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giuliettagaltieri · 1 year ago

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Project: Galatea

Pairing: Miguel O'Hara x AI!reader

Synopsis: Allowing you sentiency made things more complicated between you and Miguel. But Peter Parker from Earth-199999 decides to take on an unfinished impossible project of his late mentor, and possibly bring you and Miguel back together.

Warning: Questionable nerd writing, spiderverse context, angst

Word Count: 6218

1 of 3

You are one of Miguel O’Hara’s greatest regrets.

You were created as an artificially intelligent system and with the advancements brought by the time Miguel created you, he was able to make you connect, bond, and feel. He was lax with your restrictions. Thinking of you as a companion than a holographic computer system.

He gave you a name that is not patterned to your system, it was just a name he gave you as he thought it suited your features that was just generated by the programming. He wanted your appearance to be something that is yours, and not something that he created based on what he preferred.

You usually sat on Miguel’s shoulders before he even became Spiderman, working as a bioengineer at Alchemax. He knows it’s late when you start yawning and you lean on him for a nap, kind of like how someone would put their phone on a power saving mode.

“Miggy, let’s sleep?” You often say as you plop yourself atop his hair.

He just chuckles as he works on his suit, getting tired of the easily ripped fabric of his previous gear, he decided to create one that is made of unstable molecules. “You can go offline. I’ll have to finish this.”

“’M not sleeping if you’re staying up.” You huff. “Come on, you can work on that tomorrow.” You fly in front of him and cross your arms.

He notes how your halo is a bit dimmer. “Alright.” He often wondered if you can really get sleepy. You are created through codes and though it is evident that you can have emotions, you can’t possess qualities the same as a real person would.

Your wings flutter excitedly as you flap them so you can perch yourself back on his head.

It was a little inside joke between you. You are the rational voice when he is about to do something stupid. An angel on his shoulder. Your sudden appearance would often startle his enemies and wonder what the fuck you are and you would simply smile, point at Miguel and say, “I’m his conscience.”

Your halo and wings often glowed in the softest hue of pink and white. Their hue depends on your mood.

Miguel yawns as he enters his bathroom. You shriek and shield your eyes when he lifts his shirt up to strip.

“You pervert!” You stomp your heel on his forehead and even though he can’t feel it, your annoyance was enough to amuse him, Miguel’s laugh was muffled by his toothbrush.

You often sit on the faucet as you wait for him to finish his shower.

“What does a shower feel like?” You muse, your chin resting on your hand while your elbow is perched on your thigh.

“Uh…wet?”

You roll your eyes at his response. You look away from him when he comes out of the shower, a towel wrapped around his waist.

“It’s refreshing, I guess.” Miguel shrugs as he scoops your light projected body on his large hand.

Your tiny hands hold his thumb for balance, not that you need it but you felt the need to anyway.

“Go offline now, firefly. See you in the morning.”

“Don’t forget to buy groceries tomorrow.” You say before flickering. “Goodnight, Miggy.” And you disappear.

“Goodnight, Y/N.” He smiles.

On Sundays, you both share lazy mornings. He would often walk around his apartment in nothing but his boxers and you eventually get used to it. You would sit on his shoulders as he attempted to cook for himself.

“No, it should be three tablespoons of soy sauce, not teaspoons.” You would correct him every now and then and he would just switch the utensil, knowing that you have unlimited access to the recipes online.

You would lie on your stomach on the throw pillow he would put on his lap as you watched a movie. “She easily could have transferred the data and he won’t have to go through all that.” You would comment now and then as your tiny feet sway in the air. “But that’s fine, I guess, he looks hot fighting the bad guys.”

Miguel would jostle the pillow and you would dramatically roll as you struggled not to fall off, it was probably because of the spatial awareness he gave you.

You would often sulk when he goes on dates. Not responding when he asks you how to tie the piece of fabric that should be his tie. He often found you sitting on top of the bookshelf, your knees tucked to your chest as you drew shapes on the dust covered surface, the shapes not really being made, reminding you that you are only a projection, a hologram, an artificial being, someone who can’t be with Miguel.

“Oh, come one, firefly.” Miguel would sigh as he watched the soft glow behind the books. “It’s only a date.” But you don’t reply.

When he comes home, earlier than he should have been, he’s a little disappointed when you don’t greet him.

“Y/N? Where are you?” He calls as he looks around his apartment. His hands are already loosening his tie. “Come on, I didn’t even kiss her.”

Miguel chuckles lightly as he sees your head pop out from behind the picture frame containing a silly photo of the two of you. “You didn’t?” You ask.

“Nah, her breath stinks of onions.” Miguel throws his coat on the sofa and he collapses next to it.

You giggle and you fly to him, landing on his chest, laying down on your stomach once more as your hands support your cheeks. “Yeah? You didn’t like her?” You ask a little excitedly.

Miguel shakes his head as he keeps his eyes on you. He smiles when you cheer out of happiness.

He would also have fun watching you play dress up in front of his holographic tablet. He’s in his bed, just lounging and you’re on his abdomen, swiping the screen to find a new dress to wear. Miguel glances at the clock on his nightstand. You’ve been at it for hours.

“I like this one, what do you think, Miggy?”

The man turns to look at you, only for his spit to go down the wrong tube, making him hack. “What the hell is that?”

You look at the white skin tight dress that covers your tiny holographic body. “A dress?”

Miguel frowns at you. “Says who?”

A cute brow is raised at him. “Calvin Klein.”

He clicks his tongue. “It looks like underwear. The fuck would you choose such an old brand for?”

You scoff and continue to scroll to look for something else. “It’s a classic.”

“Well, I don’t like it.”

Then it happens one day.

You are helping Miguel battle Mysterio when he meets her. He caught her just before she fell to her death.

Next thing you knew, they were going on dates.

“Yeah, I know. I’ll deal with the symbiote sighting tomorrow evening.” He says hurriedly as he makes his way to his front door but you land on the doorknob and you look at him angrily.

“You can’t choose a girl over an entire city!” You say sternly as you place your hands on your hips.

Miguel raises a brow and smirks down at you. “What an exaggeration. Are you jealous?”

Your frown deepens. “Miguel, you can’t seriously go on a date when Carnage is at large!”

He straightens up and looks at you, annoyed. “If I wear the mask all the time, I’ll go mad. Just let me be Miguel O’Hara for tonight.”

Miguel does not return to his apartment that night.

And you don’t respond to his calls for a week.

“You’re such an inconvenience, Y/N.” He quips. “I made you so you can help me with my work.” He says as he looks around for the villain that was wreaking havoc in the city. “Stop sulking and do your job!”

You would reluctantly pop out and help him, only speaking when needed, giving him the information that he needs and nothing more.

It was difficult for you to watch Miguel slowly fall in love with her, and even more so when he loses her.

He became sad and angry, very angry.

“Miguel? You need to rest.” You say softly as you watch him perfecting an experiment. You peer on his work and your eyes widen when you see a powerful focused energy hovering on Miguel’s work table.

You immediately fly to his face. “Are you mad? Do you realize what you are doing?” He turns to the other screen but you follow him around. “You can’t tamper with time and space like that.”

All lights suddenly go off and Miguel exhales deeply through his nose, his eyes full of rage as he glares at you. “Power it back on.” His voice is low and it was the first time you have ever felt fear because of him but you stand your ground.

The man does not falter with his disapproving look on you but you refuse to power his computers back to life. You won’t just stand around and let him interfere with the natural order.

“My name is Miguel O’Hara and I am authorizing a shutdown sequence.” He says and you frantically look around as a bright red screen flashes behind you.

“Miguel, don’t do this!” You cry to him, your eyes begging as you press your tiny hands on his cheeks but his eyes remain cold as he stares at the screen.

“Commence shut down of the Intelligent Digital Assistance System. Project name: Galatea.” Miguel looks at your pleading eyes. “For good.”

He watches your eyes fill with sadness before your form flickers just like how it used to whenever you whisper ‘Goodnight.’ And he watches the pixelated tear roll down your cheek before you disintegrate into a million tiny pieces.

The events that followed after his decisions of tampering with the fragility of the multiverse was his punishment.

There was no undoing it all.

He wished he just listened to you when you tried to stop him. It wouldn’t have come to all of this.

Now, he dedicates his life to protecting what else is left. Trying to keep the multiverse intact to prevent the same mistake from happening.

And Lyrate Lifeform Approximation was created, or Lyla.

Miguel made her different from you. Lyla is created to be more objective, more functional, with just a right amount of spunk for a bit of personality.

The Spider Society was then formed. A strike force dedicated to keep the multiverse from tearing apart.

In there, he found a sense of sympathy. The people in there suffered just like him. A lot of spider-people were in pain. But not all of them knew how to follow orders. Not thinking about the consequences of their actions. Never willing to sacrifice a portion of themselves for the greater good.

Like Miles Morales.

Or Peter Parker of Earth-199999.

They both came around eventually, after a couple or more heart attacks from Miguel.

Peter Parker was trying to learn from Spider-Byte and how future tech works. He was given a specific holographic screen in the corner and he’s been trying to pick it apart for hours.

“Wow, Ned’s not gonna believe this.” He whispers as his eyes dart from one file to the other, being connected like faint orange lines.

“Hold on, what’s this?” Peter mumbles as he taps on a tiny file that is placed separate, somewhere isolated, forgotten.

“Can I?” Peter scratches his jaw. “Should I?” He shrugs before opening the file. He rolls his chair backward as the tiny file explodes to the most intricate coding he has ever seen. He saw something like this before. When he studied Tony’s AIs. Or at least what was left of them.

He clicks on a file, one of the millions. A large ‘RESTRICTED’ was flashed on the screen in bold red letters. He tries again and the same word is flashed. He tries again and again until he sees Miguel O’Hara himself in front of a mirror and a miniature angel on Miguel’s hand.

“You like it?” Miguel asked.

The holographic angel nods excitedly, pure joy evident in her eyes. She twirls around in front of the mirror, inspecting her wings and adoring her tiny halo.

“Miggy, it’s perfect!” You fly up to kiss his cheek. The connection between you was impossible to miss.

And the screen goes blank.

“Are you kidding me?” Peter grasps his hair as he jumps around in excitement. Peter squints his eyes to read the file name. “Galatea.”

“Greek mythology Galatea?” Spider-Byte wonders behind Peter.

Peter flinches, his sidersense clouded with the amount of enthusiasm being contained in his body. “I-I don’t know. I don’t know yet. It’s-”

“That’s the file name of my older sister, Y/N.” Lyla suddenly pops out between them.

“Lyla, you know her?” Peter asks, not being able to hide his eagerness. “Is she an AI like you?”

Spider-Byte and Peter look at her in anticipation. “I’m not sure if I should talk about her.” She looks skeptical before she breaks into a wide grin. “Well, there’s no order for me not to so I suppose I can.”

Two sets of eyes follow Lyla around as she glitches towards Peter’s screen and she pops up a photo of you sitting on Miguel’s head as the two of you wore similar aviators.

“She’s Miguel’s first AI companion. Way before the Spider Society was even created, before he was even Spiderman, I think.” Lyla rubs her chin as she opens her own tiny screens. “Though, I’m not sure. Miguel replays their videos together in the dark when he thinks he’s alone but I can’t really find most of her files.”

“It was compressed there.” Peter points at the screen, trying not to get distracted from what Lyla just told them. “Did she get corrupted by a virus?” His thoughts wandered to the articles he read about Ultron.

“No. She uhm.” The small screen Lyla created vanished, making her glowing face look a bit dimmer. “Her program was shut down.”

Spider-Byte glanced at the screen that has you and Miguel in it. “Why shut down a working program?”

Lyla glances at your face on the screen. “She was created differently. More empathetic and subjective. For some reason, she was sentient.”

Peter gawks at her and he shares a look with Spider-Byte. “Was that even a possibility?” Spider-Byte asks.

Shrugging, Lyla gives them a tight-lipped smile. “Well, it happened, didn’t it?”

“She was sentient but she was shut down?” Peter asks incredulously. “Did she go rogue or something?”

Lyla shakes her head no. “She was the total embodiment of those wings and halo.”

“Then why was her program shut down?” Peter asked, his face twisted in pure confusion and disbelief.

Lyla doesn’t respond and turns to your picture with Miguel and your matching smiles.

Spider-Byte sighs. “They got too attached, didn’t they? Her and Miguel?”

Peter frowns at her question but remembers Wanda and Vision J.A.R.V.I.S.

An impossible idea pops in Peter’s head. It’s irrational, risky, and impulsive but those are just some of the qualities Peter got from his mentor.

“Do you think Miguel would give her codes to me?” Peter blurts.

Lyla and Spider-Byte looks at him as if he just asked if he could go break a canon.

“Absolutely not.” Was Miguel’s response to Peter when he finally asked the bigboss for your codes.

Peter curses under his breath. He even had to ask MJ and Ned to help him create a presentation as to why Miguel should give your codes to him.

“Oh, come on. I rehearsed that speech for a week!”

“She holds classified information. I can’t just give a copy of her to you.” Miguel says as he taps on his holographic screen.

“Not a copy. The original code.” Peter says more seriously. “Protocols and memory.”

Miguel pauses and glowers at Peter from his shoulders. The look was enough to make Peter second guess himself but his resolve comes back, stronger than ever.

“I’m trying to bring her back to you.” Peter says loudly.

This catches Miguel’s attention and he turns to look at Peter from above the platform in his office.

“Elaborate.” Miguel looks at Peter with a blank expression.

Peter pumps his fist secretly and clears his throat before speaking.

“I am currently studying bioorganics and I’m trying to complete an unfinished project of my mentor, Mr. Stark. He created a synthetic body that is not made of vibranium but something that is made of organic materials. You know, like a real person.”

Miguel looks at the screen next to him which is flashing Peter’s proposal. “And you want Y/N to bring life to that thing?”

“Well, it won’t be easy without the mind stone but I heard she’s quite sentient.” Peter explains while gesturing with his hand way too much, clearly nervous. “That is also assuming that her operational matrix adapts to the organic body.”

“What if you fail? I’ll lose all her data.” Miguel says, a threatening tone clearly heard in his voice.

“Last time her file was opened was years ago.” Peter quickly shut his mouth when Miguel throws him a dangerous look. “What I’m trying to say is, this is a chance. You could potentially see her again, this time, with a physical body.”

Miguel heaves a sigh and chooses to glare at the walls instead.

“I know something painful must have happened for you to shut down her program like that. But it doesn’t feel right to trap a sentient being in a set of codes.” Peter frowns at his feet and grumbles the next words. “Come on man, I’m trying to give you a chance to apologize to her, face to face.”

Silence fills the entire room.

Peter is waiting for Miguel to yell again but he is taken aback when he looks up to see a defeated and longing look plastered on Miguel’s face.

“Just…” Miguel pauses, it was difficult for him and Peter can see it. “Don’t destroy her code.”

“Thank you, Mr. O’Hara. You won’t regret it!” He beams at Miguel.

“I sure hope not.” Miguel turns to his screens to resume his work. “And Mr. O’Hara was my father. You can call me Miguel.”

Peter wasted no time and started working on the project right away when he got back to Earth-199999.

It was difficult, trying to follow Bruce and Tony’s work. Especially when the body is more susceptible and reactive. You even had the anatomy of a real person, inside and out.

The project was something that Peter cannot do on his own. He needed his friends and MJ and Ned were more than willing to help. Both were hesitant with the thought of literally bringing an AI to life, considering what happened before in Sokovia. They did not know you, MJ and Ned, they were wary as they should be with all the risks they were about to make.

Peter had to turn your code upside down, in and out, trying to look for glitches or any malicious intent but found none.

The three of them are taken by surprise as to what your synthetic body could do.

It was MJ who noticed first. You have a lymphatic system.

By next week, Ned finds out that you have a fully functional endocrine system.

There was always something in you that they discover for the first time when they delve deeper. Which makes it difficult for them to make real progress. Just as they thought they made a breakthrough, your synthetic body just shows another ability that blurs the line between you and humanity.

“You need to stop looking at her like a robot.” Miguel tells him one day as Peter seeks any advice from him, considering that he did work in Alchemax as a bioengineer. “Treat her like how you would treat a human.”

That was when Peter decided that just him and his friends can’t do it alone. They were only college students!

This project calls for someone who has a doctorate in medicine and knows the human body like the back of their hand.

It was difficult for them to get Stephen Strange to have a look at the setbacks they encountered in your body. But when given the right information and told what he wanted to hear, Stephen was already opening a portal to Peter’s dorm room.

“I’ll tell you what’s the problem.” Stephen says. “Some of her neurons are meeting in a terminal. Electrical impulses can’t get through, causing circuit failures.”

Peter squints on the holographic screen that Stephen zoomed in. “Yeah. That’s where the mind stone is supposed to be.”

“But the AI has an awakened consciousness, she won’t be needing it.” Stephen mutters more to himself. “And the mind stone's already gone.”

Ned walks over to look at the screen, a cup of hot chocolate in his hands. “But you’ll be able to redirect them, won’t you?”

Stephen does not respond, only staring intently at the holographic form of your shell.

MJ glances at the anxious look on Peter’s face as he awaits Stephen’s answer. When silence still follows, MJ rolls her eyes.

“Don’t get your hopes up too much, Ned.” She sighs, making Stephen narrow his eyes. “There could be a thousand neu-”

“A trillion.” Strange emphasizes.

“A trillion neurons to redirect. He might be a neurosurgeon but he is not a miracle worker.”

Ned sucks in a breath and raises his cup to his lips and sips quietly, eyes wide, awaiting Stephen’s response.

Stephen suddenly rips off the sling ring and slips it somewhere in his robes. Peter takes a step back, almost getting hit by Stephen dramatically taking off his cape. “I’m about to become your deus ex machina.”

MJ snatches a piece of bread sitting on Peter’s dining table and takes a bite, sending a wink to Peter.

“Stark really outdid himself.” Stephen marvels at your intricate anatomical structure. “The shell does mimic the human body, the nerves, fiber, and vessels.” Stephen squints at something and hums. “But there’s the issue of physiology.”

Peter looks at the metallic casket and to Stephen. “What about physiology?”

Stephen points at the left side of your pelvis. “That’s an ovary.” He drags his finger on the screen to point at the right side. “There’s another one here.”

Peter could only look at Stephen. Waiting for him to confirm what was running in Peter’s head.

Surely Tony did not think that far ahead to give you that ability. That is ethically ambiguous.

“It is possible that it is not functional.” Stephen rubs his jaw. “Perhaps we could think of it as a vestigial organ for now.”

Peter simply nods, following Stephen as he zooms in on your lumbar spine.

“She has a functional endocrine system.” Ned recalls, making Stephen whip towards him. “I ran a noninvasive test and I detected traces of estrogen, progesterone, and FSH.”

Stephen runs a hand on his face. “And hCG?”

Ned ponders for a moment. “Yeah, human chorionic gonadotropin was also there.”

MJ clutches her bread a little too tight. “She is capable of gestation?” Her voice came out as a shaky whisper.

All eyes turn to Stephen who shakes his head. “That is ridiculous!” He chuckles dryly. “That shouldn’t be possible.” He stares at the holographic image of the synthetic shell. “Was Stark trying to play God?” His voice was starting to raise, his fist clenching.

“Whoa, I’m sure that’s not it.” Peter raises a hand nervously as he gulps.

Strange points at the casket. “You realize you’ll be bringing a being to life that isn’t supposed to exist.”

“She has a name!” MJ interjects.

“You understand that you are overstepping your mortal bounds.” Stephen continues.

Peter looks at Stephen, shocked. “Please, sir! I-I only want to finish this project for Mr. Stark.” He points at your holographic body. “And set her free from her digital prison. We are about to give her a chance to live, like really live.”

Stephen glances at your metallic casket warily.

“She’s not a villain.” Peter says more calmly. “I checked her code a thousand times.”

Stephen shakes his head.

“I can’t believe I’m about to take part in a project that is the peak of Stark’s god complex.”

Peter grins.

The chance of meeting you does not seem so impossible anymore.

Miguel watches Peter Parker of Earth-199999 with a sharp glare.

The “project” that the kid told him about has been going on for six months but he has been given zero updates regarding your progress.

His jaw tightens when he catches the kid stealing a glance at him from across the cafeteria in HQ before ducking his head again.

“Why don’t you go ask him what’s wrong?” Peter B says blankly at Miguel as he stuffed his mouth with fries. “Kid’s been doing that for the past hour.”

Miguel scoffs. “If he has something to say, he will be the one to approach me.”

For the past months, Miguel has been dropping hints to Avenger Peter, the nickname seems to really make the kid happy so the entire Spider Society just rolled with it. Miguel made sure to assign him on missions that might aid his project. The kid can be dense sometimes in picking up indirect messages but Miguel does it anyway, almost sighing out a breath of relief when he watches Peter’s eyes glimmer with realization.

“Whope- Okay! I gotta run. See you around, Miguel.” Peter B snatches his drink and clumsily leaves.

Miguel glares at the man’s retreating form before he hears his name being called.

“What?” Miguel spits.

“Uh, is this a bad time?”

Miguel looks to his side and narrows his eyes at Avenger Peter. Finally, he mustered the courage.

“What is it?” Miguel straightens, his enormous arms crossing in his chest, looking a bit threatening.

Peter looks at the empty seat in front of Miguel, he’s not sure if it’s rude to just sit there without being invited to but he does it anyway.

“It’s about Y/N.” Peter whispers rather too loudly, basically defeating its purpose.

Miguel’s eyes flickered with fury, making Peter swallow harshly, trying to choose his words very carefully.

“I know I really took my time with the project but the good news is that we successfully transferred her code to the shell.”

Oftentimes, Miguel would pitch in sarcastic comments but he can feel the weight in Peter’s words that he finds himself closely listening, trying to take in every detail that Peter shares.

“We managed to synthesize her code and reprogrammed her synapses to sync and adapt to the body.” Peter heaves a breath. “But the thing is, we can’t get to wake her up.”

The crushing feeling of losing someone again was not easy for Miguel to ignore but he nodded at Peter’s words.

“Did you try amping the power source?” Miguel suggests.

Peter nods slowly. “Yes. We tried from nuclear fission to the arc reactor.” Peter leans back on the cafeteria bench, looking too nonchalant despite the shadiness of his words, Miguel won’t be surprised if one day he finds out that the kid’s locked up in prison for conducting mad experiments. “I was thinking of contacting Thor but I really didn’t know how.”

Miguel masks the disappointment in his eyes with a stern look. “Did you make sure that you got all her system matrix properly embedded in the body?”

“Definitely!” Peter nods. “It’s like she’s far away, dreaming. She’s there but she’s also not. Y/N’s shutting us out.”

A pindrop silence befalls them.

“What did you say?” Miguel says sharply to Peter as he leans slightly forward.

The kid unconsciously leans backward. “Y/N’s…shutting us out?”

It all clicks in Miguel’s head.

“She needs me.”

Peter’s eyes widened at his bluntness. “Huh?”

“I designed her program to only respond to me. I shut off her system. Of course. Her protocol does not recognize you.”

Slowly, Peter catches up, his eyes widening in barely contained excitement. “Is she programmed to activate upon voice command?”

Miguel rises to his feet, quickly making his way out of the cafeteria while Peter giddily follows, the largest smile plastered on his face.

“I’m certain I can get her to respond.” Miguel mutters as he taps into his multiverse gizmo.

The familiar building up sound of the portal fills the air and soon enough a cluster of patterns and colors emerge right in front of them.

With purpose in his steps, Miguel crosses the portal headed to Earth-199999, to you.

Peter’s room was nothing short of underwhelming compared to the building they just stepped out of but Miguel can see the traces of genius scattered around the room.

On top of a desk, piled notes for astrophysical physics. Next to the kitchen sink, a perpetual motion machine that is made of the most tedious house materials. In a corner, a phone is being charged and is hanging by the charger cord.

The lights suddenly power off, coating the room in darkness. “I know you’re sensitive to lights.” Peter shrugs, to which Miguel only nods.

“Stop right there!”

Miguel turns to see a girl threatening him with a piece of…toast? And another kid who is doing a very poor karate stance.

“No, MJ, Ned. It’s fine, he’s here to help Y/N.” Peter raises his hands and steps in between Miguel and the other kids.

“Where is she?” Miguel asks.

The kid trying to do the karate stance points to the corner of the room that is covered by a screen.

Miguel easily slips past them, he didn’t even have to try.

He ignored the calls as his feet just led him to where you are. He didn’t know what he should be expecting to see. But he knew it wasn’t the metallic casket.

“She’s in there.” Peter stands next to him. “It’s powered enough and it should activate when you power her system on.” Miguel can only nod at Peter’s words. “We don’t have a hypothesis yet as to what would happen when she rises. But we could probably expect that she would manifest signs similar to someone who just woke up from cryosleep. Orthostatic hypotension could also be a possibility-”

Peter pauses when he feels MJ’s hand on his shoulder. MJ nods to Miguel’s pained expression.

The time they spent on your project was enough to drive them nuts and they are dying to see you but looking at Miguel’s face, they know they might never fully understand the longing he feels.

Peter does not know what happened between you two but he can ask another day. He watches how Miguel’s fingers carefully brush the metallic casket. If Peter didn’t know better, he would have been greatly disturbed with the amount of vulnerability the man is showing.

“Well, we’re gonna step out for a bit as you wake her up.” Peter says with a softer smile gracing his lips. “And I really appreciate the hints you drop every now and then.”

MJ smiles at Peter and she interlaces their hands together. Ned nods at the two and follows them out.

The soft footsteps soon fade and the sound of the door locking into place reaches Miguel’s ears.

A quiet buzzing was audible from the box that contained you. It must have been the energy they tried to power you with. But it was endearing to him in some way that only he could wake you.

There were only a few times where a man of such stature as Miguel O’Hara was brought to his knees. This was one of them. His knees hit the cheap fabric of the carpet and his weight bears on his skin. Miguel lay his hand flat on the cool surface of the metallic box. And he leans his forehead to it.

With his voice hoarse, he whispers your name. He swallows the rest of the words. He does not know why. He cannot wait a second longer to see you but the fear grips him hard, just like how it did for years.

It was a cruel terror but his desire to see your face again overpowers any fear.

“My name is Miguel O’Hara and I am authorizing a startup sequence.”

Miguel grits his teeth when he does not hear the same beeping sounds that precedent your arrival. His forehead creasing at the memory of you begging him not to lock you away. He did not deserve you, not after what he did. But Miguel O’Hara is a selfish man and he would stop at nothing to have you back.

“Commence booting of the Intelligent Digital Assistance System. Project name: Galatea.” He sucks in a breath, this time, meaning the next words with all honesty. “For good.”

Silence has never been louder. It clogged the room, suffocating him.

“Please, wake up.” He brushes his lips on the freezing cold case.

A hiss is released by the contraption and Miguel’s eyes widen as he steps back to see you better. But as more hissing sound came, vapor flooded the area where the metallic flaps were slowly opening.

Then a hand grasped on the opened flaps, then came distressed gasping.

“Y/N!” Miguel didn’t know what he was doing, his body was acting on its own as he hopped inside the casket to help you sit up.

Your hair covers your face and Miguel reaches to brush them to the side, his large calloused hand rubs on your bare back to soothe you. It felt unreal to finally have you in his grasp, hearing you, seeing you.

You whimper in pain when a particular cough rasped on your throat.

“Hey, take it easy.” Miguel whispers as he crouches down so he can see you eye to eye. “Breathe.”

And when you look up to him with your eyes heavy with exhaustion, Miguel halts his movements as he feels himself being caught up in a temporal illusion.

Time, space, everything felt irrelevant the moment your eyes met his.

“M-Miggy?” You whisper.

Miguel breaks into a disbelieving smile.

He watches your moonlight bathed face contort to confusion. You raise your delicate fingers, reaching out to his face but stopping just before your skin touches. You hesitate, not sure if what you see before you is truly the man you loved.

The tips of your fingers brush on his cheek so softly, he almost doesn’t feel it and you let them run across his warm skin so you can cup his cheek.

Your chapped lips break to the smile he missed and loved so ardently.

He closes his eyes as he lets your fingers dance on his skin. He holds in a breath when your fingertips smooth out the crease on his forehead and his much larger hand captures your wrist.

For so long, he wanted to apologize. He did, countless of times, in the darkness and silence of his room, to a photo of you. His apologies only floating in the air, unheard.

“What I did to you was wrong. Everyday, I regret it. I promised you happiness when I created your code but I upset you and I have no right to be hurting in the way that I am. I was so stupid for shutting your system down when you were only looking out for me.”

The moonlight bathed you, making you glow, an ethereal sight to behold.

“I wasn’t ready to say goodbye when you shut down my program.” You say as you place your hands on his shoulders. “But there is nothing you can ever do to make me stay mad at you.”

He was about to protest when you hushed him.

“I know.” You smile at him tenderly. “You don’t have to say anything else. I know.”

Miguel could feel his chest tightening. The complexity of the quantum physics, he has no trouble understanding, but what you do to him, he is easily lost. “I don’t deserve you, firefly.”

You nod. “No, you don’t.” You yawn before flashing him a sleepy smile. “But I’ll stay with you anyway.”

He chuckles, eyes boring into yours.

You are as stubborn as he remembers you to be.

Your breath mixes together as you let yourselves draw to each other.

His arm slips to your waist, pulling you flush to him.

“Pervert, I’m not decent.” You mumble against his lips. “I have so many questions.”

“Save them for later.” Miguel captures your lips in his. You let out the deepest breath you have taken and you let him mold your lips together. “I screwed up.” He slots your bottom lip between his and he nibbles. “But I could spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”

You hum, amused. “Are you sure about that?” He kissed your shoulder. “I can be quite a handful.”

The corner of Miguel’s lips tugs upwards. “Believe me, I know.”

A teasing smile creeps on your lips and the half-lidded eyes that you are giving him are making him feel fuzzy, it was like you were never apart.

“You are so in love with me.” You press the tip of your finger to his chest, teasingly accusing him.

He shakes his head as he laughs.

“Always have been.”

Project: Galatea • Project: Pandora • Project: Eros

Ficart created by @tired-lime

#miguel o'hara x reader #Miguel O'Hara x you #Miguel O'Hara #Spiderman 2099 x reader #Spiderman 2099 #spiderman across the spider verse #ATSV #Miguel O'Hara x reader #miguel o'hara fanfiction

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cierraonline · 8 days ago

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the way i’m stupid and can’t tell if paige and sasha are actually married or not in your book. like i need you to tell me if it’s wife as in like legal marriage or wife as in ik i’m gonna make you my wife so i’m calling you that now even if we’re not married

they're married babes

Was I Talking To You?

Chapter four: Was I talking to you?

warning: none

masterlist link | previous chapter | next chapter

VINODOL RESTURANT

ZAGREB, CROATIA

8PM

After the half-day plane ride, the UCONN Huskies found themselves at the Italian restaurant on the first floor of their hotel, taking the time to grab a hot meal and get to know each other. Since most visitors were outside enjoying the festivities in the area, the restaurant was mostly empty, allowing the staff to connect three tables for the players and coaching team instead of splitting them up.

“Okay, as the player who’s been here the longest, I think I should start the ‘get to know you’ conversation,” Aubrey said, straightening her posture.

“You’ve been here the longest because you refuse to leave—not because we want you here,” Sasha commented snarkily from her seat beside the tallest player on the team.

“Any... ways!” Aubrey gave her best friend a dismissive wave, which Sasha swatted down before sticking her tongue out. “Like I was saying before I was rudely interrupted.”

“No one interrupted you,” Sasha shook her head. “I waited until you were done before I corrected you.”

“Just because Paige lets you walk all over her doesn’t mean you can start with me,” Aubrey shot back, aiming her remark at the blonde seated on the other side of the team captain.

“What did I do?” Paige threw her hands up in surprise. “This is between y’all; I’m just a witness.”

“Don’t come for my wife just because your girl doesn’t wanna claim you,” Sasha remarked, leaning over to give Paige a quick kiss—only to be interrupted by someone throwing a piece of bread at them.

“You may be married to her, Paige, but just know she comes to bed with me every night,” Azzi teased, glaring playfully at her best friend.

“That’s because y’all binge-watch early seasons of Dance Moms and yell when you think a dance should’ve scored higher than the others,” Paige pointed out, her voice rising.

“Because everybody and their mama knows Chloe should’ve scored higher than Maddie!” Sasha raised her voice, emphatically nodding.

“Maddie does the same freaking dance over and over! They’re not tired!? And then they score her higher,” Azzi complained, reflecting on the show’s obvious favoritism, since every viewer knew the truth—that the show was set up to make Maddie successful, and Maddie only.

“Excuse me! Excuse me��I was talking,” Aubrey said, drawing attention back to herself.

“If you really wanted to talk, you would’ve talked,” Sasha said, turning back to face her curly-haired friend.

“I was, until— You know what, I’m not even going to address you,” Aubrey waved her off, directing her attention mainly toward the freshmen. “We’re gonna go around and tell each other our name, year, and what we want to do after school... I’ll go first. I’m Aubrey Griffin, I’m a graduate student, and I want to play in the WNBA after school.”

“I can’t tell by the way you keep coming back,” Sasha mumbled under her breath.

“What was that, Sasha?” Aubrey exclaimed, hearing Sasha’s mumble.

“I said sit down so I can introduce myself,” Sasha replied with faux politeness. “Sup, losers, it’s your girl, the Assassin, and I’m ma—”

“Nobody calls you that,” Aubrey interrupted, rolling her eyes.

“Actually—actually, if you took a break from your super-senior day and went online, you’d know that everyone calls me the Assassin, thank you very much, Ms. ‘I want to be in the WNBA but won’t sign up for the draft.’” Sasha couldn’t resist the comeback. “Like I was saying, before I was rudely interrupted... Y’all should already know who I am, so I’m not gonna tell y’all my name, as if we didn’t have freshman orientation, group workouts, and practices before y’all committed. I’m currently pursuing my master’s in sports management and racial & gender studies.”

“Ohhh, you smart-smart,” Kamorea Arnold, aka KK, commented.

“Very,” Sasha smiled, acknowledging the compliment. “And this year, I plan on finally leaving after six years and entering the draft for the W.”

“You’ve been here for six years, but I’m the super senior?” Aubrey questioned, confused by her friend’s logic.

“I was at UCONN for six years because I finished high school early and was living with Geno before that. You’ve been here for five years because you have nowhere else to go. We are not the same.”

“Anyways, Paige, go,” Aubrey waved her off.

“Don’t steal my word just because you know I’m right,” Sasha shook her head.

“Wassup, y’all, I’m Paige. I’m a redshirt junior, and after school, I plan on playing in the WNBA. And if that doesn’t work out, that’s okay, because I’ll still be a WAG, emphasis on the W,” Paige added with a cheeky smile.

“More like heavy on the D for divorce, because we know Sasha really only married you because you were easy, and she actually wants to be with me,” Azzi said with a grin.

“Azzi, don’t start with me, and I won’t start with you.” After thirty minutes of introductions—which should have taken much less time but was stretched by constant interruptions—they finally finished going around the table. Luckily, their food arrived just as they were wrapping up.

“So, Coach, what’s the schedule like?” Nika asked, sipping her lemonade and looking across the table.

“So, the schedule we had last year was trash, so I threw it in the trash where it belonged,” Sasha said, making eye contact with the head coach, who gave her a playful glare. “And you know it was trash too.”

“We had five days of practice because y’all sucked and kept getting injured,” Geno shrugged.

“And you keep recruiting and redshirting players who suck ass, but we don’t give you five days of paperwork,” Sasha countered, showing her usual sass toward the coach, who was practically a second father to her.

“You live and learn,” Geno replied.

“Oh, it’s ‘you live and learn’ when it comes to you, but suicides when it’s us.” Instead of responding, the coach turned back to his conversation with the rest of the coaching staff. “Since he wants to ignore me because he knows I’m right,” Sasha continued, “we’ll be having workouts and practice Monday through Wednesday. On those days, you’ll be graded, and on Friday, you’ll get a text from either me or Geno about weekend tutoring. Those who plan on entering the draft this year will also have mandatory tutoring, along with the freshmen.”

“Thank God,” Amari praised, raising her hands in relief. “I can’t do five days of workouts, practice, and playbook studying. My brain hurts by Saturday.”

“Bro, coming to the next practice after Geno knew he had our muscles spasming the day before,” Paige groaned loudly.

“I liked the spasm feeling,” Sasha shrugged. “It feels good sometimes.”

“Shut up!” Aubrey made a face.

“Was I talking to you?” Sasha shot back.

“Okay, y’all, don’t start,” Paige gently grabbed her wife’s chin and softly guided her gaze back. “You ready for bed, baby? I’m sleepy,” she said, giving her best puppy eyes, eager to lie down with her in her arms.

taglist @allaboutnayeli @zendayasredbottoms @tacoboutstuff @jules19sstuff @siyuziii @danc1ngqu33n @christiniawcb @riddlette13 @thebignunfun @xxloveralways14 @lordfarquad-k @rhearipley-69 @danversrailme @amberg1998 @zzzz-zzz1 @htttpcasti @lidiyabest @wwelovergirl @lesbianpoetess @jamiemundy7773 @pixelorange06 @steampunkprincess147 @brbblog123 @h3artss44le @harajukub4rb1e @billiesrighthand

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mychlapci · 4 months ago

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I think ageswap au Prowl was definitely passed over by, like. MOST of high command until Sunstreaker and Sideswipe picked him up. Command is hearing about Prowl a lot more than most cadets and it’s never good. He’s mouthy, asks too many questions, won’t do what he’s told (or will seem to do it, but actually do whatever the fuck he feels like)—and it’s driving his sergeants insane. None of the other cadets seem to like him and at least a part of that is him getting them all in trouble, but even when Prowl tries his level best to connect with them he’s just. Transparently Other. He won’t go drinking period. Seems like he abhors parties. Lashes out easily and when Prowl apologized it’s usually Badly. The mech does like to race, but nobot actually wants him there and while not great with social skills, Prowl can tell. He’s a problem mech. Autobot High Command’s general consensus is that he’ll either wash out of training or scrape along and never accomplish much, no matter HOW good his test scores are.

Except Sunstreaker and Sideswipe go to actually observe this Prowl before writing him off. And what do you know, a lot of these behaviors are awfully familiar to two former, feral children turned gladiators. Prowl is… maybe the same age as his fellow cadets, but he’s YOUNG is the thing. Prowl claims to be a cold construct, but with Praxus destroyed there’s hardly any records left. That processor and the specialized hardware leaves mechs wondering, for certain. Whether or not it’s true is anyone’s guess, but no matter the case he definitely onlined right at the ugly end of Sentinel Prime’s reign. Destined for war with no other real choices. Frustrated and afraid and trying to find some kind of identity, only to routinely be told that said self is just not what anyone is looking for. It’s a familiar and very bitter pill for the twins to swallow, so they pick him up just to prove everyone wrong. Because if they deserved their chance, then this half feral mechling deserves one too.

I think even the twins are surprised at how well it works. Prowl’s never going to be a social butterfly, and he stays blunt and somewhat awkward no matter how hard they try, but he does better with a small group of concentrated “adult” attention. Much, MUCH later into their acquaintance Prowl will admit that much of his lashing out and mouthiness was just a poor attempt to seize any amount of control he could over a life where he was constantly afraid and had none. That he had convinced himself that if he could just control EVERYTHING then he’d finally feel okay. And also he’s sorry. Which, of course, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe had already guessed. But they only pet and fuss over their trainee and say oh, how brave you are.

Of course, the twins toting Prowl around has exposed him to most of command. Who have found out that, actually, he isn’t a bad egg. He’s got plenty of potential, and just needs one-on-one attention he wasn’t getting before. Like, the second most of the old-timers met him, they went “Oh, he’s a KID.”

And that’s how it all got started (with kinky sex along the way)

You said it much better than I have... Prowl just needed a chance, a guiding hand. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe saw so much of themselves in his struggle for attention and power and agency. They were determined to prove that he's not "just a bad kid", he just needs a push down the right path!

#tf hc's #ageswap au #texty

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etherealhoneybee777 · 4 months ago

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Okay, the mp100 fandom (and other fandom spaces as well) makes me really hopeful✨

The internet is mostly a cruel and terrible place. It largely exists as an instrument of global capitalism. Governments use social media to push propaganda that either reinforces their fascist, conservative ideals or instills leftists that want to fight back with a sense of hopelessness that paralyzes and scares them. And we’re also getting to a point where much of the content we see online is not only made by AI, but interacted with by AI as well. We’re seeing “art” and ragebait stories that aren’t even made by real humans, but are spread online as if they’re true. Transactions are everywhere, but because everything is a subscription service, we own nothing. Corporations are putting advertisements on even the most sacred corner of the web & encouraging people to constantly consume, to BE consumed with the desire to consume more things, and to fill up the little time we have left with constant, buzzing productivity—because the internet is an instrument of capitalism, and capitalism is about constant expansion, expansion that won’t stop until everything in our lives is quantifiable and our whole being is stretched thin in service of a pointless, unstoppable economic growth.

In the face of that, I think your mp100 art is amazing. I think your fic is amazing. I am glad you decided to share it with us. I am glad you took the time to analyze Mob or Serizawa or Tome. To post screen grabs of Dimple or gifs or animatics or anything else. I’m glad you reblogged my post and added some silly or thoughtful little hashtags. I’m glad you DM’d me or posted a long ramble about Ritsu or Teru or reigen.

People don’t have to do these things. They don’t have to sketch characters or share headcanons or write fic or make watch parties on cute little discord servers. But they do. They do it because it’s a fun thing to do & because they’re talented and passionate. And it makes me happy that on the internet—which is increasingly being used to alienate and control us—still hosts real communities and real people making real art and writing their real thoughts without any kind of profit motive or manipulative agenda. People are literally just posting because they want to share their work and connect with others. It reminds me that no matter what capitalism does, we live in a fundamentally social world & we’re constantly trying to connect with each other about the things we like. MP100 is the thing I like and the people here make me hopeful. I see people post their art/writing/headcanons and I get super happy. I get inspired. I look at people’s bios and all the different countries they’re from and get really happy that the internet can be used as a tool to connect people across the world with the same interest together.

Choosing to create and make friends and be nice and spread positivity over the internet is a uniquely powerful thing. It may not seem like much, (and being on the internet is often framed as “wasting time”) but the Internet is important and the things you do here are actually tangible and real. Making and sharing art—making friends—sharing writing and blurbs and headcanons is a legitimate pushback against the terrible capitalistic machine that the internet has become. I’ve heard a lot of creators say that their art doesn’t get noticed/doesn’t matter because it doesn’t get a lot of attention. But it DOES matter. Because, for every second that someone spends seeing your art, that’s one second that they don’t spend on government propaganda or brain-numbing advertisements or ragebait or AI generated “content”. And even if no one sees your art, YOU spent time making it. You loved it and cared for it and valued it in a way that capitalism can never profit from or understand.

I hope you know that I see your art & love it. I look at it when I’m sad. My gf and I look at mp100 art while we sit outside and feel the world leave our bones. Maybe this is too much, but I’m feeling earnest and joyful tonight & am trying to lean into those feelings.

I’m just thankful. You create and share just because you wanted to create and share. You’re making the world a better place.

#thoughts #mp100 #mob psycho 100

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nicromancytarot · 6 months ago

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BEHIND THE CURTAINS OF KNOWING YOUR FUTURE SPOUSE

No one asked for this, but I wanted to see if anyone else has these issues and if so I wanted to let you know that you’re not alone! So hello and welcome to my beautiful literature podcast on things I’ve experienced since knowing who my future spouse is!

For a little context, my future spouse (based on right now and if things go to plan lmao) is an influencer, but they won’t be an influencer by the time we meet, I’ve known about this connection between us for a year now.

I don’t hate the fact that they’re going to be out of influencing by the time we are together, however I don’t like that they’re gonna leave me for hours a day, like what do you mean you have to actually go out and go to work while I’m sad and alone at home?

I personally feel as though it’s one of the most isolating experiences, I feel like I need to be loyal to them although they’re probably not being loyal to me. I feel weird thinking about other people, and I’ve rejected an amount of love offers since, I was in a situationship recently that I ended since I knew that me and this dude would only date to date, and not date to marry. I don’t think I ever want to subject someone to dating me while I know that I’m going to end up with someone else, like I can give times, names, dates, it’s insane. My friends don’t understand it as they think it’s stupid to devote myself to someone who I may not even end up with based on timing (I will, or I’ll die) however I feel I know that I want to end up with this person, so why would I want to ruin that?

Dating and marrying this person links heavily into my career decisions, I’m working on going into the music industry, it’s so stagnant as I don’t know where to go after writing music, like how do I produce this shit??? So if we don’t end up together, it means I haven’t made it in the industry as I hoped I would.

Even when they do stupid stuff online that I don’t agree with, I feel like I need to be there to support them, like they’ve been semi cancelled a few times in the last 2 years and I’ve stepped back, moved onto something else but then been like “oh damn, my monkeys, my circus 😔” WHICH IS SO???? It’s certainly frustrating, that’s the best way to explain it.

Luckily for me, this bro is lonely, ain’t got no one to share a bed with, waiting for me fr fr lmaooo. But I hate seeing people say stuff about them like “I ship them with X” or saying something inherently out of pocket about them, although I’ll never voice it, it makes me feel so territorial, and I don’t even have the right to do that right now!!

Again back with the influencing stuff, they have a persona, I feel worried because what if I’m only into the person they perform as for their audience, and not their authentic self? And what if they end up feeling the same?? I mean Im assuming not since we’re gonna get married, but still brotherrrr.

Watching their downfall sucks, I feel privileged to be able to check up on this person every now and then since they’re public, but based on our connection and the next 2 years, their career is only taking a downwards turn until they change their profession, and then by then they might hop offline forever and I’ll die until we meet! (I’m very dramatic)

Constantly doubting myself and looking for more confirmation, someone could slap it into my face and I’d still question the authenticity until we are married with 5 kids, 3 cats and a dog (I don’t want 5 kids actually, that was a lie)

I like watching edits of them on TikTok, that’s a pro.

Thank you for entertaining my 3am thoughts!!

#tarot #tarotblr #tarotcommunity #divination #spirituality #future spouse #tarot witch #future #spiritual awakening

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sirjocktrainer · 4 months ago

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Tips on how a sub jock can find a trainer? I have talked up some guys at the gym and dropped hints but had no luck. I’m trying to avoid being overly blunt because I feel like that won’t be appreciated.

First it depends on what kind of trainer your looking for. if you mean a personal trainer, then ask at the front desk but know that will cost money and be a professional-while likely friendly-relationship.

But I don’t think that’s what you mean. you mean a kink dom kind of trainer. The problem with doing anything in person is that most people don’t talk about their kinks in public unless at a kink event. You could be working out and talking with a kinky dom trainer but neither of you might realize unless someone take a chance.

So getting a kinky trainer at a gym, unless you are a very outgoing person and the trainer you end up with is also very outgoing or get very lucky in person at a standard gym is not going to work, you might find a workout buddie if that’s cool. Now if it’s a gym knows for being mostly gay or very gay friendly you might be able to be a bit more overt about wanting it you might have good luck, at least guys willing to workout with you and be a bit more direct, teach you a few things and maybe go from there.

You can also try any local kink events, leather or BDSM gathering or munches might work but make sure you’re upfront about what you’re looking for so that you and any guy you connect with are on the same page about what kind of sub you are.

Looking for a kinky trainer is online, apps like grinder/scruff can work and I’m sure there are others, sites like Tumber or Twitter can also help but finding local on those can be hard even if you’re in a big city but you’re going to need to put yourself out there. Look for a workout partner, let it be known your looking for a guy to push and train you how to workout but it will take time.

I know this was a lot and if I left anything else let me know and good luck.

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questionableratatouille00 · 7 months ago

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𝓨𝓸𝓾’𝓿𝓮 𝓒𝓪𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽 𝓐 𝓢𝓽𝓻𝓪𝔂

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: Moving to a new place is always a tough time, but the knowing you have a mysterious neighbor doesn’t exactly help.

Warnings: None?

[📞 Series Masterlist 📞]

𝙃𝙤𝙢𝙚

“On Friday, April 4th, three helicarriers from the US government affiliated organization known as S.H.I.E.L.D. fell into the Potomac River in Washington, DC. This occurred only thirty minutes after many previously confidential government, S.H.I.E.L.D., and HYDRA documents were leaked onto the internet. With us today we have Mr. Ed Brubaker here to talk more on HYDRA and how…”

It was like the same news story had been playing for the last week.

Your family had immediately urged you to move somewhere else, somewhere safer. You intended to move anyway, but their persistence was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

And so, you packed up your shit and moved.

You were an artist, so there was plenty to pack. You were only partially concerned over your financial situation—most of your art was bought online, so as long as you could mail things, it would be okay.

And, if worst comes to worst, you could always get a job at like, a sandwich shop or something.

“That over there is the barn. Concrete floor, sturdy walls, perfect for tractors and other vehicles and machinery. Right in front of it is the garage—four wheelers and whatever else is good in there. Here’s your main house. All one floor. Four bedrooms.” Mike said as he walked you up the porch to the sliding glass door.

He led you inside the house. “Master bedroom down the hall, master bathroom connected to it. These are your two living rooms, this one has a television. Back room’s got the laundry machines, and plenty of storage. It’s also got the big freezer. One of your bedrooms is connected to it.” Mike explained. “Nearest neighbor is two fields away—nobody but old folks like me live up here. ‘Cept for Mr. Blackwood, I believe. Though, I have no idea how old that gentleman is, I never seen him ‘round here when I was gettin’ this place here ready.” He pondered.

“Mr. Blackwood?” You echoed.

“Yeah. Chris or Charles or Chase or somethin’ like that. Never hear about him in town, didn’t even know he lived in that there house until recently. Either way, there’s the thin tree line separating you.”

“Right,” you nodded. “You are amazing. The place looks great.” You said to the man who’d sold you the house.

“I do my best, ma’am. The pantry’s fully stocked. You asked for fully furnished, and I planned to deliver.”

“You really did—this is absolutely perfect.” You would admit that the way you’d gotten this place on such short notice was a little shady, but you weren’t going to complain.

“Why, thank you.” He smiled. “Radio’s in the master bedroom. WiFi and internet aren’t the greatest back here—always plan like you won’t have it. Power can get rocky during storms, so always make sure you know where your radio is jus’ in case.”

“Right. Got it.”

Mike left a little later, and you got to bringing in boxes. You put the boxes in their designated rooms before beginning to unpack the necessities first. Things like clothes and stuff.

You wondered about Mr. Blackwood. He was your only neighbor for literal miles, so you had to wonder what he was like. Was he old, like Mike had said? Was he around your age, or maybe somewhere in between? Was he nice? Or would he be annoying?

You had other things to think about. Besides, this wasn’t the most important thing at the moment. You got back to unpacking.

The Captain walked through the halls, the sound of his shoes against the floor audibly telling the world that he means business. His blonde hair was slightly messy, as if he’d just been on a mission. His brows were furrowed, his fists clenched at his sides. A woman with red hair rushed to match his pace. She looked equally concerned, but more for him than whatever he was focused on.

The Spy reached out, attempting to put her hand on his shoulder. He paused to let her do so.

“It wasn’t your fault,” she told him. “You thought he was there so you followed your lead. You made all the right calls.” She attempted to soothe him.

“He wasn’t even there. All that time we could’ve been finding him and I was too busy leading everybody the wrong way.” The Captain frowned.

“It’s okay,” she hummed. “We’ll find your guy. We will.”

The Captain nodded as the Spy gently cupped his face.

“Besides,” she said after a moment. “There’s always one person we can ask for help.”

The Captain gave her an unsteady look, one of pure displeasure. Whoever the other person was, the Captain was not fond of him.

A/n: it’s been a long time coming, huh?

Graphics by @saradika-graphics

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky x reader #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes x you #bucky x you #bucky barnes

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toldbytendo · 2 months ago

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"no more microphones: how misogynoir continues to reveal itself — it’s time for podcast licenses." 🙄

Hey lovelies,

I’m tired and I wanna talk about it…🤦🏾‍♀️

Podcast licenses should most definitely be a thing. Honestly, if this is the kind of content that "free speech" allows, maybe we need to rethink it altogether. Imagine the peace we'd have if people (men) needed approval before being handed a mic—because right now, it seems like anyone (men) with an internet connection and a bad opinion gets a platform. If a little censorship could keep this kind of nonsense rubbish out of our ears, it may be worth it!

Watching the recent controversy unfold with James and Fuhad from Shxts and Gigs has actually really irritated and annoyed me. James and Fuhad’s comments about Black women weren’t just offhand or "jokes." They were rooted in a long-standing pattern of dehumanising, belittling, and degrading Black women in ways that are too familiar to ignore. I saw their apology, if you can even call it that, and I was left wondering—do they really believe they did something wrong, or are they just trying to calm the storm? When Andrew joined in, laughing at their apology on his own platform, it only made it worse. This is the circle we keep going around in. Men laughing at other men for even attempting to apologise for their wrongdoing, while we, Black women, are left sitting with the pain of being torn apart by the same people we would naturally expect to come to our defence.

First and foremost, it’s absolutely nobody’s place besides Black women to tell us how we should feel about this controversy. We were the ones disrespected and degraded, and it is entirely our right to process and cope with that in whatever way we see fit. Whether that means speaking out, stepping back, or holding onto our anger for as long as we need, it’s not up to anyone else—especially not Black men or those defending these actions—to dictate how we react. We are the offended party here, and we deserve the space to feel, grieve, and respond on our own terms.

My initial thoughts were simple: we (Black women) need to stop expecting Black men with microphones, who *very clearly* do not like Black women, to run to our defense. I’ve spent too much time hoping for the men in our community to step up and recognise the harm they perpetuate, but the truth is, many of them simply won’t. They don’t have the emotional maturity, nor the desire, or mental capacity to understand the nuances of what it means to be a Black woman in this world.

But my perspective has since shifted. It’s not just about expecting them to be ‘pro-Black’ or ‘pro-Black women’. That’s too idealistic at this point. It’s about speaking up against blatant racism and disrespect, especially when it’s directed at women in their own community. This isn’t about policing preference. I truly support and encourage anyone, Black men included to love who they love, wholeheartedly. It’s literally not about who you’re attracted to. It’s about the line that gets crossed when Black women are made to feel inferior, unworthy, and less-than in the eyes of Black men who have been indoctrinated with the same anti-Blackness that white supremacy relies on. You can quite literally see it playing out in this situation, Andrew (a known misogynist, racist and white suprematist) is quite literally getting exactly what he hoped out of this situation.

We’re not even talking about accountability anymore. At this point, it’s about survival. We truly deserve better, but I personally can no longer waste my energy demanding something that feels like it's constantly being denied. I feel so defeated. It’s such a debilitating and depressing experience opening social media and seeing your community, Black women, being dragged, laughed at, bullied and degraded online. We’re only human. We keep calling out the harmful rhetoric. We keep showing how deeply it affects us. Yet, there’s always a flood of Black men defending their behavior, telling us we’re “too sensitive” or that “it’s never that serious.” They show up to silence us rather than holding their brothers accountable.

Would it have been “not that serious” if they had spent an entire podcast episode dragging Black men instead? Would Andrew have laughed and mocked an apology if the target wasn’t Black women, but someone who looked like him? There’s no question that they would have had something to say. But when it’s about us?

Crickets. 🦗

I don’t have the energy to argue anymore. We’re in 2024. If Black men haven’t unlearned their internalized racism by now, then they never will. Anti-Blackness runs rampant within our own community, and it breaks my heart. I’ve said all I can, and I know many of you feel the same—tired, heartbroken, and utterly defeated.

The truth is, we don’t need validation from these men, and we don’t need to keep begging for respect. We’ve seen time and time again that some of them just aren’t capable of giving it. But what we do need is to recognise that our hurt is valid, and it’s okay to feel disturbed by what’s happening. It’s okay to be bothered when you see these “apologies” that do nothing but laugh in the face of accountability. It’s okay to disengage, to stop pouring your energy into a well that doesn’t run deep enough to support you.

At times like these, the importance of looking to one another, to other Black women, for a sense of community is more crucial than ever. We need to uplift one another because, as painful as it is, controversies like this reveal some dark realities that come with being a Black woman. But it’s just one part of the experience—it doesn’t define us. Unionising and speaking out when disrespect like this occurs is essential, not just to raise awareness but for ourselves—to make it clear that we see what’s happening and we will not forget. But once we’ve spoken up, we also need to remind ourselves to move on from these moments of disrespect.

This ridiculousness will never define Black womanhood, because only we have the power to define who we are. Black womanhood is not aggression, manipulation, or whatever else they try to paint us as. We know better. It’s a multifaceted, beautiful experience that can never be reduced to the tired, harmful stereotypes these men keep pushing. We don’t need to rely on podcasts hosted by racists, misogynists, and anti-Black clowns to tell us who we are. Our sense of self, our strength, and our beauty is something only we can shape, and we do.

Because at the end of the day, it’s not about expecting better from them anymore. It’s about demanding respect for ourselves—whether they give it to us or not. And sometimes, that means stepping back to protect your peace.

Just had to get that off my chest, feeling a lot at the moment. 🫠🥴

#shxtsngigs #podcast #blackwomanhoodtoldbytendo #blackwomanhood #selflove #peace

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jemmo · 25 days ago

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i keep on seeing shit about ot6 vs ot7, who is there more of, why they support seunghan, why they don’t, and how that effects whether he returns to or leaves the group. and all i can think is WHY THE FUCK IS IT UP TO THE FANS. we do not own sm, we’re not on the board, we don’t work there. fans can think however they like. but why are we actually letting fans opinions not just influence but actually dictate what happens with these groups. no matter what anyone thinks, there are hard truths. seunghan did nothing wrong. that should be the only thing that dictates whether he’s allowed to continue his career or not, not what anyone online has to say. and reflecting on all of this makes me feel like a crazy person for not seeing it sooner. companies will lull you in with the intense connection they manufacture between idols and fans, they’ll make you think you’re important and that you matter, and when they respond to fan opinion in the way you want, it makes you feel great, like wow the powers that be actually listened to me. they want you to think that fan influence isn’t just good, it’s essential. like it just comes with being a fan now, you have power, it’s how they up engagement and make money. and usually them doing things, making decisions that are fan-driven is good bc it reinforces the feeling of power and closeness fans have and the company benefits so you don’t bat an eyelid. but something like this happens and you step back and just realise how insane it is. i am just a person. we are just people and our opinions can be fickle and baseless and emotional. they should not be the thing that drives decisions that change the lives of these idols. I do not want that power. sm might suck but they’re professionals paid to do a job, they’re kind of employed to have that power. when they do something you don’t like, you can complain about it, that’s fine. and if they do something bad or that is hurtful or objectively wrong, yes, kick up a fuss. but please please, i need people to realise that there’s a difference between complaining about a idol you don’t like and a company uplifting a person that has done something wrong, and sm should not look at us complaining about those as the same thing and meet it with the same response. public influence over companies should be reserved for when it is needed, for when that company is doing something that is actually bad, not for when its doing something you don’t like. at that point, no, you don’t get a say. there has to be a separation, we have to reintroduce that separation, between the what the company is doing and what the fans think. fan engagement is a nice sentiment but just look at where it has got us. we have people believing it’s right that they control an idols life, they think that’s what they’re entitled to, bc of how much they support them, how much they buy. and we have companies that will listen to harmful fans bc it’s better for them to go with what they think bc that’s where the money comes from. it’s the bad feeding off the bad. and while it’s not all of asian fans or all of korean fans, the fact is that whoever is making the most noise in the home market, no matter what it is they’re saying, they’ll get listened to, bc the company needs that fanbase most. they need the ones that will attend events day after day, buy all the merch and engage most and believe in this parasocial relationship for them to benefit. why do they support delulus? it’s how they make money. simple as. and as much as i hate being pessimistic and bitter, there’s simply nothing we can do. if it’s not what the local crazies want, it won’t happen. and as much as i wished for all these months that seunghan could just wait out the hiatus until all the drama died down and return quietly and it’d all be fine, I should’ve known that there’s nothing those ‘fans’ like better than sitting on their high horse over something petty and unimportant just to feel powerful.

so consider this a call out post, to fans that have made this space so incredibly harmful and toxic, and to the companies that encourage their behaviour. i hope you’re very happy together.

#listen #im just full of rage #this is why I can’t engage in kpop fandom anymore #it’s why I have to keep it all so surface #bc the insane politics of it all makes me feel crazy #and the thing is it’s not just kpop precisely bc kpop set this as the precedent for fandom culture #especially in south east asia #kpop #seunghan #riize

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nomsfaultau · 4 months ago

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Ask from wlwdwtys that was so big I decided to make it a separate post! Fault spoilers and violence mention incoming. Warning: BEEFY

1. What would the plot look like in a swap au? Specifically, the characters swap personalities. How they came to develop such different personalities in the same circumstances? Who knows. You, probably. Specifically, Tubbo swaps with Wilbur (cause I thought that their morals differ the most.), Phil swaps with Ranboo (their attachment styles and powers do not match up at all. Imagine being like 100000 and still having social anxiety.) and the Blade swaps with Tommy. Ranboo got chucked in cause there are 5 characters in the fault crew and it didn't match up.

Interesting ask given how much their backstories and powers influence personalities and morality systems. Alright I need new names to keep this straight. Wilbur in Tubbo body is Wilbee, reverse is Tubbur. The Blade in Tommy body is The Dagger, reverse is Tommurder. Ranboo in Philza body is Ranburn, reverse is Philzand but is probably never going to be important. I think for the sake of keeping Ranboo’s personality we might make them an embodiment of Fire and Fluster rather than Fire and Fury lmao.

Wilbee would come to a rather similar philosophy to Tubbo, albeit for different reasons. Tubbo and Wil are pretty different re: humans and society, though Wilbur tends to be the easiest swayed towards pacifism because running usually has the least risk and he cares about survival not revenge. Wilbee is a pragmatist and only attacks so it won’t die, but bee stings would kill it, so it would tend towards pacifism but not care about enforcing that belief on others. Fascinating. Tubbur is big on controlling the void, sees any use of it as a corruption that jeopardizes the world. Relies heavily on Ranburn for containment. Ranburn works surprisingly well on the philosophy front since cRanboo and Philza both have the stance of picking people not sides (or ethics). Very much less gung-ho about murder. But nobody’s perfect.

Early timeline changes: Ranburn adopts Tubbur. Or perhaps this Collection looks more like a romantic relationship for bee duo…? Mm. The timeline would have to shift pretty wildly for that to have them meet later once Tubbur is an adult, but it wouldn’t have many long term impacts. Which could be the case, since Ranburn probably isn’t going on a revenge quest after Anderson dies. (Ending 1: Ranburn and Tubbur never meet.) Unlike Wilbur, Tubbos’ reaction to isolation was to desperately reach out to anyone they could. Would be pretty injured trust still since Rhodes intervened when Tubbo was 5/Phil when Wilbur was 14 vs being an adult, but Tubbur would be far easier to win over. Now, Tubbo can be very dishonest about their emotions, but they wouldn’t mistake their longing for loathing like Wilbur does. But they are also about as desperate for connections to people as Tommy is. Fully I think they’d set up a house in the middle of nowhere and live really peacefully, using online connections to help Tubbur’s isolation. (Ending 2: Tommurder never finds them). Tommurder probably roams around looking just like The Blade. He’s less looking for control over The Blood God (which is poor compared to The Blade) and more looking for people to ~pester~ talk to. Integrates himself in the group if he finds Ranburn and Tubbur. The Dagger/Tommurder summoning goes pretty much the same. Ranburn doesn’t have the same principles about promises as Philza, only people. They would immediately rescue everyone (Ending 3: SBI saved, Wilbee has no one in the Foundation).

I can’t picture baby Wilbee Collecting Jasmine, so the community isn’t going to become hostile to it. Which is good because Wilbee needs no reinforcement on that end. Wilbee is HELLA distrustful of Rhodes at first. But Rhodes is a patient and determined sort, though it might take a couple years to get through that thick hive skull. Wilbee has a far more stable childhood, and turns out even more pro human than Tubbo since they still dealt with things like getting shot by Jasmine’s parents and so can be cautious. (Ending 4: Wilbee isn’t cautious enough, word gets out. The Foundation captures him as a kid. After years in the Foundation during a crucial developmental period, it likely loses hope by the time the rest are captured and is useless for escapes because he wouldn’t be looking for others decades later. Everyone is trapped) Without survival pressure, Wilbee is a lot more chill guy and lets the more silly overdramatic sections of his personality out. Doesn’t understand the concept of privacy in the slightest and loves listening to all the town gossip. Wilbur also has far better control on his anomalous instincts than Tubbo, and so I figure avoids the changeling impulse to add people to the Hive and thus never really figures out that section of his powers. Rhodes likely isn’t Collected, which will make the morally gray areas in the Foundation easier. (Ending 5: No missing person’s case opens for Rhodes. Wilbee isn’t captured by the Foundation. Everyone else is trapped) Potentially Wilbee has the same impulse to search the world like Tubbo, and is captured later.

Philzand would literally not die to Lawrence Lethe. Rip to Sandboo but he’s built different. Potentially Lawrence could be dead? That would have ramifications.

Part 1: Conviction: Ranburn does NOT pull off the yandere dad thing at all. Hallway never happens, and The Dagger wouldn’t have a complex about not escaping even if it did. And Tommy wouldn’t lose the will to fight because as Tommurder he always wins which reinforces that he should keep going. But Ranburn also wouldn’t have the same level of therapy during visits that the Collected relied on to survive the Foundation, so in some ways they’re a lot worse off than with Philza’s support.

The Blade and Tommy have the most similar personalities, and could easily fulfil the same actions albeit with different intentions. Perhaps at capture The Dagger is fighting instead of freezing, but he’s kidnapped either way. Tommurder does anything for his friends and gives into The Blood God to rescue The Dagger, which he still wouldn’t tell because he doesn’t want to be abandoned by The Dagger. And Tommurder’s difficulties with being alone lead to him breaking out a lot and getting The Blade tortured more. Tommurder’s worse at controlling The Blood God, but they’re also on friendlier terms since Tommurder just needs anyone to talk to, and so over the loneliness of the Foundation they probably develop a good relationship. The Dagger is very willing to use Red to attack given it’s his choice, and has good control since he’s analytical and willful and can figure out how to actually wield it effectively, unlike Tommy. Also not as reluctant about gallows duty like Tommy, which means less harm to him than Tommy suffered initially. The gloves never become a thing.

The Dagger is still chill and happy enough, which draws Wilbee in, who has no qualms about the murder jokes since Wilbee only avoids personally killing. The Dagger is more than willing to escape into the vents and try to team up with Wilbee. But when told to starve or kill, Wilbee murders Rosalind to same himself. (Ending 6: They do not escape with Rosalind) (Ending 7: on the very rare chance Wilbee thinks his survival odds go up if he chooses to starve and lose a hand to keep Rosalind alive -which. God there isn’t a chance in hell it does- then Lawrence Lethe has been killed by Philzand and will not prevent their breach. The Dagger and Wilbee escape. Ranburn, Tommurder, and Tubbur are still trapped)

The Dagger is used to being turned on and perceived as a monster through Red tests, but Wilbee is far more pragmatic about that. “If you had to be a monster to survive, then you’ll have survived. If those ‘friends’ of yours wanted you to be a person like them they would have ensured you were never in a position to be forced to make that choice in the first place.”

Ergo, The Dagger has far more trust that Ranburn wouldn’t forsake their promise to him. Perhaps misplaced, Ranburn doesn’t have Philza’s strength of convictions, but Techno also chooses to keep trusting people long past when he should, so it works out either way. UnCollected arc avoided. Yippee.

Also The Dagger has wayyy healthier relationships to other people than Tommy does, so when his mini escapes are found out, he doesn’t consider never seeing Wilbee a fate worse than death. (Ending 8: Tommurder is not summoned, no one escapes. The Dagger doesn’t stop trying to break out to see Wilbee, but eventually enough security keeps the both of them separated.) (Ending 9: Tommurder is summoned. Since Jasmine isn’t in the Hive, the orphan loophole isn’t a problem! So Wilbee is safe. Except Tommurder doesn’t have enough control on The Blood God for loopholes to matter because there are barely rules in the first place. Everyone in the room except The Dagger is slaughtered. Having a good relationship with The Blood God only helps if Tommurder knows who to stop him from killing. Wilbee fights back but does not survive, or does on a very very small population incapable of moving its body.) (Ending 10: They try to escape. Lawrence was killed by Philzand, they are trapped in a safe room and fail to escape) (Escape 11: If Lawrence is alive, Rosalind is not in the Hive, so Lawrence is not convinced to help them. He’s probably killed by The Dagger. Fail to escape). (Ending 12: The Dagger is non-compliant in the Dr. Blake confrontation. Guards are kept in the room, and he is overpowered. The Dagger does not escape, but everyone else does). Also Dr. Blake will continue to cause so many problems in the following sections since The Dagger wouldn’t deal with her like Tommy did. Tommy win for once pog??

Part 2: Acquittal: At this point I have no idea how they’re out or how Wilbee survived, though he’s probably trying to figure out a way to kill Tommurder without getting slaughtered because he sees him as a direct threat to survival. (Ending 13: Wilbee realizes that The Blood God operates on an individual basis. According to a news article a swarm of bees can kill a half ton boar slowly and painfully. Tommurder’s death is very very ugly)

(Ending 14: Ranburn goes through Amnestic Arc. Wilbee would like to help (doesn’t have neg rep from Hallway and UnCollection) but thinks it’s too risky and isn’t invested in helping a guy it doesn’t know even for The Dagger’s sake. Doesn’t care about The Dagger promising he’d help. Ranburn, Charlie, Halo, and Skeppy are trapped in the foundation) (Ending 15: Ranburn does receive help from Wilbee. Ranburn is not vicious enough to claw their way through the entire Foundation. The 4 are trapped) (Ending 16: Ranburn is desperate enough to carve their way through the Foundation. Lawrence was killed by Philzand and can’t get Halo and Skeppy free. Ranburn and Charlie get out). Ranburn is NOT staying in the Foundation. Are you KIDDING?! Which could potentially negate the siege arc, though Ranburn is sentimental enough to want to take back that domestic bliss he had with Tubbur even if the house is surrounded on all sides. It would not be Rosalind’s house though.

(Ending 17: if Ranburn held up w amnestics, Tubbur is completely against use of the void, no Greg arc (sadg). The Dagger could manage to hold off for a while but it’s likely the Red infected would murder everyone but him. Dead or recaptured) (Ending 18: Ranburn shows up to Rosalind house, not vicious enough to drive off the Foundation siege). The Dagger and Tommurder could potentially go fairly far, since they have complimentary powers. It’s genuinely pretty scary what they can do. Foundation is driven off, and the gang races off…in a random direction. Rosalind isn’t part of the Hive, so they aren’t going to Chicago. (Ending 19: Wilbee is not ride or die for The Dagger, figures they can manage better without everyone because more confident in self-sufficiency than Tubbo. Like. Nobody does it like clingy duo.)

Greg problems avoided because Tubbur is vigilant. Loose a very cool scene, but it’s fine. If we assume Wilbee survived with amputations, he would fall into the same pitfall as Tubbo given his avoidant coping style. So it’s ending up with chronic pain too. Isn’t terrified of Ranburn and is the practical sort so may spring for the corrective surgery unlike Tubbo. Not sure how well it would go, Ranburn doesn’t have the same hyper-competent tendencies Philza does.

Past what’s published I see absolutely no way for the plot to continue in any semblance of what it’s like now, plus spoilers. It becomes heavily reliant on a complex weave of character flaws and relationship dynamics that just. Aren’t present.

Some bullet points of things that change:

Tubbos’ morals and issues with the group are a driving force of tension, and is heavily influenced by their backstory. While peaceful, Wilbee simply isn’t so adamant on enforcing it on others, and Tubbur scraped by their entire childhood alone and so doesn’t have that same strict no kill policy though they try to be more peaceful. And Ranburn isn’t super bloodthirsty, The Dagger sees attacking as very useful but also knows his powerset could lead to collateral damage, and Tommurder prefers friends to fighting and has convinced The Blood God to go along to some extent. So like…toss out most of the philosophical discussions I guess…and drama. So the Tubbo-Wilbur swap has caused the most problems over all. I think the same would’ve been true for anyone swapped in for Tubbo tho, since they’re designed to be opposed to most of the group.

No Glove arc. Glad we could avoid making Tommurder and The Dagger a more toxic friendship? Because Tommurder would deffo enable self destructive behavior but The Dagger doesn’t have that trigger and wouldn’t try to brute force his own trauma like that. Ignore it and pretend everything is fine? Hella, but that’s also a Tommy trait. Also no minor fallout with The Dagger and Tubbur over accidental triggering, which also avoids bonding and fight scene. The Dagger is just cribbing stuff no problem.

Tommurder actually talks to The Blood God and can avoid The Blade’s panic, doubling down, and character growth. But also Tommurder could potentially just have Wilbee and The Blood God actually talk to one another to directly address that trauma.

None of the continuing fallout of UnCollection arc. So the Hallway is never confronted but also never happened so idk.

Rosalind isn’t in Hive so they never go to the Parra-Cardozo household. Amnestics arc 2 never happens, no one tries to save Philzand. And anyway Lawrence is dead no redemption arc for him loser. Niki still trapped.

All of the interpersonal drama tbh

Man I’m just scrolling through my outline and it all falls apart. The further it goes on the more dependent it is on the past choices of characters and how they would act, and so much of the story is derived from relationship rifts that are dependent on philosophies and traumas that simply aren’t the same anymore. And section 3 just won’t occur at all because the sequence of events leading to the group making the decision to begin fighting the Foundation on both soft and hard power levels doesn’t have the context or the character philosophies to occur the way it will in Fault, and so that entire section just wouldn’t occur (stuff like void madness, two major villains, meeting Niki, everyone having negative character development, so so so much). Who knew a plot devised from thinking through how specific characters respond to situations would fall apart when those are different characters!

Anyway this ask was a blast, thanks so much.

#sbi scp au #fault au #technoblade #tommyinnit #philza #tubbo #ranboo #sbi au #sbi #dsmp #mcyt #scp technoblade #scp tommyinnit #scp tubbo #scp wilbur #scp philza #ask #wlwdwtys ask #something to nom on

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gale-gentlepenguin · 2 years ago

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Adulting 101: How Jobs work

I feel like there is a LOT of terrible advice on the internet about getting a job, working a job, and leaving a job. So I am going to give some real advice that will help you out in the long run.

Welcome to Adulting 101

So for this I will be discussing the Core tenants

Getting a Job

Working the Job

Leaving the Job

and

The Farewell

(Note this is mainly for work in the Corporate sector but I can assure that applicable information can be applied to other Job areas.)

Getting a job

So you are fresh out of college, and now you realize those student loans arent gonna be paid by the government after all. So what are you going to do?

The answer is get a Job.

But how are you going to get one?

1. Connections:

-If you havent already, start with creating a Linkedin account and try to connect with every person you have ever met, especially if you are going into the field of work with the individuals.

After that, try searching LinkedIn for every person that is in a high position in the field you want to start your career. Most won’t respond, but some will and that is good for you.

Most people in the corporate world that get interviews for their first job with good companies are usually through connections. Leverage family, friends, old employment, old internships, etc.

-I also recommend staying in touch with your Alma mater, professors are usually people with connections and if they like you can help pull some strings. But if not, the school usually will have some sort of program that will help you get your first job. Though not all colleges have it, but its best to check.

-Always avoid sales jobs. Now some sales jobs are fine and legit, but its usually gonna end with the company taking the list of people you know and selling to them before tossing you aside. It burns your friends and Family’s good will. Thats usually the reason why at least once in your life you will have someone from high school reaching out to you about ‘A product or service’.

-Nurture the network. You want people to like you enough to recommend you for jobs, especially this early on. Your experience is garbage and you have no negotiating power. Unless you are from an Ivy league school and have a 4.0. You have no value in the eyes of the company alone. So your best bet is to lean on people you know.

2. Resume

-For the love of crap, work on your resume. Doesnt matter how good your connections are, if you made your resume out of crayon you are screwed. Take time to format it, look up some how to guides, ask some people you know how they worked their resume. It is not fun, but it is important. Resumes are what get people in the door in a lot of cases. The best resumes on online applications are filtered based on how close they fit the job description.

-Make sure to keep that resume updated and easy to edit so you can alter it to match a job description better. This is a trick to help improve the odds of selection.

-Same thing but with Linkedin, there are recruiters on Linkedin and other sites that search for canidates. Most of them are sales jobs, but some arent and you can leverage them if possible

-Since this is on Tumblr, I’m going to tell you this upfront, don’t put your pronouns in your resume. I was talking with a recruiter and that’s a thing they use to filter out so most online applications won’t see it. Mainly cause it’s seen as Filler and stuff like this will be addressed later.

3. Certifications and internships

-When you are new in the workforce, you will need ANYTHING to differentiate you from the crowd, having a certification in whatever is needed in your field is always a bonus. Granted these cost cash to get into, so this is more of a last resort when you are looking for your first job.

-Internships after college are often seen as a bit tough to manage since they usually dont pay as much as a real job (depending on the state or country, at all), but if one is unable to get a job, this is a ticket to building a network.

4. The Interview

-All of that work from the previous 3 subjects have led you to this moment, your interview. Now this is a make or break it moment and it is important to understand the following:

*Is this a multiround interview? (Will there be more than one?)

*Who am I interviewing with (The interviewer, the company, and for what job)

*What is the purpose of the interview? (Is this a formality? A job description?)

-Now it is crucial to know your resume inside and out. You need to speak to what you know. So be sure to know it well.

-Always answer in a way that puts you in a more positive light. But dont try the “My greatest weakness is working too hard” they can smell that bulls*** a mile away. If you had to describe a negative, make it seem like you are working to fix it. This demonstrates you can look at yourself objectively and makes it seem like you are more of a genuine person. My go too response is “I have a habit of hyper focusing on a task until it is complete, but I have been working on focusing on what has the highest priority.”

-At the end of the interview, make sure to have questions prepared to ask the interviewer, and dont ask about salary. (Salary is asked after the job is offered, and usually you will usually hear about the salary range before going in, or the official number AFTER they give the offer). My go to question is asking “What are three traits someone would need to have to thrive in this position?” But do try and think of your own

-Dont be nervous, remember that this will likely not be the only interview you will have, especially with how desperate people are to get workers. So you will get a few. Just do your best, you got this.

_______________________________________________________________________

Working the Job

You did it, all that hardwork and dedication had paid off, you got your first job.

Or maybe this is your second job. But most importantly, its work with a salary. The most tedious part is over, next is where the real work begins.

1. Adjusting to work

This period of time will you learning all you can about your job, this is the 30-60-90. AKA, the Trial period.

Show up a bit early and leave a bit later (unless your commute is over an hour. Then you just try to be as close to on time as possible.)

Your first 30 days is you finding out where everything is, how it works, who you interact with to get work done, and find the bathroom. This is where the expectations for you as an employee are at their most lenient. Dont take this as a rest opportunity, You are meant to learn as much as possible about how to do your job. (also connect with all the people on your team on Linkedin)

The next 30 days are your real test. Likely will be given your first real assignment if it wasnt given already. This is where you need to knock it out of the park. Crush that first assignment. Show everyone you are a pleasure to work with, Be compassionate yet driven. This is the ‘Prove yourself phase’

The last 30 days is the “Dealmaker” here is where you get to show your impact on the company. Your work must be consistent and must be solid. You can be allowed some error, but dont focus too much on it. This is where you show what you learned and are a part of the company. After you make it past this stage, you are likely to not have to worry about being fired. That doesnt mean your safe. It just means you are officially a part of the company.

-Now from here on out this is your chance to grow in however you want. Do you have ideas that you think would make things better? Give them a go, try discussing them with your boss, see what he/she thinks of them. You think there is a sector of the company you would work better in, use this position as an opportunity to grow closer and maybe transfer. Just be sure to keep your work consistent

2. Time to excel

So this is where you start career building. You want to make the big money. You want to be strong and independent with the fat stacks? You gotta work bitch.

You gotta take initiative, when there is an opportunity to shine to the higher ups, take it. Not every opportunity will be given. But sometimes there are ones that are gift wrapped.

Do NOT over extend yourself.

This is important, yes you want to stand out, but over extending yourself just to impress can cause your original work to suffer. You need to know your limits. And be willing to ask for help when needed.

Don’t talk smack about your boss, or other coworkers.

In the game of office politics, you never want to give someone an opportunity to make you look bad. Be respectful, and keep any complaints or issues you have with someone objective.

Take responsibility. Don’t try and blame others when something fails. Own up to it and ask for ways to improve. That shows character and in the game of career building, that’s a solid way to show you are capable and bold.

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Leaving a job

So you find yourself working at this job and you realize. I hate it here. Now the first instinct is to quit and figure it out later. Or the term “Quiet Quitting” which is doing the bare minimum required and ride it out. Let me correct this by showing you what to do.

Figure out the Why.

Why do you hate your job now? It’s actually the simplest step. Usually boiling down to the following

1. My boss sucks.

Most employees end up quitting their jobs because of their boss. Either they are critical, take credit for your work, blame you for their mistakes, make you work late. Preventing you from taking vacation. Or insert specific reason here.

If the boss is the only reason you hate the job, then this is where you can start by requesting transfers to other areas of the company. Make an effort to find someone you wouldn’t mind working under, or find a way to show that your boss is violating your rights and agreements. If you can get a recording or emails to show to HR, than you can find ways of dealing with the horrible boss. Though if all else fails, then it’s time to consider leaving.

2. You need higher pay

If your company doesn’t give pay raises, and you find yourself not progressing a more favorable direction, then it’s time to discuss with your boss your concerns. Now if your boss is reasonable and not like a boss from reason 1, they will likely take into account the work you do and try to get you the raise.

But that’s only if you are working hard. Demanding more money but not doing anything more than what the job is asking won’t net you a pay raise unless you are exceeding expectations. In truth most companies would like to not lose workers, so voicing a concern would be a good way to get more cash.

Though if you are working hard and going above and beyond yet still not getting the money you deserve. It’s time to search for a place that will. Don’t quit yet, find the new job first and than leave.

It’s common curtesy to let the company know with a two week notice. That’s mainly so you don’t entirely burn connections. If you don’t care about the company, just quit.

Side note, and THIS IS CRUCIAL

If your company hears you are leaving and tries to match it. DONT take it. It’s a ploy. They will look for your replacement as soon as you accept the deal. They know you are finicky and looking. If you accepted a job offer, DONT BACK OUT.

3. This is not the career I want

You realize that this just isn’t where you want to be for the next couple of years. That’s fine. In fact, good on you for recognizing that you aren’t content with your work. But that begs the question, what Do you want.

At this time, stay working while you do research. No need to quit if you don’t know what it is you want. Maybe you want to be focused on different things but still in the same company. Transfers are more common and it’s easier to move and employee than lose one. So if you like where you work but not what you do, maybe see what other options there are in house before leaving.

But if you really want to go after something then find yourself peeping for that path. And when you are ready to go, then quit. Be polite and cordial. It wasn’t them it’s you. A two week notice would be the polite thing in this case.

The Farewell

Things aren’t working out with your current job and you’ve decided it’s time to leave. Ensure the following.

1. You have another opportunity lined up

2. You connected with everyone worth while

3. You have your letter/email of resignation ready to go

Now if your opportunity has a time before it starts. Great time for quiet quitting. You are basically out the door, you can take it easy. So enjoy these last moments before you leave and get ready for the next step in life.

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Thank you for reading my advice column on how to properly Navigate work.

And if things work out, remember what you read.

Life may not always perfectly line up, but there is a right way of approaching it.

Best of luck

(Note: This does not guarantee that all will go according to plan but it is the building blocks of what Is important)

#adulting 101 #work #gale’s advice #I work a 9-5 #so I know

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