#and so they were like 3 mb and wouldn't move

[donut251155]

The "Yugi twins situation" is NOT incestuous

I'll just analyze stuff people used to "prove" the opposite of this, as someone with a close (PLATONIC!!!) relationship with a sibling

I'll just get straight to the point

This scene is NOT incestuous. They hadn't seen each other for DECADES, it makes sense that Tsukasa reached out to touch Amane - usually if you can't believe you're seeing someone you reach for their face, no? And he just moved his head up (+ the つ (translated as "rub" could just be his hand moving and could be a translation error. Like the "ah…" from Amane, he says "つー" (Tsu) which would've probably been him calling out for Tsukasa)

Also Amane was blushing because he WAS ABOUT TO FUCKING CRY??? IT'S NORMAL TO GET RED WHEN YOU CRY??? That's basic knowledge I fear

He'd seen his brother after AGES, AFTER HE KILLED HIM. I WOULD'VE HAVE CRIED TOO IF I WERE HIM Y'ALL HE'S CRUSHED BY GUILT, GRIEF AND IS HAPPY TO SEE HIS BROTHER AGAIN

I also think that if the scene was supposed to have some incestuous undertones, Tsukasa wouldn't have moved his thumb back.

Someone said this

I believe it doesn't have incestuous undertones for three reasons:

1. He had a dreamy and hopeful face in both cases. Usually, when characters dream of doing anything, even eating a cake or something like that, the artist adds blush to make the desire stronger. Tsukasa's desires were just having fun with his brother at a festival, something COMPLETELY PLATONIC, and knowing that his brother genuinely cares about him (another COMPLETELY PLATONIC thing driven by a sense of insecurity that he got because of how grumpy Amane was while sick. He wanted to hear his brother say "I love you" (PLATONICALLY) for the last time. It's less ambiguous in the Italian version because it's "Amane, tu mi vuoi bene?" which can only be seen as platonic (voler bene is platonic, amare romantic))

2. He looks cuter blushing. He's a child, children are supposed to be cute. He looks depressed without the blush in the first image 💀💀

See? He's cuter with the blush

3. He blushes for like 90% of the time. It makes him cuter, more childlike, he's FOUR YEARS OLD. The blush disappears when the drawing is too small for it to be added, when he's supposed to be confused, scary/creepy or serious.

This part fucking hell. Y'all do not know how four year olds think, do you?? Let me enlighten you

To the four year old Tsukasa, you either love or hate someone. No in between. He isn't talking about romantic love, he's talking about caring about someone, usually deeply. He means the platonic kind of love, it's all he knows. Nene reacted that way because she's 15, to her "love" is the romantic kind of love and she's in love with Hanako, same with Kou - they're teenagers who learnt that romantic and platonic love are different. Tsukasa doesn't know. He loves Amane in a platonic, brotherly way and thinks Nene loves his brother in the same exact way, like every other 4 year old would've assumed

(I reached the max of images :(( I meant the part where Tsukasa asks Nene if she loves Amane and says they're the same after she says she does, her mistaking it as romantic love and him taking it as platonic. Mb guys I'm new to Tumblr)

For the pose where the early manga showed us how Amane supposedly killed Tsukasa: it's not suggestive in any way. It just looks like Amane pushed Tsukasa down, stabbed him and that his knees gave out after he noticed he actually did what he did because of the wave of guilt and grief he felt (he even dropped the knife)

That's all I can think of atm :D

If you have any questions about this, ask ahead and I'll answer them!! I'm ready to answer

And sorry if I sounded a bit pissed off, but I am. I'm so sick of people misunderstanding sibling love lolol if you ship them go fuck yourself and do not talk to me, do not even breathe the same air as me I hate you and you're a disappointment to humanity

[aoioozora]

I just read your flight to dreamland johnny cage x reader fic and omg I love it! I was wondering would u do a part 2 about when they both wake up and confess their feelings officially and end up being bf and gf?????

Or would you still write johnny cage x fem reader fics? There's not enough johnny fics *cries*

Sure babes <3 Thanks for requesting!

-

Destination Dreamland.

Part 1

Character: Johnny Cage Content: fluff, cuddling, confession, Kung Lao kameo Photo credit: clowning_kar Note: wrote this in a hurry, mb if it's goofy lol

Kung Lao threw open the door of your room without knocking.

“Wakey wakey, princess girlypop!” he announced. He had an odd habit of giving his friends cringy nicknames.

When he didn't find you in your bed, his brows furrowed. “Where'd she go? I didn't see her in the training grounds, nor anywhere else…” he murmured. He thought for a while at the door, but to no avail, and he shook his head. “Never mind. I'll wake Johnny up.” 

He headed to Johnny's room and quietly cracked the door open. Peering inside, he observed that the mass that made up his body seemed larger than usual under the blankets. Not to mention, he found your blanket on the floor by his bed. An eyebrow was raised. This meant only one thing. 

He inched closer and his suspicions were confirmed. You were indeed in Johnny's bed, fast asleep and comfortably and partially under his heavier body. Your arm wrapped loosely around his shoulders, and his nose nuzzled in your neck. Kung Lao could guess that Johnny also probably had his arm around your waist. He also noted that both of your clothes were intact, which meant that nothing intimate had been done the previous night. 

“PG-13 night, eh?” he muttered to himself, disappointed to learn this. 

A mischievous idea popped up in his mind. He snickered quietly as he took out his phone and took a photo, which he sent to Johnny along with an equally mischievous caption. That being done, he hopped out of the room, leaving the two of you to continue cuddling. 

Not long after he left, Johnny stirred awake. As his eyes fluttered open, he was greeted by the sweet smell of your neck and its delicate skin against his lips. He groaned quietly and lazily and nuzzled his face deeper in your neck. He stayed still for a while, trying to get in a few more winks of sleep, but to no avail. 

Seeing that you were still asleep, he pulled away slightly and reached his arm out to the nightstand to grab his cellphone. A glance at the time told him he wasn't quite late for anything, and he sighed in relief. Just as he was about to keep his device aside, he noticed a message from Kung Lao, and from not too long ago either. 

“What did this guy send me…” Johnny murmured under his breath as he carefully moved your arm away from his shoulders and rolled over on his back just to give you some space. He brought the phone closer to himself to see what was so urgent that Kung Lao had to text. 

He opened the message and was greeted by the photo he had taken, along with the caption below which read, “Paps would eat this up 😉”. 

Johnny sucked in a sharp breath, fighting the urge to scream, get out of bed, hunt down Kung Lao, and throw some hands. But with the little princess by his side sleeping peacefully, he didn't dare to even squeak. 

He took a couple deep breaths. When he had calmed down, he looked at the photo again and scoffed. “That bastard's not so bad after all. This picture is good. I look sexy, and she looks hot.” he thought to himself approvingly, “But Kung Lao still might have to catch my hands though. I wouldn't want this leaking to the paps.” 

As he was lost in his thoughts, he heard you groan quietly and roll over on your side, facing him. You also seemed to be trying to sleep in, and he smiled. 

“Hey, princess, wake up,” he whispered, tapping your cheek gently. 

You let out a sound that was a mixture of a groan and a whine, like you were being woken up early to go to school. He chuckled at this and now also rolled on his side to face you, propping up his head on his hand. 

“Princeeeess,” he called, tapping your cheek faster, “Wake up, I want to show you something.” 

“What?” You murmured in a soft croak. 

“C'mon, open your eyes.” 

You forced your heavy eyes open and Johnny's face was not too far from yours, looking at you with a smile. His hair was a little disheveled, but it looked cute. He held his phone screen up to you to show the photo. 

Upon looking at the photo, your sleepiness vanished. You stared at it with wide eyes and your cheeks burned hot enough to cook a sunny side up well done. “What? Who? How?” You sputtered in confusion, looking at Johnny, “Who took this?” 

“Kung Lao,” Johnny answered, shrugging nonchalantly but the corner of his lip reached his cheek, as he was amused by your reaction. “What do you think of it?” 

You blushed. “It's not right to take photos of others without their permission.” Even though you said that, you couldn't help but feel fluttery at the fact that your close proximity with Johnny was actually photographed. 

Johnny smirked at how conflicted you looked. “C'mon sugar, just admit that you like it,” he said, as he briefly looked back at his phone to forward the photo to you, “Sure, Kung Lao was an ass to sneak up on us like this, but don't you think we got a cute photo out of it?” 

You sighed, stuffing your face back in the pillow. “I guess…” You finally admitted. The thought of the picture flashed in your mind again, and you smiled against the pillow. 

He fiddled around with his phone a little more before throwing it aside on the bed and turning his full attention towards you. “Now, princess,” he started in a whisper, “Did you have a nice flight to Dreamland?” 

He heard your muffled giggle, and smiled again. You turned your head slightly so he could see your eye, and a hint of your smile. “Very nice. I didn't know you put me in business class.” 

“Business class?!” he said incredulously and scoffed with exaggeration, “Sugar, I put you in princess class.” 

Your giggles increased. “Is it better than business class?” 

“Astronomically better.” he said, almost like a politician, “Now, as your flight attendant, I need to conduct a survey. Will you participate?” 

“Of course,” You chuckled, amused by this role play. 

“Okay, let's begin,” he pushed up his imaginary pair of glasses, “Question one: did you find the bed and seating comfortable enough?” he asked, opening his arms to expose his chest to you, reminding you that his body was your bed for a time the previous night. 

“I found it very comfortable. More comfortable than my own bed.” You answered, smiling gently, thinking back to how his chest and arms made fine pillows. 

He caught the dreamy look in your eye and smiled, feeling a little giddy that you enjoyed his cuddles. He cleared his throat to compose himself. “Perfect. Question two: How did you find the temperature of your surroundings? Was it too cold? Too hot? Or just right?”

You paused to think of how toasty you felt cuddled up with him under the blanket, and you could feel your cheeks warm again. “Just right.” You replied. 

His curious brown eyes watched your reactions with careful curiosity. He moved a little closer, looking at you through slightly narrowed eyes, the corner of his lip tugged into a half smirk, half affectionate smile. His hand reached out to your face, and his index finger brushed lightly against your cheekbone, allowing a stray strand of your hair to be tucked behind your ear. “And question three,” he said in an even quieter whisper, “Describe your experience in Dreamland. What did you see there?” 

“Is this a roundabout way of asking if I had any dreams?” You asked in a voice that you fought hard to keep level and calm. 

“Yep.” 

While his hand amused itself with now lightly stroking your jaw, you paused to strain your memory. His touching sure was making it hard, thanks to all the butterflies it provoked to excitement in your stomach. After a few moments of thought, you shook your head. “I don't remember anything I saw in Dreamland.” 

He raised his eyes in mock surprise. “Positive?” 

“Positive.” 

He inched closer, now pulling his hand away from your jaw to snake it around your waist. He leaned close to your ear and whispered, “That's not what your flight attendant witnessed last night.” 

His hand slid against your waist and moved to your lower back. His whisper, the breath tickling your ear, made your stomach about as wild as a circus. You felt your breath hitch in your throat as you asked, clutching the mess of sheets beneath you in your hands, “What do you mean?” 

“You were dreaming, sleep talking even,” he said, “Do you know what you said?” 

“What?” 

“You called me by name and said…” he said, dragging it out a little longer for effect, “ ‘I love you.’ ” 

You felt your heart stop. Those words instantly brought to memory the dream you had, where you saw a hazy mirage of him, and did clearly and audibly say those words. But you never imagined you would say it out loud in your sleep. Your cheeks burned again, and you looked away, your own words giving you second-hand embarrassment. You replied, “I said that?”

He nodded, smiling. “I was going to end the survey there, but now, thanks to that, I feel like I must ask you just one more question.” 

“Okay, go on.” You gulped, nervous, hoping he wouldn't ask you what you dreamed about, because you couldn't even remember it properly. 

“I know we throw around ‘I love you’ a lot, and we're just friends, but I can't help but wonder, do you maybe like me more than just friends?”

The way he asked it so directly made your heart drop to your stomach. You knew he was always straightforward to a fault, but it always caught you by surprise. You could feel his thumb rubbing against your waist as his hand rested there, almost as if it was a request to you to be honest. 

He saw your hesitation, and his thumb continued to rub your waist gently. “C'mon angel, even if you give me a negative, I'm not gonna bite.” he encouraged, “But I know for sure that it's not a negative.” 

He said it with such unwavering confidence that it compelled you to admit it. But you asked, “How are you so sure?” 

He rolled his eyes. “We're practically cuddling like lovers right now. I have my hand on your waist and you're not exactly opposed to me touching you like this.” his thumb started to rub a little more slowly, and you could feel your breathing deepen. He noticed this, and smirked. “Look, you're proving me right.” 

This was your chance to tell him, but you didn't know why you were so hesitant. 

“Why are you scared? Everything's in your favor. Just admit it and I'm yours to keep.” he whispered. 

The encouragement worked. “Okay, you're right,” You sighed, blushing, “I do like you more than just a friend.”

He chuckled. “I knew it. Saw it coming from a mile away. I knew you wouldn't be able to resist such a charming man as me,” he said, nose in the air. “So tell me, what sold you? This Greek god bod? This Adonis face? Or was it my sexy voice? My smile? My charisma?” 

“None of the above.” You said with a proud smirk. 

“None? No way, that's bullshit.” 

“Okay, they had a part to play, I admit, but they weren't the main things that sold me.” 

“I'm waiting.” 

“Your silliness.” You explained, “You're silly enough to pretend to be a flight attendant just to put me to sleep. That's actually really sweet.” 

“Oh,” he chuckled, smirking, “That makes sense. So, that means you like a nice guy, huh? What happened to girls liking bad boys?”

“I don't know about other girls, but I like a nice guy.” You replied. 

“Mmhmm. Tell me what else you like about me.” he grinned, continuing to rub his thumb on your waist. 

“You're really funny.” You said immediately. 

“I could tell,” he nodded, “You always seem to be laughing at the jokes I make, no matter how awful they are.” 

“But you make some good jokes, though.” 

“Either that, or you're so in love with me that everything I say makes you laugh.” 

You shoved his shoulder, rolling your eyes. “Shut up.” 

He took hold of your hand before you pulled it away, brought it to his lips, and kissed your palm. You felt fluttery again, and your cheeks turned warm. He pressed his lips on your wrist and glanced at you, looking for a reaction. He was pleased to see you looking so flustered, shy, and happy at the same time. 

“You like it?” he murmured against your wrist before kissing it again. 

You nodded. 

“You got a fine taste in men, babe,” he said huskily, now kissing your fingers, “You chose the right guy.” 

“Why do you say that?” You asked, smiling, intrigued by his confidence. 

“I got the looks and the personality, and I know I can make you feel so loved, much more than you can ask for. I can make all the jokes you want and make you laugh, and I can put your little insomniac ass to sleep whenever you like.” He took your hand in his, rubbing it with his thumb as he gave you a sly smile. “What d'you think of that?” 

“I think that sounds great.” You squeezed his hand. 

Smiling gently, he squeezed your hand back. He bent down his head and lovingly and respectfully kissed the back of your hand, sending more butterflies in a delightful frenzy in your stomach. 

“Then I promise to make every single day together like Dreamland.”

End.

Read these next maybe?

🌸 Kenshi does your hair

🌸 Liu Kang tries the karaoke

[imbadatwrighting]

Could i get a ryou bakura, y.bakura, yugi, atem, joey and marik(not y.marik) x fem reader(separate of course) when the reader who is not in a relationship with them decides to crawl into bed with them during a sleep over due to not being able to sleep and they both have major crushes on each other but they get overly flustered when they wake up to reader cuddled up to their chest

I just thought this was a really cute idea and haven’t seen anyone do this

Ofc I’ll be happy to do that <3 the only thing is imma change it to gender neutral

I literally love this though

Yugioh boys with an unexpected cuddle buddy

Tags (is that what you call them?? Idk) : gn reader, tired reader, super super short, idk what else to add mb

Joey Wheeler

Listen, I'm not saying he screamed but I'm not saying he didn't scream either

He was so confused

Moves around a lot in bed so when he woke up he was resting his head on your thighs

Refuses to tell anyone about it but is always thinking about it

If you're with him right before he falls asleep, he's super fun

Until he randomly passes out but still

A super big snorer

Like he literally sounds like a car alarm

Super warm on some night but then on other nights feels like an icicle

Yugi Muto

Cutie woke up as soon as you hopped into his bed

Thought you just got into the wrong bed

tried to tell you that but you just screamed and threw a pillow at him

When you told him you wanted to sleep in his bed he offered to sleep somewhere else but you then told him you wanted to sleep with him

Got all red

Joey was still up and overheard it so he thought you two were going to have sex

Told everyone the next day

Anyways

He was very stiff in the beginning but once he fell asleep he was super comfy

Asked you on a date the next day

Yami Yugi

Like Yugi he woke up as soon as you got into his bed

Except with him he didn't say anything to you

Put an arm around you

Let you cuddle up against him

Was so cold that it evened out the warm blankets which is weird considering that in the day he's super hot

escpecially his hands but not like sweaty hot

Didn't say anything about it the next day but couldn't get it out of his head

Lets you come into his bed as much as you want

Bakura

When he woke up he didn't really notice you at first

Cuddled up to you thinking that you were a pillow and dreamed that the pillow was you

Until his pillow started snoring

Eyes shot wide open and he jumped up

Thought he saw the lights for a moment

He had to hold in a scream while his face became covered in blush. Became a nervous wreck

Woke you up by shaking you while whispering in your ear

You kicked him off his own bed

Not that he cared

Thought he was dreaming but when he found out he wasn't, he went and made you breakfast in bed

Y. Bakura

Literally did not care at all

The only reason that he even thought about it was that you kept stealing his damn blankets

He ended up being the one to start the little cuddle fest

Was pissed that you kept stealing his blankets but he thought that you wouldn't be back so he didn't say anything

Oh how wrong he was

Usually wakes up before you and does his own thing

He honestly considered passing you along

Eventually gave up

A good cuddle when he falls asleep but refuses to be close to you when awake

you being in his bed most nights made him super cocky though

Malik Ishtar

Best cuddles known to man frfr

He didn't technically wake up when you came into his bed but he somehow knew that you did

Super chill about it in the morning

Unless you brought it up, he didn't

Said that you could come over anytime you wanted to

Wrote about it in his diary

It's his favorite part of the day

Always smiles and looks forward to you coming over

you two got together after a couple more nights of you staying in his bed

Brags about it with people he's close to

Always ends up with him on your chest or the other way around, no matter what

Bonus

I’m in love with her frfr

Mai Valentine

Already knew you were coming

Don't ask how she just did

If you come before she falls asleep then be prepared to be forced to do face masks, no matter how tired you are and listen to her talk shit about other people

If you come after she falls asleep then prepare to have her involuntary push your head into her chest

Warm cuddle buddy but her room in always cold so it doesn't really matter

Sleeps in so if you don't then be prepared for you to be stuck in her arms for a couple hours

Smirks whenever she wakes up and you start blushing

[yuikomorii]

Who do you think are the most mentally strong diaboys?

// I'd like to make a top three, even if I believe number one is already obvious:

3. Kino

Being forgotten by your true "father" and abandoned in Rottenberg is a very sad scenario. Kino was also bullied because of his race, since the ghouls did not treat someone like him well. However, after releasing his powers, they began to respect him, so Kino became their leader, and unlike other characters, he also got Yuri, his friend, by his side. Kino is a mentally strong person, but he still struggles with it, especially given his resentment of the Sakamaki brothers for obtaining Karl's "love," even though they did nothing to him. He also gaslights others for "having it better," and dwells on his past to the point of obsession. It feels as if he doesn’t live for himself anymore, but merely for recognition.

2. Kou

Losing your wealth, ending up in a manhole, then in an orphanage where you were assaulted and exploited because you were a pretty child... As horrifying as it may sound, Kou has a very realistic past because the events that happened to him actually occurred in Romania during that time period. Honestly, despite his background, I'm surprised he's generally such a cheerful person. He would have been first on the list, but Kou never moved on from his experiences. He, like Kino, held a grudge against the Sakamakis for having "a better life" than him, despite the fact that he was unaware of their past. Anyway, he was in MB at the time, and based on DF and LE, he's doing much better now and is a sunshine boy, so he deserves this spot.

1. Ayato

I guess it's always been obvious that Ayato is mentally the healthiest Diaboy. His past is almost on the level of Haruka from Moshikami, which says a lot because it's so messed up that I wouldn't have been surprised if he lost all hope, but he didn't, which is really admirable.

Ayato never complained about what he went through, never gaslighted others for having it better, never engaged in a harmful coping mechanism and never projected on others. Yes, he has insecurities; he is afraid of not being loved or not being the best, but he is not dependent on these. He could still live peacefully without achieving them. Furthermore, he doesn't need a person to "fix" or help him deal with his struggles; he simply wants someone to appreciate and believe in him.

He's a carefree person who surprisingly prefers to look on the bright side and holds no resentment toward those who have wronged him as long as he knows their reasons and that everything turned out well. His ability to forgive people so easily is both a strength and a weakness because some people do such horrible things to you that they no longer deserve your forgiveness.

I like Kino but he literally burned you alive, beat you up, stole Yui, and wanted to sell you to the church to be slaughtered, but in the end, you gave him a second chance and were the first to integrate him and recognize him as a Sakamaki?? And normally, I wouldn't mind this since I give a bunch of second chances too but the thing is, nobody is willing to forgive AYATO if things go wrong, and that's painful because it's so unfair. ://

I might have realized why Karlheinz thinks Ayato is more special than anyone else, and this quote from his DF Ecstasy epilogue perfectly explains it:

Karlheinz (describing Ayato): Valuing your life, grieving, lamenting your misfortune, suffering…

And resisting!

That’s what Adam is all about!!

Basically, what makes Ayato the official Adam is the fact that unlike other demons, who are ignorant to death, he still has a desire to live and fights for it. No matter how much pain he has endured, nothing can break him.

One of the reasons his LE route was so reviled in the Japanese and English fandoms is that nothing hurts more than seeing an energetic and strong-willed character who appeared that way in seven games suddenly lose all hope and drown in misery.

I have written a too much about Ayato, but he deserves it. He’s not the smartest or most calculated guy, but he is unquestionably the most mentally strong one, and I doubt any other Diaboy would have ended up as approachable as Ayato if he had been in his position.

[iviarellereads]

Fugitive Telemetry, Chapter 6

(Curious what I'm doing here? Read this post! For the link index and a primer on The Murderbot Diaries, read this one! Like what you see? Send me a Ko-Fi.)

In which these bot names are getting out of hand.

For all that, it takes Murderbot six minutes to establish that there is no hack. It's sure it's missing something, and it's not ready to give up yet. It relays its lack of findings to Indah, who looks briefly disappointed(1), surprising MB, before she revokes its admin access.

Aylen returns saying she's about to head out with a couple of others, and Indah suggests she take MB as well. The Lalow search has already confirmed the refugees were aboard long enough to make it from BWH, which makes the chance the crew killed them very low. Indah has told the special investigation team that if the Lalow are telling the truth, they'll be released without charges, to help more BWH refugees, so they only have a day or so to wrap things up.(2)

MB isn't doing the ship-to-ship search, because SecUnits cause panic. Instead, it's searching utility areas with hazmat techs and cargo bots. One of the techs asks MB to move a cabinet, and MB suggests they find a cargo bot to do that, but they say that JollyBaby can't fit to do it, gesturing to the nearest cargo bot.

“Its name is not JollyBaby.” Tell me its name is not JollyBaby. It was five meters tall sitting in a crouch and looked like the mobile version of something you used to dig mining shafts. JollyBaby broadcast to the feed: ID=JollyBaby. The other cargo bots and everything in the bay with a processing capability larger than a drone all immediately pinged it back, and added amusement sigils, like it was a stupid private joke. I said, “You have to be shitting me.” I already wanted to walk out an airlock and this didn’t help. (The only thing worse than humans infantilizing bots was bots infantilizing themselves.)(3)

MB asks where the PortAuth bot is, but the human just says it doesn't work in this part of the docks, and JollyBaby says Balin is for cargo management, not hauling. MB grumbles and asks where the cabinet is.

In the feed, Matif is asking Indah about the theoretical camera-jamming device, and Tural and Aylen discuss why the refugee smugglers wouldn't have made Preservation their destination. MB is thinking harder about why it couldn't find a hack, and how it feels like a massive fuck-up. It even considers asking Mensah's advice, but it can't even prove that it fucked up in not finding anything.

One of the techs, tells Aylen that an empty module is missing. The whole StatSec team leaps into action, Matif confirming with PortAuth whether it was signed out legally, and Aylen confirming that they can be pressurized. MB runs back to the "mobile command center", as they confirm that the the module wasn't signed out, it's just plain missing. They find this faster than they have other things because this is their usual sort of job.

Tural confirms for Aylen that the modules are only designed for short-term pressurization, setting them up for long-term occupation would take much longer than it's taken. MB also considers that there was no disturbance on the docks, so the refugees didn't know they were in danger while they were there.

MB theorizes they met Lutran, who loaded them into the module, but BWH agents redirected the module before it attached to Lutran's transport. The module must be somewhere and look legitimate, or an alert would have pinged or the responder would have found them by now. So, it must be attached to a ship, still out there somewhere. A BWH ship that hasn't run or tried to fight the responder, to keep its mission quiet until they get all the information they can from following the Lalow.

Which leads MB to the conclusion that it has to stop the search.

It could ask Mensah's help with this, but that would be like when Mensah's youngest called her to make an older sibling stop being an older sibling. Instead, MB tries Indah directly, privately, and explains that if the BWH agents know they've found the module, they'll kill the refugees and run, and all the systems have to be treated as compromised. Indah protests MB didn't find a hack, but MB pushes past its pride and says whoever hacked the systems must be better than it.(4) Indah finally asks how MB can be sure BWH haven't tapped this conversation, but MB says it can secure its own internals, it just can't secure PortAuth or StatSec.

Something about MB's fervor convinces her, and she redirects the search teams and calls for a reorganizing meeting with Aylen, comms-off. Indah asks MB if it can get a secure connection to the responder. MB says absolutely, and taps Mensah to ask for use of her private office, which is on a separate system that MB can better control.

Indah tells the responder to scan ships holding position outside the station, and only communicate through this secure channel. MB bounces a call from PortAuth for Indah, which can probably wait five minutes.(5) It does tell Indah she was wrong to think it wasn't a local actor. They banter about it a bit, with Aylen watching them like a tennis match until she realizes they feel secure enough to talk about it.

Only, the question is, who would have gone over to help a corporate? MB says they thought it was the culprit, but Indah says they disproved that hours ago, and Aylen adds that if it were, it wouldn't have showed them the original crime scene or helped find the Lalow. Indah adds that MB is the most paranoid person she's ever met in twenty-six years of criminal reform.(6)

The responder finally chimes in that it's found the module, attached to a ship hiding in the colony ship's shadow. Indah says the priority is to retrieve them alive. Aylen says it won't be easy, at that distance, and any operation is going to let BWH listen in and know what they're doing.

Yeah, not we, me. I said, “This is the part that’s my job.”

=====

(1) There's a vagueness here as well that I'm just rolling around like sniffing wine before you drink it. Because, there's the element that Indah is disappointed that the answer wasn't so easy, and then there's the bit where Murderbot might interpret it as disappointment in itself. (2) Nothing like a time crunch to motivate. (3) Like Miki embracing its inner kawaii? (4) Which we see in a couple pages tracks with what Indah's been suspecting, hence the earlier disappointment in not finding a hack. (5) You know, it's lines like this that really stand out when you slow down and think about each chapter. (6) I do love that it's not law enforcement, per se. That's a part of it, but the focus is here stated explicitly to be to help rehabilitate and reform those people for whom the social supports being, well, superior to your and my real world, is still insufficient to prevent crime. (7) Let's GOOOOO!

[bprats]

I should've known you'd bring me heartache Almost lovers always do

[existentialstatesofmind]

Opening Up

Clare: had read stories about the Japanese mafia claiming to be humanitarian groups that keep order in Japan. “I’m sure most of it is made up. But the mob knows how to fake running legitimate enterprises. They have office buildings, business cards, the whole works. It would be easy to get in over your head! Now I want to borrow a manga about that.” She laughed. “I guess that means boys aren’t allowed to take home ec at all? According to the paperwork Simpson handed out, it’s compulsory for girls.” She already had a feeling sexism and gender roles would need to be the topic of one of her articles. “How embarrassing. Don’t worry, I won’t take it personally and make Nastsumi feel worse.” Clare smiled at the thought of being ‘average’. “In that case, I’ll wait for Japan to buy new pants so they’ll be the right length for once.” She nodded. “I’m in no hurry and I can come back if you want me to since Emi has plans.” Clare offered. They were only going to spend a couple of hours at the mall. She kissed him again and again with more passion even though she wasn’t trying to change his mind. Soon as he stopped, Clare let go of him and blushed. “I wasn’t offering to buy lingerie. Just satin cami and shorts sets.” She expected him to sneak into her room for cuddles and making out. Nothing more. Clare smirked at Kota as she got into his car. “Why would I freak out? I didn’t even know who Yohio was. Still don’t really…” She trailed off uncertainly. Clare could’ve found out anything she wanted to know about him online but she didn’t feel comfortable violating his privacy. “Can’t be a model. A designer? Maybe an actress...West Drive’s studio isn’t far from here.” She guessed. Clare knew Murder Bunny was popular locally and in Japan, but she had no idea anyone famous would make a special trip to pick up dresses from Kota. When he helped her out and mentioned it again, she giggled. “I’m not going to embarrass you.” She still wasn’t taking his ‘warning’ seriously. So Clare had to bit down on her lip to suppress a scream when she saw who was waiting for him. She saw a picture on Instagram yesterday of Melanie Martinez’s latest split-dyed hair color, blue on the right side of her head and black on the left. The girl hugging Kota looked identical to the singer, she had the nose ring, tattoos, dark lipstick everything. Clare stared at the older girl as much as she could without breaking her promise. It couldn’t really be THE Melanie Martinez? Kota never let on he was on a first name basis with a big star. Not a single hint all the times they’d listened to her music. What if she’d said not today when he suggested giving her tour?! Clare knew what an endorsement from Melanie meant for MB and she didn’t want to act like a crazy fan so she only smiled at Melanie when he introduced them. “Hi, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I relate to your songs so much, and I love the fairy tale elements like the big bad wolf being a metaphor for something much darker.”

Kota: looked at Clare when she mentioned the manga. "I can see if I can find some for you. I mainly read manga on an app called Manga Meow and most of them were recommended to me. Others just seemed interesting. Just watch what you ready because some are more twisted than others. I do read some dark and twisted ones, but there have been some that were too dark for me to read." he explained and looked at her. "No, but that's mainly our fault. We were invited to join in home ec when the calligraphy teacher was absent, but it didn't go too well. Tanakashi-san ate most of the batter Nakashimi was working on, some boys left in the middle saying it was boring. A few of the boys just slept allowing the girls to make the cookies from them and in the middle of the class Kodomo-san's oven caught fire so we were kicked out for our own good and we're not allowed. I wasn't able to go to the class since the teacher didn't know English and I didn't know Japanese at the time." he chuckled and smiled at her. "Thank you. Tanakashi-san accidentally sets off her anxiety, but at the same time he's helping her with it. They're dating and since they've started dating, she no longer locks herself in lockers and has become more outspoken." he assured. "But there are still some things she's afraid to say. She'll keep it in till the very end, yell it out, then bow as an apology for being loud." he laughed a bit and squeezed her hand when she mentioned buying pants in Japan. "The girls don't wear pants in Japan like ever. There are pants in some styles such as Visual Kei for girls." he laughed. "Sorry I imagined you in the pants and dressed in the Visual Kei style. Visual Kei style is their version of Goth only more dramatic in some aspects or like our Punk rock clothing. All black with chains and bondage belts on the pants, but not too many girls wear the pants even dressed in Visual Kei, they prefer skirts. Other than that your only option is skirts. In the winter girls wear cotton leggings with fleece on the inside." he explained. "I mean I did do an online poll to see how many girls would wear pants in Japan and only like 3 said they would out of millions of girls that took the poll so I'm not making MB pants for girls in Japan, but in some comments they said only Yankee's would wear pants. Yankee is an insult to a Japanese woman, but they'd call you a Yankee because you are, it's basically a term for people who live on this side of the country." he explained and smiled as she spoke. "Ok good because I plan on sneaking in your room once Emi goes to sleep. Also no one knows I'm a virgin in Japan, it's kind of like here. If people found out I'm a virgin I'd have girls offer to sleep with me and guys try to help get me laid. Not too many guys are virgins in Japan after 14 and if you are it's considered an anomaly." he explained. "Girls are the same in some aspects. Most girls lose their virginity at 15 and those that don't lie about it most of the time." he shrugged. "Girls and guys are on a similar level in that aspect." he added. When Clare spoke to Melanie, Kota suppressed a laugh and turned his head to the side away from Clare for a moment. "I'm happy to hear that, Kota did tell me you're a fan." she said and shook Clare's hand before moving beside Kota as they started walking. "So I made the dress with the shoes in mind." he said as she took the shoe box out of the bag and handed him the bag, then the lid holding the shoes in hand. "I love them." she smiled and hugged him again before walking again. "I figured you might." he chuckled. "Did you get a call from Johnny Depp yet?" Mel asked looking up at him. "Why would I get a call from Johnny Depp?" he asked curiously. "Because Johnny Depp was on Jimmy Falon and Jimmy asked for his most memorable fan experience. He told the story of how he met you and your cousin in the UK and how he lectured you both on the plane and called your parents." Melanie laughed. "Mel, that's not funny. To this day I'm still forbidden to get a debit card and I have to show my mom the inside of my wallet when I get home to prove I don't have an obscene amount of cash and it's the same with my brothers now. They kind of hate both of us for it." he explained. "Or they could be mad you came up with the idea first. Besides how does a child obtain enough money to afford two tickets to the UK, a nice hotel room, and food for the two weeks you were there?" she asked. "I cleaned out my bank account. And we would've stayed longer if Johnny didn't ask us about our parents. They didn't even realize we were missing either. Genre was staying at a friend's house and my twin was pretending to be me every now and then." he explained. "Well, he knows your full name since Jimmy saw the picture and said 'Oh that's Dakota Anderson he's the head of Murder Bunny.' and showed off a pair of MB socks he was wearing on his show saying how much he loves them. He also told everyone how he owns an MB jacket too. He has the black varsity one." she explained. "I should get my assistant to find his number and call him asking if he wants me to personalize it for him." he muttered. "Do it! He'll freak out you so need to do it while I'm here and on speaker phone." she exclaimed as they got to his office. "Later?" he asked. "Ok, do you want to go bowling after?" she asked. "I wouldn't mind, but Clare's going to the mall with her friend at some point today." he explained as he got her dresses. "You didn't tell me this on the phone." she said. "You asked if I'm free." he trailed. "Can Kota and I pick you up from the mall then?" Mel asked looking at Clare.

[iviarellereads]

Fugitive Telemetry, Chapter 4

(Curious what I'm doing here? Read this post! For the link index and a primer on The Murderbot Diaries, read this one! Like what you see? Send me a Ko-Fi.)

In which I was right!

Ratthi asks if they should call StatSec for help.(1) The transport wants to let Murderbot in, but can't open the lock. MB, trying to force it open via the feed, says StatSec told it they didn't need its help. Ratthi asks exactly what they said, and MB quotes from a memory file. Gurathin wonders if it's being passive-aggressive or willfully obtuse. MB would be more upset except that he's right, and he's not stopped blocking the nearest port authority camera.

MB offers that the transport wants it to come in, and if the door's jammed, it could be a maintenance issue, which would fall under Port Authority jurisdiction, not Station Security. Gurathin says it sounds like Pin-Lee. Ratthi says Pin-Lee's worse, and would be swearing by now. As he's observing that MB and Pin-Lee swear alike,(2) MB finally gets the hatch open.

Gurathin obligingly moves out of the port camera view, so that MB can demonstrate that the door is not damaged, and was opened from inside (ish), so they should have a few minutes to snoop before Port or StatSec show up. Ratthi asks if anyone's aboard, and MB can't be sure, though the transport reported being human-less.

Inside, they smell something wretched, as if the air filtration needs maintenance. They find suspicious stinky stains, as well as a simple blue travel bag. Gurathin wonders if someone was sick, but MB makes a note to tell him to get his visual augments adjusted, as Ratthi says someone was dead, and asks if they call StatSec now. MB finally agrees to that.

It takes StatSec seven minutes to arrive, during which time MB takes plenty of images and scans of the transport.(3) They proceed with their investigation, and the Port Authority bring in techs to help repair the transport. MB isn't quite surprised to learn this is a free service by Preservation, but remarks how in the Rim, the ship would sit idle, racking up fines and fees until its owner or a rep arrived to arrange repairs.

Gurathin suggests leaving, but Ratthi and MB want to stay, so he stays in slightly uncomfortable solidarity. Indah and Tural show up a while in, and Indah says she read MB's report identifying Lutran, they received the body scan results soon after to confirm it, but asks how it knew Lutran was a passenger on this ship.

Ratthi had shifted from acting defensive to acting like this was a meeting we were all having. He said, “So it was him who was killed in there, then? The person who was found?” Tural said, “Unless it was spoofed, there was a DNA match. Spoofing isn’t unlikely, but in this case—” Indah glared at Tural and they shut up.(4)

MB clarifies that the transport identified him, but was unable to report the incident to the PortAuth with its damaged systems. Indah, skeptical, asks how MB knew it was this particular transport. MB says it didn't, it was checking ALL the transports, hence why it took so long.

Officer Aylen, the one who'd showed up first, asks if MB had anything to do with it. MB gets pissed, but then realizes Aylen thinks Lutran was from GrayCris, and MB might have killed him privately and now be trying to obfuscate the investigation. This, MB can't be angry at, because it knows it didn't do it but the assumption is perfectly logical.

MB's reponse is to say it would have made the death look accidental, or disposed of the body so it wouldn't be found. Indah asks how it would dispose of such a body, but MB says if it told, she might find the bodies it's disposed of. Ratthi cuts in VERY fast to say it's joking, while Gurathin sighs, regretting some life choices, and tells MB it should show them where it was during the murder interval.

It realizes it might have gone too far, since a human might get away with that line but a SecUnit would absolutely raise more suspicion with it,(5) and that now if it DOES have to kill some GrayCris agents, it's going to have to be very careful with the bodies afterward.(6) So, MB clips the video from its drone archive and shares it with Indah and Aylen.

Indah sighs, and tells Aylen to continue. Aylen says she had to ask, because of another clip, which she shows MB. It shows Lutran going up to the transport, entering, and then nothing. No one else was inside before, according to records, and nobody entered after, and yet Lutran was murdered and his body moved.

MB thinks how this is even more seamless than when it redacts itself in active memory in camera systems. Its organic bits get goosebumps at the thought it could be another SecUnit, or worse, a CombatUnit.

Aylen says she knows from reports on Mensah's rescue that MB can do something similar. It says yes, but only under certain circumstances, and asks if the StatSec system is compromised. Indah says there's no indication PortAuth or StatSec were hacked, so it seems like a jamming device. MB says it doesn't know of anything that could do that, and it's very unlikely such a tool would be available in the CorpRim, since they live and die by their surveillance.

MB asks if they did the same when the body was removed, but no. Aylen sends another clip which just shows a delivery cart arriving, then leaving seven minutes later, with no apparent human involvement. She says they're looking for the cart, but it's likely been sterilized, since they know the murderer had access to a cleaning field.

Gurathin asks why they didn't clean the transport, and MB suggests they thought they'd have more time to come back and do it.

Indah makes a thoughtful noise, though Aylen still looks like she suspects something of MB. Indah asks what the next step is, and Aylen says she's going to speak to the ship that was due to bring this transport's next cargo. She calls it an "outsystem ship", so MB knows it's non-corporate. Indah tells Aylen to take MB, which surprises them both.(7)

=====

(1) Sweet Ratthi, never had reason to learn that the cops aren't always the best tool for the job. (2) I don't know if I follow Ratthi's guess that Murderbot learned to cuss from Pin-Lee. There are slightly fewer cusses in the earlier books, I think, but I'd have to grab a bigger sample size of instances where each of them cuss to start doing any sort of comparative analysis. Has anyone done this yet elsewhere? (3) Very clever, take advantage of every second to gather your own data pre-contamination. (4) You know, I think we'd like Tural a lot, given a bit of time and better circumstances to get to know them. (5) Which is very discriminatory and biased but y'know, you play the hand you're dealt not the one you want. (6) Not that MB has ever shown much desire to kill people, besides the RaviHyral blackmail incident. (7) On the one hand, I'm sure Indah knows the value of "keep your enemies closer". Also, if MB is getting itself involved in the trouble anyway, it might speed things up to just let it participate instead of going off on its own and doubling the work. Plus, she can't deny it found the murder site faster than her team did. So, I'm not all that surprised at all.