#but most people have some level fear towards radiation

[listen-to-the-inner-walrus]

i vaguely remember seeing a post about the woman on tiktok illegally digging a tunnel under her house to make a storm shelter, but i did not realise that 1) she has 0 qualifications and works in IT, 2) she got into her areas watertable and started pumping groundwater out into her yard, 3) when a fire broke out, she recorded herself putting it out with a fire extinguisher in one hand and her phone in the other, 4) she hit a radon gas bubble, 5) shes located somewhere with big sulphur pockets and as she got into the waterline, she might have produced sulphuric acid which leaks into the aquifer, aka she could be poisoning the local drinking water, 6) she lives on a CUL-DE-SAC, 7) shes just been releasing silica dust whilst not using respiratory gear herself, let alone warning her neighbours, and 8) her neighbours have said the ground would randomly shake sometimes but many of them felt they couldnt report it to local authorities for fear of deportation.

she has now been stopped and seems to think that since shes only tunneling under her property, itll be easy to get permits to continue. she also drives a tesla which... yeah, that sounds about right.

[beloved-calypso]

・ ゜ ʚɞ ゜ ゜𝖂𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖒𝖆𝖐𝖊𝖘 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖘𝖊𝖉𝖚𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖛𝖊? ♡ ・ ゜ ʚɞ ゜ ゜‎♡‧₊˚✧ ૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა ✧˚₊‧♡ 18+!

♡ “𝐼𝓉’𝓈 𝒾𝓃𝓉𝑒𝓁𝓁𝒾𝑔𝑒𝓃𝒸𝑒 𝓂𝒾𝓍𝑒𝒹 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝓁𝑒𝓈𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓃 𝒾𝓃𝓃𝑜𝒸𝑒𝓃𝒸𝑒, 𝒾𝓉’𝓈 𝒸𝓇𝓊𝑒𝓁𝓉𝓎 𝓂𝒾𝓍𝑒𝒹 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝒶 𝓈𝑒𝓃𝓈𝑒 𝑜𝒻 𝑒𝓁𝑒𝑔𝒶𝓃𝒸𝑒. 𝐼𝓉’𝓈 𝒶 𝓉𝓇𝒶𝓅 𝓈𝑒𝓉 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓈𝑒𝒹𝓊𝒸𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃 𝓉𝑜 𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓈𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓅𝑒𝓇𝓈𝓊𝒶𝒹𝑒𝒹 𝒷𝓎 𝓈𝓅𝑒𝑒𝒸𝒽.”–𝒥𝑜𝓈𝑒 𝑅. 𝒞𝑜𝓇𝑜𝓃𝒶𝒹𝑜 ♡

All pictures and gifs are not mine but belong to their original artists.♡

I. -> II. -> III.

ᴍᴅɴɪ! ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴘᴀᴄ ᴅᴏᴇꜱ ɴᴏᴛ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴀɪɴ ᴇxᴘʟɪᴄɪᴛ ʟᴀɴɢᴜᴀɢᴇ ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴜʙᴊᴇᴄᴛ ᴍᴀᴛᴛᴇʀ ɪꜱ ᴀᴅᴜʟᴛ. ᴛʜᴇꜱᴇ ᴇɴᴇʀɢɪᴇꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ɴᴇᴀʀʟʏ ɪᴅᴇɴᴛɪᴄᴀʟ ᴛᴏ ᴍʏ, "ᴡʜᴀᴛ'ꜱ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʙᴇᴀᴜᴛʏ ᴛʏᴘᴇ" ᴘɪᴄᴋ ᴀ ᴄᴀʀᴅ. ɪ'ᴍ ɢᴜᴇꜱꜱɪɴɢ ᴀ ʟᴏᴛ ᴏꜰ ʏᴀ'ʟʟ ᴍɪɢʀᴀᴛᴇᴅ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ? ᴏɴʟʏ 3 ᴘɪʟᴇꜱ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴘᴀᴄ. ɪ'ᴍ ᴡᴏʀᴋɪɴɢ ᴏɴ ᴀ ʙɪɢɢᴇʀ ᴘʀᴏᴊᴇᴄᴛ ʀᴇʟᴀᴛɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ꜱᴇᴅᴜᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ꜰᴏʀ ʏᴏᴜ ɢᴜʏꜱ! ᴀʟꜱᴏ, ɪ ᴀᴘᴏʟᴏɢɪᴢᴇ ɪɴ ᴀᴅᴠᴀɴᴄᴇ ɪꜰ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴀʀᴇ ɢʀᴀᴍᴍᴀʀ ᴏʀ ᴘᴜɴᴄᴛᴜᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴍɪꜱᴛᴀᴋᴇꜱ. ᴇɴɢʟɪꜱʜ ɪꜱ ᴍʏ ꜰɪʀꜱᴛ ʟᴀɴɢᴜᴀɢᴇ. ɪ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ꜱᴜᴄᴋ ᴀᴛ ɪᴛ.

~ XOXO 💋🎀

౿૮꒰ྀི pile 1 ๑◞��ა

[King of Swords (rx), The Magician, 6 of wands (rx)]

Pile 1 you have a strong, silent confidence about you. Maybe some of you have Scorpio in your chart. I'm also getting Capricorn and Virgo. You may not think that you come off as intimidating, but you radiate power from within. I think your seductive powers come from the way you manipulate your energy, as in you know how to close off and open yourself to people. You have an intimidating but dominating aura, and to other people, you seem very selective with who you socialize. You may come off as someone cold and judgemental, as someone with prominent masculine energy, someone who is almost invulnerable and cloaked in mystery. You have an aura of prestige and unattainability. You like having control over situations and you always keep your head up high, like no one can disturb your peace or step up to you so easily. When you speak, you're either super charismatic or a tease, only getting people to know the surface level of you. People may assume that you have an inner rich world and there's a treasure trove of knowledge and intrigue hidden deep inside you, but you won't show it to just anyone. You may often find yourself being the one to make the first move. People view you to be irresistible, even when you act cold towards them, they can't help but feel this magnetic pull towards you. You sometimes act coy and sly to get suitors that are on the more dominant side. You definitely like to play power games. You know how to say all the right things and you even butter those people up. Maybe you don't get as much attention as you want, but only because most people don't have the confidence to approach you. They'd be quick to expect the worst and are too scared to get their feelings hurt because they expect you to be unkind with your words. I think also you have quite the ego and you choose to hide this, but in fact, you love it when people express praise and admiration to you too. You preen under the attention, and people want to give it to you because they feel that the easiest way to get closer to you is to flatter your vanity. People assume that you get offers all the time and that they have to come towards you correct and with originality to stand out from the crowd. You also have a strong enough sense of self to where even if you get rejected, you act cool and detached, and that causes people to both admire and fear your fearlessness. Even in those types of situations where you feel powerless, you appear to come out on top. There's just something dangerous about you like you invoke strong feelings of arousal and fear (think of sexy, bad-boy villains). People want to be worthy of your attention. More dominant types can either see you as a challenge or a threat, and the softer types will know not to even try it. You are an exclusive, a VIP only treat.

⊰᯽⊱┈───── ✧

౿૮꒰ྀི pile 2 ๑◞꒱ა

7 of Swords (rx), Page of pentacles, The Magician

There's so much yellow in these cards Pile 2! You're hard NOT to notice. Maybe you have a bright, yellow, or orange-colored aura. You may wear bright-colored clothes or have light hair. Yellow also makes me think of clarity/exposure, so maybe you're the type to see right through other people's gimmicks and are a clear, concise communicator. You can sense BS a mile away and very few can get one up on you. You don't sugarcoat your words and they can cut deep. You can be quite witty and sarcasm may be your favorite language, but I get the sense that you prefer to be alone. Your seductive power lies within your drive, nonchalant attitude, and ability to maximize your sex appeal. Your mind is busy, constantly racing. You may think a lot about the future and are rarely ever in the present moment, or you are so in the present moment that everything around you is just background noise and your attention is focused on what you're doing You're a busy bee and it can be hard to get your attention, and many people want your attention. The way you glamorize and dress is so enticing. It's giving me classy, 90's supermodel vibes. You are intellectual and a high achiever. People think they have to be at a certain level of success to match with you. You're ambitious, resourceful, and all about your money and career. You want stability from your relationships and nothing less; no games or empty promises. You may also be the type to get involved in deep, cerebral conversations. The way you seduce and like to be seduced is through the mind. You want to be mentally stimulated and in turn, stimulate your partners the same way ( waving hi to the sapiosexuals). Your partners have to have value and a certain level of intellect in your eye for you to give them the time of day. You don't care for shallowness or dishonesty. People know they have to go the extra mile to impress you. You already impress and intimidate the f*ck out of them. Maybe you were also attracted to Pile 1 cause I got a similar energy there. You know how to make things happen Pile 2. You are long-term material. People may even see you as a chess piece, like having someone like you on their side would be beneficial and a power move. People fantasize about being part of a power couple with you. They want you to dominate them, even control them a bit. Lol, I think a lot of people think it's sexy when you get mad. They like to rile you up and direct all that passionate energy you have towards them. You seem to have it all, and you can't accept anything but the best from other people. It's giving boss/career woman energy. It's like at the snap of your fingers things magically happen. You're like a shooting star and people will do anything to stay in your orbit.

⊰᯽⊱┈───── ✧

౿૮꒰ྀི pile 3 ๑◞꒱ა

[9 of wands (rx), 8 of Cups, The chariot, The world]

You're empaths Pile 3. Ya'll live in your heads but are worldly and experienced beings. I didn't get the Fool, but I think that would be the perfect card to describe you, as someone who is adventurous, hyperactive, and a risk-taker. You are naturally extroverted, but I'm getting for some, it's easy to be alone in a crowd, like you could socialize, but you prefer to stay in your bubble and just explore the going-ons. You have many passions and constantly carry this enthusiastic energy around you. People find this incredibly seductive. They get caught up in this energy and are quick to follow your lead thinking that what you have to offer is nothing less but happiness and adventure. You have a zest for life, a Je ne sais quoi that leaves people captivated by you. They are in awe as to where you get this excitable energy, how you're so courageous and unafraid of anything. It's easy for people to lose themselves in you like you make them forget all the bad things in their life. Some of you are frequent travelers and dream about exploring the world. Your head is in the clouds and while some people consider you to be unrealistic and naive, they envy how nothing can seem to bring you down. You make people feel like they can achieve anything, like being with you is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Around you, the sun seems brighter, colors are more saturated, and the birds are constantly chirping. You make people feel young. I think you're also natural healers like you know how to soothe and uplift people that are wounded and hurt. You know how to work them through their pain and distract them from it with something spontaneous and lighthearted. This results in people forming attachments towards you and idolizing you (for some this could be to an unhealthy degree). I think your voice is high-pitched and you talk with a hyperactive flair that people think is cute. You have an easier time forming relationships and convincing people to do things with and for you. It's easy for people to have their guard down around you because you are such a breath of fresh air. You don't attract specific types of people, but rather anyone and everyone. You're so dreamy Pile 3 that if people don't often approach you, it's because they are too busy daydreaming about you to approach. To them, you're someone that can't be tied down or fully theirs, so some prefer to fantasize rather than get their heart broken. You're a literal dream Pile 3!

⊰᯽⊱┈───── ✧

ᴀɴʏ ᴄʀɪᴛɪᴄɪꜱᴍꜱ ᴏʀ ꜰᴇᴇᴅʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴀʀᴇ ᴡᴇʟᴄᴏᴍᴇᴅ. ɪ'ᴍ ᴛᴀᴋɪɴɢ ᴀ ɴᴇᴡ ᴅɪʀᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜɪꜱ ʙʟᴏɢ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀᴍ ᴏᴘᴇɴ ᴛᴏ ᴀɴʏ ᴏᴘɪɴɪᴏɴꜱ ᴀꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ɪ ᴄᴀɴ ɪᴍᴘʀᴏᴠᴇ ɪᴛ. ♡

ᴅɪꜱᴄʟᴀɪᴍᴇʀ

© lolita-bonita — Please do not plagiarize, translate, or repost any of my work on other social media platforms without my permission. This is the only platform that I post this type of content. If you see my work being posted anywhere else, please kindly report them to me. ♡

⊱┈───── ✧

✨️ᴘʟᴇᴀꜱᴇ ɴᴏᴛᴇ: Tarot is not an exact science, nor can it produce information that is factually true. All things posted are alleged and for entertainment purposes only. The future is fluid, and what may happen is based on your choices and actions, not what I and a deck of cards say. You are still the creator of your future. ✨️

⊰᯽⊱┈───── ✧

[empresskylo]

beneath the mask ✩ chapter 7 ⬅ch.6

➠𝐌𝐃𝐍𝐈; 𝟏𝟖+ 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓; 𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐓 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓 ➠SIMON "GHOST" RILEY X AFAB!READER ➠CHAPTER TAGS | afab!reader. nightmares. wc 3.2k ➠AUTHOR'S NOTE | this chapter got me feelin some typa way

𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 ✩ 𝐜𝐨𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 ✩ 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

ghost struggled to come to terms with his feelings towards you. he knew he had grown to like you, but what did that entail exactly? was he interested beyond friendship? and even if he was, he couldn’t act on his desires – a lieutenant can't get himself involved with a subordinate medic. and the fact that you were often on his team meant he was your direct superior half of the time… things could get messy extremely fast. 

he also liked to tell himself that you wanted something he couldn’t offer. a relationship – romantic or platonic – he had an unrelenting habit of closing people out.

so ghost decided he should avoid you. not entirely, that would be impossible , but he had to shake you from his thoughts. he needed time to wipe out the memory of you pressed against him in that closet. of the way your hands felt wrapped around him on his motorcycle. the fear that coursed through him as he watched you run into that burning house. 

he thought of you often, and he fucking hated it . 

he thought back to the day he spoke to you before thinking: “ you’re the one who told me to let people in. ” you had properly scared him when you ran into that flaming building. that’s when he knew he had let you slip into the cracks of his shell without even realizing it. 

i’d sooner kick your ass off my fuckin’ team if it meant keepin’ you safe. from leavin’ me. 

he had immediately regretted the words. he told you he’d kick you off the team if it meant keeping you from getting yourself killed – aka – leaving him. 

he ran a hand down his scarred face as he looked in the bathroom mirror and sighed. he was worried you’d get the wrong idea. granted, he meant exactly what he said, but admitting that to you was a new level of danger simon wasn’t accustomed to. becoming acquainted with his teammates was one thing, but letting you in was a whole different story and he didn’t know why. he didn’t know why he started to crave your presence, ever since he had you bandaging him up after he was shot weeks ago. you had been different… you were still radiating hope. this shithole hadn’t crushed your soul yet. you reminded him a bit of soap. 

he grabbed the sides of the sink and stared at his reflection, disgust rising in his throat. why, of all people, did it have to be you? why couldn’t his cold, dead heart beat for someone outside of this line of work? or even better, for no one at all . 

i’ve neva had a lil’ crush on my lieutenant, actin’ like this is all a big fuckin’ game.

his own words clogged his brain. god, there was no way you’d forgive him for being such an ass. and maybe that was for the best. 

he went over all the reasons he needed to pry you from his thoughts: your relationship would be forbidden; he’d hurt you; you’d probably hurt him; you’re too young for him; he has no fucking idea how to navigate a romantic relationship. all solid reasons to him.

then a stupid, careless thought popped into his head. maybe…maybe he could just get you out of his system… but were you the type of girl who could do sex with no strings attached? simon didn’t want to admit that he’d certainly be the one who’d get attached, so he scratched that off his – lacking – list of options with the rationale being that you’d probably get hung up over him.

all these logical reasons, and he still couldn’t shake you. he was fucked . 

it was late and simon had a meeting with price, a quick debrief on the whole hassan situation. he kept his outfit light, sporting just a long-sleeved black shirt, black sweats, his combat boots, mask, and gun strapped to his hip. most of the barracks would be asleep by now unless soap had somehow convinced gaz to play another round of poker. 

ghost walked the halls, stealthy in the shadows of the flickering fluorescent lights overhead. it was a natural part of his gait now: to blend in and be silent. 

he stretched his arms over his head as he sauntered down the corridors. he heard a strange noise echo down one of the halls and he halted. curious, he changed direction and started to walk down the right corridor towards the sound, hearing the noise more clearly now. it was coming from one of the rooms. 

it sounded like… crying. someone was sobbing and whimpering in distress. 

ghost’s first reaction was that someone was hurt, in trouble, but as he edged towards the door, he realized it sounded more like someone having a night terror. 

he slowly pushed open the door that had already been left slightly ajar, letting the faded light slip into the room, and spotted you on your tiny, smaller-than-a-twin sized bed. he cursed at himself when he realized it was your room he was walking into uninvited.

but that moment of doubt slipped when he heard you begin to cry, whining in your sleep. he made it over to the side of your bed and said your name softly, not sure what else to do. 

when you didn’t respond, he rubbed the back of his neck and tried again. “ come on. wake up .” he attempted to be quiet, he didn’t want anyone to hear him and come snooping about, finding him in your room… at night… in the dark. wanting to prevent that, he quickly went to your bedroom door and shut it before going back to your side whilst muttering curses. his hand came out, softly resting on your shoulder, and he gently shook you. “wake up,” he tried again. 

he clicked on the light by your bedside and felt his heart twinge when he looked back at you. the lamp created a terrible yellow glow, but that didn’t disguise the tears you had streaming down your cheeks. 

he leaned over you, his body getting precariously close to yours, and he gave you a harder nudge. this time,  you finally opened your eyes. the tears continued to pour down your face and you hiccuped a tired sob out. ghost tucked some of your disheveled hair behind your ear on instinct. “ you’re okay ,” he said faintly. 

“ghost…?” he saw your lips quiver as you sat up, realizing you weren't alone in the room, and you reached for him, almost colliding with ghost’s head, wrapping your arms around his neck. he jolted upright a bit in surprise, pulling you with him. his arms hesitated, but after a few moments, they found a spot around your waist like his body was familiar with this. 

he could feel you crying into his neck and his hand on you tightened, pulling you flesh against him. 

“please don’t tell anyone,” you mumbled against him. 

ghost was oblivious to his hands as they began to rub circles on your back. “why would i tell anyone?”

you pulled away, your hands still clasped around his neck, and looked at him. ghost gulped. your eyes were red and teary but that just made them that much more vibrant. you had tear marks down your cheeks and your hair was all over the place. his chest tightened momentarily. he desperately wanted to wipe the tears from your cheeks, but he refrained by tightening his grip on you instead.

your eyes shifted down in embarrassment. “just… will you keep this between us? please.”

it hurt him to think that you either thought so lowly of him to worry that he might use this against you, or because of the fact that you didn’t want anyone to know you were struggling. 

a pang of hurt spread through ghost before quickly subsiding. did you think he was the type of person who would casually gossip? fuck , of course you did. you were probably worried he’d throw this back in your face in the future. he had done nothing but diss out insults and begruding remarks at you since day one. has he ever said a kind word to you? he was trying to remember, but your face so close to him made it hard. 

ghost thought about his own nightmares that plagued him and how he hadn’t told anyone either. he kept it to himself. knowing that feeling, he nodded at you in an unspoken promise: this was between the two of you, and the two of you only. 

you released your arms awkwardly and ghost set you back down so you were sitting on your bed. that's when he realized you were only in a tank top and sleep shorts – skimpy ones at that. he averted his eyes quickly, though he desperately wanted to linger on you. 

“sorry,” you said. ghost couldn’t see, but he figured you’d be blushing. “this is so embarrassing.” you buried your face in your hands. 

“it’s not,” he said finally. 

you looked up at him and gave him a mirthless smile. “it is. i can’t believe i still get nightmares like a kid.”

ghost’s hands slipped into his pockets, unsure of what else to do with them. “i get 'em too.”

you shied away from his gaze. “you don’t have to say that.”

“i wouldn’t lie jus’ t’make you feel better.” he didn’t know why he had to say it like that, but he was relieved when you gave a small laugh, even if it was breathless. 

“yeah, well it seems more appropriate for you.”

he tilted his head in a quizzical manner. 

“ i just mean that you have been in combat… i can’t imagine the horrors you’ve seen… things you’ve done…”

“jus’ cause you haven’t killed people with your own hands, doesn’t mean you can’t have things that haunt you.”

you swallowed, your mouth suddenly dry. your intention wasn’t to get ghost to comfort you – he was probably wishing he had never walked into your room right about now – you were simply embarrassed and wanted to gloss over the situation, but it came off as self-deprecating. it figures he wouldn’t let that slide. 

ghost shifted between his feet. you felt your face warm as he stared down at you sitting cross-legged on your bed. 

ghost opened his mouth to speak but you beat him to it. “would you stay with me?”

oh my god. you waved your hands in front of you frantically. “no, sorry. i don’t know why i said that. i–i’ll just go bother soap. don’t worry about me,” you said all at once as one long slur of words. you can’t believe you just asked your lieutenant that, especially now that he knows about your ‘lil crush’, as he called it. he’d certainly think you were obsessed or reading things wrong. 

to much of your astonishment, ghost gestured his head forward, indicating he wanted you to scoot over. you clumsily did, your shoulder now against the wall. 

the room was small, just one bed with a mattress – the other cot was barren, your roommate situation up in the air at the moment – and there was no chair. he only had one option if he was to stay with you.

a pang of annoyance coursed through ghost. what could johnny do that he couldn’t? he thought to himself in challenge. and so he settled in beside you, his legs stretching across your bed. it was a tight squeeze with his formidable frame and your tiny ass bed.

you felt your whole body heat up, his shoulder against yours as he squeezed into the small space. 

ghost was doing precisely the opposite of what he had just lectured himself on. 

“you don’t have to…i didn’t mean to–”

“jus’ close that mouth of yours and go t’sleep,” he said coolly, though his skin was burning where you leaned against him. 

you were propped up on your pillow and you both laid there in silence. ghost wanted to say something – to tell you he was sorry. to tell you that he is only an ass because he doesn’t know how to control his emotions. but the words evaded him. and that was probably for the best. 

you weren’t sure how you were going to fall asleep with ghost now at your side, keeping you on edge. but after only a few minutes, your eyes grew heavier and fluttered shut against your will, your head lulled against him as sleep overtook you. his presence reminded you that you were safe. 

he felt safe . 

simon cursed under his breath as he felt himself smile when you leaned into him, your body falling into a slumber. he knew better than to allow this. he pushed his mask up slightly to rub his mouth and chin, itching to get away from you, and touch you, all at the same time. 

you woke in the morning, alone in your bed, your blanket tucked around you, and the smell of ghost lingering on your sheets. 

days had gone by and you and ghost had been successful in ignoring one another. 

you stood in the training room, plenty of other soldiers around you, either working out on a machine alone or in pairs. you stood on a training mat and huffed. you had decided to keep practicing your combat skills for the chance that another mission would pop up. you wanted to be prepared. only having the skillset of a medic wasn’t cutting it for you anymore. not after what you went through. what if one of the other men hadn’t been there to save you – i.e. ghost.

you were stretching your arm across your chest when hands wrapped around your waist and lifted you up off the ground. a burst of giggles left you as soap spun you around before plopping you back down. you turned to face him. “can i help you?” you teased. 

“actually, thought maybe i’d help ya train for a lil bit. if ya wanted,” he offered. he wore leisure workout clothes and had already set his water bottle down beside the mat. 

“you don’t have to. i’m sure you’d rather–”

“let me stop you right there, lass. i'm offerin’ because i want to. quit second guessin’ yourself.”

you gave him a faint smile. he was right. soap was always right – but you would never tell him that. it would just get to his head. 

“alright. fine, then.”

he grinned and began to stretch. 

thirty minutes must have gone by and you were drenched in sweat as soap pinned you to the mat time and time again. 

“i thought you woulda improved since last time,” soap teased. 

you playfully rolled your eyes and brushed your hands against your sweats, getting ready to go again. “it’s not my fault! i’m trying!”

“well, whatever percent you’re givin’ it, double that.”

you scoffed but smiled brightly at him. you had been so caught up in the moment, you never noticed when ghost had came into the training room. there were multiple soldiers scattered around, so even if you had been paying attention, you still might not have seen him.

he wore gray sweats today and a tight black shirt. a sight you would have got choked up over.

“arms up,” johnny commanded. 

you listened, setting your hands and arms in the correct position that he had shown you earlier. then soap launched at you, and you tried to dodge his attack, side-stepping swiftly. but soap was lithe and nimble. he hooked his arm around you and pulled you to the ground and you let out a yelp. 

you landed on your back and looked up at soap breathlessly. he was nestled between your legs that were bent at the knee. his hands were on either side of your shoulders. 

“now what’re you gonna do, lass?” he teased. 

you smirked and attempted a move he had demonstrated earlier and that you had used when ghost pinned you in this position. you squeezed your thighs around soap’s waist and tried to roll your body. you felt soap go limp, allowing you to more easily roll him underneath you – if he hadn’t, you likely wouldn’t have had the strength to maneuver him. 

soap smirked as you landed on top of him, straddling his hips and giving him a self-assured, satisfied look. 

“don’t look too cocky. i let you move me.”

you rolled your eyes and huffed. “soap,” you whined. “how am i gonna learn if you do that?”

soap’s hands lingered on your hips, both of you blatantly unaware of how intimate you may have looked right then. 

“you’re half my size, lass. so unless you wanna bulk up, yer never gonna be able to move me.”

you shook your head. he was right. 

“i jus’ want you t’know how to execute the basics for now. know t’motions. don’t worry bout anything else.”

“ugh,” you sighed. “you really had me thinking i could best you.”

soap chuckled, and in a lazy motion, he pushed you off of him so you fell to your side on the mat. “never gonna happen, love.”

you pursed your lips and begrudgingly accepted his hand as he hoisted you up. 

ghost was sat across the gym, leaning on his spread-out knees, twirling a knife in his hand as he watched you and soap. you hadn’t felt it, but his eyes were on the two of you the entire time he was in the training room. there was fire blazing inside ghost as he watched you and soap all over each other.

soap was squeezing his water bottle into his mouth, walking towards ghost. “hey, l.t.” he called. ghost’s eyes flickered away from you – who was currently collecting your things to leave – and looked up at soap. he gave him a grunt as a greeting, but that was all. 

“what’s got your panties in a knot?” johnny asked, scratching his scruff as he eyed which machine to work out on next. 

ghost’s hand clenched his knife, his eyes tracing your figure as you left the gym, completely unaware of his presence. he should talk to you , he thought. things had been left… uncomfortable between the two of you. were you friends? did you still think he hated you? were you actually interested in him? could you forgive him for being a jerk? did he even want you to forgive him? were you still embarrassed about him finding you crying in your room?

ghost stood against his better judgment, wanting to follow you out of the gym, but before he could take his first step, gaz appeared beside you, draping an arm across your shoulders, and walking with you out the door, both of you laughing at something he said. 

“fuckin’ hell,” ghost muttered to himself. he slid his knife aggressively into it’s sheath above his sweats and decided to take his frustration out the only way he knew how: overworking his body. 

johnny watched as simon approached some equipment and jumped up to the pull-up bar and began heaving himself up and down with what looked like he was exerting no effort at all. the way he was going at it so hard made johnny wonder if he was okay. 

“ghost,” soap called.

“leave it, soap,” simon replied with a grunt, wanting to drown his inability to digest his own emotions in a workout. he’d rather clear his mind with needless violence, but this would have to do for now.

chapter 8 ➡

[izgnanik-a]

If You’ve Been Waiting (For Falling In Love)

cw: Trans!Simon x Johnny, mutual pining, mentioned homophobia, slight miscommunication trope, first kiss

Don’t like? Don’t read.

Simon always felt lost without direction, and maybe that made him a good soldier. So when he found someone who was willing to guide him without question, he felt like something clicked.

There was some primordial urge within him to just follow, be a good soldier, an obedient dog — he never complained. Especially when the order came from someone as level headed as Captain John MacTavish.

The decorated Captain was not only a great soldier, but a good man.

In the years serving with him, they’d become an inseparable pair. There were shared cigarettes while waiting for evac on missions when they shouldn’t have, drinks shared over hard victories, vicious fights and scars that landed them both in the hospital.

There was a connection so wound tight that there was never a doubt that Simon could just come out with the most outrageous things.

Like when he came out to his Captain.

They’d been drinking a bit, and John was leaned up against him, arm over his shoulder, they’d been sharing laughs and it felt right. It felt safe. It fell out while he was staring up at the side of his Captain’s face.

There was never a moment where John felt unsafe to be around, he’d been courageous and selfless plenty of times. He was a human being who honored his word, who valued loyalty and honesty. He was the people’s hero.

Why would John MacTavish begin with homophobia?

The word trans hadn’t been a common place among the military, but especially when rules mandated that no one tell their people if they were, because it wasn’t the place for it. The military was a place to serve the country, nothing more.

But in those moments of processed drunkenness, and staring at each other, Simon felt his heart pounding in his chest.

That night he cried.

And John MacTavish had been there to comfort him through his terror of rejection.

Nothing changed.

Though Simon had feared the worst, the worst never came. They still smoked cigarettes on long nights, got drinks together, crashed at each other’s places during leave, and had their long talks on the roof of Riley’s apartment complex.

In between missions, MacTavish invited Riley to his place. There was football playing on the TV when he walked in.

“John?” Simon called as he untied his shoes at the door.

“Yeah?” He called back.

Simon followed the sound of John in the kitchen, the handle of a knife in his teeth as he occupied his hands with his dish. “Is that safe?”

MacTavish plucked the knife from his mouth and set it down, “Of course it is. I’m handling it.”

“Let me correct myself; is it sanitary?”

“It’s my kitchen. My sandwich.” He began cleaning up his mess. “Make yourself useful and grab me a drink.”

Simon opened the fridge as John put his condiments back in the door, his chest brushing Simon’s shoulder. He paused.

“Take-away is chicken parm.” He remarked before stepping aside.

“What’s wrong with it?”

“Nothing.”

“Why aren’t you eating it?” Simon looked over his shoulder towards John exiting.

“Because I know you will.” He muffled over a bite of his food.

Simon peered back into the fridge with a breath. Working alongside MacTavish had always been handsy. They trusted each other. They were friends outside of their line of work, which was rare. With closure came trust, vulnerability, loyalty.

Simon was a dog with a good owner. And there was nothing he wouldn’t do for him.

But that translated into hard unrequited feelings. Feelings that were considering insubordination. Simon couldn’t let that surface.

“The game’s almost over.” MacTavish remarked from the other room.

Simon grabbed himself and John two cans of beer before saddling on the couch beside him. There was enough space to just feel the heat radiating off of his arms, to get a brush of elbow when he reached for his sandwich in his lap.

Simon kept his eyes fixed on the TV ahead.

“You’re not gonna eat?” MacTavish asked him.

“Not hungry right now.”

John hummed, picking up a can of beer and cracking it open. His attention was fixed ahead, TV glossing off his eyes, and Simon couldn’t help but stare at the side of his face again.

From being on leave for so long, his hair started to grow back in around his neck. The faded hair was now growing in its natural patches down his nape, and growing thicker around his ears. The hair began curling softly on his forehead, Mohawk past military regulations.

His beard was the only kept thing, shaved down to his usual shadow.

He was comfy in his sweatshirt and pants, with his socks a slightly different shade of black from the other, he looked homely.

There had been plenty of domestic moments like these; lunches in Riley’s kitchen, sitting in silence as they passed the kettle in the morning at MacTavish’s, laughing so hard on their backs their ribs hurt while drunk out on the streets.

If there was anyone Simon would choose, it would be John.

John reached for his beer again, gesturing to Simon’s, “Am I the only one drinking tonight or what?” He teased as he passed a glance at Simon, bringing his can to his lips.

Simon felt the giddy anticipation in his stomach at that smirk of his. He took his beer, cracked it open, and chugged until he felt like he was going to shoot it back out through his nostrils. He set it down, empty on the table.

John stared at him. “You alright?”

Simon took a moment. “I’m going to tell you something, and I don’t want you to freak out.”

Staring at the look of anxiousness crossing Simon’s face, John didn’t have an ounce of understand. He shrugged softly, still holding his can. “Okay?”

He was already biting on the inside of his mouth before he could say it. He would say it, he had to. It had been eating at him since the day he’d come out, maybe even before that. And if he didn’t confess now then it would have all been for nothing.

Simon turned his body towards John, knee brushing his thigh, nudging his plate. He looked into his Captain’s eyes.

And he was patient. He was kind. He was willing.

Did he deserve to be burdened with Simon’s emotion? Did he deserve to be given this confession whether he wanted it or not? What if John never thought of him other than a friend? What if he was just a loyal soldier to him? He wouldn’t have allowed him into his personal life if it had been just that.

Don’t be stupid, Riley. Simon thought to himself. Say it.

“God.” Simon shook his head. “I can’t.”

“Can’t what? Hey.” John grabbed his arm as he was turning forward, standing.

“Forget I said it. I’m just tired.”

“Sit.”

“I’ll feel better in the morning—“

“Sit.” MacTavish demanded, putting a little tug into the hand on Simon’s bicep.

Simon sat, far much closer than he had before.

“Tell me what’s going on, Riley.” John asked. His voice returned to something soft. He kept his eyes locked on the micro-movements of Simon’s face. His eyes darted along the slopes of scars and flesh. “Talk to me.”

Simon’s bottom lip fell open on words, but they failed him. His heart was pounding in his chest, and he felt like he was behind the scope of a gun on his first mission again. The target was right ahead, but there was some distance between him and them. There was wind, and sun glare, and pressure to make his shot perfect.

MacTavish’s palm against his sternum did nothing to calm him, but his soft breathing against the side of his face brought him in to focus. He matched his breath to the audible noise.

“Good.” John praised. He kept his hand firm on Simon’s sternum, bring his other hand to Simon’s nape. His thumb applied such soft pressure to his trap that it was euphoric.

Simon shut his eyes as MacTavish soothed his hand against his chest in small circles.

“Good.” He praised again. “Nice and easy.” His whisper was something to fall asleep to. It was intimate, warm, sweet as it balanced between Simon’s ears and the hands on his body.

He let an audible sigh escape his nostrils, a soft hum escaping his throat.

“Good boy.” MacTavish squeezed his nape again, soothing his fingers into the base of Simon’s skull. “Now. Try again. Tell me.”

Simon let his chin tuck to his chest, his eyes falling on the circles drawn into his shirt. “I think I am in love with you.”

John’s hands stilled on Simon’s body, and he felt like he’d launched the wrong codes. The nukes were coming, he was a dead man.

Simon forced his eyes shut again. “I don’t deserve to feel that way about you. You’re my captain, and I’m sorry. I don’t know what has gotten into me, and how it happened. But I felt like this for a while. I tried to put it aside for years, thinking it’ll just go away, it’ll pass. But every time I think it’s going away, it gets worse again.”

There was silence behind his words, the TV playing commercial breaks. No cars passing in the street, no people walking their dogs, no neighbors fighting.

Just Simon and his blistering thoughts.

“If you want my to transfer, I’ll do it. I’ll leave you be. Because you didn’t ask for this. You wanted honesty, and I felt like I wasn’t being honest with you. I didn’t feel like I was being honest when I didn’t tell you I was trans. I didn’t feel honest when I didn’t tell you this — but I’m telling you now. And I’ll do anything you want me to. I’ll leave. Never have to see me again. I’ll understand.”

Simon felt the hand on his chest leave.

“It’s not the first time and it won’t be the last—“

Fingers gripped his jaw and he ripped his eyes open to MacTavish turning his head up from his chest. Holding his head back by a hand on his throat, the back of Simon’s head was pressed up against the couch cushion.

And John was kissing him.

John was kissing him.

Soft lips overtaking Simon’s, stationary, just a press of skin. Simon stared at John’s closed eyes in disbelief. Was this to mock him? Kick him while he was still down? He didn’t understand.

John pulled away, just until his lips ghosted over Simon’s, eyes still shut. His hand kept Simon from escape the couch.

“John?” Simon said lowly.

He hummed in response as his other hand dared to tempt at Simon’s hair, smoothing over the top of his head to lean against his back of the couch.

“Why’d you kiss me?”

John peeled his eyes open, keeping them fixed on Simon’s mouth as he clasped his face in his hands. “Because I’ve been waiting for you to.”

Simon furrowed his brow in confusion. “What?”

“I never picked anyone in this team but you.”

“But — you said it was because I was the specialist.”

“You are.”

“And you picked me.”

“I did.” John purred. “And I’ve been waiting for you to make a move, because I was afraid I’d run you off.”

Simon peered along his captain’s face in disbelief, muddled with delight, he felt his chest tighten with every short breath. “How long were you going to wait?”

“Another year. If you didn’t come to me first.”

“You—“ Simon bat his fist against John’s ribs. “Bastard.”

John flinched and laughed, “I thought I’d made it obvious.”

“No. You never did.”

“I’m sorry.” He rubbed his thumbs along Simon’s lips. “I did give you a key to my flat. That’s major.”

“You said it was because you wanted me to fetch you things from your place without having to give me your keys.”

“You have one of your own. Isn’t that something important?”

Simon hit him again, and this time, John gave him a warning squeeze with the hand under his jaw.

“Watch it, Riley. I’m still your Captain.” He teased, gazing down at Simon’s face as his bottom lip threatened to sink between his lips.

“You’re a lousy kisser.” Simon teased.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

MacTavish sunk his hand into Simon’s hair, holding the bottom of his jaw as he hovered over him. “I’ll make up for lost time then with a good one.” He hummed against Simon’s tongue.

Tf141 masterlist

Fic Masterlist

[lavellenchanted]

Hi! How about 💛 for nedcy?

💛 Reunion Kiss

It's not often that Nancy is one waiting to surprise Ned at the airport, rather than the other way around. It's not often she gets the chance to do anything to surprise him these days, really; her schedule's so hectic with all her cases that what time they have to spend together is subject to almost military-level planning.

So she can't help but feel a little excited as she waits for him to appear through the gate. She can already picture his reaction - his eyes widening in surprise, and then that big, bright grin that lights up his whole face and makes her heart flip over in her chest coming out.

At least, she hopes that's how he'll react. But there is a small, anxious part of her that worries he might forget to smile, that he might just be surprised, more than he should be, because he'd never expect her to be here.

(Nancy's a lot of things, but she's not completely un-self-aware, and she knows there have been times she'd be hard-pressed to win even the world's okayest girlfriend award, let alone the greatest.)

There's a buzz of voices from up ahead, and then a steady stream of people starts emerging from the gate, bags in hand, some waving and hugging whoever's waiting for them and others heading straight outside to get a cab.

Nancy rises up on to the tips of her toes - but in the end she doesn't need to. Ned's a good bit taller than most of the people in the crowd, but even if he wasn't the small cohort of young men all wearing Emerson sweaters and varsity jackets are hard to miss. As are the young women they're laughing with.

It's the strangest mix of sensations, feeling her heart leap at the sight of Ned's familiar curly brown hair and broad shoulders at the same time as her stomach knots with a sudden burst of unexpected jealousy.

She's being ridiculous, she knows that. Even if he were unhappy, Ned would never cheat on her. He's just not that guy. But still, she wonders if he doesn't look at the girls he's at college with and wish he was dating one of them instead of her. They'd be easier. They'd always be available. And they'd never stand him up.

She watches as he chuckles at someone's joke, and then he turns and his eyes meet hers.

"Nancy?"

"Hey there, Nickerson."

Quickly she finds a smile, and holds up the silly little cardboard sign she made, with NICKERSON written in block capitals and a heart drawn after it.

Just as she expected, he stares in surprise, practically doing a double take. Her heart starts beating faster, and she's not sure if it's in fear or anticipation --

-- but then he smiles, the smile she's been waiting days to see, dimples flashing in his cheeks and his face shining. And more than smiling, he starts running towards her.

Nancy holds out her arms, heart soaring, and Ned sweeps her up in his, spinning her round and saying delightedly, "Nancy! I can't believe you're here."

She holds him tightly, breathing in the smell of his cologne. It's ridiculous that he smells so good even after hours on a plane. Only Ned could manage it, she's sure. "I thought I'd surprise you."

"I'm glad you did." He sets her back on her feet but keeps his arms around her, bending down to kiss her. "I missed you."

The moment his lips meet hers, all her anxieties melt away and everything is right with the world. He pulls her in close, the kiss soft but deep, his mouth moving slowly against hers, like he wants to savour the moment. And Nancy can feel him smiling all the way through it. It's a kiss that echoes what he's just said - how delighted he is to see her, how much he's missed her - and sends a glow of warmth radiating through Nancy's whole body.

"I missed you, too," she tells him.

"What -" Ned starts, but he's cut off by wolf whistling and laughter, and they both turn to see his friends from Emerson have joined them with Ned's bag in tow.

"I take it you won't need a ride home after all, Nickerson?" one says, raising a knowing eyebrow.

Ned just grins. "Nah, I think I'm good. This is my girlfriend, Nancy."

He says it so proudly, like he's eager for them all to know, and it makes Nancy's heart swell in her chest.

"Yeah, we figured," one of the other guys - Nancy recognises him from her visits to Emerson but can't remember his name. "We'll see you back at school, then."

"Thanks, man, it was a great trip. See you all next week."

They say their goodbyes and head out, leaving Ned and Nancy alone. Ned takes Nancy's hand with one of his, lacing their fingers together, and with the other picks up his bag and slings it across his shoulder.

"So how is it you're here?" He asks as they head outside to where Nancy's Mustang is parked. "You said you didn't think you'd finish your case for another few days."

"I didn't, but I caught a lucky break and wrapped it up sooner than I expected," she explains. "I got back the day before yesterday."

"I would have come back sooner if I'd known."

She loves him for saying that. "No, I'm glad you had a good time with your friends."

"So when do you head back out? Two days is more than enough for you find a new case."

"Well, I did get a call yesterday . . ." Ned just nods, but Nancy can see his shoulders slump a little and has to fight to keep the smile off her face as she continues, ". . . and I told them I could fly out next week, which they said was fine."

He stops, blinks, and then repeats. "Next week?"

"Yep. So I'm all yours until then."

It take a moment for that to register, and then his expression softens and his lips curl into a small smile and Nancy knows he's understood. Next week is when Ned's due back at school, so she's putting off the case for a few days so they can spend some time together. This time, she's making him a priority.

He leans down and brushes another tender kiss against her lips.

"Sounds great. And I think we should start with you and me, under a blanket . . ." A flush creeps over her face and he grins. ". . . with a giant pizza, and whatever's on Netflix."

"Perfect," Nancy laughs, feeling completely happy and at ease, without a single twinge of anxiety.

Because if she knows once incontrovertible truth, it's this: that Ned Nickerson loves her, no matter what. Just as she loves him.

kiss prompts

[sleepydross]

Chapter One, Route_B: A Hard Left Turn

A Chapter of the 'SEER' or 'Spontaneous Edifice Emergence / Reification' Storyline. This is Route_B. For Route_A, see the link included.

https://www.tumblr.com/sleepydross/736565213088858112/chapter-one-routea-clerks-too-a-chapter-of?source=share

CW: Gore, body horror, extreme death and dismemberment, surreal concepts, disgusting imagery, a lot of really quite rude words (I said fuck folks Im sorry), implications of loss, plainly stated memory alteration and manipulation, horror in general.

Excerpt, 'Dreams, And Their Implications,' Dr. Alex Sing, 2023

'…The understanding of dreams has come a long way, in recent years. We've seen sleep studies, and brain scans, and complicated medical procedures involving the implantation of probes in the brain and the use of radiological dyes. We have seen brilliant doctors, brilliant scientists, translate the language of the brain into perceptible images, things we can look at to see what people see when they sleep.

What most of you haven't seen is the secret, concealed studies that have been done into dreams and their… atypical side effects on local reality. In a number of cases, highly active psionics (Humans with the natural capability towards psychic phenomenon) have outright distorted reality around them during particularly intense dreams. This is, in fact, a detectable distortion due to the common presence of exotic particles and low level radiation.

In fact, the fabric of reality is what we are here to discuss. Some time ago, scientists working for the Department of Unnatural / Supernatural Knowledge, DUSK, discovered that this fabric could be willfully manipulated - and unwillfully. The very concept of luck is a manipulation of randomness in a local area, not a change in reality itself, but a wrinkling of probability…

And with this discovery came the first breakthrough in direct measure of the fabric of reality.

With THAT discovery, the scientists of DUSK discovered that the latent alterations made by dreams were growing more widespread, even in those not terribly active, those lacking psionic capability. Concurrently, a rise in psionic capability was recorded, and has been recorded every single year since.

But the reason why eluded them, has eluded them. Their experimentation began in 1971.

We have questions.

Did their experiment cause this? Or did they merely expand human consciousness into uncharted waters?

We don't know what could lie in those terrible, black depths, in the ocean outside of our collective thought based tidepool…

However, we are smart enough to fear it, unlike our predecessors.'

"I want to know what the FUCK is going on!" Haller shouted, standing in the action room. The site was deep black, so far off the grid and so unregistered that no one present even had so much as a dress shoe on - the FBI and CIA had erected it for counter terrorism reasons, erected being a strong word for appropriating an abandoned warehouse near a defunct rail line about six hours outside of New York City.

Outside of the blacked out windows, only forest and darkness waited. It was the middle of the damned night, and Haller had just arrived. The helicopter on the roof was already working up to beating gravity into submission, the soundproofing turning the thump-swah of its blades into weak vibrations one could only detect if they knew there was a helo taking off in the first place.

On the main screen, in place on the north wall, she stared at satellite photographs of an area approximately as far from NYC as the black site itself, which was little comfort considering that the area was apparently, very suddenly, taller than the empire state building and approximately a half mile in diameter.

"Ma'am, I assure you, we're trying to figure it out," Agent Muskwe said, quietly. Haller watched him sip his coffee and gesture at the screen. "Ground images."

An image replaced the satellite photos, digitally signed as being taken by field team November, one of Haller's favorite teams. Their names were classified, but she knew-

"What the hell?" she whispered. The image description said that the picture was taken five hundred and seventy yards from the 'border,' which had not been defined in any meaningful sense. All she could assume was that it meant the border of the gray, formless, bizarre zone they had looked at from above - a cacophony of squares and rectangles, impossible rooftop geometries laid in and around and over one another.

The 'border' looked like a wall of roiling, nearly oily fog. The next image was zoomed in, and appeared to show trees near to the border withering, branches blackened and dark and odd - wrong, stripped of leaves, coated in some shiny, slick, dark grease. On this image, the description said that even five hundred yards and change away, it stank like the parking lot of an abandoned fast food restaurant. Colorful descriptions were included, of disgusting rot stink and french fry smell and the hellish scattering of other disgusting odors…

Spoiled beef, rotting chicken, soggy and deeply moldy bread…

These descriptions were wholly unnecessary, but greatly appreciated. Haller needed every detail she could possibly get.

"Skip the pictures. November would've sent video," she said, already irritated when the next image was just a further zoom into the fog. Through it, she could see light, the pictures having clearly been taken in the dark. "Show me that, make sure everyone who needs them gets the images."

"Yes, ma'am," Muskwe replied, and the screen went dark. Moments later, a video frame opened, and then played. Compares to the hardware of the past, it was the highest quality video she'd ever seen, especially on a screen so large - save perhaps in a movie theater. Their video, however, had all sixty frames per second, crisp and clear.

"Check for the recording," November One said. "November one. Steadfast. Check."

"November two. Iron. Check."

"November three. Resolute. Check."

"November four. Eternal. Check."

"Alright, gang's all here," Steadfast, November One, said.

"Christ, this fucking STINK," Iron muttered. "We ought get goddamn hazard pay for this shit. It smells like a rotting corpse tossed in a dumpster near a particularly fucking shit drivethrough."

"Oil and diesel, too… gasoline, maybe propane. Smells like chemicals, under and around it all," Eternal added.

"Button up, whiners. Iron, light rig, take point. Etty, back him up with the shotgun, and don't fuck it up and shoot HIM. Reso, pull up the rear."

"Sir, yes sir!" they said in unison. Haller smiled. She liked November for a reason, a lot of reasons. November One's insistance they call her 'sir' was one of them. Out there, doing the work they did, they had some latitude to be weird. It was better than sitting in a goddamn field office all the time, poring over the most irrelevant shit on Earth.

The feed swapped then, to Iron's lightrig camera, and then… the rig flared on, bathing the fog in shockingly bright light. They marched across the field, orderly and in a line, a weapon in frame now and then as they walked. The closer they got the fog, the stranger it got, less white than before, and then swirling in a shiny, chemical-sick rainbow like a dribbling of oil floating on a puddle.

"Can't do it, sir," Reso said, finally. The line stopped. "I'm gonna pop, man, just fucking howl and puke."

"Professional," Steadfast muttered. "Mask up, though. Making me dizzy, too. Ought to call for hazzies. Reso, get out that vial of peppermint oil."

"It's like White River all over again," Rso muttered - but he complied, dabbing some of that oil on the filters of their gas masks. They sealed the high tech things with faint hisses, lenses shining. The peppermint oil was an old trick, from back in the before times, when Resolute was a nurse. Designated medic suited him better, with a gun in hand. "Feed's a mess, sir. We need to drop the rig. It's too foggy, ought to use mask optics."

"Make it so," she replied. In moments, after shuffling, annoyance, grunting and bad static, the light rig went dark, and then hit the ground. Pale, ugly green flooded the frame, and suddenly… they could see, the footage digitally enhanced and highly processed in near real time. "Better?"

"Clear as day," Reso replied. They returned to their march, approaching that ugly, roiling oil fog again. Through it now, a huge glowing sign could be seen, standing on a thick red pole, like-

"Huh… Megaburger," Haller murmured, baffled by that. She knew the colors, knew the ghostly specter of its shape. Silently, before the fog wall, Iron removed his camera and pointed it upwards without slowing their approach. It continued upwards apparently indefinitely, obscuring everything inside. Weather patterns in the area had gone to shit, it was what first alerted them - something was wrong when they were getting hit by sheets of rain in the middle of a New York winter.

"Rain's warm, what the fuck," Iron spat. "Feels slick, too. Droplets are milky white, contaminated with something… and I can just detect what seems to be a whiff of urine, through the damned mask. We gonna die, sir?"

"Composition from the rapid sample kit said it's just some kind of detergent, gasoline, a bit of oil… also piss, yeah, piss… yeah… it doesn't make sense, but it isn't toxic, mostly," Steadfast replied, evenly.

"Mostly! Wonderful," Eternal replied, sounding exhausted already - but they marched on, into the fog, as Iron reattached his camera. What followed was an engrossing twenty minutes of them walking in a white out, cable-clipped together so they didn't lose one another in the thickness of it. Three times, they stopped to dab new filters with peppermint and stagger their swapouts.

Whatever the fog was, it was clogging them, fast.

That made it all the more surprising when they emerged into the parking lot of…

A Megaburger franchise.

"Stop it," Haller said, and the video paused. "We have record of a Megaburger there? Lavar?"

"No, we don't. Look in the background, though, and around it… No roads. Nothing. The walls just extend outward, and then…" he trailed off, and gestured for the video to be played, and then he said, "pause. See? Suddenly, kitty corner, the bricks change to cement blocks, like… smoothly, and it becomes a Fast Jimmy's, complete with gas pumps."

"What the Hell?" Haller asked. No one had answers.

"Command, do you read?" Steadfast asked. After a long pause, she said, "no signal at all. Local comms working."

"Pull out? Something's fuckin' wrong. This shit wasn't here when we got here, before the fucking fog moved closer," Eternal muttered. "Did anyone transmit the recording, from when the fog moved?"

"Did, yeah," Iron spat. "What's the word, Steady?"

"Sir, to you, dipshit… and no. We don't pull back. No signs of life, no hostiles… we're going into that damn burger joint. I want material samples, though. Etty, split off with Reso. See where those bricks go all… blurry? Get samples there," she ordered. "Something is wrong, so we're going to find out what the fuck is going on. As soon as you have the samples, get inside."

A chorus of 'yes, sir!' met her, and she and Iron marched on, the footage continuing to follow them.

"Do we have footage from the Eternal or Resolute?" Haller asked, and got a displeasing 'nope, no transmit from them, their feeds cut out the moment they split off,' which made her want to put a hole in something. "Fucking why, precisely?"

"Interference, of some kind. That fog, maybe, something about it makes signal transmission inconsistent? We only got all of Iron's footage because… well…" he trailed off, and Haller blanched, falling silent and watching. Like every other Megaburger in existence, the restaurant that Iron and Steadfast were approaching was a squat sort of building with an overly decorative roof of red metal, atop which was perched an offensively oversized, bizarrely cartoonish cheeseburger, and a huge cup beside it. Both were lit up, casting an array of yellows and reds out into the parking lot. This was all largely washed out on the white lines of the parking spots out front by the bright fluourescent light coming through the windows that dominated every wall on the front and sides of the store, stopping right at the line where the kitchen began.

Despite that no one was visible inside, the doors were unlocked, and they pushed through them, weapons at the ready.

"It uh, appears to be a burger store," Iron said, quietly, turning slowly to film the majority of the restaurant in the sweep. Chairs were pushed out, food was piled up on tables, cups were stacked halfway to the ceiling and puddles of dark, bubbling brown liquid coated portions of the floor. None of this, critically, had been visible from the exterior. "Stead, sir, something… this place is a fucking mess. It was not, in fact, a fucking mess looking in from outside."

"I'd noticed, trust me," she muttered. "It stinks in here, like it was just jam packed and they all took a shit before leaving."

Rapidly, the camera approached one of the tables and was brought closer to the food - what was left of it. Huge bites, larger than any human mouth could make, were taken out of massive burgers, each one the size of a dinner plate. Thick beef patties steamed, red on the inside and ruddy brown on the out, too fatty, the 'ground' beef used to make them more akin to strange, mashed together chunks of flesh, a melange of unmistakably…

Meaty, fleshy colors. Biological, awful.

They were burgers in the loosest sense, the buns bizarre and over-dense and mealy looking but with an incongruous shiny brown exterior that looked like it was applied after the fact just to try and make it look good. In place of lettuce, there was some unidentifiable, vaguely leaf-patterned green gel mess, a few squirts of too dark, too bloody ketchup… mustard that was more white than yellow - or maybe it was mayo…

"Sir, this food is fucked up."

"This whole place is fucked up," Steady muttered, tiredly. "Weapon at the ready."

"Sir," he replied, and the shotgun came into frame. He squared up, following her to the counter. For a few long moments, they just peered into the half-shrouded kitchen through a cutout on the wall behind the register, and then Steady shouted.

"HEY! IS THERE A MANAGER IN THE HOUSE?"

The silence that met her in response was almost deafening. Slowly, Iron turned in a half circle, looking around - and then there came a sound, a terrible sort of sound. It overwhelmed the microphone on both his camera and its twin on his helmet, this awful air-raid siren parody that sounded more and more like hundreds of human screams forming this rising and falling tide of sonic ugliness.

As the video feed glitched and static flooded the image intermittently, they saw the building shifting, bricks and glass crystalizing outward in wobbly, overly organic sheets from the front of the store. Rumbling appeared to shake the building, and Iron was forced to grab a pillar to retain his footing. When he hunched, they got to watch tiles splitting and sliding and growing, a wholly unnatural ceramic mitosis.

When all was said and done, the entire parking lot had been subsumed, and the restaurant was twice as large from kitchen to doors, with new pillars erected haphazardly, still sluggishly sliding across the floor tiles towards presumably their final positions. These structural icebergs clawed trenches in tile that rapidly 'healed' in their wake.

Iron rounded as if reacting to something, staring at the staggered Steadfast clutching onto the counter as the tile rippled in bizarre, shattering ceramic waves drifting out from the counter, which itself was pushing her backwards towards the entrance as the behind-counter area expanded. She howled, screaming in agony, arms wrapped entirely around a cash register at that point. Red and pink and dark blackish pooled around her feet, those waves of ceramic shredding her up to the like they were made for shredding. Flaying flesh away from bone was horrifying enough, but something worse was unfolding itself.

Behind the counter, a widening, grotesque door peeled open, the wood flexing apart into shiny tendonous strings and awful flesh as a rose made of meat bloomed forth from within.

That screaming siren continued, grew louder even, and the video distortion worsened until all that could be seen, in the center of the frame, was a figure resembling a human being, if that human being was lit harshly and unevenly from the front, and cast a shadow consisting entirely of flesh, of meat and blood and bubbly yellow fat. The mass the 'person' was stuck to the front of slopped against the wall behind the creature, with the flesh seeping through the access window to the kitchen.

Sounds of hissing and popping made it through as the scream-siren trailed off into silence told them that this creature had carpeted over the fryers in back with gore, not giving a singular microfuck about the consequences thereof.

"What can I do for you?" the terrible, blistered avatar asked, a few moments after the screaming siren stopped. This mocking, sick parody of a human torso was still clawing and pulling its way from the meat mass, and as the stunned operators watched, clothing 'grew' over it. Disgustingly, it appeared to be made of woven hair, a chaotic hellscape of interwoven white and black that formed a button down shirt and a tie that were all one piece. Thick pads of calloused skin came next that blackened into a kind of belt-like construction, whose buckle was dark, blackened fingernail approximating shiny plastic polymer.

This same black fingernail formed an approximation of a tie clip, and then a nametag - unreadable.

There was a face, if one could insult the concept of faces so grotesquely, with a lopsided slash of a mouth where the lips were simply just bloody, blistered, skinless facsimiles, dribbling red and this sickly yellow syrup that made its chin all pink and slick.

"F-Fuck, I was just-" Steadfast said, slurring, sounding half drunk with blood loss and pain, but midword… the building went still, and her voice simply ceased. After a long moment, she half turned to Iron. Her lips parted, and thick black and red flooded out - and then the nearly naked bone of her right tibia and fibia, clothed only in tatters and leaking veins below the knee, broke. She staggered, and the top of her head fell away.

For only a moment they were treated to an awful anatomical cross section of her lower brain before blood covered that up completely.

Iron screamed bloody murder, cracking, and in the last frames they could see a thick meaty tendril draped over the counter, forcing what looked a lot like french fries into the sticky black-oozing meat that kept all of Steadfast's thoughts for her, one by one. With each salty new stick of nightmares shoved into what remained of he brain she twitched, or gurgled wetly.

The last man standing legged it, out into the parking lot, and then into…

Another parking lot, leading towards another building.

Towards a Pizza Jam.

"No, no, NO FUCK NO!" he barked, frantic. The poor man rounded, camera directed towards the burger joint, which was rapidly filling up with what looked like squirming, barely human bodies, a pale pink slurry of meat and breading, and enormous waffle cut fries so big they could've been swimming pool rafts. "FUCK! FUCK FUCK!"

While he shouted fuck several more times, he dug in his equipment pack and drew out a gray plastic box, slamming it on the ground and opening it. In a flurry of movement, he tugged something out, pressed something that beeped, and then jerked the camera off of his vest and turned it to stare in the lens.

"Look, I don't know what you FUCKING SHITFUCKS sent us into, but if you don't find a way to EVAC ME, I am going to haunt you until the end of time! EVERYONE IS FUCKED!" he barked, before setting the camera on what was identified in a small block of text in the corner as a transmission relay meant to burst transmit large quantities of audio visual data. He stood up then, and pumped his shotgun. "I'm getting the fuck out of here. If I make it out… I'll get back, I'll call in, I don't know. I gotta move."

When he stepped aside, they could see that strange plant-like structures were growing rapidly from the pavement of the parking lot. In seconds, they formed into beetle coated monstrosities nearly metallic in apperance. Seconds after that, the crawling, bug-covered blobs resolved into passable (At a distance) imitations of cars.

They then promptly rotted, leaving thick black sludge on the ground, from which more bugs, more plants and more cars began to rise.

"Fuck this," Iron panted, and he booked it out of frame.

The video ran for two more four to six minute cycles of 'cars,' and then… abruptly ended in static, with a disquietingly wet crunch.

For a long, long time things were silent in the action room (which was still just the main, large, open area of the . No one spoke. No one so much as breathed, not in any meaningful or audible way.

Finally, Agent Haller said, quietly…

"Well, what the fuck was that shit?"

"Ma'am, that was the last transmission from Iron. It was digitally signed, with little corruption beyond the visual distortion caused by that… management… thing," Muskwe replied, softly. "I did not feel it prudent to warn anyone of the nature of the footage, as… I was… concerned."

"You were fucking concerned? Muskwe, I'm FUCKING CONCERNED! What were YOU concerned about?" she demanded, a cold, hard edge to her voice.

"I was concerned, to be honest, that I had gone gloriously insane, sir," he replied, evenly. "…and I did not have time to ask one of the others to watch it, to confirm or deny my own madness."

"Well, you're not fucking mad unless we all are," she muttered, tiredly. "Everyone saw all of that, yes? Confirm with a yes or no. We saw a team enter a construction hellscape through a wall of oily fog and then get lost or massacred near a fast food restaurant that appeared, to my highly… highly trained eye, to be a fucking LITERAL NIGHTMARE."

A chorus of 'yes' came, then, like a soft rainfall made out of agreement. Really, Haller had hoped for one to thirty answsers of 'no,' because having simply gone batty would have been much easier and much less terrifying. This, this reality, that they had all borne witness to, was truly quite awful.

It bordered on deeply shitty that it hadn't been, in fact, some manner of hallucination - though that alone might have convinced her to go visit a bureau shrink.

"…so what's our theory?" she asked, softly.

"Theory is so often inadequate in the face of actual answers," a soft, faintly accented voice said. This voice was cool, steady, like a small stream flowing in the coldest days of early spring - and it was faintly processed, oddly digital. "Quite a bummer, really, that all of you are now in the fold. I really do find it tiring to orient newcomers, but, perhaps I will assign that task to someone else."

Every firearm in the room was trained on the newcomer before they finished speaking. This… person, of sorts, stood there right next to Haller - or had been next to, but was then in front of, having Haller's gun pressed to their forehead. All of this was well and good, as they had the intruder isolated and contained under threat of-

Death?

Haller stared at the gleaming lenses, lenses staring back at her. The creature, whatever it was, was covered in metal plating, their head all polished glass that might've belonged to a helmet if it weren't for the exposted struts and odd pistons of the neck that emerged from under their chin and around the base of the jaw.

"What the sam fuck are you?" Haller demanded. They chuckled, a strange sound like chimes and rings layering over one another. It was a musical sound, understandable only as a laugh because this creature's head bobbled a bit with it in unmistakable mirth.

"That is a big question with a complicated answer, Agent Haller - but I am, to keep it brief, a robot of a kind - but not a robot, really. Think of me as a mistake made right, but in the weirdest way possible," they replied, a smirk touching their smooth but undeniably digital voice. "I am Doctor Alex Sing, or… that is the name I use now, to conceptually distance myself from who I used to be - security reasons, you see. I've come to tell you all what you just saw."

"And what, the fuck, is that?" Haller asked, losing her patience rapidly - and she didn't have much of it to begin with.

"A 'Spontaneous Edifice Emergence and Reification' event. We call them SEER events, for convenience," Dr. Sing replied, quite pleasantly, waving their hand vaguely at the screen. "We know precious little about them… but we are aware that this is a new, far worse form than we have yet seen. You will ask for credentials. Here, look at this."

Haller looked, the machine person having produced from seemingly nowhere a badge holder. The badge ensconced in said holder insisted that the good doctor was part of an organization called DUSK - the Department of Unnatural / Supernatural Knowledge. In place of a typical shield and eagle so popular in governmental insignias, this bore a strange kind of… seal, or sigil.

"I've seen this before," Haller said, dizzily. The sigil was a pentagram, but its outer circle appeared to be a serpent, devouring its own tail - and in the central pentagon, there was a familiar sign. Brimstone, sulfur, the Leviathan Cross, in all its distorted, time-twisted glory. "I've… I've seen this…"

"A brimstone symbol? Yes, the satanists are rather fond of it, but we were using it first, before even the founding of this nation and our adoption of the DUSK name," Sing replied, blandly, as if this was all very boring to her mechanical ass self. Haller tried not to stare at her hand, a thing plated and padded to function like a human hand, but with open gaps showing moving metal beneath, rods and pistons and tiny little gears. For a moment, there was silence, and then Sing lowered the badge and leaned in, her camera lenses whirring as apertures tightened. "But you don't mean… brimstone. You've seen the DUSK insignia before? Fascinating, and of course, perfectly understandable."

"How the fuck is it understandable? My head hurts," Haller said, her last as she stumbled back and sat down. Muskwe rushed up, and handed her a handkerchief.

"Your nose, ma'am," he intoned, and she pressed her fingers to it, finding they came away bloody.

"Am I going to die?" she asked, a bizarre dread settling in her gut.

"No! My goodness, now, silly, no. You've clearly been geist hexed, some time in the past. You'll be getting memories taken from you back, which is so exciting, isn't it?" Sing replied, brightly. Silence so profound it weighed down on the room like a flow of molten lead followed this, and the doctor tilted her robotic head. "…or perhaps… not, to normal… people. Well, I will enjoy it, anyway, for your sake."

"Goodie for you. Someone fucking shoot her," Haller muttered. No one moved, so she stood herself, bleeding profusely into Muskwe's hankie, and drew her sidearm. Sing did not so much as flinch at the weapon being pointed at her - instead, she leaned in, peering at it.

"Custom work? Very nice, Agent. That's a real stomper of a pistol, and not remotely enough to do me harm," she said, pressing her 'forehead' to it. "I understand. I've violated protocol, entered a black site unannounced, and freaked you right on out. Go ahead. Blow a hole in me, if it'll help. The faster we get you FBI nerds acclimated, the better."

Haller, in a moment of raw rage, confusion and vague nausea, pulled the trigger. Dr. Sing's head snapped back with a loud CLANK, and then… with several heavy ratcheting noises, it returned to its previous position.

"Very nice," Sing said, one of her 'eyes' shattered, a curl of smoke drifting out of it. "High powered, effective, and you're strong enough to muscle down the recoil. Gorgeous weapon, truly."

"F-Fucking what?" Haller demanded. "You're fine?"

"Robot, nerd. Kind of," Sing replied, evenly, as if disappointed. With that, she clapped her odd mechanical hands together and turned to face the room at large. "Congratulations, everyone. You've been formally recruited into DUSK. Your lives as they were are officially over, bummer, but the pay is fantastic, our insurance is better than you'd even believe, and… you get to know all the things you haven't been told about. Vampires, psychics, magicians, nightmares and pretty little machines like me. Ghosts, demons, people who can alter their bodies, secret dimensions and dark dreams that don't die. Your families will be justly compensated after your mock funerals."

"Fucking WHAT!?" Agent Crenshaw demanded, stepping out of the crowd and stalking up to her. "Fuck you! I have a DAUGHTER! She was just BORN!"

"Then unrecruit yourself, dipstick," Sing told him, dismissively. "Divide yourselves into two groups! People who want to give up everything you have, go over there! People who want to keep your lives and forget this moment… over there!"

"F… Forget?" Crenshaw asked, his pale, watery blue eyes wide with a mixture of confusion and panic. "How?"

"Geist hexing will eradicate the memories, sever the pathways to them in an irrecoverable way, effectively removing it all from your mind. A cover story will be generated, and provided to you upon your waking," she explained, patiently, as if speaking to an infant. The doctor raised her arm, and pointed behind her, the limb at an unnatural angle so that an index finger could be directed right at Haller. "You, of course, have no connections, so you have nothing to lose, Agent Haller. I'd like you on this case."

"You can't just MARCH in here, you fucking ROBOT FREAK, and TAKE CONTROL of a literal FBI BLACK SITE. What I am GOING to do is detain your ridiculous metal ass and then call someone higher up the chain to tell me what the HELL is going on!" Haller all but shouted, thoroughly fed up with the utter helplessness she felt as that robot's head slowly tilted backwards like it had when shot, but slower, until it hung down her back and the camera lenses whirred, apertures tightening as they took her in.

"Agent, I am your superior, now," she said, simply, raising a hand. She snapped her fingers, and then… brought her head 'upright,' again, turning around. Haller ignored this, instead staring at her people, all of her people. They were frozen, creatures carved from dyed ice, flickering crystal effigies of themselves. They looked tesselated, rock candy, like models from some kind of videogame showing their triangles as each vertex undulated faintly outward and inward about its origin. "I really need you to stop freaking out, Haller. You're special, I can feel it, and I need your help with this. This is a problem, Haller, one that will kill people - a lot of people, if left unchecked."

"T-The… meat creatures? The manager, the… fast food place? That'll kill people" she asked, softly.

"There's worse about this than all that. Figments that fully instantiate are difficult to kill, for starters, and it will continue to spread… BUT, you have the ability to convince these people that what they do in my service will save the world. I can't convince them of that," Sing told her, quietly. "Get it together. You saw what you saw. That SEER event ATE your people. Working together, we can potentially reverse it, before it eats others."

"Doctor Sing, if you can just make us forget, why do you need to do this? Recruit us? Recruit me?" she asked, after a long pause in which she approached the frozen-mid-stride Agent Crenshaw. When she touched him, she touched what felt like softly undulating planes of glass, a few millimeters from his skin - but this glass was warm like flesh.

"Because you are necessary. When I have feelings, strong ones, I've learned to listen to them. If we are going to stop this, I… need YOU, Anna," the doctor said. Haller looked to the robot, and didn't bother to ask how Sing knew her first name - no one knew it, that was part of her position. She was an enigma, as fake as fake could be, because it kept her insulated from the threats they faced.

"What did you do to my men?" she asked. Sing approached, and drew from the pocket of her suit jacket a handkerchief. When she dabbed at Haller's cheeks, it came back damp, and the Agent didn't even know why she was crying.

"Nothing. There are six men in stupid robes outside, all of whom are affecting what DUSK calls a 'working,' using what we call a 'castgram.' Your men are unaffected, but in this place, time is having a bit of a problem moving forward, except for us. It's not something done… to them, but to the space they occupy, in a sense," she replied, quite forthrightly. Haller was deeply unsure how to deal with this information, but she was forced to accept it. Muskwe was in the middle of spilling a coffee, and it looked like a cascade of crystal that had made it only halfway to the floor. Touching the undulating crystalline surface just above that coffee, she hissed between her teeth and drew her hand back.

It had been scalding hot.

"Thermal energy makes it out," she said, softly. "They're going to freeze to death."

"Perhaps that's why I need you - you've only just seen what civilians call 'magic' for the first time, and you're already working out the flaws. It's true. In about six hours, they would reach a cold point so deep that unfreezing them would, ironically, flash freeze them - their arrested bodily functions no longer warming their insides and all," Sing told her. "So… return to your previous position. I will signal to the men outside to drop the working. Get your shit together, and ride the lightning into an exciting new career in saving the world."

"You're fucking insane," Haller said, shakily. "You know that, right?"

"I'm afraid sanity and insanity are far more complicated than you have been led to believe, Agent. Want to find out how?"

Haller stared at this machine, this woman, this doctor, this interloper and mystery and strangeness of a person. Her eyes, green and stippled with odd flecks of brown, were wide with a kind of feverish anxiety mixed with uncommon mania.

"Yes, I do. I do, god and fucking Jesus Himself Christ damn me."

"Your Christ has been dead a long time, and his so called father with him," Sing murmured, stepping close to touch the cross that Haller wore around her neck. "But, perhaps he was never your god. This was never your cross to bear."

"How could you possibly know that?" Haller rasped.

"I know what I have to know - and it's tarnished, and worn, and has not been well cared for," the doctor told her, in a soft, slightly processed whisper. "It is not something you love… it's someone you remember."

"I hate this," Haller said, in reply.

"You get used to it," Sing insisted, earnestly.

"Do you?"

"Not really. Are you with me?"

Haller stepped back, finding her feet had left softly glowing blue prints on the floor, showing her where to stand. The mechanical doctor sing reached up, and unscrewed what appeared to be the housing of the camera that Haller had shot out. As soon as it was removed, it started sparking and fizzling, molten metal running off of it. Sing threw it carelessly over her shoulder, and a metal plate slid into place beneath the hole, sealing it.

"I am, if that wasn't clear," the Agent murmured.

"Oh, yes, I had figured."

And the robot snapped her fingers, and time lurched back into motion with a sickening blurring of all lights and figures, and a heavy smattering of air shuddering around them like patches of broken, floating glass.

[hrodvitnon]

This theorized ritual could be very similar to what happens in the film- but maybe with Tiamat needing to act as a conduit for the energy (she connects to her lair and channels the stored Solar Energy into Goji- thus why she ends up injured. Gojirans are more equipped to handle the energy then the Sea Serpents).

This- actually would explain a helluva lot now that I'm thinking about it. In the movie, Tiamat's lair is described to sit directly where the coronal ejections most often strike Earth- so it's been building up solar energy for centuries, and is the second largest deposit of Solar Energy on the planet (minus the literal core of the Planet). I headcanon that Zohar is Solar Energy mixed with some kind of Life-Force intrinsic to Earth (think: Lifestream)- or the force that usually powers Godzilla. This explains why he was sucking up radiation before heading up North- he needed to overload himself with the Earth's radiation so he could get pumped full of Solar Radiation by Tiamat- causing a Fusion Reaction that creates Zohar. This would actually go to explain that 'Consumed a Star' mantra we've heard about Godzilla so much. Except in Abraxas, it would apply to Ozzy because he 'ate the star' around the time the line was written.

Zerm said something too I really vibe with. The ritual hasn't been done in so long because Goji and Tiamat both suspect it's what led to Ozzy going missing (the insane spike of Zohar would alert forces beyond the Solar System, causing them to investigate and see what's up)- but fearing what's coming from the Hollow Earth- they have no choice but to risk it. Plus, the lair needs to build energy after each ritual, so that's another reason why it hasn't been done in so long.

Speaking on Tia's lair- this place may actually have much greater meaning as another temple or sacred place of sorts. Kinda like the ancestral home of the Sea Serpents. Perhaps it's Tiamats' species duty to keep watch and defend this place from Titans and humans until the next King needs it's power. It would also be sorta like a reserve of Solar Energy instead of the actual stock, which is in the Hollow Earth, only to be cracked open and used in emergency times.

Also- neat detail I'm just now thinking about. Coronal Ejections are the causes of Northern Lights. Looking at how Goji's new Atomic Breath looks (which... I think we may be able to now graduate into calling it a Coronal Blast, it's the same equipment that Ozzy has now), you can almost compare the colors to Northern Lights themselves.

On a character level- this could also be a big moment for Tiamat, who has to fulfill her peoples' duty and destiny, while at the same time recognizing it could lead to catastrophe down the road like it did last time (losing Ozzy was already the worst thing that's ever happened to her- even someone like her who pretends not to care can't fathom losing Goji in the same way, she's come to love him too in her own sorta standoffish way). Huge moment for Godzilla too- who's taking the final step towards becoming the King his brother once was, inheriting the power he once wielded to seal Skar and the apes away the first time. With this- he becomes primed to become the next King of Kings; all he has to do is finish the war once and for all and tie up the final loose end that not even his brother got to: Shimo.

Interesting, plenty of good stuff for an AbraxasVerse GxK! I'm also a fan of the Godzilla going so powerful it becomes a beacon for Big Bad Beasties from beyond the stars... the logical consequence of reaching a certain power threshold.

(I would say more but just got off work and the brain is already locking into Finish This Goddamn Fic Mode, apologies!)

[wandersoul8]

Eyyyyyy it’s finally time to share DM-664’s new reference sheet alongside her backstory (I finally got the confidence to share itt!) hope you like it and I hope you like my beloved Kaled-Dalek Hybrid OC 💙✨⚡️

———————————————

Name: DM-664

Nicknames/Aliases: 664, Hybrid, Creature, Failed Experiment, Lightning Rod, Muto, Dalek Mutant 664, Death Merchant 664

Species: Kaled-Dalek Hybrid

Home Planet: Skaro

Gender: Female

Pronouns: She/Them

Height: 6’5

Sexuality: AroAce

Neurodiversity: On the Autism Spectrum

Personality traits

When interacting with 664, It really depends on who you are most of the time. Though geelllbut some 664’s traits that she tends to show the most are her aggressive, loyal, blunt, violent, and is more reserved. She will occasionally be sarcastic if she feels the need to.

She has a lot of sadness and insecurities within herself which she tries to supress whenever around others and let it out when alone and can’t be seen or heard. though she’ll occasionally let it slip.

As well as that she often tries to hide her fear when encountering people like The Doctor and honestly Davros as well when she eventually encounters him again.

Some of her lesser known traits and traits she’ll grow to have) are currently

Empathy towards others, she’s slowly been developing this since Earth and when she crossed paths with the Doctor.

Only people who manage to get to know her properly will find out that 664 is actually quite respectful to those she likes or she seems as “superior”

Strengths

- Loyal to those she supports, will go to most lengths including putting herself at risk in order to protect those she is loyal to

- Physically strong & great at combat

- Very knowledgeable and smart when it comes to her interests (Creating and using weaponry (specifically long range, bombs, and electrical weapons) Dalek Kaled History, Flora and Fauna of Skaro and select other planets)

- High endurance levels to physical pain, especially high voltage electric attacks/shocks thanks yo the experiments she was put through.

- She also has a natural tolerance to some radiation

- Self Aware of her actions & has her own moral compass

Weaknesses

- Suffering from Long Term Mental Illnesses being Deppression & PTSD

- Forced emotion suppression that can lead to extreme anger outbursts and mental breakdowns

- 664 can be incredible destructive both to herself and to others and at times is often merciless

- can *rarely* handle and process compliments from anyone, especially her superiors (or those she sees as above her)

- Struggles trusting others as she is well aware that most either try to use her for something or backstab her. It takes a while for her to trust a new ally/friend fully because of that

- Despite having skills in the weaponry field, she isn’t very good at using heavy weapons while in battle as they are “too slow” for her to use

- 664 while holding respect for Davros and other Daleks, she does genuinely fear them from time to time

Goals/Wants/Needs:

- To die in a way that she seems “honourable”

- Somewhere to belong & feel welcome

- To be seen by those who know of her as more then just a failed experiment (wants to be seen as powerful & reliable)

- Getting some form of vengeance on those that have betrayed her

- For Davros to recognise her notable achievements & for him to see her as one of his own

(Keep In mind that while Davros has grown fond of 664 over time due to her ability to survive, her loyalty, and skills in weaponry & combat. Even though they haven’t interacted in a long time- when they do eventually cross paths, He’ll rarely show it as it would be considered “weak”)

Backstory:

DM-664 is a genetic experiment created by Davros on Skaro a few years before the Time War broke out. The Hybrid was supposed to appear more Dalek then Kaled.

Due to unknown circumstances she ended up resembling more like her a Kaled Ancestors.

Despite her mindset and speech was more like that of a loyal Dalek.

Following the first days of her existence, DM-664 was experimented on daily by Scientific Daleks as well as Davros and endured many kinds of experiments such as bone removal, replacement and implantation (including one that prevented 664 from screaming even though she always stayed silent), fusing Dalekanium into her bloodstream, and was even used as a live subject for some weapon testing.

664 though, was able to somehow endure it all.

664 was also used as a scapegoat for Davros, and often would get struck on the back from afar by his electrical manipulation which is where she got the lightning flower burns on her back from.

She was also put into areas with other Dalek experiments that would always try and kill her and each other.

After a few more years The Dalek Empire at the time had no more use for her & exiled her into the radioactive wilderness of Skaro which actually turned out to be much better for her in some ways.

During the time she was there she taught herself how to scavenge for small insects & create primitive weapons such as spears & daggers to hunt out of bone that would be used for hunting.

It didn’t all go well though as she did get sick when she had to drink the poisoned water.

the adapt in the different biomes as well as functioning on limited resources.

She traveled a lot in the span of 2 years, even coming across ancient wreckage from the 1000 year war, especially weapons, which sparked her interest in both Skaro's history and weaponry.

664 continued her journey along Skaro and eventually came across a small Thal colony camp (6-10 Thals) that was secretly trying to monitor what was going on in the Dalek city from a distance.

664, despite everything she had been put through was still extremely loyal to the Daleks, devised a plan and eventually took them out mercilessly one by one using the weapons she had created from the bones of animals she had previously hunted. She then raided the camp for what she needed and left.

Eventually the rotting bodies and raided camp from the small Thal colonies got found by a few Daleks while on patrol in the wilderness. A few days after the discovery they were able to trace the cause of the Thal’s deaths back to DM-664.

The higher ups decided that 664 could prove some use to The Daleks.

She was eventually located & was found mildly injured with a broken leg not far from a cliff face.

She was taken back to the city, healed , questioned, cleaned & after 2 weeks of having some of her more “feral” like behaviour being “corrected”.

DM-664 was questioned again & then given a small cell to live in within Davros' lab as well as getting her own custom Dalek like amour and a custom modified gunstick as her new weapon.

From there, she didn't do too many notable things aside from getting frequently used as a test subject and would occasionally be allowed to help Davros out.

She also got proper training on how to use her gun properly and other forms of Dalek weaponry.

At the time, the Daleks didn't have too much of a use for DM-664 just yet.

So they decided to cryogenically freeze her and store her on one of their more secure ships until she had some form is use.

Davros, at this time has actually began to slowly grow fond of 664 due to her interest in weaponry and her survival abilities, though it was never shown.

He ends up giving 664 his sonic screwdriver by slipping into the chamber 664 was stored in while she was unconscious, as he believes that she may get more use out of it.

About 1000 or so years, right at the very end of the Time War. DM-664 is unfrozen & re-awoken.

While she was little confused about the sudden appearance of the sonic screwdriver, she kept it close to her.

She then gets briefed about the current situation and then is put straight onto the frontlines in Arcadia.

Her purpose there was to back up Dalek squadrons and to take out powerful gun towers used by the Time Lords.

Towards the final days of the war, while patrolling with 3 Daleks. They cross paths with the War Doctor who kills all 3 Daleks instantly, leaving 664 the only one standing.

Confused the two stare at each other waiting for one to attack the other for a minute before 664 silently retreats in the other direction confused as to why he spared her life.

On the last very last day of the Time War. 664 having an instinct that things will get much worse from here decides to check out and see what sort of technology from some of the fallen.

She scavenges a small emergency temporal shift device from a casing of a dead Dalek and while toying around with it, accidentally activates it, sending her to Earth in the 2010's.

Unknowingly to 664, the temporal shift device she activated was slightly damaged was able to sub-consciously open her mind slightly to new, “impure” emotions.

DM-664 ends up detained, gun confiscated, & stranded inside an Extra-Terrestrial Detention Centre run by UNIT’s Australian Branch in Melbourne. Thankfully due to 664 looking more like her Kaled Ancestors, she was able to deceive her captors into believing she was something else more humanoid.

Over the span of 8 years, she and many other detained aliens that were considered “low risk” by UNIT were put on a study/re-educational like program where they were made to learn about Human societies & history & other misc skills.

One day, The Doctor eventually gets word about this UNIT run detention centre in Australia and decides to show up to try and put a stop to the operations of the centre, unexpectedly crossing paths with DM-664.

The Doctor confronts and exposes 664’s Skarosian origins in front of UNIT & the other captive aliens.

This news caused mass panic from the UNIT soldiers & a riot from the captive aliens.

While the masses were distracted, 664 and a couple of other aliens slip out of the crowds and head towards the highly secured room where their confiscated alien technology is stored, attacking anyone that tried to stop them.

664 was able to break into the room & retrieve her gun while the other aliens with her armed themselves too and they continued with their escape attempt. Unfortunately the escape attempt was foiled as the Doctor was able to calm both UNIT and the rioting aliens down.

664 and the few aliens with her were located and reluctantly surrendered.

The UNIT centre admins after all of the chaos decides that 664 was “too dangerous” to be held in the centre and they forced the Doctor to take 664 with him in the TARDIS.

The Doctor was open to the idea, though 664 reluctantly agreed and left with what little belongings she had.

She ended up traveling with the Doctor & his small group of companions for a number of years. Seeing new worlds, crossing paths with new enemies,as well as gaining some allies/friendships.

Eventually 664’s time in the TARDIS ended after an unexpected encounter with multiple incarnations of the Doctor and some Daleks shook this current TARDIS team & left DM-664 more traumatised after it had finished.

The Doctor ended deciding that it would be best to say goodbye to 664 for now.

He ended up leaving 664 on a quiet habitable alien forest like planet known as Icarro that was uninhabited by any alien civilisations, only a few species of animals.

DM-664 while still mentally recovering from everything that has happened before, began to take on this new stage of her life & see where it would take her.

[thebreakfastgenie]

Whether you made up a guy or not, I find your post in poor taste. I mean, imagine being on the other end of that. Imagine if that post had been about misogyny instead.

“After seeing this person be annoying online, I realised why people become misogynists. It’s wrong of them and they should get offline and touch grass but you know, I’m just saying, most misogynists are radicalised by meeting an annoying woman. I know this because they said so on Reddit. So I mean, that’s bad and wrong to hate them for that, but it makes you think, doesn’t it? If only this person had been less annoying people wouldn’t hate women.”

Like… I know you were saying TERFs were very very wrong for seeing annoying trans people and becoming bigots for it. But to be honest, that is a premise I disagree with. Yes, many Reddit-using TERFs claim(ed) that they became transphobic because of annoying trans people online… but that’s really downplaying the long history of trans bigotry, not to mention the political forces that radicalise young people into hate groups and bigotry. You are not taking into consideration that someone being annoying or abrasive or claiming to speak for a minority group would not be sufficient to bring down hate groups on them were it not for the social and political forces already marginalising those people.

Or to use another comparison in your post, I might see an individual with a Magen David emoji in their name saying some things I disagree with - and if I was uneducated and too online and needed to touch grass, yes, I might conclude that all Jews are [whatever it said in the tweet]. But I wouldn’t become an anti-Semite who believes Jews run the world and engage in blood libel because of that annoying Jewish person on Twitter. I would become that if I had been radicalised by anti-Jewish hate groups.

You're reading a lot into my post that wasn't there.

For one thing, I know I was mostly talking about online, but the posts I referenced in the "peak trans" threads (what they called it) were often about unpleasant experiences TERFs or TERF-sympathetic people (despite it being r/radfem or whatever, there were a number of posts from cis men) had with trans people in real life. It was just a parallel I noticed. We know that just knowing a person from a marginalized group (there was a recent study on this with trans people) can significantly change attitudes towards acceptance, so I think it's reasonable to hypothesis if someone has had limited interactions with a group and they've been negative it may contribute to less acceptance. Bigotry is often closely tied to fear; this is a similar emotional pathway.

To the main point, I'm not saying this sort of thing radicalizes people the way hate groups do. What I am saying is that toxic social environments like twitter contribute to low-level bigotry and probably prime some people to be radicalized further. It's background radiation that can make people think "maybe the hate groups have a point" or at least not feel particularly strongly about pushing back against them. I don't know why you'd assume I'm discounting other social and political forces. I'm identifying this kind of toxic environment as one social force and analyzing (I use that word loosely because I'm just layperson blogging here) the role it plays in the preponderance of bigotry. I am suggesting that toxic environments like twitter in conjunction with other social forces can result in an increase in bigotry. I guess I didn't think I had to specify that other social forces exist because I thought we all agreed on "systemic transphobia is a real thing."

It's funny that you bring up misogyny, because the interaction I had was on a thread about misogyny. And a random TERF showed up to reply with a TERF copypasta, "look at this dress wearing man talking over a woman about what it's like to be a woman" etc. They probably do that because they know people who are frustrated are more likely to be taken in by that.

What I was trying to emphasize, and what I will reiterate again, is that the onus is on cis people, or whatever other privileged group, to not be poisoned by that background radiation. I think environments like twitter make it easier for people to become bigots but that is not an excuse for bigotry.

[newstfionline]

Tuesday, August 6, 2024

Stocks tumbled over fears of a U.S. economic slowdown (NYT) A wave of anxiety rippled through financial markets today, with stocks falling in the U.S. and around the world as investors zeroed in on signs of a slowing American economy. The S&P 500 fell 3 percent, its worst day since September 2022. The drop brings the index down 8.5 percent from its peak in July, but it’s still up 8.7 percent in 2024 overall. Investors were apparently spooked by a combination of factors last week. Today’s drop extended a sell-off that began after the U.S. jobs report on Friday showed significantly slower hiring, with unemployment at its highest level in nearly three years. The report also followed a Federal Reserve meeting in which officials decided to keep interest rates steady. That fueled fears that the Fed might have waited too long to cut rates, allowing a soft landing to turn into a more turbulent one.

Phoenix: Living with heat (NZZ) If you want to understand what heat does to people, you have to study it where it already dominates life. In Phoenix, Arizona, for example, in America’s Southwest. Nearly every day in July featured temperatures above 43 degrees Celsius (above 109 degrees Fahrenheit), with nights never dropping below 32 degrees. With an average daily temperature of 36 degrees, June was the hottest month on record. The rising nighttime temperatures could ensure that the summer record of 2023 with 55 extremely hot days is broken again this year. After sunset, concrete facades, roofs and asphalt roads continue to radiate stored heat for hours—so much so that people sweat outside until well after midnight. People who live in Phoenix only open the door at night to get some fresh air. If you want to meet people on the street in the city’s residential areas, you have to get up early. Joggers who want to run around the block more than twice set off at half past four at the latest, when it is coolest. Dogs are taken for a walk between five and six, and after sunrise it is rare to see a baby carriage on the street. A greenhorn who has gone outside without a water bottle is kindly but emphatically told by passersby how dangerous this is. You sweat almost constantly in this climate.

Tropical Storm Debby hits Florida with floods (AP) Tropical Storm Debby slammed Florida with torrential rain and high winds, contributing to at least four deaths as it turned menacingly toward the Eastern Seaboard’s low-lying regions and threatened to flood some of America’s most historic Southern cities. Record-setting rain was expected to cause flash flooding, with up to 30 inches (76 centimeters) possible in some areas, the National Hurricane Center said. The potential for high water threatened the historic cities of Savannah, Georgia, and Charleston, South Carolina. Up to 18 inches (46 centimeters) was forecast in central and north Florida. / Something else Hurricane Debby brought: (CNN) Twenty-five packages of cocaine weighing about 70 pounds washed ashore along on a beach in Islamorada, Florida, on Sunday, according to a social media post from US Customs and Border Patrol. According to the agency in Miami, a good samaritan discovered the drugs and alerted authorities. The cocaine has a street value of more than $1 million.

Prime Minister Condemns ‘Far-Right Thuggery’ as Riots Grip U.K. (NYT) Anti-immigration rioters attacked a hotel in the town of Rotherham in northern England on Sunday, breaking windows and appearing to set fires at a hotel that has housed asylum seekers, as riots continued in Britain. The police in cities across the country have braced for continued far-right and anti-immigration protests spurred by a deadly stabbing attack last week in the northern English town of Southport. Disinformation spread rapidly that erroneously claimed the suspect in the knife attack was an immigrant. On Saturday, dozens of people were arrested as demonstrations from Liverpool to Belfast descended into violence. Sunday saw a new wave of clashes, with groups gathering in Rotherham, Bolton, Hull, Southport, Middlesbrough and other towns and cities scattered across the country that devolved into varying degrees of violence.

Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina resigns and flees country as protesters storm palace (BBC) Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has resigned and fled the country. Hasina, who was seen as increasingly authoritarian, was forced out by weeks of protests that led to deadly clashes with the security forces. She had led Bangladesh since 2009, and took a helicopter to India, according to BBC Bengali. Hasina's resignation comes as thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in the capital Dhaka—with thousands more set to follow, a day after clashes between police and protesters left at least 90 people dead. Demonstrators stormed Hasina's official residence in Dhaka, looting it and carrying away furniture.

Thai democracy (Washington Post) Pita Limjaroenrat is arguably Thailand’s most popular politician—but his career now hangs in the balance. The suave, charismatic figurehead of Thailand’s Move Forward party led his progressive, reformist faction to a stunning first-place victory in general elections in May 2023. But the political establishment in Bangkok, enmeshed in close to a decade of de facto military rule, had other ideas. Conservative forces moved against Pita and his allies, with the Senate, comprised of lawmakers handpicked by the regime, thwarting his coalition’s ability to form a ruling government. Eventually, the Pheu Thai party, one of Move Forward’s erstwhile allies, broke with Pita and joined hands with the same military that had thrown it out of power in 2014. Pita, cast into the opposition, has been subjected to a concerted campaign of lawfare targeting both him and his party. On Aug. 7, Thailand’s constitutional court is set to rule whether to dissolve Move Forward and effectively disqualify Pita himself from holding political office in the near future. The case is centered on Move Forward’s campaign pitch to reform Thailand’s draconian lèse-majesté laws that criminalize critical speech about the Thai monarchy; they are now being wielded by the state to potentially kneecap Pita and his party. The looming crisis spotlights how Thailand is a “competitive autocracy,” as Pita put it to me himself in an interview last week. “An election victory does not translate to governance here.”

Four years after the Beirut port blast, justice is still stalled (AP) Four years ago, Helen Ata got a call from someone she didn’t know telling her that a massive explosion at the Beirut port had caused her building to collapse. Her brothers were trapped under the rubble. One of them, Issam, survived, with a permanent disability in his right leg. Her twin brother Abdo, whom she calls her “other half,” died. The port blast anniversary Sunday comes as the region braces for retaliation after an Israeli strike killed a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut and an explosion in Tehran, widely blamed on Israel, killed top Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. For many, the fears of a new escalation come as wounds of the port explosion four years ago remain raw. On Aug. 4, 2020, hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate detonated in a Beirut Port warehouse. The gigantic blast tore through the Lebanese capital, killing at least 218 people, according to an AP count, wounded more than 6,000 others, and devastated large swaths of Beirut, causing billions of dollars in damages. The blast stunned the nation and a probe by a maverick investigative judge into the explosion shook the country’s ruling elite, rife with corruption and mismanagement. However, years of obstructions by top officials to dodge accountability and stall the probe have hampered hopes for justice.

International airlines have suspended flights to Israel (NYT) Israel went into a new workweek in a state of deep uncertainty on Sunday, with the potential for attacks by Iran and the militant groups it supports already causing disruptions for many. A number of international airlines have suspended flights to and from Israel pending expected retaliation against the country by Iran and its Lebanese proxy, Hezbollah. That has left tens of thousands of Israelis unable to come home, according to an Israeli official who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to discuss the matter. Delta, United, the Lufthansa group and Aegean Airlines were among those that suspended services to Israel. Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is asking citizens traveling abroad to fill out an online survey to help the government map where they are and try to organize solutions, including alternative commercial flights. Most are believed to be stuck in Europe and the United States.

Israeli Reservists Confront Toll of Protracted War (WSJ) Aday after Hamas attacked Israel and sparked war on Oct. 7, Adi Hazan drove to a rally point in southern Israel and began what he thought would be one or two months of emergency military-reserve service. Nearly 10 months later, the machine-gunner is still deployed—and the rest of his life is in shambles. His construction business is failing, he is sinking into debt, and his family relies on handouts from friends and charities. And he doesn’t see an end in sight. A small nation with fewer than 10 million people, Israel relies heavily on reservists such as Hazan to keep its military functioning in times of crisis. But now, with the war in Gaza heading into its 11th month, and long-running exchanges of fire with regional militias such as Hezbollah heating up, many of those fighters are close to a breaking point. Exhausted and in some cases demoralized, they are struggling to balance family and work with military service, while the economic toll from their absences mounts. The strain on military manpower is one reason Israeli officials are hesitant to launch an all-out war against Hezbollah, which would require the same cohort of weary reservists to fight against a military power far superior to Hamas.

Israeli Strike on Gaza Shelter Kills at Least 30 and Injures Dozens (NYT) An Israeli airstrike on a school functioning as a shelter in Gaza City killed at least 30 people and injured dozens more on Sunday, according to the Palestinian emergency response agency in Gaza and Palestinian news outlets. It was the third attack on a school in the last four days. Most of the victims were women and children, said Mahmoud Basal, a spokesman for the Palestinian Civil Defense. He said that an F-16 fighter jet hit a school called Hassan Salame, where at least 14 people were still buried under the rubble. Shrapnel and debris also hit a neighboring school known as Nasser, he said. The death toll was initially 25, but rose to 30. The Israeli military said it had targeted “terrorists” in “Hamas command and control centers” located at the Hassan Salame and Nasser schools. It said it had taken “numerous steps to mitigate the risk of harming civilians” before the strike, including using precision munitions, surveillance and intelligence, though it did not specify how it had done so.

Nigerian protests fizzle out amid deadly police crackdown (Reuters) Protests against a soaring cost of living in Nigeria ebbed on Monday as few people turned out in major cities after security forces used lethal force to quell demonstrations. Hundreds of thousands had taken to the streets in cities including the capital Abuja and the commercial hub Lagos demanding relief from economic hardship and widespread insecurity in protests which started last Thursday and were meant to continue until Aug. 10. Amnesty International said at least 13 people have been killed in clashes with the police since Thursday. Police have put the death toll at seven, blaming some on accidents and an explosive device. A firm police response and a call for a protest pause by President Bola Tinubu have dampened the demonstrations.

[eatmangoesnekkid]

I know we think of features as physical things but some of our best features may be energetic. The energetic always inform the physical beauty and sustains it anyway. 😘

…also my best feature is being able to give most people grace and not need them to be perfect in any way…I am more led from my highest truth, which is the heart, far more than the ego that will always have a difficult time letting things go and not holding grudges. This can only be valid when the heart is truly open and there is no negligence or abuse involved in any way. Being led by your divine energy is not easy and requires a lot of courage because what you will be up against is living in a world where most people are led by their ego and will expect you to be the same way.

Divinity is our true nature in our human form and humans emanating divine energy naturally carry a sense of resourcefulness and confidence, not looking for someone to blame. Divine energy is ancient, timeless, ageless, and regenerative and moves us beyond the worst circumstances into more love, joy, and internal and external harmony. There are forces on the planet weaning us towards being less interested in or capable of accessing our full bodies, becoming less human, because this is where our divine energy lives. “Less human” means that we become more congested, atrophied, superficial and plasticized from being filled with all kinds of poisonous and artificial substances that lower our capacity to tap into our divine intelligence of the universe. The battle and pull towards being less human is so strong yet easy to go unnoticed because we have so many distraction and diversions around us on every level of existence that keep us more separated and fighting against one another than coming together. Such a brilliant plan! But not even soulless AI or the transhumanism movement can touch the potency of our human divinity —which can only be accessed in relationship to the body, and the body in relationship to nature and other bodies. And more and more humans becoming aware of our divinity is what the inorganic beings that oftentimes possess human bodies do not want to happen. These beings can have larger following on social media and refer to themselves as “The Mother Goddess”or whatever. They can be our family members. They can be our pastors and doctors.

No surprise that Abrahamic religions like Christianity teach us to omit and ignore the body, to see a plump female body as tempestuous, sinful or nasty, and just pray to a male God in the sky for salvation. Having your energy and mind intact to clearly discern will be key to your quality of health and wellness in the future. If you don’t have harmony in these areas, you will have to begin to deeply trust in the vision of those who do as you become more hydrated at a cellular level and rebuild your body —joints, ligaments, feet, legs, hips, ‘ sight,’ scalp and hair follicles (antennas and nervous system), pussy, pelvis, brain, etc., and craft a real, truthful, non-social media-driven Goddess relationship with nature and the sun, your energy and body begins to naturally repair and regenerate themselves. Then you too can help someone who can’t ‘see’ well at this time, begin their processes of doing so. This is my vision for us all. And once you start to wake up from the amnesia and truly ‘see,’ you will never not ‘see’ again.

When you see a person walking down the street with in their human divinity in an aura of resourcefulness and relaxation, instead of fear, anxiety and hopelessness that our society pushes upon us that live inside of, don’t you just want to know who they are and why and how they radiate such joy in this chaotic, highly cortisol-driven world? It’s because of the vital non-arrogant energy they are walking with and the accompanying divine knowing they hold in our tissues that have real life effects on the psyche of onlookers. At our deepest core, we all desire to experience the fullness of what it means to be truly alive in human flesh and form.

But when you are led by ego, and you see this type of person walking alone, especially a woman, as if she is keenly aware of her body, her spine, breasts, feet, and hips, and the life force (erotic) energy they contain and does not live dependent on coffee to supply her body with vital energy, you become at odds with her, wondering ‘who does she think she is?!’ She is God —like you are—and she is also evidence that divinity is our truest nature, which is the last thing that religious institutions, academia, and other institutions of power would want us to know about each other.

Your aliveness, your life force energy, your erotic plump divine energy is the most important thing and fortunately it can be generated and cultivated to shine brighter. Because being self-regenerating and resourced is abundance. Needing something to supply you with energy, particularly when you are not chronically ill or in chronic pain, is scarcity.

We have to get honest with ourselves if we are ever to truly elevate into living from the heart and tend to our obsessions and addictions. This mastery will require your lover but also your warrior spirit. I stay coming home to my body which is coming home to my aliveness. Every thing I am, all the love, life, adventure, dance lessons, traveling adventures, romance, success, peace, rest, flexibility, strengthening, relaxation, softness and doing what I love every day is because I am always coming home to my body as a lived experience and opening wide to more and more life. All my solutions and next-step directions arrive from being held deeply within this wellspring of internal wisdom and merely listening to it.

I mentioned the part about coffee not to shame anyone who drinks it. The need to shame is evidence that one is living in poverty consciousness. It was, however, a very honest statement. If you drink coffee and you really love it, then my Love, there is no need to feel wrong or bad. My advice is to not drink it on an empty stomach first in the morning. Have something to eat and some water or juice first, then enjoy your coffee with all manners of delight afterwards. Feel good while drinking it and it will then produce a smaller stress response of your nervous system and help resolve the war inside. To do things we love and adore and find kinship with is also a form of love, care, and service to self. Everything doesn’t have to be a battle when you can relax and enjoy what is. And ultimately we were never meant to perfect or love so strict and restrictively even though all things have an effect that we can lesson the impact of with our conscious intention. And when you begin to live more mindful, you may find that one day a habit or pleasure that was once there has dissolved and is no longer present as true for you.

Every page petal of this book series demonstrates how to build and craft your aliveness in every way possible.

pps—on sub mind: when you make the conscious intent to evolve your conscious mind which a. takes a lot of work b. Yet everything in your life will also change because you begin to craft a new foundation that the old you can no longer stand on similar to rebuilding a home at the base layer. You can heal or recalibrate a lot in your body and life when you become devoted to creating a new foundation through any combination of, grounding, visualization elongating and bringing more spaciousness to your internal body, squatting heavy like a boss and brining more strength to your root, regenerating ankle hip and knees, crying, etc.

I accidentally deleted your question—but my best feature, if I read your question properly, is that I don’t take too many things too seriously. I try not to live so much in my head and fully live and play more in my body no matter what may be going on and know that I am safe and held in my experience. Constantly living in the exhaustive tasks of thinking, analyzing, and processing create a level of 'noise' within the female body that inhibits it from achieving deep regenerative rest, the quality of rest that I center in my everyday life. We craft high-quality rest in our lives, when and when the clouds of grief or loss sneak in out of nowhere, our bodies instinctively know that they are capable of restoring, rejuvenating, and regenerating. Everything I do in life, I do it for our foremothers who did not have the time, rest, peace, or space to receive these higher teachings of how to thrive in a female body because they were too busy trying to survive.

My heart tends to stay lighter than most. I am always jumping, twirling, and sassy-ing, and finding new openings and depth in my body instead of deferring to my head for solutions. Having that feature is an ongoing love story, I find! I see life as transient and fleeting so I am often aware of my own impending death (that sounds so morbid and terrible to read in words, but it's true).

Five percent of our conscious mind influences and directs our daily life, but 95 percent of our unconscious influences and directs our day-to-day actions and creates our reality. In other words, we must begin to believe at the unconscious level that we deserve the very best in this lifetime--a beautiful healthy body or a great love affair-and naturally and instinctively begin to birth it. If we have a womb (or energetically womb if surgically removed), we have even greater birthing power.

...a positive perception about whatever you are going through life is incredibly regenerative and impactful...rebuilding your subconscious mind is key.

I unconsciously tend to ground myself in the truth that one day I'm going to die, which allows things roll off my shoulders easier and gifts my body with more LIFE. I am sincere in my desire to enjoy my time while I’m on this earth plane in this physical vessel no matter what.

I am a lila woman therefore I tend to fuck a lot…."make love with life," is what I'm talking about...giggles! :)

We have to wake up from the amnesia we have fallen into and remember what it means to be female upon the earth and what our purpose is: to make love with life. I am always "making love," doing what makes me feel fully alive in my tissues. And when you live a life of "lovemaking" --bringing the energy of love into nearly everything you do, then everyone and everything benefit.

We have to be deliberate in divinely planting seeds of joy into our everyday lives because a life that's growing and elevating will also have challenges and tons of things to check off the to-do list. Therefore, if I’m cooking, I’m usually having a good time and finding something to laugh about while doing so. If I am making love in a bed, I’m in it with all my vulnerable heart and soul for the life and breath of me. If I'm about to jump into a cold pool --which helps to relieve any inflammation in the body and stimulate the vagus nerve, I do so while leading with love and deep breathing way into gratitude for the regenerative moment and I dare not complain. If I'm biking in the cold rain to dance class, I start singing my favorite song at the moment out loud. If I’m pole dancing—the same mathematics apply. I’m the one moaning on the pole to usurp greater strength in a difficult moment. I perceive myself in all my experiences, in love, as love, transmutation as a lived experience. Because we are here to do amazing things and have aims and objectives in life, but we are also here to feel really delicious in our bodies and lives while reaching them in real time and get our bodies luscious and well

....God is in the present moment.

Not taking the present moment in front of us for granted gives birth to a fluid matrix of limitless possibilities. Some people feel very comfortable and safe listing all the ways and reasons they are limited. But you can create a warm beautiful container that allows you to regenerate and create new narratives which by definitation makes you limitless. All that childlike excitement that awakens and creates more tingles and internal space and lubrication as a result of you feeling like more is possible beyond your current experience will help you to break through the brittle and cold, the mental fog and body fatigue, and the frustrations and lack.

the more you hate your body, the more your body becomes a thing to hate...in order words, energy impacts matter, how you think matters and become matter.

I have not always been the way I am. I grew up pretty left-brain and always in my head calculating and have degrees in accounting and science. Something major shifted in my tissues when I had my kundalini awakening in a forest almost 17 years ago while alone. I l do believe it was a kind of mother wit or deeply cervical mother's love...I'm still trying to find the proper descriptive words. After that moment, I became more lighthearted, an old soul and youthful spirit emerged greater than I had ever known myself to be. After that surreal experience in the forest, even though I was still climbing my way out of struggle and lack frequencies, I would play and twirl and get back into my body and experience sweetness and bliss no matter what foolishness I was going through--the heart of a child/lighthearted energy. An orgasmic frequency. A great death a great love story. Sincerely living with a higher frequency beyond what my life was actually reflected in my life instigated my quantum leap. I saw the scarcity around me an initiations and not permanent fixed states. I always knew one day I would transcend. It's like Donna Summer said something to the effect of "when you have something great, it's only a matter of time." I would going through the craziest times but had an attitude where I refused to wait to enjoy my life--what was in front of me, and would be hula hooping and giggling to release any stuck energy from my heart and belly. That's the spirit I felt in me while working 55 hours per week at a job I hated most days and in a relationship that was imploding. There are sacred times in life where life is just hard and you have to do what needs to be done while still discovering pleasurable ways to adore life as it is and where it is going.

More than "woman" I sense myself as a fairy woman—Priestess, Temple and Wisdom Keeper, Seer, and Medicine woman from the Lover-Warrior template and Mother lineage I channel and translate from. I'm deeply rootsy with dirt on the bottoms of my feet which builds immunity and a self-cultivated larger capacity, as devotee to Kundalini, the Shakti fire, that deep cervical love. I participate in life through my own body and I am not hijacked by the limitations of my mind or this world. I certainly have proud unifying moments where I weep and howl alongside the rest of the world in kinship and what’s also true is that I’m not of this world like one of my divine mentors "Sun Ra" spoke and am unwilling to miss out on the here and now most days.

...your warmth of love is essential...warmth = love....and heat is always essential for repair and regeneration. and there is no time and space...everything is possible.

I let the world’s wickedness ignite my fire and heart and discover the wickedness living in me lurking in the shadows that needs to be integrated. I drop timelines and tend to the ancient-future projections. These are some my best features. Life is my mirror. I hope I answered your question right —your words were beautiful! Poetic! Great writer....I was so stunned by your language that I hit the wrong button. Thank you Anonymous! 💜 —India

[lutnut215-creative]

Anomaly Earth Lore - Part 1: Introduction and Quick Summary

When you flip a coin, it creates a completely different universe, as strange as that may sound. For every action that may have different outcomes, every single outcome is written into being in a different universe. But some changes are… different. They don't have anything to do with a conscious choice, but with the general way the world works. Some might have different physics, others might have evolution take a different path. Anomaly Earth is one of these worlds.

Anomaly Earth’s geography and climate are quite similar to our normal planet’s - a giant ball of rock and water careening through space at Mach 87 around a giant glowing mass of hydrogen and helium. However, Anomaly Earth does have a single geographical difference to our own - a web of lines that circle the globe, unseen by the human eye. This web is called the ley line network, and near spots where these ley lines intersect (“hotspots”), there’s a stronger connection to the powers that bind the universe together. As these powers can be used to bypass the normal laws of physics, the scientific field focusing on them is called “metaphysics,” though the common term is “magic.”

In the time period when humans began to develop full sapience, so did many animal species, some being "elementals" that formed of pure magical energy, or mana. At the same time, near ley line hotspots in Europe and Asia, a lizard species known as dragons was fundamentally altered by the magical energies being radiated - they would end up growing horns, more mammalian traits such as naturally growing hair, and more. Over time, more dragon species would pop up - the most unique being the Dragonkin, who could take on a human form in order to live in human colonies without suspicion, and the Mentali, who had been formed from dragon-cheetah hybrids interbreeding, the two species’ traits blending together and drawing in traits from other feline and dragon species to create an entirely new one. Outside of this, though, history largely continued the same - the only difference being that in the Middle Ages a kingdom of dragons had been formed somewhere in what is now Austria, and was sieged in the middle of the Crusades out of fear that the dragons were demonic in nature.

Fast-forward to the year 2022, and society has progressed the same as on our own Earth in most respects. However, the various species on Earth have led to more diverse ways people go about life, and unfortunately, more levels of discrimination towards both race and species. Magic is also a key player in the differences that Anomaly Earth shows - metaphysics is a valid branch of science, as mentioned before, and magic is a common ability many can use, though some lack the requirements one must have to learn. Despite the common use of magic, technology has progressed just as quickly, and the people of Anomaly Earth still commonly use devices from companies such as Apple, Google, Microsoft, Samsung, Nintendo, etc.

However, a company named Aspentech has been making the rounds recently. Aspentech is an oddity among most companies - pricing their devices far cheaper than others of a similar sort, focusing less on excess bells and whistles and more on actual utility, for those who are less fortunate than others. Aspentech's humanitarian approach naturally extends from its origin - a subsidiary of a research lab being run as a way to pay the researchers, inventors, and interns there. And it's all headed by a man driven less by profit and more by a passion for science, the world around him, and the people living in it. A lot of Anomaly Earth writing focuses on this lab, the Aspen Institute.



I will be releasing the Anomaly Earth lore in bits and pieces, so as not to create a single, massive post. Part 2 will focus on the basics of magic and metaphysics, Part 3 will focus on the various species of Anomaly Earth, Part 4 will dive deeper into the Aspen Institute, and Part 5 will focus on the various characters in the Anomaly Earth lore.

Part 6 will be exclusive to this blog, focusing on how NSFW content manifests itself. The first five parts have no NSFW content, so they won't be given the labels.

[domandragon-creative]

Anomaly Earth Lore - Part 1: Introduction and Quick Summary

When you flip a coin, it creates a completely different universe, as strange as that may sound. For every action that may have different outcomes, every single outcome is written into being in a different universe. But some changes are… different. They don't have anything to do with a conscious choice, but with the general way the world works. Some might have different physics, others might have evolution take a different path. Anomaly Earth is one of these worlds.

Anomaly Earth’s geography and climate are quite similar to our normal planet’s - a giant ball of rock and water careening through space at Mach 87 around a giant glowing mass of hydrogen and helium. However, Anomaly Earth does have a single geographical difference to our own - a web of lines that circle the globe, unseen by the human eye. This web is called the ley line network, and near spots where these ley lines intersect (“hotspots”), there’s a stronger connection to the powers that bind the universe together. As these powers can be used to bypass the normal laws of physics, the scientific field focusing on them is called “metaphysics,” though the common term is “magic.”

In the time period when humans began to develop full sapience, so did many animal species, some being "elementals" that formed of pure magical energy, or mana. At the same time, near ley line hotspots in Europe and Asia, a lizard species known as dragons was fundamentally altered by the magical energies being radiated - they would end up growing horns, more mammalian traits such as naturally growing hair, and more. Over time, more dragon species would pop up - the most unique being the Dragonkin, who could take on a human form in order to live in human colonies without suspicion, and the Mentali, who had been formed from dragon-cheetah hybrids interbreeding, the two species’ traits blending together and drawing in traits from other feline and dragon species to create an entirely new one. Outside of this, though, history largely continued the same - the only difference being that in the Middle Ages a kingdom of dragons had been formed somewhere in what is now Austria, and was sieged in the middle of the Crusades out of fear that the dragons were demonic in nature.

Fast-forward to the year 2022, and society has progressed the same as on our own Earth in most respects. However, the various species on Earth have led to more diverse ways people go about life, and unfortunately, more levels of discrimination towards both race and species. Magic is also a key player in the differences that Anomaly Earth shows - metaphysics is a valid branch of science, as mentioned before, and magic is a common ability many can use, though some lack the requirements one must have to learn. Despite the common use of magic, technology has progressed just as quickly, and the people of Anomaly Earth still commonly use devices from companies such as Apple, Google, Microsoft, Samsung, Nintendo, etc.

However, a company named Aspentech has been making the rounds recently. Aspentech is an oddity among most companies - pricing their devices far cheaper than others of a similar sort, focusing less on excess bells and whistles and more on actual utility, for those who are less fortunate than others. Aspentech's humanitarian approach naturally extends from its origin - a subsidiary of a research lab being run as a way to pay the researchers, inventors, and interns there. And it's all headed by a man driven less by profit and more by a passion for science, the world around him, and the people living in it. A lot of Anomaly Earth writing focuses on this lab, the Aspen Institute.

I will be releasing the Anomaly Earth lore in bits and pieces, so as not to create a single, massive post. Part 2 will focus on the basics of magic and metaphysics, Part 3 will focus on the various species of Anomaly Earth, Part 4 will dive deeper into the Aspen Institute, and Part 5 will focus on the various characters in the Anomaly Earth lore.

[lou-struck]

Haunted House

Wakatoshi Ushijima x Reader

Flufftober Day 4: Haunted House

~ you hoped you would really be able to scare your boyfriend at this haunted house, but it really came back to bite you in the butt.

The grip you have on Your boyfriend's massive hands is deathly, but he seems unfazed as he drags you through the hallowed halls of the haunted house.

Another actor jumps out at you and you hide your face in his sleeve in fear. Wakatoshi stands strong, unblinking, and unemotional as he stares over at the man currently dressed as a masked killer.

His olive eyes drift downward to the chainsaw the man is currently waving at you. Gently brushing back a strand of your disheveled hair from your face he speaks. “Y/n, this chainsaw can’t hurt you, it doesn’t have a chain in it.” He says it’s so kindly that you wanna punch him. But you have no one to blame but yourself for your current situation…

It all started the other night when the two of you were watching One of your favorite scary movies. He had never seen it before and so you were hoping to give him a little freight during one of the jump scare scenes.

But by the time the scare came and went, his expression stayed just as passive while you once again sprang from your seat in surprise.

‘Some people are just good with scary movies’ You thought to yourself, ‘Maybe if he was jumped at in real life he would react.’

This led to you buying tickets to one of the city's most famous haunted houses, this warehouse features dozens of rooms and scene changes that lead visitors through a maze of horror. But now you’re the one getting scared and not your boyfriend.

“Do you want to keep going? You look uncomfortable.” He asks.

You really don’t want to keep going, the jump scares this far have put you on the edge, The beating of your heart seems to shake your body and your legs are feeling a bit weak. But you are motivated by curiosity and a little bit of spite. Wakatoshi Ushijima has never been spooked before. You have to see what he would look like.

You clear your throat and look up at him with the termination. “ yeah, I’m ready. Let’s go.” He nods and the two of you step further into the building.

Even though there are other people making their way through the house, it’s quiet. Artificial fog fills the air as it bounces off the dimly lit walls.

There is a sinister chill that grows on you more and more as you make your way through the house. Your previous determination figures like a candle in the wind as you find yourself shivering. It’s much colder in here than it was in the line.

At least you have Wakatoshi with you, he stands tall and his body radiates heat that makes you cling to him more. "Are you sure you're not afraid?"

You say nothing and continue to follow behind him leaving the sounds of screaming and revving chainsaws behind you.

The next scene you make it to looks like a doll house, everything is frilly, pink, and, pristine. Its innocence is unnerving in a way the other rooms were not.

Your shoulders tense as you scan the room trying to find the horror hiding amongst the unblinking porcelain dolls.

"I don't see anything in here," you mumble "Maybe the actor is on break?"

Ushijima hums and looks around, "I see, then we should move on.”

You take an all too eager step toward the exit and suddenly an airy giggle fills the room

"Are you leaving me already?'

Your eyes dart around anxiously trying to find where it's coming from until something catches your eye. A large doll, no, a puppet ascends from the ceiling on two large silk ropes. Its cracked features and sickeningly sweet grin strike a new type of fear in your heart. There are no sounds that you could utter that would be fitting of how you are feeling.

Your legs give out from under you.

Now on the floor, you look up at your boyfriend who looks down on you with a look of worry.

“Are you alright?” he asks gently crouching down to your level. As the actor apologizes for scaring you so badly behind him.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine." You murmur trying to catch your breath.

"You hold out your hand for him to help you up, but he opts instead to just scoop your scared self off of the carpeted floor and holds you in his arms.

"You scared me," he says softly "I'm gonna keep you close so we can get out of here."

"You were sacred?" you say cracking a bit of a smile.

Your legs may feel numb, and you have been tormented by clowns, killers, corpses, and dolls for the past hour, but you finally did it. You scared Wakatoshi Ushijima. you giggle a bit and nestle yourself into his strong chest. and you giggle triumphantly.

"What's so funny?" he asks confusedly.

"It's nothing," you smile "Let's get out of here."

~

Once you make it through the house and out the exit he places you on the ground.“ I found that quite enjoyable,” he says cupping your cheek.

“Why?“ You pout, “The house didn't scare you at all.”

“I wasn’t scared, but you were.“ he says, his lips turn upwards with the smallest hint of a smile. “ I enjoyed having you in my arms like that, I think that we should do it more often.“

[bonky-n-steeb]

i think Loki needs a flower crown, so what if you made him one? Would he like it or not?

Thank you so much for this request! This made me soft.🥺 I hope you like this. Ily! 😘

the flower crown

𝙡𝙤𝙠𝙞 𝙭 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧

𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 || fluff and a little bit of angst.

this is not proofread :/

This gif is so 🥺🥺🥺

It was the New Year’s Eve on Asgard. A new year of hope and happiness was about to come and everyone was rejoicing.

And unlike earth, one of the traditions on Asgard was to give gifts to the royal family. From the kings to the little princesses, the commoners gave little tokens of appreciation.

The maidens used to make jewellery from flowers for their princes while men used to offer their craftsmanship. This year was no different.

Almost all the members of the royal family were bestowed with gifts. At the end of the day Thor was covered in fragrant flowers while Odin and frigga had collected pots and metals. Everyone except Loki had some gift or the other.

After all the deeds he had done the previous year and after the fact that he was a frost giant was revealed; no one dared to give him anything. Some out of fear as to how he’d react, while the others refrained due to their outright hate towards him.

Loki always maintained a calm composure in front of others. He pretended in the court that the gifts from those peasants were beneath his level. That he didn’t need their appreciation, he was a god after all.

But beneath the cold exterior, his heart ached. He desperately wanted someone to give him anything; even a stone would mean a lot. And all this proving the very point he was fighting for: he wasn’t Thor’s equal.

As the night approached, the festivities all died down and he retreated back to his chamber. And all he hand in his hands was one delicate bracelet given to him by his own mother.

He would keep it safe and close to his heart. But the fact that no one else cared enough for him, made deep cuts.

“How was your day, my Prince?” You inquired as he entered his bed chambers. You were waiting for him there all day.

Being a servant, your duty was to keep his room the way he liked and cater to his whims. But Loki wasn’t like one expected him to be. He pretended to be arrogant but despite that he did things no one else would do.

He asked if you were okay on the days you were sick and gave you a day off. He asked if you’d had your lunch and he noticed little changes like when you trimmed your hair.

These were the things that people overlooked. Running after big things, people forgot how precious caring for someone so much that you noticed all the small details was. And you couldn’t stop your heart from falling for him.

“How would it be?” He asked incredulously. You could feel the disappointment radiate out of the Prince. He had nothing except for the beautiful bracelet clutched in his hands and you had an inkling who it was from.

“I have something for you.” Loki’s eyes shot over to you as you looked at him shyly. You didn’t know how he’d react; whether he’d be happy or whether he’d think it was childish.

“What?” What would you have for him? He noticed how your hands were behind your back as if you were hiding something. Your hands trembled a little as you brought them in front of you.

Loki’s eyes widened then watered as he saw what you were holding gently in your hand. A flower crown. “I… I made this for you.” You had spent the entire day collecting and then weaving the flowers in a delicate pattern.

Dahlias, daisies and carnations made the main portion of the crown, while hydrangeas were filling the remaining spaces. It was the most beautiful crown Loki had ever seen.

He quickly wiped off the tears in his eyes and cleared his throat. “Thank… thank you.” Loki said accepting the gift. You couldn’t believe the god of mischief just accepted your gift and thanked you.

But before you could say any further, he dismissed you with a flip of his hand. Nodding, you walked away, only to peek back into his room through the small slit in the door.

You wanted to see what he did with it. Did he throw it away? Did he mock it? Did he wear it? You stood with bated breath as he got up walked towards the mirror. He stared at the crown for some moments before finally placing it on his head.

You gave a small squeal as you saw him smile at the mirror. Loki was treating it as if the crown was made of gold. You know that no matter what how cold he appeared to be, this man had a heart of gold.

Loki finally allowed himself to cry when you were gone. The crown was truly one of the best things he’d received. He couldn’t believe you cared for him so much.

He couldn’t believe that after everything had happened, there was this one person, you, who thought he deserved happiness too. He didn’t feel so alone anymore.

He couldn’t ever tell you, but he loved you. Since the day you had entered his life, his life was much brighter. But you didn’t belong together.

He was a monster and you were the only good thing in his life. If you ever got together, he would taint you too. And he wouldn’t be able to live if he ever dimmed your light.

So he did what he knew best; he hid his feeling and saw you from afar. Hoping that one day, one fine day he’d finally have the courage to tell you the truth.

[comfortscripts]

Hi <3

Could you do how each Marauder would kiss you for the first time? Like the confidence levels for each would be soooo different I think and just the way they'd go about it, idk but yeah

First Kiss ¬ Marauders

Of course! Honestly, I have so many thoughts but....

Also for this, I just did James, Sirius and Remus but I am willing to do other Marauder era characters (including girls) in the future.

James Potter

"Honestly James, it's embarrassing at this point. Just admit I'm the better keeper"

This had been going on for years. Both of you claiming to be the best keeper in Hogwarts, neither willing to submit. Some say it's rivalry, some say it's unresolved sexual tension but whatever it was, you and James loved it.

"Let's make this interesting, shall we?" The Gryffindor retorted with a smirk. "Whoever saves more goals during practice wins and that's the end of it."

"Okay, deal Potter but if I win, you have to stand up in the Great Hall and announce that I'm the best. Got it?"

You see the flash of fear run across his face before he responds with his same cocky smile, "And when I win, I want a kiss."

Before you could make some form of objection through your flushed cheeks, James was already in the air and prepping for the friendly competition.

You were both on fire. The pitch replicated a professional practice rather than a school-sports one but for every one he saved, you saved two. Whilst you did sometimes long to feel the Gryffindor's lips against your own, the idea of him praising you so publicly was too good to give up. And it seemed like the push worked, you won.

Landing back on solid ground, the two sweaty keepers reunited. James' couldn't even be upset at his loss when he saw your face. Pride beaming through your smile as your flushed cheeks framed it and your skin glistened. You were magnificent.

"Good game, I guess you really are the best" Offering his hand out for good sportsmanship hand shake.

Grabbing his hand and closing the space between you, now chest to chest. "I think you deserve a consolation prize for your efforts today, Potter."

The collision of your lips against his was more thrilling than any quidditch match. Pent up tension releasing in waves as you feel the bespectacled boy get over his initial shock and lean into the kiss. Lips melding and moving together, all whilst allowing your hands to grip his broad shoulders. Pulling away to regain your breath, you look up at the flustered boy as he too, steadied his breathing.

"Well, I think in some ways we both won" Joked the red and gold keeper. Causing you to giggle at his cheesy flirts.

"I guess so but you still have to do the announcement. Maybe you should wear my house colours for effec-" Before you could complete your sentence, his lips were back on yours. Not that you minded.

Sirius Black

Hogwarts was a soothing place in general but nothing could beat the astronomy tower. The atmosphere, the fresh crisp air and the silence meant that it was almost the perfect way to escape. And tonight, that's what two young Gryffindors needed.

Leaning against the brick tower, you let out a sigh of relief. Worries and fears washing from your bones as the stars shimmered in the sky and your best friend blew a puff of smoke.

"You what's crazy, the stars have seen everything. Love, happiness, life but also pain, suffering and death. Yet they still shine so brightly, it's inspiring."

Sirius was never a stranger to profound thoughts, especially on these late night excursions but this shook you. Pushing off the cold wall, you shuffle towards the dark-haired boy before sitting shoulder to shoulder and admiring the stars alongside him.

"You're right. I guess that's why you are named after a star."

You knew how much pain the boy had bundled up within himself but still, he could outshine any star in the galaxy. He had endured more pain than he could ever deserve but still managed to light up people's lives and make people feel more love than most.

Sirius swore his heart stopped at your words. His brain was telling him that it was obviously you hearing him wrong or a joke, he managed to choke out a small "What do you mean?"

Turning to look at the oblivious boy, you could almost chuckle at his adorable furrowed eyebrows and quirked smile but instead, you offered the truth.

"Sirius, you are a star. You have been through so much that I couldn't even begin to imagine but every day, you get up and make the most of life. Bringing smiles to peoples' faces, making all of us laugh with your pranks, loving your friends and protecting us no matter what. You are the impressive one and honestly, those stars pale in comparison to you."

Gazing into his eyes, you saw emotions swirling through his stormy orbs. Processing your words and conjuring up a reaction but nothing seemed right. How could he respond to you? His love for you already threated to spill out every time your eyes met but now, he worried that opening his mouth would release his confession.

As yours eyes stayed locked onto one another, neither of you noticed your bodies unknowingly leaning towards each other. Sirius notices your eyes flicker down to his lips, this was all the confirmation he needed before leaning in and meeting your supple lips.

The love that radiated off the two of you was more powerful than any spell you had learnt. Feeling the warmth spread through your being as Sirius deepened the kiss, trying to get closer. His arms wrapped around your waist as he drank in your sweet lips. You felt all the hidden emotions, all the pain and sadness of the night drift away into the distant sky.

All that mattered was you had Sirius and he had you.

Pulling away only to find yourselves lovingly embracing the other, protecting your bubble of happiness just a while longer. Sirius always knew that you made him shine brighter but now, he felt that he could outshine the stars.

Remus Lupin

Rainy evenings were always your favourite. But tonight was perfect.

James, Sirius and Peter were off pulling a prank on some unsuspecting 2nd year Ravenclaws, whilst you and your long-term crush were huddled up in the common room with two muggle books and two steaming cups of hot chocolate. You had no idea how the lanky wizard looked so comfortable on the sofa but you weren't complaining as you felt your knee bump his every once and awhile, sparks erupting at the physical contact.

Diving into the pages of the latest muggle book Lily gifted you, becoming so lost within the words that you didn't notice the chocolate moustache you had left after your previous gulp. The rich chocolate liquid which formed a frame over your plump lips caught the attention of Remus, who had be sneaking longing glances at you all night.

Your book induced trance was broken by Remus' hearty chuckle, a sound that you could listen to on repeat. Breaking away from the words, you looked up to find the werewolf already looking at you with an amused look painting his handsome face.

Immediately becoming conscious of the fact that the amusing thing was you, you released a small whine, "Remusss, why are you laughing at me".

"You have a bit of, well. You have a hot chocolate moustache"

Eyes widening in embarrassment, you quickly attempt to wipe away any chocolatey remnants with your sleeve before presenting your face back to the taller boy and asking, "all gone?"

Scooting over so he was looming over your figure, hand resting on your knee to steady himself. Remus reached up to gently wipe away the remaining flecks of chocolate that settle in the corners of your lip, allowing his thumb to caress the outline of your bottom lip.

The moment seemed to last forever, with the both of your eyes locking together as the young Gryffindor cautiously traced the outline of your jaw before entangling his hand within your hair, bringing your lips together.

The overwhelming sense of emotion accompanied by the rich lingering taste of chocolate engulfed the both of you as you leant into the kiss, resting hands on his shoulders. Remus raised his hand to grasp your hip and slowly move you closer toward his embrace.

You always thought that your first kiss with the werewolf would be more passionate and spark filled but no, this felt like home. This felt like you had fallen into his arms and discovered you belonged.

Breaking away, you stared into his amber orbs. Looking for any sign of regret or fear but you found that his eyes were filled with adoration and love, matching the very same look you held for him.

Giggling as the now giddy Gryffindor pressed a flurry of light kisses on your plumped lips, you knew that this would beat any love-story in any muggle book because this, this was perfection.