#THE CAPTAIN HAS RESORTED TO VIOLENCE

[smilingcrittersthingig]

When I tell you the Birates (from my Mystical AU) were my addiction for a good while I aint kidding

My friends can vouch, I was going crazy over them genuinely

Fun facts about them:

- Barrel Elepatch (Bubba) is the lightweight among the trio while Bobby Bearclaw is the heavyweight. Despite this Barrel ends up drinking the most out of all of them.

- When Bibi Wolfeye (Baba) is pissed/wants to be intimidating, she puts on her skinned wolf head hood. A sheep wearing wolf’s clothes so to say.

- Birates is a name one of my friends came up with as a funny call-out to the fact their names all start with a B

- Bobby is the only one who doesn’t carry a weapon because she can easily defeat anyone with her claws and bare hands. Barrel has a sword and Bibi is hiding two daggers.

- They’re all pretty unforgiving in their own aspects but Bibi is the captain because she’s the most brutal and cruel out of the three.

- They’re bisexual, second funny play on their name.

- Bobby is actually related to Touille, he’s her older brother

- When I tell you Bobby is strong, it’s an understatement. She can crush someone’s skull using her thighs, not only that, she WOULD do it. willingly.

- Bibi usually uses violence as a last resort, and when it comes to that, it ends up bad. For the people against them that is.

- Barrel is more of the strategizer and map guy, but he won’t hesitate to stab someone when he’s allowed to.

- Also Bobby may or may not have pulled Aerial Hare (Hoppy) just by being a girlboss

[wenellyb]

I don't particularily like John Walker but I don't hate him either. I actually think he's a good character. He's very realistic and interesting and while I agree he was awful during the Falcon and the Winter Soldier, I don't believe he was as awful as some people say.

If I can understand why people like Zemo and I can understand why people like Loki, I can certainly understand why people like John.

He's very obviously not meant to be seen as a villain or a bad person in the show.

They wanted to show him as human.

This was him and Sam in the last episode of TFATWS:

That little head nod after everything that happened was to show that we weren't done with John's character and was a hint that we're not supposed to hate him hate him

Same thing with the scene where he was trying the US agent suit. It was kind of cute, a little bit like a kid opening his Christmas gift, it didn't scream "villain".

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier also showed how close he was to his Lemar, to Lemar's family and to his wife.

They showed a Human being with human emotions.

A lot of people hate John Walker for killing that flagsmasher after Lemar died, because he was consumed by vengeance, but guess who was also almost consumed by vengeance but didn't go through with it? T'Challa.

and later Shuri.

And guess who almost cut someone's head off with the shield because they attacked his best friend?

Also that flagsmashers literally went there to kill John, not because of his actions but because of what Captain America represents.

To me, it's obvious that the show never tried to paint John Walker as the villain or a bad guy.

And it's a good thing because I don't believe the message from TFATWS was that Sam was the perfect choice for Captain America because John Walker was a bad person but that Sam Wilson is the perfect for Captain America because he's simply better.

Like it or not John Walker is human and has human emotions but he's not able to control them, he's instable and was reckless. He's a worse version of the MCU superheroes (and I insist "worse" not worst). And Sam Wilson is the better version of these superheroes.

Sam Wilson is a superhuman in the sense that he's able to control his emotions far better than all these superheros with superpowers.

He has more emapthy, is calmer and is actually what our crazy violent world needs right now ... Not unstable people who will create and nurture conflict. The world needs people who are calm, smart and won't resort to violence as a solution to everything.

As Bucky said in Captain America Brave New World, Sam gives people something to aspire to ....people want to react the way Sam reacts. People want to be like Sam Wilson. They want to be what his Captain America represents.

TL:DR: John Walker isn't a bad character Sam was just the best pick regardless.

What do you guys think?

[cell151]

OC Ramblings: Sophie & Julie (Signalis)

So I've written bits and pieces for various Signalis characters but I've never written about these two who I've been writing about for over a year now.

In July of last year I wrote what was suppose to be a quick one-off Starch story featuring a Storch named Sophie and a Star named Julie called Nostalgia. I liked writing the characters so much that I decided to continue their story in a trilogy hastily titled "The Soldier's Dream" with the stories being: Nostalgia, Outland and Distant Early Warning.

Distant Early Warning is close to wrapping up and afterwards I'll write a collection of one-off bits exploring more of the characters' past and featuring the pair in more happier circumstances.

Below are OC notes about Sophie and Julie and two additional characters.

Artwork by KennyPyro

Sophie (SCTR 8214) Rank: Captain

Veteran STCR unit whose early postings were as facility security and later promoted to combat squad leader due to aptitude for strategic planning and execution

Place of assignment: Minsk (planet)

Personality: As far as Storches go, Sophie is relatively easy going and has more patience than others in her cadre. Physical violence/punishment is a last resort. Never assigned as an interrogator but, as seen in Outland, she is capable of extracting some information with some manipulation and a few broken fingers. 

Sophie does not suffer fools gladly. She values professionalism and expects those that work under her meet those same standards. At the same time she understands the Eusan Nation’s bureaucracy, the endless red tape and the insufficient resources prevents some from doing their jobs and therefore will be lenient. This does not extend to the young STAR units placed under her care. Their lack of discipline, disrespect and constant in-fighting creates problems that Sophie has to work to manage, which she does with the aid of Julie. 

The one time Sophie comes close to using extreme violence as a disciplinary action is when witnessing a Star sucker punch Julie after the latter won a sparring match. It was only due to Julie’s quick intervention that the offending Star didn’t get torn apart.

Exhibits compulsion when it comes to neatness. Maintains a clean and organized living space and office. When Sophie was younger, witnessing a messy work environment caused her distress and annoyance. She overcame this, accepting the fact that it is impossible for the rest of the facility to match her level of neatness. 

A habit of Sophie’s is fidgeting with small objects 

Sophie’s left hand shakes due to PTSD. At first she thinks its mechanical but after the Eules confirm that nothing is wrong with her hand, she doesn’t discuss it and tries to hide it when it happens out of fear of being decommissioned.

Is a bibliophile and expresses interests in book genres outside of history, folklore and fantasy. Actively searches for books in abandoned buildings while on patrol.

Does not smoke but will smoke if offered a cigarette

Appearance: Sophie maintains a consistent, clean outer shell. The tips of her hair are greying. She is unsure to feel about it. Some tell her it is a mark of wisdom while others take to calling her an old hag. 

Her shell and armor is always kept in pristine order. Her younger self would endlessly complain if there were scratches or dents on her chest armor. 

When out in the field (“out in the shit” as the popular saying goes among Replikas), Sophie manages to ignore the mud and muck that gets over herself and her armor because she is laser focused on her job. A very long shower and cleaning procedure immediately follows upon return to base.  

Preferred Weapon: Type 75 Automatic Pistol and EIN-12 Shotgun

Julie (STAR 3286) Rank: Sergeant

An experienced Star unit that is transferred to Sophie’s unit to help instill discipline in the unruly younger Stars. She is younger than her commanding officer but far from a greenhorn. 

Place of assignment: Minsk (planet)

Personality: Julie is more serious than the younger members of her cadre but she is friendly and goes out of her way to familiarize herself with all members of staff, even Gestalts. Despite this friendliness, Julie does give her cadre too much slack. She makes it clear that they have to work to earn her trust and respect. 

Julie openly expresses her opinion when off-duty on matters that would certainly raise eyebrows from higher-ups. 

She is known for thinking outside of the box, going beyond the standard internal programming and training. Her unorthodox methods appeal greatly to Sophie who also values her frank opinions.

Highly competitive with the other Stars when it comes to shooting. After gaining the top spot in the leadership board, she guards her position from any potential usurper. 

Though she guards her top spot vigilantly, she always finds the time to help out her new Replikas with their marksmanship. 

Target practice and weapon maintenance are her main hobbies.  

Does not hold grudges. Not even with the Star that sucker punched her. Even Replikas or Gestalts she thoroughly dislikes, she will give them the benefit of the doubt. Though this level of trust erodes over time. 

A bit ADHD which makes the task of paperwork and even leisure reading difficult.

Like a lot of Stars, she likes to smoke though she limits herself while around Sophie, who doesn’t care for the smell of nicotine. 

- Appearance: While overtly or deliberately messy, Julie has a scruffy appearance typical of Star units. She learns that some of her habitats bother Sophie and she makes a conscious effort to change some of them. This includes not using the bed for gun cleaning or polishing body armor and maintaining a clean work environment. 

- While sporting the typical Star bob haircut, Julie is inspired by Sophie’s grey hair tips

to dye her own hair tips red, which the latter admires a lot. 

Preferred weaponry: Einhorn Revolver and FN FNC-80 Assault Rifle

Relationship: Sophie and Julie had an easy-going platonic relationship right from the beginning with the former happy to have an experienced Star help with the younger, uncooperative Stars and the latter who was surprised to be working under a more mature Storch. While their differences in personality led to some awkwardness and some Odd Couple like situations, they eventually understand each other and are able to work together. 

Julie is the more progressive one in the relationship. She develops feelings for Sophie early on but keeps it to herself not knowing how the Storch would react. These efforts are doubled when she learns that Sophie did not have an easy relationship with her mentor Star. 

Sophie’s Star mentor was named Ramona and she hated her with a passion. Ramona knew of Sophie’s compulsive behavior and addiction to cleanliness and used that against her as punishment. After Sophie finally stands up to her and the relationship between them cools, Ramona instigates a brief physical relationship much to Sophie’s surprise and delight. But it is short lived. Almost immediately Ramona rejects her again, sending Sophie into a depression. Eventually, Sophie recovers and closes off her heart, becoming cold. When Ramona is unexpectedly decommissioned, Sophie doesn’t react but the whole ordeal tears her apart internally and it’s not until Julie’s encouragement that she lets it all out. 

Because of the ill-fated romance with Ramona, Sophie is reluctant to get into a relationship with Julie. But after coming to terms with the fact that Julie is far removed from Ramona and that what happened with Ramona was a toxic relationship, Sophie overcomes these fears.

Julie loves to flirt and will do sneaky actions to get the normally stoic Sophie to blush or react. She is often successful.

Sophie grows to like flirting as she knows that a combination of low voice, an expression and a slight touch will make Julie’s circuits melt.

Julie is, as the Eules describe it, “down bad for Sophie.” She will time her morning and evening showers at the same time as Sophie’s so she can stand close by and stare. Sophie is oblivious to this and takes the time to discuss operational matters. Eventually she catches on and will continue to engage in serious talk while teasing her Star.

Sophie loves to refer to Julie as “my Star.” 

When their relationship becomes physical, the two find it hard to keep their hands to themselves. Sophie has a bit more control over this than Julie. The two quickly work out the best places in the facility when they won’t be observed by security cameras. Nosey Arar units remain a hazard.

Julie knows about Sophie’s hand shaking and holds it everytime it happens. 

Because of her hand shaking, Sophie stops going to the gun range out of embarrassment for her diminished marksmanship. But Julie works with her to overcome this.  

The two can safely vent to each other. While Julie is very open about her feelings and opinions, Sophie is much more guarded. Being able to vent her frustrations and let out her emotions, provide a much needed psychological and emotional relief to the Storch.

Julie loves it when Sophie reads to her. 

Sophie was never interested in facility gossip but with Julie it becomes entertaining.

Julie is delighted when she gets Sophie to laugh.

Sesbian Lex:

They switch. Occasionally they like to engage in a bit of role play where one dominates and the other submits. This does not involve any physical and verbal abuse. Even when restraints like handcuffs are used, foreplay remains playful and consensual. 

Sophie is especially playful following a shower/bath. Late night trips to the shower facility quickly become the norm. 

Sophie and Julie’s relationship is the worst kept secret in the facility.

Past Incarnations

Sophie: Sasha (Gestalt)

Julie: Christa (Gestalt)

Both died during the Eusan Nation's assault on the city of Carcosa. Psychological profiles were taken and registered for future Replika use beforehand, which the subjects were unaware of.

Last words exchanged: 

Sasha: “Remember our promise. If we get separated, find me.”

Christa: “I’ll come running.”

Additional Characters / Replika Types of Note

Marian (EULR 5119): Former combat medic, now chief physician of AEON FACILITY M-25 ORION II.

Meets Sophie in “Outland”, reasons for which won’t be listed here for spoiler reasons

Like Sophie, she is an older Replika unit

Burnt out and very cynical which causes friction between her and the other Eules. After having seen the death and destruction on battlefields, she can’t stand to be surrounded by her cadre’s upbeat attitude and constant partying. The Eules think of her as being standoffish but eventually realize that Marian is troubled by the events she witnessed. They become more understanding and open to her. 

Frequently consumes alcohol

Sophie and her have a brief romantic relationship as kindred spirits who find themselves cast to the “ass-end of space”. When Sophie secures a way to reach Julie, Marian is a little disappointed to see her new friend depart but understands how deeply Sophie loves Julie. Sophie feels bad leaving Marian but the latter insists she goes as she has a “promise to keep.”

Refers to Sophie as “Sheriff”

Sophie’s tendency to get hurt annoys her

Sleeps in her office

Loves New Wave music and likes to dance in her office when no one is around

CROW (KRW) Units

Replika units typically used as pilots

While valued for their aviation skills, their personality traits proved to be problematic as more than any other Replika unit they were not motivated by loyalty or national pride to do their duties but more as an exercise of their own egos. When banded together, they are usually the loudest and most obnoxious ones in the room.

Crows keep to their cadres while at the same time constant squabbling with their own kind. Despite this, Crows will band together if there is any physical altercations between one of their kind and another Replika unit. They believe in strength in numbers and will fight dirty.  

Known thieves and hoarders, valuing material goods above all else. 

Due to all the factors above, CROW units are wildly unpopular outside their work as pilots.

Additional addendum: Crow Jokes as told by other Repika types

“Where is a Crow when it’s not flying? The stockade”

“Why was the Crow decommissioned for petty theft? Because it pickpocketed its interrogator while pleading its innocence.” 

Wren: a Crow unit who is sympathetic to Sophie’s situation and will fly her a dangerous blizzard to reach the facility where Julie was reassigned. Her price: a cigarette lighter. 

Sophie knowingly exploits Crows’ addiction to shiny objects 

Outside of her hot-shot piloting skills, Wren proves to be quite cowardly but is easily persuaded by Sophie

Loosely based on the character of Jeremy from The Secret of NIMH

[lild00td00t]

Straw Hats with a Shy! S/O

Part 1

Characters: Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Ussop

I love shy, quiet people, they are my jam !! Part 2 will be up when it’s finished, and will include: Robin, Nami, Franky and Brook! Enjoy ! ~

Luffy

• Will definitely be your voice if you need it, he loves talking enough for the both you so things work out favorably with Luffy.

• If anyone ever asks why you’re so quiet or don’t talk to them he gets defensive on your part, asking why they’re bothering you in the first place

• If he ever senses you’re uncomfortable he’ll draw attention to himself to get eyes off you

• When he does, it’s in the most asinine way possible

• “ YOU GUYS WANNA SEE IF I CAN EAT THIS WHILE ITS STILL ON FIRE “

• Hypes you up to do stuff, say you’re making a call or you ordered on your own, he’ll pat you on the back and be like “ yeah that was awesome ! “

• So sweet, but he can definitely be overwhelming with how boisterous and out going he is, sometimes he might push alittle too much to get his S/O out of their comfort zone

• Id give him a 7/10

Zoro

• Probably loves how quiet you are, especially when he’s drinking, he loves a calm drinking partner

• Like many of the Straw Hats he’ll get very defensive on your part if people tell you to speak up, won’t tolerate people picking on you for being quiet either

• He lets you lean into him or hold his arm if you’re feeling shy, he’ll probably try to look more intimidating to others so they’ll leave you two alone

• Zoro isn’t much of a people person either, so he’d rather be in secluded and low activity places.

•he’ll gladly find you a space so you can both relax and decompress

• I’d give Zoro a 9/10 with a shy S/O, mostly because he won’t make you feel overwhelmed, and while he’s not vocally encouraging you most of the time he does actively urge you through other means to do daily tasks you might struggle in <3

Sanji

• Will kick a hole in someone’s face if they ever tell you to speak up

• The absolute sweetest of all the Straw Hats with a Shy S/O

• He can tell if you’re overwhelmed or in need of alone time, he’ll make you a nice warm cup of tea and probably set out a chair on the deck for you to relax in

• Will definitely tell Luffy to keep it down for you, and WILL resort to violence if he doesn’t, if his S/O wants peace and quiet then SHH!

• 100% sends food back if it’s not cooked how you like or came with something you don’t like, he won’t make a big deal about it either since he knows it’ll probably embarrass you, but is always willing to be your voice when you need it

• Very keen listener who is also observant, he can read your body language and tell if you’re uncomfortable, he has signals for the two of you if you ever want to leave somewhere!

• He will either coddle his S/O or try his best to encourage them, but he doesn’t want them to feel smothered, he’s so supportive honestly

• I give Sanji a 10/10 with a Shy S/O!

Ussop

• Honestly he’s the funniest with a shy S/O

• If you give him permission, he’ll tell people an impossibly HUGE lie about how you lost your voice and why you can’t speak, whether or not people believe it is the tricky part

• He loves having you sit with him while he fishes, unlike Luffy you don’t eat all the bait AND you’re a great ear, so it’s a win win !

• Like Sanji he’s extremely observant, maybe it’s the Haki, maybe it’s because he’s an awesome boyfriend, regardless he can read your expressions and body languages with ease

• The second he sees you’re uncomfortable though, VERY much like his captain and best friend Luffy, he’ll draw attention to himself

• Will definitely encourage you to try and get out of your comfort zone, hes not pushy or commanding but very gentle about it too

• If you order something over the phone or manage to have a conversation with someone you don’t know well he’ll definitely voice how proud he is of you!

• I give Ussop a 10/10 with a shy S/O <3

[livings-easy]

MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD

I watched The Lighthouse (2019) by Robert Eggers. Highly recommend you watch the film and form your own impressions if you haven't already because I'll blatantly discuss spoilers and major plot points.

Plot Summary

Winslow (Pattinson, right) takes a job as lighthouse keeper in 1890s New England. Veteran lighthouse keeper Thomas Wake (Dafoe, right) works Winslow like a dog, looming over him as a sort of half-king, half-sorcerer. Wake maintains the light. All other menial labor is relegated to Winslow.

Winslow eventually succumbs to madness due to the isolation, humiliation, and harsh working conditions on the island. He kills a seagull in his frustration, which Wake warned him against prior. He suffers from hallucinations (or is it real?) of severed heads in lobster traps and endures the wettest of wet dreams.

The two pass the days as boss and employee, but when night rolls around they become drinking buddies. Secrets are revealed. Wake had a wife and child but abandoned them for the light. Winslow is not Winslow at all, he stole that name from a man he watched die in a logging accident, a man who he could have saved, but didn't. Wanting better for himself, he stole the man's identity and left town.

Accusations are thrown around. They read each other for filth, basically. Wake accuses Winslow of being womanish in his desire to be kept and not have to endure hard work, for thinking he deserves a good life simply for being born. Winslow accuses Wake of never being a sailor, or at least not being a very good one, and insinuates that his possessiveness of the light is his way of compensating for a failed life at sea.

Their antagonism towards each other escalates to physical violence and, of course, the younger man wins. Winslow buries Wake alive and ascends the lighthouse staircase. He revels in the beauty of the light, but it overwhelms him. In a painful (yet funny) sequence he tumbles down to the foot of the stairs and out the door. We are left with an image akin to Prometheus: Winslow is naked on the shore, supine, and seagulls lazily feast on his exposed innards.

Astrological Thoughts

Dafoe has Ketu in Mrigashira and Rahu in Mula. Eggers, the director, has Ketu in Mula and Rahu in Mrigashira. Dafoe and Eggers have worked closely together in the past and will most likely continue to do so. Dafoe physically manifests Eggers's deepest visions on camera.

Dafoe has quite a few placements in Pushya and Punarvasu. Pushya is known as a bureaucratic and hard-working nakshatra. An elder that nourishes the younger. At times Wake is benevolent, but he is mostly strict and overbearing. Punarvasu, likewise, can enforce its will in a self-righteous way. According to Mikes Sleeping Dog (his observations are pretty specific if you want to peek at his website), Punarvasu is a genius at replication and copying. It is not good at inventing, but it is good at refining. Wake is a stereotype, an archetype. You've seen this character before, the Old Captain, the Hermit, the Sorcerer.

Some YouTube essays propose that Wake is a representation of Proteus. Proteus was a Greek god who knew literally everything there was to know, but he didn't like to answer questions, so constantly shapeshifted and ran to avoid the prying of others. Light = knowledge.

Winslow very frequently resorts to masturbation to relieve stress and entertain himself (rahuvian stimulation seeking). Unpleasant and strange images flash through his mind as he pleasures himself. This is in contrast to Wake, who is seen masturbating while staring into the light in a sort of trance. We have no clue what he sees, IF he can see at all (ketuvian).

There are some significant Ardra themes in this film. Most stupidly, it is very WET. It rains constantly.

Pattinson has Ardra Moon and the character of Winslow plays that archetype painfully straight: he is dishonest, intense, ambitious, entitled, violent, resentful of authority, and accusatory.

Winslow's character arc is Rahuvian. In mythology, Rahu wanted to become immortal and did so by sneaking a sip of soma, a drink usually reserved for the gods. He was discovered and, as punishment, was beheaded. His head was thrown to one side of the sky, and his tail (now called Ketu) was thrown to the other side. Rahu spends his days bitterly trying to eclipse the sun.

Some people have likened Ardra to Lucifer, but I say it is also similar enough to Prometheus, who wanted to give humans fire. Winslow coveted the light (knowledge, power, sublime bliss) and paid dearly for it.

Non-astrological bonus: Pattinson's fake name in the film is Ephraim Winslow. Ephraim means "fertile" and Winslow means "friends hill (grave)." Fertile grave. He intended to invent himself from a dead man.

[satsumatak3]

gif cr: @19aguichana on Pinterest

Jonathan Price and family life.

❗tw: this headcanon is mine. I have translated it from Russian into English thanks to Google translate so this work can contain mistakes somewhere.

p. s. You can find original of headcanon on Wattpad (@sats4w).

• From a young age, Price planned to become a faithful spouse and a loving father. Despite his hard but commendable work, he "couldn't" want children, even though he had never been married before your intrusion into his life.

• John is terribly fond of children, especially relatives. This is his bloodline, this is the continuation of his kind; this is the human creature that he is ready at any moment to protect and protect from external dangers. This is his duty to his child, and to you as a mother and his wife.

• You were sure from the very beginning that Price would be a great father. And you were not mistaken.

• What are the signs? Price provides fatherly love in all forms, from simple material rattles (or something more expensive) to a sturdy shield and a sense of security. Really: isn't it obvious that a child will feel completely comfortable and safe when his dad is the captain of an operational base?

• Price knows how to keep a balance between raising a child and spending time on the two of you. He's an attentive husband. He always asks with genuine interest how your day was at work. He's ready to do a massage if your back hurts. He often tells you to watch your posture: not because he wants to see you beautiful (although that's not out of the question), but because it's your health as well. After all, you hunch over at work and in front of your child's crib, while Jonathan is forced to be away from home due to important missions, plus you are chronically tired.

• He understands that you want to relax after sleepless nights with a baby, so he tries to share his leisure time with you and let you take a break. Price knows perfectly well with you how difficult it is to take care of a newborn baby at first.

• He's don't care who is will born: a boy or a girl. It absolutely doesn't matter! John will still love him or her to endlessly.

• Do you want to go on maternity leave? No problem. Price earns enough to provide for his family on his own.

• Do you want to go back to work? Okay, but he has to be one hundred percent sure that you're taking this step consciously. As a last resort, he'll hire a babysitter. He doesn't want to involve his or your parents in your upbringing. Yes, it's strange, but still, the babysitter will act according to your parameters, and not according to her own rules, as your relatives do.

• He is not the kind of strict father who proudly keeps quiet when it comes to hard work for the sake of Price: they say, "your dad is fighting." For Jonathan, this is violence against his own child, especially since he forces his son/daughter not to study, but to take breaks. It doesn't matter: a small child, a teenager, a high school student — he/she will not grow up ignorant, John is convinced of this.

• Price prefers to spend his free time with his family, so whenever possible, he plans family dinners in advance. This is the perfect opportunity to find out the news from your life, your child's life, and at the same time share your own. If something unpleasant has happened, he is ready to be an attentive listener and give advice if there is one for this or that case.

• When Price returns home from work, it feels warm, as his head is filled with vague thoughts about his small family. He feels relieved when he realizes that once again he can return to his native burrow safe and sound, and most importantly — alive, knowing how much it would hurt you and your child together.

• Most of the time, John drives away this kind of anxiety by reminding himself to live in the present and enjoy every sincere laugh of his child and every smile of his beloved wife. And these beliefs make it much easier, because he loves his family and is ready to give everything for it. Perhaps his own life for the good and the future of his family.

Thanks for reading! ^⁠_⁠^

[residentnikolaienthusiast]

Nikolai Lantsov and his constant identity crisis known as Sturmhond

I'm currently in the process of re-reading all the Grishaverse books, and I'm about to start King of Scars. But before even starting to re-read that book I can see the seeds being planted when it comes to Nikolai's struggles with his identity. I feel like this is a really underrated aspect of Nikolai's character, which is strange to me since it's basically what his entire main arc is about in the King of Scars duology. This is why it was hinted at in Siege and Storm as well as Ruin and Rising.

Nikolai loves to be loved. Because of this, he is constantly changing his personality or demeanor to please whoever he is talking too. Alina mentions this many times through out Siege and Storm, and even believes it to be "creepy" how easily Nikolai can change himself for others. It's part of the reason why it takes her so long to truly trust Nikolai.

However, Sturmhond is a persona created by Nikolai for Nikolai. The differences between Sturmhond and Nikolai are minute, but they're undeniably there. For example, Sturmhond relies on his greed to make his decisions. He's also quicker to resort to violence than Nikolai usually is. He's still clever, forthcoming, charming, flirty, rich, well-respected. All the basic things that make Nikolai himself to the untrained eye, but it's the smaller differences that truly matter. In any role that Nikolai has to play through out his life, he always tries to keep the "main" or "most obvious" parts of himself present. These small changes are what make the bigger difference, especially since it's harder for others to pick up on when he interacts with them.

Sturmhond was originally created as a way for Nikolai to command respect or instill fear with his crew and his enemies, when it was necessary. Being a sea captain required Nikolai to abandon a lot of the things he'd learned while growing up in the Grand Palace and serving in the First Army. Thus, Sturmhond was born!

But after Sturmhond's reputation was secured, Nikolai most definitely could've started to slip back into his true self. The persona was not as necessary anymore. But Nikolai, at least while he was at sea, still didn't truly know who he was when he was not performing for others. I think Nikolai clung to Sturmhond because he was scared of having to figure out who he is when he's not pretending all the time.

We see Nikolai contemplating becoming Sturmhond again near the end of Rule of Wolves, very briefly. And it's safe to say a big part of Nikolai misses his life as a privateer. Sturmhond has always been and always will be the freest Nikolai will ever feel. Because, there are differences between the two identities, but it's all still Nikolai in the end. Yes, Sturmhond was inevitable in many ways, especially since Nikolai needed to avoid the risk of capture. But when Nikolai became a privateer, I think he knew a new identity was bound to be needed. Nikolai chose at life at sea, therefore he chose to become Sturmhond. While most of his other identities were most likely born out of necessity. This is partially why he's so attached to the persona of Sturmhond, because it's one of the only things in Nikolai's life that he has been able to decide for himself.

That's why I think the concept of Sturmhond is the main contributor to Nikolai's issues with identity. Because even though Nikolai always knew he needed to obtain the throne eventually, he still enjoyed his freedom. In fact, freedom might be the only thing Nikolai craves more than validation from others. This scares Nikolai, because validation from others is something he can almost always get when he needs to. But his freedom, away from Ravka and its royal court, is not something he's ever been able to control in that way.

[ywpd-translations]

Ride 778: “Hakogaku's sprinter”

Pag 1

1: Izumida-san!!

2: I'll use it

“Hurakan”!!

Pag 4

1: This year's May

2: Ibaraki Prefecture

West Tsukuba

3: Tsukushiba University, located at the foot of the sacred eastern mountain, Mount Tsukuba, at 887m above the sea level

4: In front of the second dormitory building on the campus

5: Basically, Doubashi

You mean you want to race me in a serious sprint battle...

Pag 5

1: Yes, please

This might be a weird way to say it, but

2: In Hakone Academy... among our team, there's no one who can be my opponent!!

3: Alright, then I'll gladly accept!!

4: I, Izumida Touichirou of Tsukushiba University racing club!!

First year at Tsukushiba University, department of science and engineering, former Hakone Academy captain

Pag 6

1: Former Hakone Academy ace sprinter

2: The area around the university is a town, but if you go out of it it's really easy to ride, Izumida-san

3: There's both flats and mountains, it's a good place for biking

4: Did it take long to come to Ibaraki?

5: Coming here from Kanagawa, you have to cross Tokyo, so... yeah

Honestly, I had to change so many trains...!!

Pag 7

1: Is Manami doing alright?

Yeah, he's so carefree, but sometimes he says something serious too!!... I guess?

Sounds like Manami

2: Ngh....!!

3: Dammit.... this is so fun!!

What's this!! We're just riding our bikes and talking, but I've missed this feeling!!

4: When I was a second year and Izumida-san was a third years, we practiced like this every day!!

5: Sometimes Izumida-san was the one who attacked, sometimes it was me, and we pushed each other to our limits

7: It's not the time to smile about this!! I've come here to become stronger!!

Pag 8

1: Sorry, Izumida-san!!

I got too relaxed for a moment!!

3: It's good to relax

That's important, too

5: There's as many roads to ride as we want!!

So, which one is better? You can choose

For today's menu!!

6: An easy course with a 100km run along the roads of Ibaraki and a sprint at the end

Pag 9

1: Or the hard course, cut into section, with a final sprint when we're giving our all!!

4: Of course!! The hard one!!

6: Since it's you

Pag 10

1: I knew it would come to this!!

Abs, read?

2: Go!!

Pag 11

1: Abs, abs, abs, abs, abs!!

Buoooorah!!

Pag 12

1: Buah!!

2: Doubashi!!

You've really gotten stronger!!

3: If it were you from last year, you wouldn't have been able of getting ahead on a short climb like that before!!

4: Izumida-san, you're the one who has powered up!!

I seriously think I'm gonna be torn apart right now!!

5: But this is what I wanted

Pag 13

1: An opponent to race against in a fierce and close battle!!

During that you become stronger, and move to the next stage!!

2: Abs, Doubashi!!

Rise!! With that body!!

3: More....

4: Give me more, Izumida-san!!

6: Alright, I'll show you a sprint that will make you regret those words!!

Pag 14

1: Abs!!

Come!! Masakiyo!!

2: Buooorah!!

Izumida-saaan!!

4: Today was fun

Pag 15

1: Thank you

Well, I'm beat, Izumida-san

2: In the end, I lost at the final sprint

You rode well, you drove me in a corner until then!!

3: Did you see it? Your next stage

Yeah... well, little by little, but...

4: But I'm just a little closer, I feel like I can grasp something, but I can't

5: That's because you're too serious

6: And you're an hardworker

7: You know, there are two types of “right”

Huh

Pag 16

1: There's what's socially right

And what's right for yourself

3: Rules and norms, things that must be observed when living together, are what's socially right

The other

4: are the feelings in your heart you won't give up

6: Actually, both of these are “right”

Pag 17

1: But, sometimes these two go into conflict

2: Feelings....!!

“Feelings are strength”.... Izumida-san said that before

3: When something wrong happens, you end up resorting to violence, you reflexively curse at people

However, what should be restrained is the “action”

4: Not the feelings themselves

5: If you don't like something, you can get angry

6: No but, Izumida-san, if I just blindly do that.....

7: And when you're happy

Pag 18

1: you can honestly smile

2: I got too relaxed for a moment!!

4: There's no need to deny it

Those obvious “feelings” that are boiling inside you!! You can smile because you've missed something

5: The feelings that came out amidst of your own study and research and suffering

Where is the mistakes in that?

6: Even if you took a detour, there's no lie in your hard work!!

8: Release yourself more

Lead the path of your own heart

Pag 19

1: Polish what's right for you!!

2: What's “right”.... for me....!!

3: I understood it riding together with you today

You're already good enough for the next stage

You

Pag 20

1: will become much stronger!!

Buoooo!! Smash through!! “Hurakan”!!

[scuorge10]

My job at this point is to be a Polites and Eurylochus defender because y’all will rationalize everything Odysseus does but refuse to see things through Polites or Eurylochus’ eyes.

While all of them are not innocent people because they just came from the Trojan War and are soldiers, y’all still refuse to see things Polites and Eurylochus’ way.

With Polites, Open Arms could have been a way to cope for him as much as it was to try and cheer Odysseus up. While you could say Polites is naive, I don’t see it that way. Polites has fought and has probably killed but in the song he says “aren’t you tired of the war and bloodshed?” Meaning he most likely has guilt of the things he’s done and wants to do better. Wants to be kinder, he thinks the world would be better if we stopped resorting to violence and instead talked things out or go about it a different way.

Y’all also seem to forget that he helps fight the cyclops, meaning that if his philosophy doesn’t work then he is ready to fight if he has to.

With Eurylochus, he is the second in command. He is the voice of the crew. I don’t think he opened that bag out of greed but more so out of distrust (and also a lot of people most likely wouldn’t stop bugging him about it). Because from the start he has shown to have some trust issues with Odysseus (known lier). And while he does bring up hunger a lot, I still think opening that bag was more so out of distrust than for treasure.

We can tell he has guilt over this. For he did accidentally just cause the death of a lot of them. We see that he keeps trying to apologize but Odysseus keeps talking over him.

With the men on Circe’s island debate I can see things in his perspective. He just lost these men to a powerful witch/goddess, anyone would be scared to face her if they don’t have the resources to deal with it, and it wasn’t the entire fleet it was just a few people Odysseus sent with him. And we know Circe is hard to beat because Hermes literally had to give Odysseus a magical plant in order to put them on the same footing. We see with Circe and in the animatic that she was about to kill him before Odysseus let down his guard. Eurylochus had a right to be fearful. Here Odysseus reassures Eurylochus that as their captain he will always come to aid them.

But, this new trust is broken once again when Odysseus sacrifices six men. This rightly sets Eurylochus off because their captain who fought to get them back just willingly sacrificed six of them and they didn’t even know what was about to happen. And so the mutiny begins.

When on the island I can understand Eurylochus because being lost at sea for years mixed with hunger is not a good thing. It makes you lose yourself and your need to eat something, anything, takes over. It didn’t matter in that moment if the cows were sacred, they were starving.

The thing with Eurylochus and Odysseus is that trust goes both ways. You can’t just tell someone to shut up and follow your orders without there being some serious backlash and we know and have seen that we can’t always count on Odysseus’ actions to save them (because his apology to Poseidon doesn’t work and he revealed his name to the cyclops).

[skarsbabe]

Sol y Luna; a captain's order.

Bill skarsgård x reader!au

Summary; A rejected soldier and his love-hating woman of a surgeon meets again in a different circumstance—hoping to forget about one another what will happen if old flames reignite in amidst of sworn duties and personal feelings?

TW. Implied violence, cursing. (talk of gùns, blàdes, etc.) Read at your own discretion.

a/n: inspired by descendant's of the sun series because i'm in love with it (and bill). I also might've changed a few details in this, and gave them their own background stories & characters.

word count; 2.6k

ATTENTION: I do not consent my work to be copied, posted, or plagiarized in anyway. This is an ongoing series let me know if you liked it!!

* All rights reserved for the original series. *

"It's the demilitarized zone, so we'll resolve this in dialogue." Bill says casually as him and Wolf take their gears off. See this was a normal thursday for the big boss, atleast that's he thinks. Wolf looks at his friend with a blank face and eyes for hunger, maybe what hid behind his eyes has a double entendre since their meal was cut short by these troublemaking bastards.

The rest of the alpha team stood alert as they watch their captain and comrade approach the ruined building where two hostages are captured in. Two hands raised in a surrending manner bill spoke, "This is the operation commander, is the two hostages okay?," fuck they are really making it hard for them, he thinks.

"Let's stop this now, we'll send you home." he shouts from the outside making the hostage-taker scoff in response. "Looks like they won't go quietly," wolf whispers next to him, yeah man that's what I've been thinking, wanna hit this old style? He wants to say. "Let's go in." Bill smiles and nods before he clicks on his earpiece

"Big boss transmitting, I'm going in with wolf." Big bad soldier with a head full of ego.

"Piccolo transmitting, position secured." The two held up their hands together still, feigning in surrender in exchange for the two imprisoned victims.

"Snoopy transmitting, explosives in place." This all suddenly took all of the remaining special forces team's attention, especially harry potter. "We're using explosives?" snoopy glared at him "it's only a last resort in case the negotiation fails." The team gave their sighs of defeat and tight-lipped resignation while hoping for the best of not having any casualties for the day. Perhaps they still remember the earful they've received from the general.

"Stop this now while we still let you, it'll only get worse in the morning." Wolf's impending patience gets shorter each second these kidnappers waste.

Suddenly the doors busted open in place as the criminal's lunges at the two like dying hyenas out of the cage, all of them are armed with different blades. Classic move.

They all fought them off with ease until the the leader of the gang meet's bill's eyes. A familiar one he thought. Half of his face was being covered by the black balaclava but he knew that look all so well. One that thought him how to kill, and how to be killed, one they thought was gone, has reincarnated himself in front of him, meeting death itself.

Before he knew it a blade slashed itself into his side, waking his brain from his old dilemna of memories from the past, "sierra."

"I'm glad you recognized me, comrade." He laughs darkly as his eyes hold no remorse. "But i'm afraid I can't let a special forces man, let run free after this incident." He says before he swiftly runs his blade to his face once again, they fought time and time again before bill's blade reaches sierra's neck.

"you won't be able to kill me, we both know that a man of the country he serves cannot kill." The nerve of this man really.

"But we, the republic, are different." He smiles before bill feels the coldness of the barrel behind his head. Wolf turns to his side as he hears the sound of a glocking gun, seeing his comrade calm as he is while being in the line of meeting God.

"Seventy years since the division and yet we still have misunderstandings." Bill scoffs, before he looks at the man dead in the eyes. "If it is to protect the peace, we will shoot precisely, wherever, whenever."

sierra looks to his side to see a red dot following suit, pointing precisely on his forehead. "Let's not make any mistakes like this again. I don't interfere when an enemy makes a mistake."

"I can't come as a warrior and leave as a casualty." Sierra says as he orders his men to put the gun down. "Nice to meet you again, Captain Skargård."

"Likewise, but let's not make it an annual event, lieutenant Santos." sierra yields his weapon to the ground and orders his men to go follow him. "Big Boss transmitting, alpha team has resolved the situation."

"you must've felt proud, huh." Wolf whistles in his direction, smirking. "big bad cop."

"DID YOU SHOOT WITH YOUR EYES CLOSED? your score.."

"This barrel looks a little twisted, doesn't it?" Wolf complains in response while inspecting the toy gun in hand. "It doesn't shoot very well," while the two expresses their annoyance to the toy gun forcing and banging it in different ways the owner of the store yell's in caution "hey! Be careful with that!" He says before he snatches it from wolf's hands, "mister, your gun doesn't work." Bill snickers in response laughing in his friend's unimpressed face.

"That is because you aren't real soldiers, people in iraq uses this exact model and they work just fine," he yaps in annoyance. "This isn't the same model—"

"THIEF! THIEF! CATCH THAT THIEF!"

The sargeant sighs in place. As their attention caught on the commotion happening, "Let us borrow this for a bit." Before he snatches it away from the owner's hands, "but we're on our break, man." Bill complains before following his friend.

"It's a toy gun so we have a short range, about five meters." wolf says while they stand their ground aiming the gun at the alleged thief running on a motorcyle. "Ten meters,"

"Guys that's dangerous, move! move! You hey!" The thief screams, before the two clocks their toy gun in place. "Shoot." Baby bullets shoots through the teenagers eyes aiming it perfectly making him fall off and slide onto the fruit stand on the corner.

"Did you call the police?" Wolf asks the motorcyle owner, before he hears it's engine roar, "The motorcyle is fine, calling the police over for a coupon thrief is more bother than what it's worth. Besides his injury has nothing to do with me. Okay? Thank you." The man spoke hurriedly before he rode away. Wolf sighs in defeat before he saunters back with friend who seems to be writing something down on the thief's forearm.

"You little punk one wrong move and you could be stuck with lifelong spinal injury. Don't move." He says before he flicks the thief's forehead back to lie down.

"What are you doing now?"

"Providing first aid after an act of social injustice." He says before pulling the string from his pants, smiling mischeviously, "let me buy those two teddy bears there,"

"Ah, Those aren't for sale," the owner buts in again before he was glared by the two men in response. "Sell them to me, or I'll win them all."

The man runs back with more stuff toy than they needed.

"I think she is the one." Wolf says before patting the head of his date, a white bunny plush bear. "yours is pretty cute." wolf teases as he sees his friend choke on his drink. "This? We're just friends," he responded with unfazed sarcasm, "is that so? Rejected you, again? That's why your friends?" wolf teases more before bill's phone rang, "oh you wanna play dirty. Oh look who's calling, what a coincidence." bill smiles in victory.

"What is that the unit? Are they gonna cut our lunch short, again?"

"Not our unit, but yours." Bill laughs as he flips the phone in wolf's direction, seeing the caller id as her name, In big bright bold letters.

Lieutenant. Vann-Reid

"Don't you dare answer that." Wolf hisses as his friend, who's still having his fun by pretending to swipe his finger onto the answer button. "I'll treat you steak." He tries to plead again, only to be met with more boisterous laughter coming from him, "Steak? I sure make enough money to eat that everyday, is that your best negotiation yet?" Bill simply taunts, he really is The big boss, wolf thinks, the big boss of ego and flattery.

"I have a cousin who's a flight attendant that I can set you up a date with now, decline that call." Now he really must've hit the jackpot as bill's eyes glints in delight.

"And you've been hiding that desirable family member from me? How dare you." Bill gasps in fake offence while clutching his chest. "C'mon stop with the dramatics, do you want it or not?" He glares at his friend again, "I didn't say anything did I? Give me your phone, c'mon I have to see this flight attendant cousin of yours,"

"I think it got stolen."

"What?"

fuck, it was must've been taken by the boy thief from earlier. "What hospital did they say they we're taking him?"

"Bed eight motorcyle accident, minor lacerations on his forehead and legs, right ankle suspected to be sprained."

Emma says as she reads his chart. "Mister if you don't mind me asking what happend to your forehead?" pointing to his, seeing marble shaped circles. "Oh wait, you also dropped this earlier from your jacket sir, it's been ringing nonstop." Emma smiles as she hands the patient his phone. "Oh no, no you hold onto it first, I'll just go at the comfort room."

Oh. he'll be back, she thought. Well, that was 20 minutes ago, too long for a bathroom break from a patient who's not suffering from any stomach problems whatsoever. Emma had been running around like a lunatic mother finding for her child before she stumbles and sees you doing your rounds.

"Doc. y/n thank god you're here. The patient in bed five, I-I think he might've ran away," she babbled, while panting from running too much. Seriously, how many patients do they lose in an average day? "Look he has this teddy bears wrapped around his head, and well, he's limp."

Behind her, there exactly stood a man in his early 20's in skinny jeans, with head covered by two plush teddy's, pink and blue. Limping his way out of the exit.

What a day to be an ER doctor, you think to yourself.

"Yeah, yeah, excuse me," the man says hastily before he limply took off, taking one step and a time. You both ran towards him. "Okay sir, this has been fun and all but we seriously have to treat you."

"I'm fine, why don't you believe me, look I can walk okay? just let me go." This man was really trying to be everything but convincing, "Sir if we don't treat that leg of yours, it could to more damage than it is, so listen to me and lie down," you sternly spoke, before assisting him to his bed.

"You don't get it if I don't get out of here, my boss will put me straight in the morgue."

Morgue?

"well are you part of a gang?" You asked without hesitation, Looking at his eyes directly. "W-What, no." the fear in his eyes doubled in sized when he realizes he's been caught. Well he may be part of a gang somehow, but he didn't expect this doctor to ask such direct ones as bait.

"Well this is a hospital. Tell that boss of yours that if he ever comes here, we'll call the security right away to have him thrown in jail, got it?" You assure him, "who wrote this?" seeing a note written in a black marker inlcuding his chart.

Boy thief, must be treated in the most painful way possible.

The boy sighed again, "ah well that has been there when the paramedics brought him in—" emma replied shortly before she was interrupted by the boy, groaning in pain. "It's the punks who shot me." You and emma laughed in amusement, "shot you? with what baby bullets?" Yes dammit, with baby bullets, a toy gun brought him to this condition.

"Well whoever did this is sure an expert in the field, look at these plush teddy's very fitting for a first aid." You mock him playfully as you order emma to get his x-ray checked, "I'll be back for you, nurse emma, call me if he ever tries to escape, again." As you walk away emma hands you a phone, "what is this?" You asked in curiousity, "well that patient in bed eight told me to onto it, but it wouldn't stop ringing so I didn't know what to do."

huh. Why wouldn't a phone owner answer his own phone?

You nodded towards her as you take the phone to see it still ringing, the caller id listing as Big Boss. Oh he really is part of a gang, and a lame one at that. You thought. "Hello?"

Bill sighs in annoyance as he grew tired of running in circles again and again through the white hospital halls, the dim lighting and people swarming around waiting to get treated, makes it harder for bill to retrieve the phone before he hears it ring for the last time and hears a response. "Hello?"

Angel. That's what bill heard, a savior in his time of need. "Hello is this the patient's guardian?," the woman, angel spoke again. bill loses his terrain of thought as he hears it being too close by? He opens one of the curtains behind him as he peaked to see a white wearing coat doctor suturing a patient in hand while holding, wolf's phone.

"well, yeah hello," bill then spoke from where he stood, puffing out his chest, smirking as he observed the doctor in front of him. You turn behind you as you hear an unfamiliar voice before catching up to what's happening, "I'll be back sir," you say before standing up to remove your glove and gauzes in place. Your hair struck in different places but you had never been more heavenly to bill's eyes. "Sir hello, are you the guardian or the patient's gang boss?" what.

"No, what?" bill retracts his statement from earlier, an angel isn't this fierce to make him sweat too much, no, he's part of a super elite team for fucks sake, why is he nervous about this woman questioning him. Pull yourself together.

"Well you answered the phone, does that mean your big boss?," you asked while showing him the caller id in the phone. "Well yeah, technically I am, doc. But hey listen—" you nod in petty aknowledgement before deciding to call the cops number in the keypad. "Hello yes? This is Doctor y/l/n, from Rutherford hospital I'm calling for a—hey what," before you knew it the phone was swiped away from your ear, flying before bill catches it with ease. "Listen, Doctora, y/l/n or whatever, my job is very confidential and I would get in risk if we involve the cops, just give me the phone and we'll leave," bill now smiled, hoping his charm would work on the doctor.

"Why would your job be in risk? So your admitting to be that patient's boss who'll put him in the morgue?" You narrow your eyes at him, before you get your name called by emma again.

"Doc! He espcaped again! Oh no I lost him," emma sprints towards her. seriously? "I would like to continue this Big boss, but I'm afraid I'll have to cut our meeting short by duty calls, excuse me." You ran towards emma as your coat rushes by the wind, meeting her halfway before ordering to call the security for assistance. Meanwhile bill thought he had fallen in love in the most accidental way, in a hospital.

What are the odds of meeting his future wife and savior of an angel on an average break?

_ _

a/n: that was the first chapter, let me know if this was badly written or not, it's my first time writing TvT

[electronickingdomfox]

"Rules of Engagement" review

Novel from 1990, by Peter Morwood. This same author (the husband of Diane Duane) also cowrote "The Romulan Way", and Duane's influence can be noticed in the appearance of several of her characters (like Naraht the Horta), specially in the scenes set in the rec room. The scenes involving the Klingons, however, are heavily influenced by "The Final Reflection" in their depictions of Klingon culture and politics.

A bit of an unusual novel, in the sense that, despite having the customary ship battle at the end, it deals mostly with Kirk playing strategic games with his adversary (the Klingon captain, Kasak), while none of the opponents can resort to violence of any kind. This makes the story much less action-oriented than other TOS novels, and the scenes are confined to the Enterprise and the Klingon ship, as the narrative switches from one point of view to the other. This doesn't mean, however, that the story is boring. On the contrary I found it quite engaging, which is a difficult feat considering the novel's self-imposed restrictions.

Now why those restrictions? Well, for starters, Kirk has been sent to the planet Dekkanar to retrieve the Federation ambassadors, after Dekkanar breaking diplomatic ties with them. But in doing so, Kirk is forced to follow General Order Twelve, which specifies that the Enterprise can't make any offensive or even defensive moves, unless clearly attacked. Which is extra frustrating for Kirk, as there are terrorist groups on the planet, and the Dekkani are anything but friendly. Once the Klingons appear in the picture, one has to wonder how Kirk will resolve this conflict, with an Enterprise that's been stripped of most of its capabilities by these "rules of engagement".

The Klingon sections are mostly described from science officer Askel's point of view (actually, an Imperial Intelligence operative sent to investigate Kasak). And through his observations, we learn who's the true man (or Klingon) behind Captain Kasak's facade, as well as his real motives to confront Kirk. Kasak has been assigned a new battlecruiser prototype to test. An automated ship that's controlled remotely from a small scout. The prototype ship, Hakkarl, has far greater combat capabilities than your average ship, and yet the Klingons can't use them without infurating the Organians. So Kasak plans to use guile instead, to bring about Kirk's downfall and acquire Dekkanar for the Empire. A tense game develops thus between both captains, as one tries to provoke the other to break the rules, so the first one to shoot loses the game and the planet.

Usually, I don't like it very much when the Organian Treaty is followed so literally, as it limits so much the possibilities of a story with the Klingons (and TOS ignored these limitations all the time, anyway). But it works well in this particular instance, as it puts both Kirk and Kasak on equal grounds.

Spirk Meter: 0/10*. Nothing that I noticed. Spock is in a very logical and professional mode in this story, though there's the ocassional humorous banter among the triumvirate.

[sleepyfan-blog]

Demand

Author's note: This is another fic in the Warp Cursed Guilliman AU! Masterlist here.

Warnings: male lactation, entitled behavior,

summary: Uriel convininces a Sister Superior to leave his gene-father alone. Despite her initial persistance to see him.

“Is there a particular reason why you are seeking an audience with the Imperial Regent at this time, Sister Superior?” Uriel Ventris, captain of the fourth company of Ultramarines and one of two current door guards that lead to his gene-sire’s private chambers asked, his hands kept loose at his sides as one of the visiting high ranking members of the Adeptus Sororitas approached the door. Father was currently indisposed, and should not be bothered for anything less than a full chaos invasion. Especially by an outsider. 

“I have several good reasons, as a matter of fact. Let me in, so I may discuss these sensitive topics of conversation with him, Captain.” She sniffed, her silver hair shining in the light of the hallway, her hands crossed over her chest as she narrowed her eyes up at him.

“Is this a matter of urgency, or can it wait?” Uriel asked, internally trying not to sigh. “The Lord Regent has requested that no one meet with him for the next several hours who has not already been scheduled in today.”

“And if I do say that the matters I wished to speak to him about are urgent?” She asked, still staring hard up at him. “Then I would direct you to speak with Chapter Master Calgar, or Commander Sicarius of the Victrix Guard about the urgent issue. It is imperative that the Lord Regent not be disturbed at this time.” Uriel answered, keeping his voice calm and pleasant. With the addition of several younger Brother chapters joining the Indomitus fleet, father had begun to produce more milk and the Brother Apothecaries were in the process of helping him express the milk that his body was producing. 

“And if I say that at least one of these matters both have utterly refused to speak on, despite the fact that the information that they are keeping secret could benefit the wider imperium if the correct people were informed. What would you say to that?” The Sister Superior growled.

“I would say that information that is not revealed to you is kept secret for good reasons. Are you questioning the will of the Imperial Regent, sister?” He asked, voice mild and calm, well aware of the intensity that most Sisters held their beliefs in the god-emperor. Ventris too, believed in the divinity of Him on Terra, though with Father instructing them of the Imperial Truth, he had been trying to let such sentiments go. 

“I.. No… Of… Of course not. I would never question the authority of the last loyal son of the emperor.” The Sister back-pedaled verbally, her eyes widening a little in panic as she took a half-step back. 

“I am glad to hear that, sister superior. Now, I ask again; are the matters you wish to speak with the Imperial Regent urgent or pressing in nature? If so, he has delegated the informing of and response to those matters to Chapter Master Calgar while he is otherwise engaged.” Uriel reminded the baseline woman, still smiling pleasantly down at her.

“I… I’ll go do that.” The sister superior half-mumbled as she fled his presence.

Once the sound of her footsteps had faded, Pasanius, who was the other door guard, snorted a little. “You know we have been authorized to use physical force against our visitors, if need be. To keep certain things secret, as we have been instructed.”

“But only when necessary. She left without needing to resort to violence, brother.” Uriel pointed out with with a small sigh, shaking his head a little. The SIster of Battle were a necessary ally, especially in the sector that the Indomitus fleet was in currently, as they were the main fighting force in the region, alongside the Imperial Guard. But they could be… Vexing to interact with.

“Yeah yeah.” His oldest friend huffed, shaking his head a little.

[m4rdb]

An insight into the characters based on their approach to the “Allie problem”

If good writing means that every scene has the potential to say something about a character at their core, then the girls' attitude towards the "Allie problem" is an interesting example.

Taissa

The one who comes up with the very plan. This establishes her as ambitious and extremely rational, but it’s the type of rationality that without grounded moral principles could degenerate into violence and cruelty at any time. It’s what we see with adult Misty and Walter, who are both so practical-minded that resorting to murder is nothing more than a smart option to choose to them.

Like Jackie says, Taissa has so much fight in her. The way she handles the Allie situation shows that if she has a goal, she’ll do whatever she finds necessary to obtain it.

How does that translate into their time in the wilderness?

Taissa’s the first to make the call that they should leave the plane and find water. She’s the one who sleeps in the attic when everyone else wouldn’t, she’s the only one who tries to tell Jackie she shouldn’t leave. And in season two, she’s the one who says, “We need to find a way to stay alive, and it can’t be her [: Lottie]”.

Then we see them drawing cards. We’re not shown how they get to that very decision exactly, but it’s important that we know that the two things are tied. The hunt that follows, their first conscious hunt (let’s not forget about Travis), wasn’t supposed to happen—it’s rather the consequence of the designed sacrifice refusing to take on the role.

Though there’s an obvious religious aspect to it, drawing cards isn’t just letting fate/the wilderness decide in their place so that they don’t blame themselves. It’s also the girls’ attempt to give the ritual some semblance of logic and structure—on a normal day, they would draw cards to decide who gets which task. They’re using the same mechanism, except that they’re now deciding who should die and get eaten. And it starts with Taissa’s very rational and straightforward remark about needing to survive.

Natalie

She openly and passionately goes against Taissa’s plan. Despite being presented as the outsider who doesn’t really engage with the team and disregards rules by smoking and doing drugs, she’s the one who fights to play fairly. She most likely doesn’t care about Allie personally, but she’s a teammate, and they should treat her as such.

While Tai’s ultimate goal is winning at Nationals, Natalie doesn’t want to win more than she wants to be a team (T: What’s your plan, then? / N: I dunno, play like a fucking team and win? It’s worked so far.).

It’s quite ironic—yet not that surprising—how, despite being opposites, Natalie and Jackie share a similar mindset about this.

The scene establishes Natalie as a sympathetic character with grounded and noble moral principles, no matter the adversities. In the wilderness, she’s the first and possibly the only one who acknowledges Travis’ grief and sees through his unsufferable attitude and understands that, as much as questionable his methods are, he’s trying to make sure Javi gets over their father’s death and wants to live on.

It's also meaningful that Natalie’s not there when Jackie and Shauna fight and Jackie ends up leaving the cabin. The night earlier, Natalie was the one who let her out when Lottie and the others locked her in and went to hunt Travis down. Natalie basically saves the girl who just had sex with Travis being perfectly aware that it would hurt her, and she doesn’t even know. Viewers do know, though, and we’re instinctively led to think of her as even more noble and deserving of empathy.

Jackie’s death certainly comes from an irrational choice, but the deepest reason is the others’ lack of sympathy towards her at the end of the season. It could be delusional, but I can’t see Natalie turning a blind eye on the whole thing, had she been there.

Jackie was their captain when they had a normal life. Natalie becomes their leader thanks to the constant effort she’s put into the group ever since they landed there—and possibly, as the matter with Allie shows, even before that.

Lottie

Lottie’s phrasing for her refusal is telling. She says, “It doesn’t feel right.” It’s not that she thinks it is, or that it seems like it is. She feels like they’re not meant to go through with it. A simple yet fitting choice of words foreshadows Lottie’s spiritual nature and her connection to the wilderness as well as her role of prophet/messiah.

It’s also important that she’s not shown as particularly proactive. She does express her opinion, but she’s not as passionate as Natalie about it, who instead actively tries to convince them what a terrible idea it is and interferes with Taissa’s plan on the field. This shows how Lottie never cared be a leader, but rather follows where her feelings lead her.

Van

We’re not really shown Van’s reaction until they’re in the locker room after the scrimmage. We just learn that she’s impressionable, as she almost throws up at Nat’s mention of Allie’s bone being visible, and that she’s so devoted to Tai that she won’t let Shauna talk shit about her at the party.

Laura Lee

Of course, nobody would even dream of telling Laura Lee about an act of such misconduct. She would never go along with Taissa’s plan, she wouldn’t even fathom doing something like this. She’s more clueless than Jackie, because Jackie at least did notice something was off on the field. Even at the party, Laura Lee is the only one who still has no idea there were such tensions.

Her blissful ignorance keeps her kind and pure, apart from the ruthless tendencies of the team. It doesn’t change once they’re in the wilderness—Laura Lee dies trying to help her friends, and she fortunately never gets to witness their worst moments.

Shauna

Unsurprisingly, Shauna’s a tough one. Her attitude towards the Allie situation is as ambivalent as it will be for the rest of the story towards everything else.

Shauna keeps her thoughts for herself until Nat and Lottie leave and it’s just her and Tai, and even then, the first thing she says is, “Jackie’s not gonna like it.” The moment she’s asked to make a personal decision, she talks about what Jackie would think, and it’s not because she herself doesn’t know what to think, it’s just what she chooses to say outright. If anything, Shauna isn’t against Taissa’s plan entirely, and bringing up Jackie rather sounds like an excuse so that she doesn’t dwell on her own dark thoughts.

When Taissa says, “Then we probably shouldn’t tell her,” we expect that to upset Shauna—she wouldn’t keep things from Jackie, right? They’re best friends. While it does upset her, it still doesn’t stop her. We understand why later in the episode, when we discover that she’s no stranger to keeping secrets from Jackie, between her affair with Jeff and the admission letter to Brown (it also recontextualizes their first scene together in Shauna’s car, where Jackie addressed literally both).

On the field, when Taissa plays aggressive and forces Allie to play under pressure, Shauna tells her, “It’s not helping,” and once Allie’s on the ground, she’s one of the girls who runs to her first and tries to comfort her. Even though she didn’t openly disagree with Taissa’s plan, she didn’t want or expect things to escalate the way they did. She’ll make the same mistake when Jackie leaves the cabin, Taissa tells her to go talk to her, and Shauna just goes to sleep, underestimating the consequences of it.

Her ambivalence—if not hypocrisy—is shown later that night at the party, when she tries to pick a fight with Taissa while drunk. I think some part of her felt guilty to an extent, so she tries to fight with Tai out of remorse and because she wants to make her look like the only culprit, since she hates that she was so close to being complicit in it. Who calls her out when she defends Nat from Taissa’s slut-shaming at the party? Natalie herself slams in Shauna’s face that she is complicit.

If Shauna had told Jackie, she would’ve put a stop to it for sure. In the 2019 script for the pilot, Jackie says, “You should have told me about Taissa and Allie.” Shauna’s choice to keep the secret directly anticipates their falling out towards the end of the season. Shauna’s continuous lying drives Jackie mad until she explodes and they have that fatal fight.

Shauna’s the one who tries to act as a person who has it together but really doesn’t. She has the potential to be a good person, friend and mother, but she ends up flunking everything and she barely understands why.

Finally, she tells Tai that she’s “a fucking sociopath”, which, considering everything that happens later in the series, is sort of rich.

Jackie

Like Laura Lee, Jackie has no clue the whole “freeze Allie out” strategy is even happening. Shauna didn’t tell her, she was left out, and she doesn’t find out until Allie’s already hurt and there’s nothing she can do about it.

She watches the others as they rush to help and comfort her and handle the situation, but she doesn’t partake in it because she’s too shocked to move. After the scrimmage, she tries very hard to do as Coach Martinez told her—as captain, she’s meant to glue them together (“When it gets tough out there, these girls are going to be looking for someone to guide them. Can you handle that?”). It’s more than that, though—the way Coach put it, if Jackie can’t do that, then she isn’t really anything special. She’s not as fast as Shauna and her footwork isn’t as good as Lottie’s, and there’s something else that Taissa’s better at, too, though Jackie stops Coach before he can tell her that bit. But nobody seems to care about what she’s saying, and Natalie storms off.

Jackie’s inability to handle the Allie situation and lift the others’ spirits foreshadows her incompetence as well as her progressive loss of influence in the wilderness—in Lottie’s words, “You don’t matter anymore.”

Allie’s accident marks the beginning of Jackie’s downfall even before the plane crashes.

[how-to-train-your-pomni]

So I thought of a cool way to put Gummigoo And his Gang in your villains Au

What if Caine decided that his group of Caring criminals needed a bit of a challenge

So he Created the Candy Force (You can change the name if you want) A new advanced A.I Police force

Gummigoo- He's captain of the candy force and He's a master At firearms and martial arts

Chad- He's not the strongest or the smartest but he's an excellent sniper And he uses his incredible eyesight to see where his target is, even in the dark

Max- Don't let his height fool you, He's an expert at dodging quick attacks And using his own height To hide in plain sight. He also knows how to defuse bombs

Loolilalu- She may be kind hearted, But that doesn't mean she can't put up a fight. She just prefers to negotiate Rather than fight. But if negotiation doesn't work Violence is the last resort, she's a black belt in martial arts And is an expert on close range To long-rang Firearms, And is the co captain of candy force

All of them were designed with one instruction: Put The amazing villainous wackos to justice

And even when they get killed, Caine Bring them back. He has this is the most fun He has creating a new A.I

This is actually a really cool idea! Honestly, I was wondering how I'd incorporate the Candy Kingdom Fellas, and this is perfect!

[sky-fire-forever]

Being a Our Flag Means Death fan whose favorite characters are Izzy AND Ed is wild. Because I'll be in the Izzy Hands tag and I'll see posts about how horrible Ed is and how you shouldn't like him and how his arc sucked and actually he's terrible and unforgivable

And then I'll be in the Edward Teach tag and I'll see posts about how Izzy is the real villain and how him dying is so good for his arc and Ed is finally free of him

I genuinely think people who try to make either Izzy or Ed into the perfect victims who never did anything wrong are kinda... boring? I dunno. Imo pretending that either of them are completely innocent is a disservice to their characters. But so is acting like either of them are terrible, unforgivable people

Ed abused Izzy. He was nasty to him and incredibly physically violent towards him as a routine. He abused not only Izzy, but the entire crew. He was beyond cruel. He struggles with understanding the severity of his own actions and disassociates to deal with his more horrific crimes. He drives Izzy to a suicide attempt after abusing him directly and mutilating him repeatedly. He gives a non-apology and is grumpy when the people he tortured don't automatically forgive him

Ed is also a survivor of his own abuse, both from his father and Hornigold. He's someone who desperately wants to be a better person, but doesn't understand how. He's someone who loves people a lot, but who also genuinely doesn't understand what love IS. He doesn't understand romance or gentleness or how to exist in a world without violence. But he tries really hard to become something that doesn't come naturally to him. He tries to learn how to become a good person and gets frustrated when he makes mistakes

Ed constantly relapses into abusive tendencies or doesn't realize that his behavior is wrong. But he very genuinely TRIES. He's someone who clearly struggles with empathy, with understanding that what's fun for him is traumatizing to others. He struggles with understanding that just because he's ready to move on, that doesn't mean everyone else has to

I don't think that's a flaw in his writing! I think that's a character flaw and it's actually something about Ed that really, really interests me!

(I do think there's some issue in the way the narrative presents it, with the crew going along with Ed's non-apology and then Lucius being shamed for still being traumatized, but that's not the point of this particular post)

And then with Izzy

Izzy is a fucking dick. He's a jerk who lashes out against people who aren't part of the group he's deemed worthy of his protection. He views people as either allies or enemies, with very little room for something in between. His allies are only the people in his crew and everyone else can get fucked. He's quite selfish in certain ways and he doesn't care who gets hurt as long as it isn't himself or the people he cares about. He holds himself and others to standards of extremely toxic masculinity. He despises change and resorts to allying with his literal worst enemies just so he can get the guy he likes to be with him again. He's cruel and abusive towards those who are lower than him in rank, constantly making other people feel insecure.

He's also someone who is fiercely loyal, even to his own detriment. He's someone who admits when he's wrong and always tries to fix his own mistakes. When he loses the duel with Stede, he asks Ed to let him stay, but he doesn't actually fight it. He goes peacefully, even if he whines about it. He holds himself accountable to his word and to his bond. He's loyal to Ed as his captain and as his friend/lover. He's loyal to his own crew first and foremost. When he has the British attack The Revenge, it appears as though he saves Ivan and Fang, not just Ed. He expresses disappointment when members of their crew die saving Stede from the Spanish. He protects the Kraken Crew from Ed and even stands up to Ed when he realizes things have gone too far. He's someone who has longed for community, but has only found it recently

Izzy as a character is loyal to a fault. Loyal to Ed to the point where he'll get Stede killed rather than let Ed go soft and betray who he is. And I do genuinely think Izzy thinks Stede dying is the best possible course of action because he's an idiot who is going to get Ed killed because he's a fucking idiot. And Ed being so soft snd not being a pirate is also super dangerous when he's like. The most wanted pirate there is. Izzy is loyal to Ed and to his crew. He's someone who cares too much, but tries to act like he doesn't care at all. He covers up his own insecurity by insulting others and he has a LOT of insecurity

They're both just.... such great characters and I love them both. But neither of them are perfect. They're both so fucked up and that's part of why I love them

[huihuiheart]

Queen's Conch - Pirate! Ateez - 2 - Behind the SEAnes

Navigation

Ateez Masterlist

Queen’s Conch Masterlist

Pairing:  Pirate! Ateez x Fem! Reader

Genre: Angst, Fluff, Eventual Smut, Mystery and Thriller if you squint

Summary: The man who had been spending his time with you on the beach was not who he seemed to be. Not that you knew that of course. It simply meant things were not as simple as they appeared to be.

Warnings: Deep sea, spells, magic, violence in future chapters, smut in future chapters, cursing, very minor character death.

Word Count: 1138

Johnny knew he was fucked, more than fucked when you disappeared. Breaking into the breach house, staking out places, all sorts of things, hoping he was wrong. With a sigh he finally accepts the reality of the situation, going back to his home. Locking the doors up tightly and shutting all the blinds. He then pulled out a gold doubloon he had hidden in a drawer, it appeared that it hadn’t aged a day, flipping it into the air. By the time it has landed in his palm, he’s on a pirate ship, centuries in the past.

“Captain! Johnny is back!” Someone shouts from behind him, catching an older man’s attention.

The man is scuffed up from a hard life at sea and many battles. Someone most certainly not to be trifled with. Johnny gulping as he makes his way over to him. 

“You have news?” The captain asks, puffing smoke out in Johnny’s face.

“One of your descendants disappeared offshore. A young woman.” Johnny confesses, tensing as the captain grabs his collar harshly, jostling him around.

“You had one job! To keep my descendants in that time, where no one could get to them and you can’t even do that!” The captain yells at him before shoving him onto the deck, “Fucking useless!”

Johnny pales when the captain’s pistol is pointed at him, “Captain Lee, please.”

Johnny is nearly resorting to begging despite knowing that a quick death would be the captain’s only way of showing mercy.  He flinches when a gunshot goes off, only it’s followed by a thud and he’s untouched.  Looking up wide-eyed as Taeyong stands there his own firearm smoking as he stands over his father’s lifeless body.

“Johnny tell me about this woman who got through, and someone clean up this mess. Captain’s orders.” Taeyong barks out, leading Johnny to the captain’s quarters that he had just ‘acquired’. Johnny followed quickly behind to divulge everything he’d learned about you in the days that you were together. 

“Well.. at least we know where they are going. It just means we cannot blow them straight out of the water.” Taeyong sighs and Johnny’s brows furrowed. Not that he wanted you harmed, but they didn’t exactly have a reputation for caring about blood ties… or any kind of connections here. His curiosity led him to ask which had Taeyong laughing humorlessly, “Because if the bloodline ends the curse breaks, and who knows what would end the bloodline? I’m not about to risk it.”

“That does complicate things.” Johnny agrees, “In good news, I gifted her a little something, so once she’s close I’ll know it.”

Taeyong smirks, “Well done Johnny. Keep me updated and change our course. We need to go protect what is ours.”

Johnny nods, rushing out to obey the new captain’s orders. Eager to redeem himself and make a better name with Taeyong. Hoping to avoid more wrath from the Lee dynasty of pirates. Jumping on any task that Taeyong relayed. Including sending messages to the rest of the fleet. 

The other ships are moving to join the new captain either en route or at the destination. Taeyong intended to make it even more impossible to steal from him. Already knowing that he couldn’t expect anything to make Hongjoong or his crew back down.

“Johnny we need to make a stop on the way,” Taeyong calls, stomping his way up to the highest area of the deck. 

“Aye captain, where to?” Johnny asks, grip tightening on the rudder as he awaits the command.

“Siren’s cove.” Taeyong’s direction makes everyone freeze. Not having any desire to defy the captain’s orders, but also having no desire to get twisted in with sirens. Johnny isn’t about to risk vocalizing that though as he silently follows directions. Everyone breathes a sigh of relief when upon arrival Taeyong says he’ll go to the small inlet alone. The crew watches with bated breath as he lacks any hesitation, rowing himself to the sand and then walking into one of the caves.

As Taeyong walks deeper into the cave any siren who hisses or attempts to lure him is met with a harsh glare. The man soon reached the center of the cave system and bowed his head to the woman on the throne.

“It has been far too long Taeyong.” She says beaming at the man as she gets up to walk towards him.

“I wish my visit were under better circumstances though Mother,” Taeyong responds, basking in the attention his mother is giving to him.

“What’s wrong Taeyong? Did something happen?” His mother inquires, leading him to go sit with her.

“I killed father. He was about to ruin everything, so I killed him. It was too soon though… there's not enough in order.” Taeyong sighs, running a hand through his hair, “There’s another problem too… one of our descendants made it through to Hongjoong. A woman.”

“Oh? A woman? How intriguing.” His mother smirks at the thought, “What do you need from me?”

“Our troops will station with our treasure on the off chance that they break the curse, but if you could throw some more thing in the way to at least buy the fleet more time I would appreciate that.” Taeyong requests and his mother nods.

“That’s no problem son, leave that to me. Also this woman… do not worry too much about her. She might just be the final nail in Hongjoong’s coffin.” His mother assures him, “Just allow me time to think about that and set my eyes on her.”

Taeyong nods, “Thank you, mother. I’ll be sure to do my part in cleaning up this mess too.”

“You will do well my son, I am sure of it. Now go make me proud.” His mother says before dismissing him. Taeyong bowed before taking his leave. Returning back to his ship to continue on toward their final destination, the heart of their treasure. 

Something that had been acquired not simply by means of man’s power, but with sirens as well. Getting themselves both a source of food and also a collection of magical vices. As well as precious items, not that things of human value were their concern. They simply had what they did of that for the beauty of it. Taeyong’s mother is the one who welcomed them into this era of power in doing so. An empire she’d now have even more control over now that her son had killed his father. The only potential wrench is you being on Hongjoong’s ship. If you were their descendant though then it meant you had siren blood in you. Something that she knew there was a good chance she could use to destroy the crew of the Eternal. She just needed to know how much of their power-hungry spirit you had inherited.