#Our damage atmosphere

[gardeningwithkirk]

The importances of our mountains

Mountains are ecologically important because they: Provide a haven for a broad spectrum of plant and animal species, making them biodiversity hotspots. Regulate climate by influencing air circulation, cloud formation, and precipitation levels. Act as sources of freshwater. Store and sequester carbon. Provide important goods, including wood, pastures for livestock, drinking water, and clean air.

[stellanix]

starlink pisses me off

the issue of its impact on astronomy and light pollution has been discussed a lot, and is a very real issue (i've noticed up to 10% of the frames i take while doing astrophotography being rendered unusable by starlink trails), but there's an even bigger issue

not only does starlink constitute the majority of active satellites in orbit, with over 6,000 already up and potentially over 30,000 planned, but these satellites are disposable

each satellite only has a lifetime of 5-7 years (not including satellites that prematurely fail), and re-enters earth's atmosphere and disintegrates at the end of its life, and is then replaced by newly launched satellites

it's also worth mentioning that aluminum from re-entering satellites forms aluminum oxide, which can damage the ozone layer and risks reversing the recovery of the ozone hole

and this is touted as progress, "the future"! the way we bring high-quality internet to anyone who doesn't live in a big city or a wealthy country. a gift to all humanity! (except elon musk gets to deny it to whoever he wants)

and it is literally unsustainable

the so-called internet infrastructure of the future relies on frequent rocket launches spewing carbon dioxide and black soot into the atmosphere, and disposable satellites that destroy the shield that protects all life on earth from UV radiation

the atmosphere is a global commons. orbit is a global commons. yet a single company owned by a single fascist billionaire has appropriated a vast swath of orbital space and filled it with infinite trash machines - without any international regulation. but bring this up in any space fan circles, and you'll be met with techbros screaming at you and calling you an enemy of humanity for not thinking that elon musk should be able to do whatever he wants without regulation

starlink isn't the future, it's a cancer filling our sky with trash (and i guess some people get kinda expensive internet along the way? oh yeah btw the poor people they're talking about starlink helping can't afford it)

anyway fuck starlink, they should stop launching these trash satellites, if you want everyone to have internet we should build more publicly-owned fiber instead

[nasa]

What We Learned from Flying a Helicopter on Mars

The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter made history – not only as the first aircraft to perform powered, controlled flight on another world – but also for exceeding expectations, pushing the limits, and setting the stage for future NASA aerial exploration of other worlds.

Built as a technology demonstration designed to perform up to five experimental test flights over 30 days, Ingenuity performed flight operations from the Martian surface for almost three years. The helicopter ended its mission on Jan. 25, 2024, after sustaining damage to its rotor blades during its 72nd flight.

So, what did we learn from this small but mighty helicopter?

We can fly rotorcraft in the thin atmosphere of other planets.

Ingenuity proved that powered, controlled flight is possible on other worlds when it took to the Martian skies for the first time on April 19, 2021.

Flying on planets like Mars is no easy feat: The Red Planet has a significantly lower gravity – one-third that of Earth’s – and an extremely thin atmosphere, with only 1% the pressure at the surface compared to our planet. This means there are relatively few air molecules with which Ingenuity’s two 4-foot-wide (1.2-meter-wide) rotor blades can interact to achieve flight.

Ingenuity performed several flights dedicated to understanding key aerodynamic effects and how they interact with the structure and control system of the helicopter, providing us with a treasure-trove of data on how aircraft fly in the Martian atmosphere.

Now, we can use this knowledge to directly improve performance and reduce risk on future planetary aerial vehicles.

Creative solutions and “ingenuity” kept the helicopter flying longer than expected.

Over an extended mission that lasted for almost 1,000 Martian days (more than 33 times longer than originally planned), Ingenuity was upgraded with the ability to autonomously choose landing sites in treacherous terrain, dealt with a dead sensor, dusted itself off after dust storms, operated from 48 different airfields, performed three emergency landings, and survived a frigid Martian winter.

Fun fact: To keep costs low, the helicopter contained many off-the-shelf-commercial parts from the smartphone industry - parts that had never been tested in deep space. Those parts also surpassed expectations, proving durable throughout Ingenuity’s extended mission, and can inform future budget-conscious hardware solutions.

There is value in adding an aerial dimension to interplanetary surface missions.

Ingenuity traveled to Mars on the belly of the Perseverance rover, which served as the communications relay for Ingenuity and, therefore, was its constant companion. The helicopter also proved itself a helpful scout to the rover.

After its initial five flights in 2021, Ingenuity transitioned to an “operations demonstration,” serving as Perseverance’s eyes in the sky as it scouted science targets, potential rover routes, and inaccessible features, while also capturing stereo images for digital elevation maps.

Airborne assets like Ingenuity unlock a new dimension of exploration on Mars that we did not yet have – providing more pixels per meter of resolution for imaging than an orbiter and exploring locations a rover cannot reach.

Tech demos can pay off big time.

Ingenuity was flown as a technology demonstration payload on the Mars 2020 mission, and was a high risk, high reward, low-cost endeavor that paid off big. The data collected by the helicopter will be analyzed for years to come and will benefit future Mars and other planetary missions.

Just as the Sojourner rover led to the MER-class (Spirit and Opportunity) rovers, and the MSL-class (Curiosity and Perseverance) rovers, the team believes Ingenuity’s success will lead to future fleets of aircraft at Mars.

In general, NASA’s Technology Demonstration Missions test and advance new technologies, and then transition those capabilities to NASA missions, industry, and other government agencies. Chosen technologies are thoroughly ground- and flight-tested in relevant operating environments — reducing risks to future flight missions, gaining operational heritage and continuing NASA’s long history as a technological leader.

You can fall in love with robots on another planet.

Following in the tracks of beloved Martian rovers, the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter built up a worldwide fanbase. The Ingenuity team and public awaited every single flight with anticipation, awe, humor, and hope.

Check out #ThanksIngenuity on social media to see what’s been said about the helicopter’s accomplishments.

Learn more about Ingenuity’s accomplishments here. And make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!

[reasonsforhope]

The World's Forests Are Doing Much Better Than We Think

You might be surprised to discover... that many of the world’s woodlands are in a surprisingly good condition. The destruction of tropical forests gets so much (justified) attention that we’re at risk of missing how much progress we’re making in cooler climates.

That’s a mistake. The slow recovery of temperate and polar forests won’t be enough to offset global warming, without radical reductions in carbon emissions. Even so, it’s evidence that we’re capable of reversing the damage from the oldest form of human-induced climate change — and can do the same again.

Take England. Forest coverage now is greater than at any time since the Black Death nearly 700 years ago, with some 1.33 million hectares of the country covered in woodlands. The UK as a whole has nearly three times as much forest as it did at the start of the 20th century.

That’s not by a long way the most impressive performance. China’s forests have increased by about 607,000 square kilometers since 1992, a region the size of Ukraine. The European Union has added an area equivalent to Cambodia to its woodlands, while the US and India have together planted forests that would cover Bangladesh in an unbroken canopy of leaves.

Logging in the tropics means that the world as a whole is still losing trees. Brazil alone removed enough woodland since 1992 to counteract all the growth in China, the EU and US put together. Even so, the planet’s forests as a whole may no longer be contributing to the warming of the planet. On net, they probably sucked about 200 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year between 2011 and 2020, according to a 2021 study. The CO2 taken up by trees narrowly exceeded the amount released by deforestation. That’s a drop in the ocean next to the 53.8 billion tons of greenhouse gases emitted in 2022 — but it’s a sign that not every climate indicator is pointing toward doom...

More than a quarter of Japan is covered with planted forests that in many cases are so old they’re barely recognized as such. Forest cover reached its lowest extent during World War II, when trees were felled by the million to provide fuel for a resource-poor nation’s war machine. Akita prefecture in the north of Honshu island was so denuded in the early 19th century that it needed to import firewood. These days, its lush woodlands are a major draw for tourists.

It’s a similar picture in Scandinavia and Central Europe, where the spread of forests onto unproductive agricultural land, combined with the decline of wood-based industries and better management of remaining stands, has resulted in extensive regrowth since the mid-20th century. Forests cover about 15% of Denmark, compared to 2% to 3% at the start of the 19th century.

Even tropical deforestation has slowed drastically since the 1990s, possibly because the rise of plantation timber is cutting the need to clear primary forests. Still, political incentives to turn a blind eye to logging, combined with historically high prices for products grown and mined on cleared tropical woodlands such as soybeans, palm oil and nickel, mean that recent gains are fragile.

There’s no cause for complacency in any of this. The carbon benefits from forests aren’t sufficient to offset more than a sliver of our greenhouse pollution. The idea that they’ll be sufficient to cancel out gross emissions and get the world to net zero by the middle of this century depends on extraordinarily optimistic assumptions on both sides of the equation.

Still, we should celebrate our success in slowing a pattern of human deforestation that’s been going on for nearly 100,000 years. Nothing about the damage we do to our planet is inevitable. With effort, it may even be reversible.

-via Bloomburg, January 28, 2024

[klaasje]

de devblog - worldbuilding

"Martinaise however is a coastal area. Here our “atmospheric target render” (another expression from the boys in worldbuilding) is encapsulated in the sentence: “I’ll wake up in a new life, shift shape and shoe shine. Damn it all to do now, down by the seaside…” Imagine old pre-revolution military pride dilapidating aside modern misery, while “On The Waterfront” style harbour work goes on in the background. The coast is marked by old Havanaesque architecture now in disrepair, large swathes of which have been demolished to make room for the ever expanding Greater Metropolitan Port of Revachol, which under coalition governance has grown into the world’s largest industrial harbour. Martinaise is where the revolution was ultimately lost. It is on these coasts that coalition forces landed to quell the uprising and it has the mortar scars to prove it. War damage is still apparent on most houses and locals have used the sturdier bits of ruin to support new, decidedly less baroque buildings. The era of Philipppe III The Squanderer (heir of Philip II The Misuser and Catherine The Lavish) is over, even if his ludicrous mounted likeness in bronze somehow survived. You see, among many, many other things, Philippe III also got prodigal with military regalia. It was “one repulsive laugh after the other” with Phillippe. Then the Turn-Of-The-Century Revolution came and wiped it all away. Today the equestrian monument is mostly seen by dockworkers and truck drivers." (x)

[solarpunkwarlock]

Ways to Live in Direct Opposition to Capitalism

I am by no means an expert in any of these things I’m gonna talk about, so keep that in mind! I am just making a compilation of things I know of that we can do to lessen the stranglehold the capitalist lifestyle has on us while enriching our lives, our surroundings, and the lives of others. Please add anything I miss or correct anything I may be getting wrong! Anyway here goes!

Use what you have, fix what’s you can, make what you can, accept from others, thrift what you can, and finally purchase as a last resort.

This is advice I have seen float around here a couple of times that can apply to a lot of things including clothing, furniture, food, and more besides. It’s meant to be done roughly in that order as it applies to what you’re wanting/needing/doing. It’s about preventing waste, promoting self-capability, having a heightened reliance on your community, and consciously rejecting the ingrained habit many of us have to just purchase things or services.

Here’s where you can read about growing an indoor garden!

Here’s where you can read about sewing things yourself!

Here’s an online site for giving and receiving items for free!

Here is where you can find a local Mutual Aid to get things from, learn skills from, give do, volunteer for, etc. (in the U.S.)

Be politically active! (from a U.S. perspective)

Vote for every election. Know your representatives and those who will be competing in the next election. Vote without ignorance and without falling for unfounded claims. While operating within the system that actively oppresses us will not bring about the future we want, it can serve as damage control (preventing worse candidates from taking office) and it can potentially create a national atmosphere more open to change.

Here’s a good article about getting more involved in the U.S. political process.

Here’s a site that will show you how to register to vote, when and where elections are held, and more!

Here’s good advice on finding protests in your city!

Here’s some readings on unionizing! It’s your legal right to unionize!

Here’s a more user friendly site for learning about unions!

Be active within your community!

Developing strong, motivated, capable, knowledgeable, and inclusive communities is the ultimate way to combat the relentless and bleak present and future. When you’ve worked on the things above and have gotten good at it (or even if you haven’t gotten good at it yet), start spreading what you know and what you can do with others!

Give your neighbors, coworkers, and friends some of the vegetables you’ve grown.

Invite your community members to volunteer events.

Talk to folks about how to vote, when you’re doing it, etc.

Take part in Mutual Aids to teach what you’ve learned or whatever you may be an expert in! Invite neighbors, friends, and coworkers when you take part in the Mutual Aid!

Accept your community. Take them for who and what they are. Discrimination is the enemy of cooperation. You have much more in common with everyone in your community than a single billionaire or corporation. We’re all passengers on this spaceship earth.

Do it one step at a time!

Obviously we can’t do all of these things at once. Do what you can when you can, and you’ll start to notice real change in your life!

Our online communities where we talk about our visions and hopes are fantastic, but they have little impact if we don’t actually get up and do the real work that change requires.

Want to be better, and keep hope for the future!

Harbor and nourish that desire to be a better person and to be the change you want to see in the world. You need to be hungry for a better future if you plan to make it through the rough times when everything feels pointless and without hope. Reach out to others when you’re down, and be someone others can lean on when their lives get hard.

That’s it! Please interact with this, spread it to others, and add your own thoughts and ideas! It’s important that we do the real work to get the change we crave!

[kyeomofhearts]

Again & Again | C.SC

+ summary: you caved in and fucked your best friend, but it was only a one-time thing… right?

+ pairing: scoups x fem!reader

+ word count: 4k

+ content: fwb!, chubby reader (love ya'll), friends to lovers, idiots to lovers, mutual pining, pussy drunk cheol, size kink, angst, fluff.

+ WARNINGS: smut, dom!seungcheol, sub!reader, rough sex, praise? pls lmk if I missed anything

🫧 AHHHHH this is my first fic on here! I tried proofreading it but I can only read so much :') I hope the people that see this, enjoy!

You wished you had an excuse for last night’s events, you really did, because how are you supposed to tell your best friend of ten years that you didn’t want to fuck him again?

Okay, that sounds harsh… but it’s the truth!

It’s not like he was a bad fuck either because it was quite the opposite. The man was incredible in bed, plain and simple. But you know how these things go, someone proposes the idea of friends with benefits, and then boom! Someone ends up falling for the other and now the whole dynamic is ruined. And you knew that you would be the one that fell for him.

There's no denying that there was always something more with Seungcheol, he was just different from your other friends. Your 'reasoning' was that you two had known each other for so long that you naturally saw him differently. This was something you tried to push time and time again. And for the most part, you were pretty successful in hiding your attraction towards him... except for last night.

Which leads us to our dreaded present. You have come to terms that the deed has been done (well done if you might say so yourself). And you most definitely cannot deny that yesterday’s events occurred because then you would be lying to yourself and Seungcheol-

“Hello? Are you even listening to me y/n?”

Shit.

“Hm? Sorry, what were you saying?”

Cheol scoffed and playfully flicked your forehead. He turned his whole body towards you, “I was saying that we should do this again. I really enjoyed last night so maybe we could make this a regular thing… if you wanted to that is.”

At least you knew he enjoyed last night, seeing how he wants more. But what if that's all he wants?

It’s now or never. You have to tell Cheol that it was only a one-time thing.

You turned your body to face Seungcheol and locked eyes with him. Even though you’ve seen his freshly woken up face countless times , it still brought butterflies to your stomach every time he looked at you. Especially his eyes, they somehow become even more droopier in the mornings. How could you ever say no to him when he looks like a lost puppy?

No. Stay on track.

“I don't know Cheol, I'm not sure if I can do that.”

And… here we go. You immediately see worry take over his face. His eyes somehow looked even more glossier than normal. You had to clarify yourself quickly or the damage would be irreversible.

You quickly throw your hands in the air for defense. “No, no, no… it’s not like that! I swear. I just don’t want to overcomplicate things Cheol. It’s just that I know how these things go and I seriously cannot bear the thought of losing you.”

He was about to say something before your hand went to his hair, going through his soft, fluffy locks. Seungcheol’s face seemed to relax with this gesture. You wanted to keep the atmosphere light and show him that nothing was going to change between the two of you.

It stayed like that for another minute or so.

He took a deep breath. “No I get it… But, my offer still stands you know.” He ruffled your hair while saying that last part.

God his morning voice sounds so raspy. Just how you like it. And it’s so tempting to just throw all of your self restraint away and fuck him again. But you know it’s for the best, I mean, it’s not that uncommon to fuck your best friend… right? Whatever. This whole thing will pass and you guys are just going to laugh about it someday in the future.

You giggled at that thought. But going back to what Cheol said.

“No yeah, of course. You know I would never turn down an offer to fuck you again.” This was a lie of course, but you had to keep it light. Although, this did make Cheol’s ears flush a bright red, which is very uncommon to see. Laughing, you were able to roll out of bed and start getting ready for the day.

Seungcheol’s eyes followed your frame as you went about in his room, gathering all of the lost pieces of clothing that you did not care for last night.

What you didn't know was that Seungcheol felt the same exact way about you. He was just as scared as you though, which is why he never pushed for more. Scared that he would lose you if he did so. He thought that maybe last night could lead the two of you for more, he just didn't know how to approach you about it.

He tried ignoring the sinking feeling in his chest. Your response worried a part of him because he knew that last night was for sure going to change your friendship, whether he liked it or not.

"Hey, I have to go now, but I'll see you later, yeah?" You said while waiting for him to walk you out.

"Yeah, for sure."

It will all work out, he thought. It has to.

All good things eventually come to an end.

That ‘good thing’ being your resolve. One week. A total of seven days before you came crawling back to Seungcheol about that deal. Because at this point you did not care about what was going to happen next.

From: You

Hey, I know it’s late but are you home rn?

Sent at 11:42 pm

You were desperate at this point. You thought that maybe Cheol was “great” in bed because he was the only person you’d had sex with within the last six months. So naturally, you decided to hook up with a stranger from the bar, to test your theory.

Not the best idea.

When you guys got to his apartment, he was all over you, but not in a good way. It felt rushed and sloppy. What you had forgotten during your night with Cheol was that some guys really did not care about your pleasure. Because not even two minutes of making out, and the guy was already trying to stick it in! To make matters worse, the guy didn’t even know where your clit was, like come on! Overall, it was a terrible experience.

Which is why you were in your current situation. You had weighed the pros and cons of fucking Cheol on a regular basis. …And they weren’t too bad. If anything, the two of you had excellent communication so if a problem came up then you could just talk it out, no big deal.

But god did you feel pathetic. You were so quick to shut his idea down and now you’ve come crawling back to his-

From: Cheollie

Yeah what’s up?

Sent at 11:53 pm

Relax. If he says no, then he says no. Not a big deal.

From: You

Well, if you’re not busy… I was thinking about a follow up from last week?

It’s okay if you changed your mind about it! I was just curious if you were still up for it 🫣

Sent at 11:55 pm

You immediately put your phone on ringer and threw it to the couch. The thought of seeing his text bubbles in real time gave you so much anxiety. Maybe you should just take a lap around your kitchen, that always helps right?

Not even a foot away from the couch and… he was calling you?

You scurried over to your phone and accepted the call with haste.

“He-”

“I’m coming over in ten.” And then he hung up.

Wow. That was pretty dramatic, he couldn’t have said that through text? Although, you couldn’t deny just how excited you were. It certainly didn’t help that he seemed to be just as ready as you were for him.

These next minutes of waiting were going to be hell for you.

Needless to say, you were thrilled.

You figured that with the time you had, you could at least spruce yourself up.

Which is exactly what you did.

You changed out of your old pajamas and into something more presentable. By presentable you mean revealing because you really do not want to struggle to take off your clothes. Plus, you want to give Cheol a treat for being able to come out so late. So you also sprayed on that perfume he complimented you on a while back (totally not why you continued buying it). Maybe you should clean your apartment up? Seungcheol has seen worse but it never hurts you know.

You were about to go ahead and start cleaning but the doorbell rang.

Damn, he was fast.

The anticipation was eating you alive. You could not wait for what Cheol had in mind for you. Just the mere thought of him made heat rush down to your core.

Opening the door, you were met with Seungcheol. Not just his regular self though, he was in a black compression shirt with loose-fitting sweatpants. It was so simple yet so hot. You would have kept ogling until he cleared his throat.

“What made you change your mind?” He asked with a smug expression.

Ugh, if you weren’t so turned on you would definitely wipe that smile off his face… but you needed dick bad. Like really bad.

“Well I would lie to you and say that I thought it through but I’m really horny right now…”

You turned away from him to close the door.

“Well, we can always talk about it after… right? Or maybe you’ll be too fucked out to even talk.”

Now this made you turn swiftly towards him.

Which was a big mistake. His face was merely inches away from yours and you could even smell his cologne radiating off of his body. His eyes were dark, something you only saw when he would talk to girls at the club. Only this time it was directed towards you.

You went for the kill and locked your lips against his. You needed to taste him again, you were just that insatiable. His lips were so soft and plush against your own. You were always jealous of his lips, they were always somehow perfect.

Your arms slid over his shoulders to draw him closer to you. Now pressed as close as possible, your hands began to wander throughout his torso. You never truly noticed just how broad his shoulders were, never mind his chest. You wished that he never stop whatever he was doing at the gym, because clearly it was working.

As much as Seungcheol loved the attention, he felt the need to taste you again.

“Open,” he said with a low rasp.

You obliged and opened up for him, allowing him to nibble at your lower lip. He kissed you with the same amount of fervor. He raised his hand to tangle his fingers around your hair. Seungcheol’s fingers tightened their grip causing you to let out a small whimper.

Now that was a sound Cheol loved to hear, especially coming from you. He wanted to see just how loud you could get.

Carefully, Seungcheol readjusted his grip on your hair and firmly tugged on it once again. This was his way of testing the waters, since he didn’t know how rough you liked it.

When you whimpered once again, he made sure to take a mental note of that.

Things began to get increasingly heated by the second. Which is why you decided that it was (finally) time to relocate to your bedroom.

...

Once the two of you had reached the door to your bedroom, Cheol had suddenly lifted you off the ground.

Now you weren't necessarily a fan of being picked up, considering you weren't 'light' like others. Totally not traumatized from previous partners struggling to pick you up...

“Now why would you do that?" You tried to keep it cool but it was obvious that you were a little frazzled. It honestly scared you that he was able to lift you up so easily, like what was he training for at the gym?

“Just because I can,” Seungcheol said nonchalantly. His voice made you gush with wetness, it was just that deep.

After that, he gently threw you on your bed. Maybe he just wanted to show off his strength, you thought. It was still hot either way.

He slowly started stripping, starting with his shirt. Seungcheol was a big dude, and you knew that, but seeing him in all of his glory really did something to you. Though the lighting in your room was dim, the shadows did an excellent job of emphasizing just how big his chest was. He was undeniably handsome, you could see why everyone threw themselves at him...

You were staring again. Get a grip!

"Quit with the teasing and just fuck me," you were getting more desperate by the second.

This made him even more cocky, but he didn't say anything. Rather he tugged at your shorts for you to take them off. So you did, and your cunt was immediately hit by the cold air in the room.

"No underwear?" Cheol said, trying to not make his surprise evident.

You felt like being bold today, who knows what he’ll do to you if you teased him enough.

"Why bother when you were gonna take it off anyways?"

That's when he knew you were going to be the death of him. How could he ever think about being with anyone else when you were perfect for him?

"Fuck, don't say shit like that."

Seungcheol was enamored with your body and everything that you had to offer. The soft plushness of your skin made him want to break you even more. But before he broke you, he had to give you a taste of heaven.

He started off by trailing sweet kisses on your thighs. He took his time on working you up. Eventually he reached your cunt, pressing light pecks on it.

He wanted to take his time here, remembering just how sensitive you got when he ate you for the first time. His goal was to have you crying by the end of the night.

“God, I forgot how good you tasted love,” he mumbled into your pussy.

Seungcheol used his arms to hoist your legs on his shoulders. His grip on your thighs now firm and steady.

He started off light, giving you slow and gentle licks on your clit. He wanted to slowly build you up to your first release (more like an excuse to tease you).

This seemed to please you, but not for long. You could only enjoy the slow pace for so long until you started craving for more.

Fortunately, Seungcheol had been growing his hair out, making it the perfect length to tug on.

You didn’t realize how good and bad this move would be.

This for sure got him to speed up his movements. Instead of gentle licks, he switched to harsh sucking. Occasionally groaning into your pussy, which brought you delicious vibrations. He was eating you out like a starved man, he just couldn’t get enough of you.

With his consistency, it was no surprise that you already started to feel the warmth in your lower belly. It's not like it was hard to make you cum either, that is if you knew what you were doing.

Seungcheol knew this, he felt the way you were beginning to twitch and tighten your legs around his head. God did he love just how plush and warm they were. He thinks he could stay here forever if given the opportunity. He began to speed up his efforts in hopes of bringing you to your first release of the night. The more releases, the easier it gets for him to slide into your (heavenly) pussy.

And just as he was thinking about this, you came.

But Cheol wasn’t feeling nice today, he wanted to push you past your limits. So even after you came, he still kept the same pressure and speed on your now sensitive bud.

You tried to get him to slow down, or at least just give you a little break. Tugging his hair didn’t seem to work, in fact, it worsened it. He would speed up every time you tugged on his locks. You were beginning to feel the same warmth in your belly. Two minutes haven't even passed since your first orgasm!

Just a few more licks and you were spasming against Seungcheol's head again. Finally, you pushed his head away from your overly sensitive cunt, this seemed to do the trick.

"Aw, is my pretty girl already tired?" He cooed while moving his face up to yours.

You didn't reply to him. Feeling spent from your first and second orgasms for the night.

"I hope you know that this is just the beginning love, I haven't even stretched you out yet," he whispered right before diving in to give you a kiss.

You have never tasted yourself before, it was a bit salty but nothing too strange. His hands roamed over your waist, just before going up to settle on your chest.

He softly tugged at your shirt so you would let him take it off.

Now Seungcheol was aware of how you felt about your body. Having heard your frequent frustrations with being on the chubbier side. And no matter how much he reassured you that you were beautiful, you still managed to doubt yourself. He never understood that which frustrated him just as much. He just wanted to show you just how gorgeous you were in his eyes.

So while he had the chance, he was going to show you how much he loved your body. He was going to worship you. Seungcheol peppered your chest with small chaste kisses, and he continued all the way down to your boobs. His tongue passionately flickered over one of your hardened nipples, with his hand softly massaging your other breast.

While his hand was working on your hardened bud, his other hand slithered its way down to your cunt. His thumb made slow circles on your clit, while two of his fingers teased at your entrance. Fortunately, you were wet enough to slide in with little resistance. He made slow scissoring motions to open you up for him. While he wasn't necessarily trying to make you cum, he did want to make this at this pleasurable at the very least.

But you were growing needier by the second. You loved his attention to foreplay, but god did you just want him to get inside you already.

"Please, Cheol, just get inside, I'm more than ready by now." Your face was burning, never have you begged someone to fuck you.

Your plea was more than enough and he quickly stopped everything he was doing. He got out of the bed to shimmy out of his sweats and underwear. And... god was he big. You were never the best at hiding your expressions, because one look at you and Seungcheol started laughing.

"Is something wrong?" He asked with feigned concern.

"Don't tease me right now!" You huffed with slight annoyance.

He chuckled while digging in his sweats for a condom. His smile quickly dropped when he didn't feel anything in his pockets.

Now it was your turn to laugh at him.

"I forgot to bring a condom."

You knew what you were going to recommend was dumb. But since you knew Seungcheol pretty well, you trusted him.

"We... can do it without one," you said, trying to make your voice sound confident enough.

His eyes grew wide, surprised to hear that you would let him fuck you without protection.

He took a deep breath before responding. "I know I'm clean, and I've never fucked anyone without one. I just want to make sure you are completely okay about this."

"I promise." Plus you were on birth control, it was going to be fine.

That being said, Cheol got back on the bed and settled himself between your legs. He gave his cock a few pumps before he settled it near your cunt. Within a few seconds, he slowly began to push the head inside. The initial push stung a bit, but it quickly dissipated once he went further inside.

His eyes fluttered shut at your tightness alongside letting a rough groan out.

Once he was fully inside you, he stayed there for a minute, just wanting to let you adjust to his size. After a beat or so, he experimented with a gentle thrust. You whimpered at the feeling, you wanted more so you decided to clench around his cock to let him know. Seungcheol started at an easy pace, one that was able to tame your neediness. He held that pace for a minute before he quickly switched gears on you.

He started pounding into your aching cunt, lifting your legs over his shoulders. Now this was on another level, it made it easier for him to hit that one spot.

You felt yourself clamp hard around Seungcheol's cock, feeling his thick veins dragging deliciously inside you. A whine was ripped from you as a wave of pleasure shot throughout your body. His hips started snapping into you, smirking every time you desperately cried his name out.

"Fuck, I think I'm gonna cum again Cheol-"

"Not until I say so," as he continued snapping into your hips. The grip he had on you was growing rougher by the second. It was for sure going to leave a bruise in the morning.

He continued with his animalistic pace, grunts occasionally leaving his mouth. He started trailing messy kisses along your neck, sometimes focusing on specific areas. It was getting harder for you to hold your release, you could only last for so long...

"Come on love, you can cum," Seungcheol mumbled against your neck.

You didn't need to be told again, feeling your body shake against his. The sudden gush of wetness running between your legs. Quickly following your release, Seungcheol pulled out and came all over your stomach.

Part of you felt disappointed that he didn't come inside you, but you tried to push that feeling down.

Everything started feeling hazy, you didn't even feel it when he got off the bed to go to the bathroom. Just before you fell asleep Seungcheol lightly tapped your leg.

"Let me clean you up, yeah?"

You flinched once the rag made contact with your cunt, it was just so cold. But it only lasted for a minute.

You felt the bed dip once again and Seungcheol covered the two of you with your blanket. He wrapped his strong arms around your body, pulling your back flush to his chest. He buried his face into your neck and lulled the two of you to sleep.

You woke up to the feeling of fingertips lightly touching and tracing over your side. It was oddly soothing.

When you moved your eyes up to his face, he was looking at you with fond eyes.

"How long have you been staring at me, weirdo?"

"Only for a minute"

You let out a soft giggle. His face was so puffy in the morning, so cute.

"Did you want to come up with some ground rules for our arrangement?"

Crap. You forgot about that.

"Hmmm... I guess my only thing is not sleeping with other people."

Hopefully, he would agree to that. You just didn't feel comfortable messing around with someone knowing they have been sleeping with others.

"Yeah, I can get with that." He said with a gentle tone.

He added, "We should also let each other know when we are talking to other people."

"Of course."

Your arrangement wasn't too difficult. If anything the two of you could always opt out of it.

That should be easy right?

Part Two: II

[mehiwilldoitlater]

You never knew how you ended up in the Fortress of Meropide.The last few memories that you had were that you were on the brink of exasperation; every step was an open wound and more pain. At some point, you thought your body must have given up, finally falling to fatigue and desperation.

When you opened your eyes, you were in a bed—a modest bed covered in a tick blanket. Your wounds were treated, and despite the painful sensation in your head, you were able to understand the situation.

Someone had found you, cured you, and taken you to that strange place. After some glance at the windows, it was easy to see that; maybe you weren't on the surface at all.

The first creatures that you met during that day were the Melusines, a bunch of small creatures that surrounded you at your bed, asking eagerly if you were okay. That wasn't a surprise. After all, they were your main supporters from the first day you entered Fontaine,defending you from all the accusations. Sigewinne, like all of them, never wanted to leave your side. Make sure to cure all of your wounds. It was strange at the beginning, but nice at the same time. You couldn't remember the last time that you were treated like an actual living being.

The only oddity that you couldn't shake off yourself was One question: how did you end up in the fortress?

For sure, you knew that you weren't a prisoner, or at least, you thought, since you were treated with some kind of regard. Yet you couldn't shake off the sensation that whatever was happening there was just so... off.

The answer to your question came on the day that you finally were able to stay awake for more than ten minutes, in the form of the Duke of the Fortress himself. 

He entered without any kind of ceremony, only making some kind of sound from his throat—something similar to a sound of disapproval—after seeing your worried eyes meet his cold ones.

He didn't speak at all. He just dropped on the only available chair in the room, looking at you with some kind of worry,fidgering with his hand, searching for the right words.

He inhaled deeply.

"I'm Wriothesley, the administrator of this place. I suppose you have questions. Now, do you know where you are?"

You nodded, first slowly, then with some more energy.

"Good. And do you know, why are you here?"

You had a small idea of why you were there right now, but his demeanor wasn't that of someone who planned to torture someone. If that was their intention, then why should they take care of you and take time to cure you?You shocked your head, this time in a denial move.

"Well, it seems like you have been falsely accused of impersonating the allmighty—the big one, you know?"

Yeah, you got quite a lot too. He noticed your rigidity; maybe his approach was too professional? You must have felt more like an interrogation than a simple conversation... Was he that intimidating? Not like he didn't like that, but you weren't any kind of prisoner...

"Do you have some kind of damage that prevents you from speaking? I could ask Sigewinne to check you up."

He moved his hands, like asking you to continue his sentence. Of course he knew you weren't mute, and he knew that you could speak freely.

"... Y/n..."

"Ah! Good! So you can speak after all!"

He chuckled a little, maybe to lighten up the atmosphere. Then he cleared his throat again.

"So, as I was saying, you must be wondering why you are in the Fortress of Meropide. Well, do you recall your false accusation? ...Well, it seems like, thanks to our Ludex, the accusation has fallen."

Finally, a new expression on your face Surprise...maybe Hope?

"Wait, hold on! So... This means that I'm-"

"Free to roam? Not quite. The situation is still quite dense, especially with the other nations."

And again, you fell into a long, exhausted sigh. The last thing you needed was to know that, despite all, you were still wanted around this world dead. He looked at you with an inch of condolence.

"It's a temporary state... After Neuvillette and Lady Furina fix this situation, you'll be free to do whatever you want to do."

Again, the room was caught in silence. In other words, you were stuck there until the first notice; you were in fact a prisoner of that place. Great, just great. Well, it was better than being hunted down by every character in that damn game, right? ...like that could have been good news.

You decided just to roll in the blankets that covered you, facing the wall instead of Wriothesley.

"I suppose you're not in the mood for a chat. In this case, I'll let you rest a little more."

He taught the doorknob, holding it with force, but instead of the click of the door, you only heard the sound of his robes.

"I know you're scared, but... I'm not your enemy. I ask you to just...trust me."

But what he received was just silence. After that, the click finally echoed in your room.

//////

He kept trying to focus on the documents, a failure of distraction. He Taked a sip of his tea, taking a large sip.

This was a mistake—a big, huge mistake—but it was a necessary evil, at least from his point of view.Fontaine was the only nation that refused to participate in the hunt against the impostor.

Neuvillette and the Melusines sensed something in you. Something that no one could have noticed—only a creature so connected with this world.

This was a huge misunderstanding, and that was the main reason why Neuvillette had moved all Fontaine forces in order to find you. If he only knew that you were already under the custody of the Duke...He didn't plan this! He knew that he should have informed the two leaders of Fontaine, but something happened.

The Primordial Sea...Its stopped the moment that you stepped there, in the fortress.

He knew how dangerous it was; he was its first and last line of defense, and if you were something capable of calming it, you would void a catastrophe! You were the solution!

He said to himself that this wasn't a permanent decision. He wanted to inform Neuvillette ...sooner or later.

[vampsywrites]

synopsis: a drabble | lo'ak cant believe you're mated to ao'nung...of all na'vi

"forest boy!" ao'nung taunts, giving lo'ak a playful push on the shoulder. "enlighten me. how in eywa do you swim with that baby tail of yours again?"

"get your hands off of me," lo'ak snarls, forcefully pushing himself away from ao'nung. the omaticayan's tail flickers in the sand, sending a cloud of dust his way. "i'm not answering any of your damn questions."

ao'nung, seemingly reveling in the reaction he caused, takes a step back, feigning innocence with a playful shrug. "alright, alright, just curious, that's all. no need to get all defensive," he quips in a condescending tone.

"oh, you wanna see me really get defensive?" lo'ak shoots a sharp, disdainful glare at ao'nung, ears pinned back in irritation.

just as the tension between them reaches its peak, a figure suddenly comes rushing towards them, breaking the charged atmosphere and causing the two boys to shift their focus.

as the figure approaches, lo'ak finds himself captivated by the enigmatic presence before him.

inky jets of dark hair cascade over your shoulders, framing your face in a hazy allure. your piercing gaze meets his, causing a shiver to run down his spine. the necklace around your neck catches his attention, and he realizes that it bears a striking resemblance to the one worn by ao'nung.

"ma 'nung," you call out for the metkayinan, your voice carrying a blend of concern and frustration. you grasp his hand firmly, taking charge of the situation and dragging him away from the sully boy. "have you been messing with him again?"

before ao'nung can respond, you turn towards lo'ak with a sincere and apologetic expression. "i apologize for my mate's behavior," you say, trying to diffuse the tension.

"do not apologize for me," ao'nung snarks, but he falls silent when he notices your stern gaze directed at him.

you take a deep breath, trying to keep your emotions in check. "as the upcoming olo'eytkan, he's very protective of our clan, and your unexpected appearance has stirred up quite a bit of talk."

"yawne—" ao'nung attempts to interject.

"do not interrupt me," you grit, cutting him off.

with a grumble that rivals the growls of a disgruntled akula, ao'nung stops, his ears pinned to the sides of his head. as you turn your attention back to the omaticayan, you can't help but notice his starstruck and dumfounded expressions, clearly taken aback by the situation.

"mate?" lo'ak croaks out. he gazes at you from head to toe, eyes resembling saucers ready to launch into orbit. "you're mated to him?" he points to ao'nung, his disbelief evident.

"yes—" you try to respond, but he doesn't let up. "are you blind?" he exclaims, as if it's the most logical conclusion he can muster. "or are you suffering from some brain damage? i just—" he wildly waves his hands around. "him? fishlips? of all na'vi?"

your mouth hangs open for a moment. then, you can't help but burst into laughter, the absurdity of his questions catching you off guard. beside you, ao'nung seethes, knuckles white, fists clenching as he looks ready to unleash his inner thanator on the poor forest boy. but you manage to stifle your laughter just enough to reassure him with a calming hand on his arm.

"i assure you," you manage to wheeze out between fits of giggles, "i made a conscious decision."

[foldingfittedsheets]

Come with me now on another story adventure.

Some types of hardship do start to feel like curses if they happen often enough. One thing I’ve experienced a lot- or at least enough to posit a curse- is my apartments flooding.

I’ve had flooding in three separate apartments I’ve lived in.

The place I lived with Betty flooded due to a massive rainstorm and poor placement on a downhill slope. Betty’s room was more effected than mine, but due to poor handling by the management it resulted in some rampant black mold and my eventual falling out with Betty as we broke the lease to escape.

My first flooding though. Happened when I lived in a third floor apartment. How, you might ask, is that possible?

Oh, Reader. Prepare yourself.

Now, I need to set the stage. Because you see, I shared this apartment with the last boy I’d ever date, Brendan. We’d known going into the relationship that I had a predilection for pussy but it finally clicked that I was just not attracted to men.

This was particularly devastating because I still loved that boy with all my heart but neither of us were getting what we needed out of the relationship. Suffice it to say, the atmosphere in the apartment in which he was sleeping on the couch was A BUMMER.

We were both sick, probably from stress, and had bad coughs. It was the night before midterms.

I was tucked up into bed, with little kitten Leeloo, ready to get to sleep. It was about 10pm. Brendan knocked and poked his head into the room.

“It’s raining in the bathroom,” he said.

I got out of my comfy bed, and joined him in the bathroom. Raining was an exaggeration but there was definitely water dripping down the door jam and pooling up under the paint.

“That’s not good.”

We both stared at this problem together, sick and sad.

Finally, I suggested, “Go see if the upstairs neighbor left a faucet on. I’ll try to call maintenance.”

He left and I started making calls. At 10pm it was understandable that I was getting a lot of voicemails. Two maintenance lines deep, Brendan returned.

“The people above us are getting drops too, and the place above that won’t respond.”

Four defunct numbers later, I finally got ahold of an emergency maintenance guy who was on call. “It’s raining in our bathroom.”

He was befuddled and said he’d be in soon.

That was about when it really actually started raining. Drips began pouring out of light fixtures. Terrified, we turned off the lights we could, setting out bowls and towels to mitigate water damage. Water dripped from several lights and started pooling ominously in the long flat kitchen light.

The maintenance man arrived around midnight. There was bowls and buckets littering the ground as Brendan and I watched in abject misery as water filled them. The maintenance man was wildly out of his depth, having been left in sole charge while the entire rest of the staff was on vacation.

As we spoke to him, the water infiltrated our smoke alarm which began screaming in earnest at this wet invasion. The maintenance man promised to try to see what was causing the issue and fled. Brendan and I regarded each other. We coughed, sick and exhausted, then went to empty the water buckets.

An hour passed. The smoke alarm persisted, it’s three shrill screeches pounded relentlessly into our ear drums. We stopped existing as individuals and became vessels of suffering. The paint in the bathroom started sloughing off the wall in wet ripples.

Brendan tried to rouse the neighbor again and returned unsuccessful.

The maintenance man returned. It was 1am. He couldn’t get ahold of the apartment causing the flooding. He couldn’t get ahold of his bosses. After the update he made to leave and we begged him, please, just make the beeping stop, please. It can rain inside, and I can get no sleep the night before midterms, and I can cough miserably all night while I empty water bowls, but please, god, please, just make the beeping stop.

He promised to try and left. At some point around then, the flat kitchen light shattered under the pressure and gushed out a fall of water. Brendan and I gave a bleak half hearted startle and tried to scrounge up more towels.

I started slipping into madness. The unceasing blaring beeps. The rain. The misery of being in this wretched situation with someone I used to be able to reach toward for comfort who I couldn’t anymore. This was hell, I decided. This circumstance fits into how they torture people, and I live here in this torturescape now. The maintenance man was never coming back.

The maintenance man came back with a ladder eventually.

Brendan and I watched with blank hungry eyes as he fussed with the alarm and at 2am it finally ceased its shrieking klaxon of madness. I cried. The man left again. We emptied the bowls.

And finally, half an hour later, the rain began to abate. The maintenance man returned to inform us that he’d entered the upstairs unit.

Someone had become incapacitated and left their bath running. He was not at liberty to disclose what happened so presumably someone was sauced out of their gourd and fell into a deep stupor such that several hours of sustained door pounding couldn’t rouse them.

People all down the row flooded, and he looked near tears himself. We thanked him and went to collapse into bed. Neither of us took midterms the next day.

Brendan and I are still friends to this day, even after a night fit to drive someone mad.

My last event of apartment flooding was a sewer main getting blocked. It was when my betrothed and I had just started dating and they were hanging out at my place while I was at work. Due to this good fortune, they were able to move my couch, entertainment system, and electronics out of the path of the flood.

It took a week and some extremely pointed emails to get the landlord to comp me rent for the week I couldn’t live there and the entire time I was just thankful I wasn’t stuck with water dripping from my lights while a fire alarm drove me to the brink of madness.

[shitsndgiggs]

hello!! how are you? could you write something where they are at a football game and the rival player provokes Kenan by talking about his girlfriend?

I’D DO ANYTHING - KENAN YILDIZ

A rival player provokes Kenan

Kenan Yildiz x fem! reader

︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿

The stadium buzzed with the electric atmosphere of the game, fans cheering as the players battled it out on the field.

I watched from the stands, my eyes glued to Kenan as he weaved between defenders, his jaw clenched with that familiar focused determination.

But something was different tonight. There was an edge to his movements, a tension I hadn’t seen before.

I didn’t think much of it at first—trash talk was normal—but it didn’t take long to notice the reason why.

A player from the rival team—number 17—seemed to be glued to Kenan’s side, pushing him and getting in his face at every opportunity.

Every time Kenan got the ball, number 17 would bump into him, harder and harder each time. I leaned forward, my brows furrowing in concern as it happened again.

Kenan’s jaw tightened, and I could see the frustration building in the tension of his shoulders. When he glanced in my direction for the briefest moment, our eyes met.

I gave him a small, reassuring smile, trying to silently encourage him to stay focused.

But then, number 17 bumped into him again—this time with more force. I could see the two of them exchanging words, but I couldn’t hear what was being said over the noise of the crowd.

Kenan’s expression turned darker, his glare sharp as he stared down the rival player.

The next time the ball came Kenan's way, number 17 was there again, practically shoving him as he spoke, his lips curling into a mocking smile.

Kenan's face twisted with anger, and before I knew it, he was shoving the guy back—hard.

Gasps rippled through the stands as whistles blew. Players rushed over to break up the confrontation, but it was too late; the damage had been done.

The referee walked over, his expression stern as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a red card.

Kenan’s face was a mixture of anger and frustration as the referee held the card up high. I felt my heart sink as I watched him slowly walk off the field, his gaze scanning the crowd until it landed on me.

Once he was out of the game, I hurried down the steps and made my way to the tunnel where the players exited the field. As soon as I saw him emerge from the hallway, I rushed over to him.

“Kenan, what happened out there?” I asked, my voice tinged with worry. “Why did you do that?”

He took a deep breath, his jaw still clenched tight as he avoided my eyes. I could tell he was struggling to contain his anger. “It was nothing,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair.

I reached out, gently touching his arm. “Come on, it wasn’t nothing. You don’t just lose it like that for no reason.”

Kenan finally turned to face me, his eyes dark and intense as he took a step closer. “That guy,” he began, his voice low and rough, “was saying things. About you.”

I blinked in surprise. “About me? What was he saying?”

His gaze bore into mine, his voice quiet but laced with a dangerous edge. “He was talking about how he’d seen you in the stands. Saying things about your body, how he’d ‘love to get his hands on you’.” Kenan’s fists clenched at his sides as he spoke, the muscles in his jaw tightening. “And then he had the nerve to tell me you’d probably leave with him if he asked.”

The words sent a chill down my spine. I could see the fury blazing in Kenan’s eyes, the protective fire that had sparked the fight. He wasn’t just angry—he was defending me.

Without thinking, I took a step closer, reaching up to cup his face with my hand. “Kenan…” I whispered, my voice soft. “You didn’t have to—”

“I did,” he interrupted, his tone firm as he looked at me with that same fiery intensity. “No one talks about you like that. No one.”

I felt a wave of emotion wash over me as I looked up at him, seeing the depth of his feelings reflected in his eyes. “Thank you,” I murmured, my voice barely audible over the pounding of my heart.

Kenan’s expression softened slightly as he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close. “I’m sorry,” he whispered against my hair. “I just couldn’t stand the way he was talking about you.”

I hugged him back, burying my face in his chest. “You don’t need to apologize,” I said, my voice muffled against his shirt. “I’m just… I’m glad you’re okay.”

He pulled back slightly, lifting my chin so that I was looking up at him. “I’d do it again,” he said quietly. “For you, I’d do anything.”

[pretzel-box]

Idea for a reverse au fic?

Reader gets flashed by a passing Expendable. How would Sebastian (and reader) take it?

REVERSE AU MASTERLIST HERE

PART 6: RIGHT IN SIGHT

Tags: Light jokes, some action, reader and seb encountering a possible enemy

Words: 1,6k

The sterile, metallic halls of the Hadal Blackside stretched out before you and Sebastian as the two of you moved quietly, scavenging for any useful supplies. Despite the ominous setting, the atmosphere between the two of you was light and carefree as always. You tossed jokes back and forth between each other, your banter echoing softly in the cold, dimly lit corridor. It was rare to get moments like this, where the tension of your reality seemed to melt away and you could focus on the cute human right by your side.

“Look, if we don’t find any decent scrap soon, I’m just gonna start decorating our hideout with broken tech. Really give it that ‘desperate survivor’ vibe,” Sebastian quipped, a grin on his face as he glanced over at you. He liked to impress you with his crappy jokes, taking in the way your expression shifts every single time into one of laugher and joy.

You chuckled, your claws lightly tapping against the floor as you sifted through some debris. “Well, at least if we don’t find anything, we can hang up your terrible sense of humor for decoration.”

He shot you a mock-offended look, not expecting such a good comeback. “Wow. Harsh. And here I thought I was your favorite human.”

You smirked, glancing over at him, your sharp, artificial eyes glowing faintly in the low light. “Well, you are my only human, Seb. That makes you both the best and the worst.”

Sebastian laughed, his voice warm, and for a moment, the cold, underwater world around you felt a little less hostile. It was moments like this that reminded you why you stuck together, why despite all the dangers, you and Sebastian had found a strange, unbreakable bond in this twisted place. Human and experiment—survivors, somehow managing to hold onto something normal in the midst of the chaos.

As you continued searching, something caught your attention—a small device partially buried beneath a pile of broken tech. You crouched down, pulling it free and inspecting it. “Hey, think this could be useful?” you asked, holding it up for Sebastian to see.

He moved closer, studying it for a moment. “Maybe. Could be some old keycard or part of another similar thing. We can figure it out back at the shop.” He grinned again, leaning in just a little too close. “Or, you know, it could just be more junk for your decorating project.” His words hitting your ears, giving you a small shiver down your back, one of the good kind.

Before you could retort, a sudden flash of light exploded in the hallway, blinding you instantly. The sharp, searing brightness hit your sensors like a sledgehammer, causing you to stagger back with a sharp cry. You instinctively raised your arms to shield your face, but it was too late—the damage was done.

“Shit!” Sebastian cursed, his voice suddenly serious, filled with panic. He grabbed your arm, trying to steady you. “Hold on, I’ve got you—”

The flash beacon. You knew the feeling all too well. It was a device designed to disable experiments like you, to overload your optical systems and incapacitate you. Your vision flickered wildly, and the surge of light made your entire body feel disoriented, unstable. Whoever it was—they knew exactly how to neutralize you.

“Seb…” you rasped, struggling to regain control of your vision, but it was hard to focus, hard to even stand with your lack of balance. Your body felt like it was shutting down, forced into a state of emergency reboot.

Sebastian tightened his grip on your arm, his eyes darting around the hallway as he scanned for whoever had used the beacon. “Stay with me, okay? Don’t worry. We’re getting out of here,” he said, his voice full of determination. He quickly crouched, grabbing a piece of scrap metal as a makeshift weapon.

Footsteps echoed down the hall, and you both knew that whoever was behind the attack was getting closer. You could feel the weight of the situation pressing down, but you couldn’t help but curse internally—this was supposed to be a routine scavenging trip. A fun, light-hearted break from the usual dangers.

But now, everything had turned dangerous.

“Can you move?” Sebastian asked urgently, his arm slipping around your waist to help you stand.

You groaned, trying to focus through the buzzing in your head. “Yeah... I think so. Just... need a second.”

“We don’t have a second,” he muttered, glancing down the corridor again, his expression grim.

With Sebastian’s support, you managed to take a shaky step, but your body still felt off, uncooperative. It was taking longer than usual to recover, and the frustration gnawed at you. You were supposed to protect him, not the other way around.

“I’m fine,” you insisted, though your voice was shaky, the lie obvious. “Let’s just... get out of here.”

But before either of you could move, another blinding light filled the hallway. You felt Sebastian’s body tense beside you, and through your still-fragmented vision, you could see the silhouette of a figure approaching—whoever they were, they were armed, and they weren’t here to help.

“Stay behind me,” Sebastian whispered, his voice low and tense.

Even in your weakened state, you couldn’t stand the idea of Sebastian putting himself in harm’s way for you. You were the experiment, the one designed to handle danger, not him. But as the figure drew closer, you realized that this time, it wasn’t going to be so easy.

“Seb...” you started, but before you could say anything more, a sound filled the hallway and three red dots pointed at you—a turret, aimed directly at the two of you.

The moment the turret whirred to life, its mechanical sound sent a jolt of adrenaline through your systems. The barrel locked onto you and Sebastian, a low hum signaling that it was ready to fire.

"Seb, get behind me!" you shouted, your voice cutting through the chaos.

Sebastian didn’t hesitate, ducking behind a pile of debris as you moved toward the turret. You felt your senses returning bit by bit, the effects of the flash beacon still present but waning. The danger of the turret, however, forced your mind into sharp focus.

The mysterious figure, cloaked in shadows, smirked before glancing up at the vent near the floor. They were quick, nimble, and clearly had the upper hand in this situation. You knew they were planning to escape, but you couldn’t focus on them right now—not with the turret locked onto you both.

The turret's motor clicked, and you heard it ready to fire. You dove behind a nearby crate as it began unleashing a barrage of bullets, pinging off the walls and scattering bits of metal everywhere.

“Damn it,” you muttered under your breath. You peeked out from behind the crate, your eyes locking onto the base of the turret. You could see it—a control panel just beneath the rotating barrel. If you could just reach it, you might be able to disable the turret before it turned Sebastian or you into scrap metal.

“I’ll cover you!” Sebastian shouted, grabbing a nearby chunk of debris and tossing it toward the turret. It clanged off the barrel, momentarily redirecting its attention.

Now’s your chance.

You launched yourself out from behind the crate, hurrying toward the turret as it recalibrated its aim. The whir of the barrel grew louder, and you could feel the heat of the bullets whizzing past you, narrowly missing as you zigzagged toward the base. Your claws dug into the ground as you slid to the control panel, your fingers immediately working to pry it open.

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw the figure climbing into the vent, the grating pulled aside. They paused for a split second, glancing back at you and Sebastian, a look of triumph in their eyes. Then, with one swift movement, they disappeared into the vent, the cover sliding back into place.

“No time to worry about them now,” you growled, focusing on the control panel in front of you. The wires were a mess of colors, tangled and confusing, but you didn’t have the luxury of being careful. The turret’s barrel shifted again, locking back onto you, and you knew you had seconds before it would fire.

With a sharp inhale, you jammed your claw into the circuitry, pulling a handful of wires free. Sparks flew, and for a moment, the turret seemed to stall. Its motor whirred in confusion, the barrel twitching as if trying to re-engage its targeting system. You ripped another cluster of wires loose, praying you hit the right ones.

Suddenly, the turret powered down with a groan, the barrel slumping to the side as its lights blinked out. The hallway fell into a heavy silence, the echo of the gunfire still lingering in your ears.

You exhaled in relief, leaning back against the wall as your systems tried to calm down from the sudden burst of activity.

Sebastian emerged from behind the debris, wide-eyed and impressed. “Holy crap, you did it.”

“Yeah,” you breathed, wiping the back of your hand across your forehead. “But they got away.”

Sebastian glanced up at the vent, frowning. “Figures. Whoever they were, they knew this place too well. But I’m not worried about them right now.”

He crouched down next to you, his expression softening. “You alright? That was a close one.”

You managed a tired grin. “Takes more than a turret to take me down. But I must admit, I was almost as pierced as a slice of cheese.”

He chuckled, giving you a pat on the shoulder. “Good to know. Let’s just hope there aren’t more surprises like that waiting for us. Also…a cute slice of cheese.”

The compliment made you break into a smile despite the thoughts in your head.

As you both stood and began to gather yourselves, you couldn’t shake the lingering thought of the figure who had escaped. They were fast, resourceful, and clearly knew how to navigate the facility. But right now, your priority was survival.

[artemiszy]

I read your Hades x Persephone reader story when the seasons changed, and I loved it. Is it okay to request a story about Poseidon and Amphitrite reader? If it's okay with you?

THE WRATH OF THE SEA | Poseidon X Reader

Poseidon x Amphitrite!Reader | Record of Ragnarok

"In which the fearsome sea god is furious, and perhaps a wife can give him some peace."

WARNING. poseidon being himself(a little shit). forced relationship. FEMALE READER

The waters, normally an extension of Poseidon's serene power, were now in constant turmoil. High, violent waves crashed against the shores, dragging away boats and leaving the skies covered in dark, threatening clouds. Fishermen were afraid to venture out to sea, and the usually peaceful sea creatures were restless, as if sensing the anger emanating from the depths.

Poseidon, the God of the Sea, rarely showed his emotions so openly, but in recent days, even the other gods had begun to realize that something was terribly wrong. Deep in the ocean, his palace of coral and precious stones was shrouded in a heavy atmosphere. Marine guardians and servants moved silently, fearful of disturbing their lord. Poseidon himself remained on his throne, his eyes fixed on a distant point, as if searching for something that even he could not define.

In the great hall of the Council of Valhalla, where the gods gathered to discuss the fate of the world, the tension was palpable. The thrones were occupied by the powerful deities, but there was a notable emptiness; Poseidon's place was unoccupied. He, who should have been present to discuss the matters affecting his domain, had isolated himself, absent both in body and spirit.

— "There is something wrong with the seas." — One of the gods began as the others murmured throughout the vast hall. — "Poseidon is not at peace, and his unrest is affecting our entire domain."

— "And what should we do?" — Another god questioned. — "We cannot allow the outburst of a single enraged god to cause irreparable damage."

— "Then let us send someone to confront him!" — Proposed another god with a determination that bordered on enthusiasm, perhaps a god of war, be it Ares or from another pantheon. — "Perhaps some powerful creature, a titan, or even an army of monsters or gods. That should calm him down."

Before another god could answer, two black ravens, Hugin and Munin, Odin's messengers, flew into the hall, landing on the arm of their master's throne. Odin, the father of all, tilted his head slightly, as if he were hearing a whisper that only he could understand, his wise eyes turned to Zeus.

Zeus, the king of the gods, held his hand up signaling for everyone to be silent, then the old-looking god put his hands behind his back and began to laugh a few short times.

— "Brute force will not solve this problem." — Zeus informed, in the center where his throne was. — "What my brother needs is something more... delicate. Poseidon has always been lonely, even among us. He needs someone who can bring balance, calm the chaos that is in his soul." — And then he announced it to everyone as if it were a simple and obvious solution. — "My brother must marry."

Zeus's suggestion hung in the air like a bolt of lightning about to strike. There was a murmur among the gods, who exchanged uncertain glances. The idea of ​​Poseidon, the ruthless and secretive tyrant of the seas, marrying was almost inconceivable. However, the circumstances called for extraordinary measures, and everyone there knew it.

And who, among the many deities, nymphs, and other beings, would be capable of assuming such a role?

Odin, the wise father of all, who had remained silent until then, nodded slowly, his long beard swaying slightly.

— "Balance is the key to avoiding chaos." — Odin said, his deep voice filled with ancient wisdom, silencing everyone else with only his powerful aura. — "A marriage could provide that balance. But who would be capable of uniting with Poseidon?"

The question hung in the air, with no immediate answer. The gods knew that finding a wife for Poseidon would be no easy task. The choice should be made with caution, for this union was not merely a matter of love or desire, but a necessity to preserve the order of the seas.

— "Let me handle it." — Zeus waved one of his hands in a relaxed manner. — "I know my brother very well. We will calm the seas, and he will find the peace he so seeks."

The murmurs grew in volume, but no one openly disagreed with the suggestion, although they had their doubts. The idea of ​​the merciless God of the Seas of the Greek pantheon who was capable of even terrorizing other deities, and marrying seemed like a distant idea.

Zeus turned his gaze to Poseidon's throne in the council of Valhalla, which, at all times, was empty. His brother was absent from the meeting, wrapped in his own internal storm. Zeus knew that to persuade Poseidon, it would take more than words or orders. It was a matter of making him realize that, without balance, even the most powerful could fall.

— "I will speak with him." — Zeus declared at last, banging the gavel. — "And with that, I declare the meeting closed."

In the heart of the ocean, far below the tumultuous surfaces where the storms raged, tranquility still reigned. It was there, in the depths, where the currents were gentle and the sunlight was only a distant whisper, that (Name) and her sisters, the Nereids, spent their days. (Name), the oldest and most beautiful of the sisters, was known for her kindness and grace, virtues that made her beloved among all the creatures of the sea.

On that particular day, the sea was rougher than usual, even in the depths where the Nereids usually gathered. However, (Name) and her sisters did not allow the tumult of the waters to interrupt their moment of fun. They were on a reef near the surface, where the currents brought a refreshing sensation, and the environment was perfect for their games.

— "(Name), look at that wave!" — Shouted one of the Nereids, laughing as she glided along the crest of a wave that was forming over the reef. — "It's taller than anything we've ever seen!"

(Name) smiled, her (e/c) shining with the light filtering through the water. She was about to answer when a distinct movement caught her attention. Two figures were approaching the reef, their imposing outlines quickly recognized by all the Nereids. It was Zeus, the king of the gods, accompanied by his older brother, Poseidon.

— "Look there..." — Murmured one of the Nereids, bowing slightly to them.

The Nereids, always respectful, moved away discreetly, leaving the way clear for the gods to approach. (Name), however, felt her heart accelerate unexpectedly. Poseidon, the god of the seas, was a figure that inspired fear. She only knew him from afar, from the stories told by the others, and from the austere presence he maintained over his domain. But now, he was there, in front of her, and his eyes seemed fixed on her in a way that made her stomach turn.

— "The sea is rough today, brother." — Zeus commented, his tone carrying a lightness that contrasted with the gravity of the situation. He cast a playful glance at Poseidon. — "But it seems you found something that caught your attention."

Poseidon, always austere and rigid in posture, gave Zeus a stern look, but did not respond immediately. His eyes, however, betrayed his interest. He observed (Name) with an intensity that he could not hide, even from himself. It was as if, in that moment, the rest of the world became irrelevant, and only (Name)'s graceful figure mattered.

— "She is... interesting." — Poseidon finally murmured, more to himself than to his brother.

Zeus let out a low laugh, noticing Poseidon's rare tone of voice, which almost seemed like a glimpse of vulnerability.

— "Different, yes. Maybe that's exactly what you need, brother." — Zeus said, with a mischievous smile on his lips behind his long white beard. — "Who knows, a wife to calm the seas?"

Poseidon looked at Zeus with sharp eyes, but did not argue. Instead, his thoughts began to fixate on the idea, something he had never considered before. Zeus's suggestion, although made with a playful tone, planted a seed in his mind.

Meanwhile, (Name), unaware of the conversations that were happening between the gods, went back to playing with her sisters, but the weight of Poseidon's gaze did not leave her mind. She tried to focus on the laughter and fun around her, but a part of her consciousness was alert, feeling that something was changing.

The days passed, but (Name)'s mind kept returning to that strange and silent encounter with the god of the seas. She tried not to think about it too much, but something inside her knew that that moment, that look, held more meaning than she could understand.

Until one night, when the waters were calmer and the sky shone with the starlight reflected on the surface, (Name) was alone, lost in thought. She had moved away from her sisters, seeking a moment of peace in a deeper corner of the ocean, where the currents were gentle and the rarefied light created an atmosphere of stillness.

It was in this moment of solitude that (Name) heard, in the distance, a whispered conversation that made her stop. Curious, she swam towards the source of the sound, hiding in the shadows so as not to be noticed. Her ears caught the voice of her father, Nereus, in discussion with figures she did not immediately recognize, but who seemed to exude an unfamiliar authority.

— "We will calm the seas when Poseidon is satisfied." — Said one of the voices, deep and emotionless. — "He needs a mate, someone who can calm his fury."

(Name) felt a chill run through her body. They were talking about Poseidon and his need for a wife, her mind began to connect the dots quickly, and a feeling of unease settled in her heart.

— "But who would be worthy of such a role?" — Nereus asked, with a worried tone.

Before the answer came, (Name) heard a whisper from her sisters, who were closer, but still out of sight hiding in some corner. They were talking among themselves, and the word "marriage" reached (Name)'s ears clearly, followed by her own name. She held her breath, her heart racing.

— "It can't be..." — She murmured to herself, backing away slowly, fear forming in her chest.

Without waiting for more, (Name) turned and swam as fast as she could away, the sound of her own heart drowning out any other thoughts. She didn't stop until she found a safe haven, away from the disturbing conversation, but her mind was in turmoil. Poseidon, the god of the seas, was being pressured to marry. And the looks he had given her, the whispered conversations, everything pointed to a single, terrible conclusion.

For days, (Name) tried to avoid thinking about the subject, but the idea that she might be considered for marriage to Poseidon was something she couldn't shake. She felt torn between duty and her own desire for freedom. However, before she could make any decision, her destiny caught up with her.

On a night when the full moon illuminated the waters with a pale glow, (Name) was alone, once again, near a coral reef. The environment, which would normally calm her, now seemed suffocating. She couldn't shake the thoughts of Poseidon, and what it could mean for her future.

Suddenly, the sea around her began to change, the waters, previously calm, began to swirl slowly, creating a growing whirlpool. (Name) felt a fear plant itself in her chest even before she saw the imposing figure of Poseidon emerge from the center of the current, his rigid posture and icy gaze made it clear that he was not there for trivial conversations.

— "(Name)." — His voice echoed like a raging ocean, filling around them, despite being in a calm tone. — "You will be my wife."

The statement was more of an order than a request, and Poseidon's intimidating aura made (Name)'s heart beat even faster. She instinctively backed away, fear taking over her senses.

— "I... can't..." — She shivered, trying to find words that wouldn't come. Poseidon's overwhelming presence made her feel small, insignificant.

Poseidon stepped forward, his face impassive but his eyes betraying the fury contained within him. He wasn't used to being challenged, and the idea that (Name) could refuse his proposal, or rather, his demand, seemed inconceivable to him.

— "You will be my wife." — He repeated, even more firmly, as if his will could bend reality around him.

(Name), in a panic, took one last look at the god of the seas before turning and fleeing. She swam with all her strength, her desperate movements creating a trail of bubbles behind her. Poseidon watched her escape, his eyes narrowing, and the sea around her began to churn violently, reflecting the storm brewing within her soul.

As (Name) disappeared into the darkness of the depths, Poseidon remained behind, his anger growing by the second. The seas began to roar in response.

(Name)’s escape was not just an act of desperation, but a catalyst that threw the ocean into even greater chaos. Her refusal and fear in the face of Poseidon had wounded the god’s pride, and he was not one to be challenged, least of all by someone he believed had a right to claim. While (Name) dove into the darkest depths of the ocean, seeking refuge in the vastness of the sea, Poseidon remained on the reef, his face a mask of coldness as anger bubbled within him.

The currents around the world began to go haywire, the tides became dangerously unpredictable, and the waves swept across lands with a fury that made even the gods fear the worst. In Valhalla, the Council met again, this time under much more serious circumstances.

The great hall was filled with worried murmurs. The gods were restless, aware that Poseidon's destructive power was not something that could be easily contained. Odin, sitting on his throne, watched the unfolding chaos with stern eyes. His ravens, Hugin and Munin, flew around the hall, their caws adding an even more ominous tone to the atmosphere.

— "The seas are out of control!"— Said one of the gods, his voice thick with concern. — "If this continues, there may be a catastrophe that not even we can foresee!"

Zeus, who sat on his throne in the center, remained neutral, but the way his nails scratched hard on the arms of his throne suggested that not even the king of the gods had been able to foresee this. He knew that Poseidon's wrath was as much a force of nature as a reflection of his brother's emotional state. And now, that wrath was being manifested in a way that threatened to become even more dangerous.

— "We cannot ignore this any longer." — Zeus said, his eyes darkening beneath his thick brows as he looked at the other assembled gods. — "We must find a solution, before it is too late."

Hugin landed on Odin's shoulder, his voice rough and full of knowledge.

— "Poseidon will not be appeased until he has what he desires!" — The raven said, his words echoing through the hall.

Munin, flying close behind, added in a somber tone. — "And what he desires, he believes is rightfully his!"

Odin nodded slowly, his thoughts immersed in possibilities and consequences. Poseidon's stubbornness was well known, and it was wise to recognize that forcing the god of the seas to bow to the will of the Council would not only be difficult, but potentially disastrous.

Zeus, on the other hand, was determined to resolve the situation once and for all. He knew there was only one thing that could calm his brother, the presence of (Name) by his side. But finding the Nereid, who had hidden herself in the depths, would be no easy task.

— “I will go and solve this myself.” — Zeus declared, his voice firm. — “If it is the Nereid that Poseidon desires, then we will bring her to him. But this must be done carefully. We cannot risk making the situation any worse.”

The other gods agreed. As the Council dispersed, Zeus’s thoughts were focused on one thing: finding (Name) before the sea became a destructive force beyond any control. He knew where to begin his search, for even the vast ocean could not hide its secrets from a god.

He remembered Doris, the mother of the Nereids, who had a strong bond with (Name) and knew all the secrets of the ocean. Doris was the only one who knew exactly where her daughter was hiding, and Zeus knew he could use that to his advantage.

At the bottom of the ocean, Doris was in her sea cave on the surface, worried about (Name)'s fate and the chaos that was ravaging the seas. She felt the weight of responsibility, knowing that her knowledge could either save or destroy.

It was at that moment that Zeus appeared, his imposing presence filling the narrow space of the cave, his eyes glowed yellow, but there was also a calculating coldness in his gaze.

— "Doris, I need your help." — Zeus said, his voice reverberating through the walls of the cave despite his calm tone.

Doris, although she respected the king of the gods, felt a shiver run down her spine. She knew he had not come here without a dark purpose.

— "What do you wish, Lord Zeus?" — She asked, her voice cautious.

— "You know where (Name) is hiding," — Zeus stated bluntly. — "And we need to bring her back to Poseidon before things get worse."

Doris was silent for a moment, her eyes falling to the ground. She knew that betraying her daughter's trust would mean losing her love forever, but she also knew that denying Zeus could have dire consequences.

— "I cannot force my own daughter into something she does not want..." — Doris finally answered. — "She fears Poseidon, and rightly so."

Zeus, unmoved, stepped closer, his presence overwhelming. — "I do not ask you to force her," — He said, his voice soft but filled with veiled threat. — "I ask you to convince her, to use your motherly love to bring her back willingly. Tell her whatever it takes to make her return."

Doris felt her heart sink, but she knew she had no choice. If she didn't act, the sea would continue to rage, and Poseidon's fury would not be contained, and Zeus didn't seem like the type to take "no" for an answer without terrible punishment.

With a resigned nod, she agreed. Zeus knew he had gotten what he wanted, and disappeared, leaving Doris alone with her thoughts and her difficult mission.

(Name), hidden in a cave at the bottom of the sea, felt the weight of the world on her shoulders. She could feel Poseidon's fury in the waters that surrounded her, and she knew she couldn't hide forever. But fear paralyzed her, the fear of being forced into a fate she had not chosen.

Alone and desperate, (Name) wondered if there was any way to escape her situation. But at the same time, a part of her knew that the sea, with all its vastness and secrets, was Poseidon's domain. And in his domain, no one could hide forever.

It was then that she heard a familiar voice, sweet and comforting, calling her from outside the cave.

— "(Name), it's me, your mother, Doris." — The voice called. — "I need to talk to you, my daughter."

(Name) hesitated for a moment, but then ran to the cave entrance, relieved to see her mother. She threw herself into Doris's arms, seeking comfort in the familiar warmth.

— "Mom, I'm so scared..." — (Name) confessed, her voice breaking. — "Poseidon... I can't go back to him."

Doris held her daughter's face, looking into her eyes with a mixture of love and pain. She knew what she needed to do, but that didn't make the task any easier.

— "I understand your fear, my dear." — Doris began softly. — "But what you don't know is that Poseidon's fury isn't just anger... it's pain. The sea is in chaos, and he needs you by his side to find some kind of peace."

(Name) shook her head, still hesitant. — "But he's going to force me to be his wife." — She whispered. — "I can't live like this."

Doris sighed, trying to hide the pain in her heart.

— "Poseidon promised he won't force you." — She said, lying softly. — "He just wants to talk to you, to understand what you want. If you don't want to stay, he'll let you go, but first, he needs you to restore the balance of the seas. Everthing depends on you, my daughter."

(Name), despite her doubts, began to give in. She wanted to believe her mother's words, in the love Doris had always shown her. If there was a chance to prevent the destruction of the world and restore peace, maybe she should at least try.

— "Okay... Mom." (Name) said reluctantly. — "I'll go with you, but only to talk to him. If he tries to force me, I'll run away again."

Doris smiled, though her heart was heavy. — "I'll be by your side, don't worry. Everything will be fine."

Upon returning to Poseidon's kingdom, (Name) was immediately greeted by the tyrant of the seas. His eyes were filled with a mix of desire and fury, despite his neutral expression.

— "(Name)." — Poseidon said, his voice deep. — "Finally, you've come back to me."

(Name) stood her ground, trying to remember her mother's words. — "I have returned, Poseidon, but only to talk. Do not force me to do anything, or I will leave again."

Poseidon smiled, a smile that did not reach his eyes. — "We will talk, my dear."

He promised, but (Name) could feel the weight of his will, the power he exerted over the ocean and over her. As Doris watched, she knew she had thrown her daughter into the clutches of the sea monster, but she also knew there was no other choice. The world was at stake, and sometimes, even a mother's love had to be sacrificed for the greater good.

And so, (Name)'s fate was in Poseidon's hands, and the future of the seas was uncertain as never before.

[b1rds3ye]

Victory Kiss

Turns out Graves gets very passionate when celebrating a successful mission. And when you’re nearby you end up facing the brunt of it.

Pairing: Phillip Graves x GN!Reader

Reader Aliases: Chief

Genre: Fluff, Comedy, Pre-MWII

Word Count: 1.5k

Warning: Graves kisses reader without prior consent (not malicious but please read at your own discretion)

A/N: Probably OOC Graves but imagining this was too entertaining to me 😋

You’ve gotten used to this.

You’ve gotten used to Graves’ infectious energy after a hard-earned win. He was a natural leader, cunning and brimming with charisma, but carefully restrained as to not be impulsive in high stakes situations. But when the stakes were low - such as times like now - Graves was free to be as expressive as he wished. And as second in command to Shadow Company, required to always stand by his side, you got front tickets to watch it unfold.

Shadow Company had offered unofficial air support in the depths of Kastovia. With every operation the stakes were getting higher and higher. After deploying all ammunition until resources were depleted, it seemed the entire aircraft waited with bated breath as you surveyed the ground through a heads up display. You sensed Graves beside you, his looming shadow gave more contrast to the monochromatic screen. Each pixel flickered from the daylight, the movement of trees and friendlies through the screen setting false flags in your mind.

You pulled back to look at Graves. His face was stern, the muscles in his face taut, eyebrows slightly furrowed as he tried to read your neutral expression. You shook your head.

“Confirmed hit, all hostiles eliminated.”

And there it was, like a switch flicked inside of him, you felt a little proud that you were the one who triggered it. Graves slammed his hands on the front console, pushing himself off to stand tall, brimming with energy. He was now adorning that familiar smile, a little wonky but charming all the same. With a heavy arm, he gave you a hefty slap on the back in congratulations, one that would’ve sent your head through the display if you weren’t prepared.

“That’s what I’m fucking talking about Shadows, this is how you get the job done!”

The entire atmosphere of the compartment lifted, you wouldn’t be surprised if the aircraft itself increased in elevation. There were sighs of relief, cheers of joy and hugs of a job well done. You never got sick of this sight, it reminded you what you were fighting for, to bring these boys home and secure victory.

It was a familiar sight, but it was comfortingly predictable. You watched with amusement as Graves paced around the room, praising each individual member in a voice so loud it damaged your ears once, then bounced off the walls to hurt your hearing for a second round. Each recruit responded with the signature ‘yup-yup’ and beaming smile. With each comment given, Graves was getting more and more drunk off the adrenaline which after months of observing him, came with some interesting habits of his.

It was fun hearing him swear like a sailor when he usually keeps his language so restrained he could be put on a children’s show.

“I saw your shots Erikson, that was the shit.”

“Vance you saved our fuckin’ asses with that extra fire.”

“Send this mission report to Shepherd and your dads will be back with the milk before you fucking know it!”

You’re pretty sure Graves has no idea what’s coming out of his mouth at this rate and to be fair neither do you nor the rest of the Shadows.

You stifled a snicker as you watched on. He continued with his questionable praise, not even stopping at the aircraft itself to which he gave an encouraging spank to the metal wall, only to recoil his arm when it unmistakably hurt his palm. Even on the other side of the aircraft, you caught snippets of what he said and you were sure the cheerful laughs of the Shadows were out of respect and not because they understood him. Although with an accent and voice like his, he could make a nonsensical string of sounds and you’d be nodding along.

Graves had gone full circle and made his way back to you.

“And to the soldier of the hour.”

He reared his head to you with such a leading force that the rest of his body had a hard time keeping up. His arms swayed from the momentum.

Just like every routine celebration, he planted his hands securely on your shoulders. His face is graced with the same charming smile he’s given you for months. Even under the red lighting of the aircraft he looked nothing short of a budding hero, the blue of his irises shone against the shadows cast over his face.

You expected the praise.

“Beautiful fuckin’ work, Chief.”

What you didn’t expect was the kiss that came straight afterwards.

You didn’t even have time to reply as Graves used his leverage on your shoulders to pull you in, lips crashing against yours. It was chaste, but the sheer strength he had made you sure your lips will bruise. Your mind blanked, adrenaline numbing any potential pains. The whirring of the aircraft’s turbo engines were drowned out, your vision dimming at the edges as all your senses honed in on Graves’ lips pressed into yours. It lasted no more than a single second until he separated from you, lips parting with an exaggerated but unintentional mwah.

“Dunno what I’d do without you,” he breathed out, only for you to hear. He watched you innocently, the skin around his eyes wrinkled in excitement, hands drifting down until they were on your biceps, rubbing your arms affectionately. However, you had to tear your gaze away from him and to the rest of the aircraft.

Graves just kissed you…

… in front of Shadow Company.

Your stomach dropped as you made eye contact with the entire team who now watched the two of you like teens tuning in to the hottest new flick. They were here for the drama, quiet as they waited for your response but smiles of anticipation creeping onto their faces.

“Eyes off, Shadows.”

Graves’ voice returned to its usual commanding tone, as though you were back in the mission. There was the grumble of ‘yup-yup’s’ as the rest of the team made the show of focusing on their stations (but you knew they were still sneaking glances whenever possible). Graves reoriented the two of you until you were against the wall, using himself to obscure the company’s view of you.

“Fuckin’ beautiful,” Graves muttered absentmindedly. He sounded more grounded, but he still needed to catch up on his breath, chest heaving in and out.

“It was a damn clean mission, Graves.”

“I ain’t talkin’ about the mission.”

Graves gives you his signature cocky smirk, waiting for a few moments for you to reply with your usual reassurance. But no thoughts were crossing your mind, instead it was aimlessly swimming in his attention. His arms that latched onto you were getting stronger, fingers tightening and burrowing into the narrow space between your tactical gear and shirt. His pupils were blown out, puppy-like as they searched you. But you couldn’t reply, not when you were drinking him in like he was to you. Your silence started to become overwhelming, crashing against Graves��� confidence and his smile fell, bravado collapsing with it.

“No good?” He faltered, letting his head hang low. He let out a quiet curse under his breath. “You put up with a lot of Shadow bullshit, both from them and me… I got lost in the moment.”

His attention turns to his hands that are on your arms. The pads of his thumbs rub your shirt fabric soothingly before dropping his hands to his sides. He gives you one final reassuring pat on the back, half-hearted and lacking its usual strength.

“I misread us,” he pursed his lips as he reflected, eventually shaking his head and tutting his lips disapprovingly at himself. “This is on me.”

“What?” You force yourself out of your stupor upon noticing Graves’ dejected form. You hurriedly try to pick him up, now you were the one putting your hands on his shoulders. “No, I just- I didn’t expect it. It was a surprise.”

“… you like surprises?” He looked up at you through his lashes, eyes brimming full of hope. You sometimes forget he’s your superior when he dials up his boyish charm.

“If they’re all like that then yes.”

“Then there’s plenty more where that came from, darlin'.”

His smug grin was back in full force, he only allowed himself a split second to memorise your shocked expression before turning away so you couldn’t respond. He rouses the rest of the Shadows up with an authoritative clear of the throat. He stands tall, back to the restrained commander role but not without a hand sneaking up to settle on the small of your back. Even as he assumed his professional role once again, the zeal in his voice was unmatched.

“Excellent work all ‘round boys. Let’s bring this aircraft back home.”

There were affirmative responses all round, but a curious Shadow couldn’t help but poke their head out of their station.

“So, uh, Graves. Are you and Chief a thing now?”

“Speak outta line like that again and you’re on cleanin’ duty for the next month, Sergeant.”

“… yup-yup.”

Call of Duty Masterlist

[probablyasocialecologist]

The potential of newly created forests to draw down carbon is often overstated. They can be harmful to biodiversity. Above all, they are really damaging when used, as they often are, as avoidance offsets— “as an excuse to avoid cutting emissions,” Crowther said. The popularity of planting new trees is a problem—at least partly—of Crowther’s own making. In 2019, his lab at ETH Zurich found that the Earth had room for an additional 1.2 trillion trees, which, the lab’s research suggested, could suck down as much as two-thirds of the carbon that humans have historically emitted into the atmosphere. “This highlights global tree restoration as our most effective climate change solution to date,” the study said. Crowther subsequently gave dozens of interviews to that effect. This seemingly easy climate solution sparked a tree-planting craze by companies and leaders eager to burnish their green credentials without actually cutting their emissions, from Shell to Donald Trump. It also provoked a squall of criticism from scientists, who argued that the Crowther study had vastly overestimated the land suitable for forest restoration and the amount of carbon it could draw down. (The study authors later corrected the paper to say tree restoration was only “one of the most effective” solutions, and could suck down at most one-third of the atmospheric carbon, with large uncertainties.) Crowther, who says his message was misinterpreted, put out a more nuanced paper last month, which shows that preserving existing forests can have a greater climate impact than planting trees. He then brought the results to COP28 to “kill greenwashing” of the kind that his previous study seemed to encourage—that is, using unreliable evidence on the benefits of planting trees as an excuse to keep on emitting carbon. “Killing greenwashing doesn’t mean stop investing in nature,” he says. “It means doing it right. It means distributing wealth to the Indigenous populations and farmers and communities who are living with biodiversity.”

[...]

Crowther’s November study—with more than 200 scientists listed as coauthors—instead stresses the power of preserving intact woodlands. While restoring destroyed or fragmented forests would absorb a potential 87 gigatonnes of carbon, simply allowing existing forests to grow to maturity would absorb an additional 139 gigatonnes. These estimates exclude urban, farming, and grazing areas that may once have held forests but are unlikely to be given over to nature.

[suzukiblu]

what do you have for Clark kent?

Clark is the last son of Krypton.

Clark is the last of Krypton.

At least, that's what he thought thirty seconds ago.

"Uh," the kid standing in the middle of the broken-up Metropolis street in front of him says awkwardly, a gloved hand half-covering the bright and bold and undeniable emblem on his chest. There's a lot of surrounding property damage, a lot of staring civilians hovering on the sidewalk, and some very upset police officers cuffing up some very unconscious metahuman gang members. Clark can't even begin to bring himself to care about any of it. "Hey . . . ?"

"Hello," Diana says, raising a curious eyebrow at both the kid and the ridiculous mess that's somehow been made of the street. From the look of it maybe one of those gang members had some kind of tectonic-based abilities or something similar, but Clark continues not to care. "It seems we've encountered an admirer of yours, Kal."

"You're wearing that crest without permission," Bruce says flatly, looking less amused than Clark has seen him since the last time someone died on the League's watch.

Clark, meanwhile, can't say anything at all.

"Hey, Superman gave me permission, okay?!" the kid protests, bristling defensively. Clutching the emblem . . . protectively. Like he's afraid to have it taken away. "Just not, uh . . . this one."

"This one." Bruce frowns. The kid flattens his hand against his chest and just . . . shrugs, looking away. Clark can't look away from him at all. He looks like . . . he looks . . .

"Yeah," the kid says, gesturing a little directionlessly with his free hand. "I'm kinda not, like . . . local? There was like this whole thing, like with Hypertime and–it's complicated, okay? Just, like, it's an alternate reality issue. I'm sort of, uh . . . lost. Or–stranded, more like. I guess more like . . . stranded."

The kid swallows. Drops his hand away from the emblem and folds his arms over it instead.

Keeps standing there, looking like . . .

"Are you, now," Bruce says neutrally, and he's definitely going somewhere with that, but–

"You're Kryptonian," Clark blurts, because he can't hold the words back a moment longer. Diana and Bruce both go very still beside him. The kid just looks surprised.

"Uh, not really?" he says. "I mean, okay, sort of. I'm a binary clone of . . . you know, like a hybrid? Um, they based me off, well . . . our Superman. And then, like, stitched me up with human DNA to hold me together 'cuz the Kryptonian genome is a freaking nightmare and they couldn't really figure it out all that well, so otherwise I would've degraded and–uh. Sorry."

Clark feels something he doesn't think he's ever felt in his life, looking at this kid. Feels like he's been dragging himself through the uncanny valley and finally seen the other side of the thing; like he's finally crossed through the fog and darkness and come out into the clear light of day and seen what people are actually supposed to look like. Everything about him is just . . . right. The pitch of his voice, the slope of his shoulders, the way the sunlight reflects off his skin, the pattern of spokes in his irises, the color of his eyes, the weight of him in the world . . .

Clark wants to snatch this kid up and wrap him in his cape and never let anything else touch him. Never let him be hurt or upset or–or alone. Never. Not for anything.

He feels the way he's heard people describe feeling when they first met . . . when they first . . .

He feels the way he's heard people describe feeling when they first met their child. A sense of awe and wonder and . . . and . . .

He feels like he felt the first time he left the atmosphere and saw all of Earth all at once. Everything on it, everyone on it. The whole thing all together, all the same. Perfect.

Complete.

He's never loved anything this immediately, Clark realizes distantly. Not even that first full glimpse of Earth.

He can't imagine how he ever, ever could have.

"What's your name?" he asks, unable to shake the intensity of emotion held painfully tight in his chest. Not even wanting to shake it.

The kid looks–worried, almost. Puts his hands behind his back. Clark can see the full image of the El crest emblazoned in pride of place across his chest for the first time, and it makes him feel weak.

"Superboy," the kid says. "Um . . . Kon-El."

Clark's heart could burst, hearing that.

Or break.

"Kon-El," he echoes, forcing himself not to step in closer; not to crowd the kid. "I had a . . . on Krypton, before it was destroyed, there was . . ."

"A cousin. From the, uh, second house of El," the kid–Kon-El–agrees, shifting just barely anxiously. "My Superman said I . . . reminded him of him, like from what he saw in the recordings and all? So, uh . . ."

"I named you after him?" Clark asks wonderingly. He would've given the kid a human name over a Kryptonian one, himself, but then again, a public street in an alternate dimension isn't really the place for him to be introducing himself as "Jon Kent" or anything similar. Kon nods stiffly, drawing himself up a bit.

"Yeah," he says. "He said, uh–um. He said Kon-El was strong-willed. And . . . uh . . ."

He trails off, looking nervous, and then visibly steels himself and looks defensive again instead.

"He said I was family," he says, squaring his shoulders and lifting his jaw, like he's actually expecting someone to argue with him or something. "So he gave me that name."

Clark doesn't know who the hell made this kid so much as hesitate over saying that to any version of him that isn't an active supervillain, but he thinks he'd like to throw them into the Phantom Zone for a century or two. Just . . . that's all.

Or maybe three.