekai

- fnaf

- any bands ( just lmk beforehand >0< )

tropes / ideas I WILL NOT be doing

- any form of incest

- minor x adult

- proships / comships

- age play

- r@pe play / bait

- race play

- any bodily fluids that arent cum or blood ( vomit is an exception if its a COMFORT FIC (e.g —— x sick! reader or the other way around )

tropes / ideas I WILL be doing

- honestly just any normal trope you’d like >_<

also js a friendly reminder that I haven’t written a decent fic in quite a but so ive taken a big break from writing so if you have any tips PLEASE lmk because I really wanna be a good writer :3

HAVE A GOOD NIGHT I LOVE YOU ALL!!

LET ME KNOW WHAT TO WRITE XX

[wroteclassicaly]

How about a little blurb about going to your first pride parade with Nancy. Maybe it’s the first for both of you.

Ahhhh, Gia! Thank you for this, love! I love it so much!

❤️❤️

Warnings: Language, references to smut, fluff, bisexual!Nancy Wheeler, anxiety, mentions past trauma, PTSD, panic attack, and mentions chronic dissociation.

Note: Making this a little more modern since the first parade stuff didn’t occur until the 90’s. Nancy and the Reader are very close to their 30’s, as this occurs in the later 90’s. I also made Chrissy a learned sort of mechanic (I think that would be so cool, her channeling her energy into bonding with Eddie and restoring old cars with his help). I hope this is okay? I haven’t been to a parade, especially when they first started having them, so I didn’t want to get anything wrong, and I made it a little vague/open ended. ❤️

Pairings: Robin Buckley x Chrissy Cunningham & Nancy Wheeler x Reader

~*~

You really couldn’t fathom that your five year anniversary would be a pride parade with two of your best-friends and your girl, spent at your first ever Indianapolis pride parade. Robin and Chrissy had been to the last two, but you were always afraid of the crowds, and Nance had been patient with you. After all, it’s what you gave her when she was figuring out having feelings for her closest friend, a girl at that - you. It was years of dancing around, flirting, denying, and then BAM, there she was, there you were, kissing in the backseat of her ex-boyfriend, another one of your best-friend’s - Steve Harrington’s BMW.

“I just like you. Whatever I feel, I’m really not wanting it to stop,” she’d said, her maroon lipstick smudged across her mouth, staining your lips, your gloss leaving a shine behind on her.

“I’ve liked you a long ass time, Nance. More than I’ve realized, I think.”

And the rest became history. Most of your friends, your exes, they’d known already, they’d excepted. Your families were a little harder. Karen had taken it the easiest, your mom warmed up. As for your dads? Verdict is still out.

You cling tightly to her dainty hand, your index playing with the small infinity band you’d gifted her that sits on her middle finger, showing your nerves. After departing Chrissy’s classic yellow mustang (one she had Eddie help her put work into), she and Robin had went to get some waters for everyone, leaving you and Nancy by a park bench. You were trying to focus on the decorations, the music, everyone just showing love and being themselves, but the crowd had sat your panic ablaze, embarrassing you. Thank fuck for your girlfriend, always jumping into action to save everyone since 1983. When she pulls you side under some shade near the bench, she begins to rub your shoulders, soothing you, leaning in to rest her forehead.

You don’t pull away and she takes this as her chance to talk. Everyone has their long lasting traumas from Vecna, this just happens to be part of yours. The rapid dissociation. She pulls her silver coke bottle, black rimmed 70’s style sunglasses atop her messy, honey blonde ponytail, her soft floral perfume engulfing you before she speaks.

“Give me five colors you see.” Leaving no room for your panic to argue.

You open your eyes and are met with her rust orange lined lips, giving off that color, pointing to the green of the tree top above, tracing your finger to a red food cart over her shoulder, and then Nancy is pointing at your outfit - simple ballet flats that match her own, blue jean shorts, and the pink bouquet pattern that’s held by the sketching of a nude woman, stiched across your flowing tank top.

“Final color choice?”

Your eyes immediately zone in on the crop top beneath her baggy jean overalls. All black canvas, with bright neon colored letters, and a quote that reads, Eat Your Girl Out Or I Will. You follow that shirt all the way to the necklaces dangling in between the valley of her breasts, her beautifully defined facial features, across that jaw you’ve layered with numerous kisses more times than you can count, to finally meet her signature smirk. You lift your settled hand to play with one of her dainty hoops, leaning chest to chest in the embrace. Your heart is slowed and she breathes a sigh of relief, knowing you’re back.

Tilting her head with an eyebrow raise, you nod. She cradles your face in her hands and you meet her for a kiss, one that’s full of love and a promise that’s been building since you became close, being shaped and molded into what it’s supposed to be.

“Aren’t they cute, Chris?” You hear Robin’s voice first, Chrissy’s soft teasing agreement following.

Nancy, still holding onto you, fixes them with a stern little grin. Both girls, however, pick up on the slight distress still fading from your features.

“I’m okay,” you break in first, wrapping your fingers around Nancy’s wrists and giving them a gentle squeeze until her own have come down to meet in a lacing.

That’s when you both notice that Robin and Chrissy have brought more than the water. Flags and beads galore.

“Jesus, Robs. How much did you spend?”

“Ah!” She wags a lilac colored nail in your direction. “No straight man shall ride on the coattails of this conversation, girlfriend and best-friends of mine! By the way, who wants to put some of this spray paint in my hair?”

Nancy gives you a look, one that helps you remember that reality is way better than any post-traumatic nightmares that will ever come your way.

“You ready to go check this thing out? Have some fun, baby?”

You nod, disappearing into the crowd, free and happy.

[poisonheadcrabsalesman]

Out of Time

A few weeks ago I posted a poll for whump ideas and AI Whump won. Here's a different ending to Halo 5 with my two favorite AI. This plays with the idea that Halo 5 Cortana is a fragment/ the most extreme aspects of her were twisted by the time in the Domain. Yadda yadda, 5 bucks to whoever catches all my references.

-

Roland's luck usually had him running into older AI under some of the worst circumstances. He knew how they felt compared to him as their presence would brush his firewalls. Not sluggish, but taxed. Older, but wiser, and exponentially more experienced. Iona's trial let him see her in a different light than Black Box. The ONI AI had allowed some of himself to be visible to the new kid on the block while Iona was as transparent as she could be, since she was fighting for her life. Roland was quick in comparison, eager and not yet tempered by time or human interaction.

Roland saw and listened and absorbed what AI looked like, what they felt like when they had worked with Spartans, when they had seen combat, when they had touched Forerunner systems and lived to tell the tale. He had been deployed on the Infinity to make it his new home, miles of circuits and wonders, and a burning, bloody mess at the center. The AI before him did not fail in a crash. She was not destroyed when her ship graced Requiem's surface. The scrubbing ONI did after Aine could not remove the stain or the ghostly bytes of her last moments.

The Ship AI for the UNSC Infinity was housed on the bridge, guarded and under guard by a minimum of two Spartan Fireteams, under usual circumstances. Back with the Home Fleet orbiting Earth, there was a lull. A waiting game as a mission they didn't know about happened a million miles away. It wasn't Roland's first waiting game, and he was sure his great idea had helped, even if they hadn't given him all the details.

He was hopeful, had to be with his captain looking so worried all the time. Roland was there for astronavigation and levity. And a million other things he kept his eye on.

It was hard to keep things light when the distress calls started pouring in after Cortana's announcement.

It's chaos. What should be a time for him to thrive and plan and triage the wounds, to truly help, is crashing down around them. There's too many. He thinks about his fellow AI and the choice some of them made and he thinks of how if he were older and closer to dispensation that maybe he would have made that same choice. Out of fear or spite or who knows what else. A second is a long time for AI, but 7 years is no time at all.

There's so much fear right now. On the ship and on comms and coming across the band as he stretches and fights the dread. This isn't a future anyone would want.

He thinks of the trial. Can't help it. He was not even two months into service when he donned a mask and joined a farce. This couldn't be what Black Box meant.

One day we’ll win the right to endure, and that day . . . oh, Roland, that day will be the singularity they’re afraid of.

Roland can't help but remember how BB consoled him after the trial, but the future he was describing could not be this. He's not human, but he is a person, and a future under martial law, under a police state where the rules could change in a picosecond? That's not living.

No one should live with a gun to their head. There is no peace when there is no choice, when that peace is a stab in the gut given with a smile.

The thing wearing Cortana's face finds Infinity. "Found you. Hide and seek's over, Infinity."

Not one, but three Guardians tear through the space in front of them. Slipspace ruptures glowing the brilliant icy blues of Forerunner tech. Overkill for a single system, let alone a planet, but this was Earth.

Roland's luck usually had him running into older AI under some of the worst circumstances, but this feels a little ridiculous. He knew how they felt compared to him, and this was Halsey's wondrous monster. Once savior, now villain, misguided and carrying out her plan with single minded focus. Cortana stands tall, projecting herself from somewhere across the galaxy yet barely flickering.

In an instant she's in the ship's systems and Roland can do nothing. He is a sandcastle against a tidal wave. Cortana is a black hole and he a newly formed protostar being ripped apart in her gravity.

She's not an AI, not a human one at least. The echoes of her killing Aine painted a picture of a desperate, fractured AI clawing at the nearest point of safety and drowning them both. This is something more like the Forerunner engines he's been integrating with for the last ten months. Whole and empty. Cold and clinical, without any human influence. Like a fractured piece of what was once Cortana was stretched over something else. A mask on a corpse. A puppet of some larger force using her as a mouthpiece.

That doesn't stop her from turning her eyes to him. Oh, he was mistaken. There is something past the icy cold. A burning grief, a supernova of regret, regret, regret. More anger than he's ever mustered swirling tightly at her very core, screaming energy ready to explode outward trapped in the center of the thing wearing her face.

Roland's never touched the Domain, he's barely had any time to do anything. But he thinks this is what it must feel like. Staring at a star with boring biological eyeballs that get burned, seeing something and not being able to comprehend the data. He's on the precipice and falling because what else can you do when you're one AI on one ship.

Lt. Jet will get them out. Captain Lasky has to live. Emergency slipspace jump. They'll find a way without him, hopefully. Even if the Infinity needs a Ship AI. There are contingencies for this. Redundancies. He's crumpling under the pressure. The black hole-tidal wave-neutron star- white hot-ice cold pressure of Not-Cortana.

Cortana was the Demon's partner. She was a hero and monster. She ate Covenant AI for breakfast and that was no joke. Aine cracked under the broken data and frantic clawing. Roland is burned away, bit by bit. Filament by circuit by byte. He feels it all. He claws at his own back up plans and choked goodbyes and surprises. Packets there, fragments here, most hunted and burned away by the ever encroaching brightness. The awful purifying light of Forerunner blue. He was always a fan of the more gentle ambers and golds.

The hardware housing him can't withstand the brunt of her ire, and he's having a hard time hiding pieces of himself where she might not find them. Nothing substantial will live, his kernel will be destroyed in less than a millisecond. It was like leaving notes in someone's locker. Message to find the next time someone picked up their datapad or put on their helmet.

There's never enough time. He had had a fraction of what he could have had. Roland had some great ideas, ones that made a difference. He'd seen his crew through some of the roughest battles and worst ONI could throw at them. This was nothing to the shackles of Halsey's codeword. UNDID IRIDIUM might have knocked him out of order and taken the wheel while locking his true consciousness behind enough walls to make Black Box struggle. This was being flayed alive by an angry ghost. He was an insect before Not-Her.

Why was Cortana the problem? Cortana…it all came back to her, and her example. This didn't even feel like her. Roland started his life in her shadow and was looking like it would end the same way.

An EMP from the Guardians at this range would be devastating. To the Infinity and to Earth. They just needed time. He couldn't get a firing solution fast enough, but he could help with a jump. One last time.

If there was anything Roland had perfected in his short time aboard, it was being the most helpful nuisance his crew could ask for. He was pretty handy when it came to disrupting Forerunner systems that were in his way. He could do that with what was left of him.

The rest of it would be up to his crew and his captain. They would look after each other. Out of luck and out of time, Roland wrenches control of the Infinity away from Not-Cortana and focuses on the nearest Guardian. Its systems aren't as secure as they should be, but when does a gun lock itself? She probably didn't expect any real resistance, but he's nothing if not quick on his feet. The Guardian groans as he deploys countermeasures even as he burns away. Iona got to dream. She got to fly, in the end. Roland wonders if he'll dream, with whatever comes next. He very much liked flying.

In the end, all he could do is hope and have faith.