#but my brother was 12 - definitely old enough to have a valuable opinion on his own housing

[cesium-sheep]

when I was little, alternating weekends and holidays read to me like a 50/50 deal between my parents, which was probably because mom was a workaholic and never spent a second of time at home that she didn't have to on weekdays anyway. and then as I got older I spent a lot of weekday afternoons at dad's anyway because his house was much closer to my school and all my friends, but he was working nights so he was usually asleep most of that time and I still had to go back to mom's in the evenings. (I tried using this convenience of proximity as weight to negotiate to move in with him instead once. she had a screaming crying meltdown about how I don't love her and I never asked again.)

but being court-allotted 96 hours out of every 672 (14%) with a handful of bonus days throughout the year is uh. not half. it's very not half. even if we subtract school and sleeping that becomes 64 of 288 (22%). he really got fucked over trying to reach escape velocity huh.

[digital-dhampirs]

30 Days of Vanitas no Carte: Day 21!

Who do you think will still be living at the end of the series?

because this is mochijun, and people Will Die.

Let’s start with the most obvious living character: Noé won’t die. He’s the narrator (similar to Gil in Pandora Hearts) and we know that he’s writing and creating the case study of Vanitas in hindsight after Vanitas’s “death”, aka after the manga is over. He might die at the very end of the manga, after he finishes his case study, but not any time before. Essentially, he’ll live until at least the last 3 pages, and will probably survive the whole manga.

Next up is Vanitas, who I’m really not sure about. Noé says Vanitas dies, but Vanitas says he doesn’t die, he’s just going away or something.... which makes me think he’s going to end up in some state of limbo, maybe returning at the very end of the manga from this limbo somehow? idk. Maybe living, maybe dead, maybe like half living and half dead.

I think whether Dominique lives or dies will depend a lot on the next Misha/ Exposition Universelle arc. It really depends on how deeply her actions impact the plot of the arc— the deeper/ more negative the impact, the more likely she is to die. I think her death could be an interesting way to show/ shape Noé’s psyche, especially if she dies at the hands of either Teacher of Vanitas... however, I did feel this way towards the middle of the Return of the Beast Arc with Jean- Jacques too so this might just be my brain being sadistic. Overall Dominique’s death would have some extremely interesting plot repercussions but since Noé would kill to protect her, her death seems a bit unlikely.

Jeanne is another question mark. I feel like her plot arc is just starting (I mean what’s with that weird random clone girl thing aaaaugh) so I can’t come to any conclusions until we know more about her situation. We do know, however, that Jeanne is currently one of the most well- protected people in the entire story. Jeanne is extremely valuable to every single power hungry vampire as the person Grand Duke Lucius Oriflamme loves more than anyone else in the world. Ruthven in particular will try to avoid killing Jeanne because of this. TLDR: she might die but definitely not any time soon.

Next up is Luca! To be completely frank... I don’t think Luca will die. He’s way too valuable to the vampires. Since he has no blood relatives that we know of besides his brother Loki and his adopted uncle Ruthven, there is nobody Luca can pass the title of Grand Duke to (I’m assuming it’s a hereditary title because Luca is like... 12) until he’s older, which means killing him means killing the second most politically powerful people in the universe. That’s causing extreme, extrEME retaliation. In addition to that most people underestimate Luca do to his age and don’t see him as as powerful as he actually is. The one exception to this “Luca doesn’t die” rule is if he dies protecting Jeanne— this is a very real possibility, but I don’t think Jeanne will let it happen. Luca won’t die.

Let’s move on to Jean- Jacques and Chloé, more characters who I don’t think will die. They live in an isolated forest, can protect themselves from intruders, and are both like a thousand years old. I think they’re just gonna life on happily in Gévaudan.

Next up in our “who’s gonna die” list is Roland. I’m not sure how he would die, because Roland is extremely powerful, but the fact that the character from the Matter of France that he’s based on dies makes it extremely likely that Roland is going to die too. I really can’t see how he’d die, though. But I do think he’s going to die before the manga is over. Roland is a character that’s honestly already completed his character arc— he loves himself, loves everyone else, has learned to accept people, everything else. Him dying nobly in some way or another would honestly not be an out of order completion of his character arc.

Everything I just said for Roland? Copy/ paste that (except for the part about loving and accepting people lol) here and you’ll get my feelings on Olivier. He dies in the Matter of France so it does seem like he’s gonna die in VnC too.

The next main Chasseur to talk about is Astolfo. I think Astolfo is going to live for the opposite reason that I think Roland is going to die— Astolfo hasn’t completed his character arc. If he dies now, just a kid full of fury and regret, his plot arc isn’t really satisfying in any way unless he has some kind of extremely last minute turnaround a bit like Elliot’s realization about Humpty Dumpty in Pandora Hearts. To sum it all up Astolfo prolly won’t die.

Riche and Johann won’t die.

I really don’t want Dante to die, but I could see him dying either for his family (Johann and Riche) or for Vanitas. Oof.

And now, let’s get into some of the more morally ambiguous characters in the manga! As for Misha, I don’t think Misha will die— the only reason for his death would be if there’s absolutely no other way for Noé and Vanitas to deal with him than to kill him/ let him die. However, I also can’t think of a way for the Misha/ Exposition Universalle to end neatly unless Misha dies. What a paradox.

Ruthven will die. He has to. There’s no other way for the story to end. There’s a sliiiight possibility that Ruthven will somehow go through an extreme change of heart or something, but I really think to only question I have about his ending is whether he’ll die a redeemable or irredeemable character. He’s also the character I could see nearly any other character killing and having a logical reason for doing so? He’s finna die.

The Teacher will live. This might just be my own strange liking for the Teacher as a character but I think he’s too OP to do anything but survive. Also, in a less opinionated way— the Case Study of Vanitas as a whole is nothing but a collection of letters Noé has written to Teacher that he’s collected and added his own memories to, creating one case file created for Teacher. Noé could be doing this all for himself/ to fulfill the Teacher’s last request or something, but that seems a tad unlikely.

And that’s about it! I hope to do more of these prompts, but they may be a lil out of order from here on out. I haven’t included a few characters who seem important— particularly the Beastias, Manet and Nox, and Luna— mainly because we either just don’t know enough about them (first four) or we don’t even know if they’re alive in the first place (Luna). What do you think? Who will live and who will die in Vanitas no Carte?

[the--sad--hatter]

No Survivors - Chapter Two

Fandom: None, this is an original work of fiction.

Genre: Sci-fi, fantasy, space opera

Rating and warnings: 18+ ONLY. Contains scenes of graphic violence, death, gore, cursing, and scenes of a sexual nature.

Disclaimer: All content and characters are created and owned by me, and my work is NOT to be reposted anywhere else without my explicit permission. Reblogs are fine, and very much appreciated.

The No Survivors Tumblr Blog | Masterlist 

Blurb:

6000 years into the future and humanity is thriving, having made their home in The Emerald Galaxy, lightyears away from their home planet. They’ve come a long way since the days of Earth. Lifespans have tripled, interstellar travel is a daily occurrence and humans have successfully integrated with alien species. All is well.

But for Captain Ice, nothing has been well for a long time. The once distinguished Captain is now a disgrace and a liability, carrying the weight of the cost of war on her shoulders. All Ice wants to do is carry on drinking herself into an early grave pod, but the Emerald Empire has a use for her yet.

Deep in The Emerald Galaxy lies Sector 12, or The Empires armpit as it’s referred to in polite company. When Sector 12’s Captain retires, General Felicity Hart decided to rid herself of a nuisance and instructs Ice to form a new crew and take over the job of glorified janitor.

Humanity survived the annihilation of its home planet and a journey across the universe, but can it survive the adventures of a disgraced Captain and her mismatched crew, or will there be… No Survivors?

The tall towers of the citadel were dark and imposing, carved from the black obsidian that was abundant in the mine shafts of Heart. Inside the looming spires the same darkness was copious, dark marble and stone as far as the eye could see, onyx around every corner that J`ess`inca ‘Jess’ Crowley had turned on her way to the laboratory she spent every day in, though she’d come to see it more as a self-imposed prison. She idly pretended to be diligently taking notes as her boss talked very quickly and very inaccurately about cell stabilisation until she couldn’t take it anymore.  

“Doctor Marx it’s impossible, even if you were able to create a shield around each individual cell, the rapid shrinking would damage them inside it and that’s before you displace them and then resize. Teleportation just isn’t possible” She interrupted.

He paused and looked up from his screen, putting extra effort into his sneer so his lowly assistant knew how little he thought of her.

“You’re my assistant, you’re here to take notes not give your opinion.” He snorted derisively, the white wispy hairs of his unkempt moustache fluttering from the breath.

She didn’t know his exact age, but the wrinkles and grey hair indicated he had to be at least 260 years old. How someone could live for two and a half centuries and be so tactless and obstinate, she would never understand.  

“It’s not my opinion, it’s the facts.” She argued calmly.

Doctor Marx could look down on her all he liked, she would never let the opinion of someone she didn’t respect have any effect on her. Before Doctor Marx could foolishly rebut the logic, a sharp rap on the labs open door had the two doctors turning around.

“Yes? What do you want?” Marx demanded impatiently.

He was more than used to having to provide his services to the Empire’s army so he wasn’t overly concerned, though admittedly most Captains didn’t bother to come to him directly. He might have been disinterested with the woman standing impassively by the door, cutting an imposing figure but Jess was intrigued. Captains were not a rare sight in the Citadel, in fact the base was crawling with them, but none like this. She was clad in the standard garb, the leather Captains coat they were all identified by, but she didn’t wear it the same way every other Captain did. It was loose, worn and battered and ill-fitting and yet the woman wore it more naturally than any of the stuffy uptight Captains that roamed around.

“I’m recruiting for my new team and I need a scientist.” The woman shrugged.

Jess felt a little jolt of jealousy run through her. All crews required a scientist and a medical doctor to to accompany the teams across the galaxy and partake in their adventures. It was the kind of adventurous life she had dreamed of, but as bright as her future once seemed, she knew better now. Her life was never going to be more than surviving, never living.

“Well we’re busy. Go away.” Marx snapped.

He clearly thought his research was too valuable to be abandoned in favour of running around the galaxy with a group of trigger-happy goons but that was no excuse for being so disrespectful, especially to someone who outranked him. Jess sighed and walked over to her, extending her hand with an apologetic look.

“I’m Jess Crowley, Doctor Marx is in the middle of something. He doesn’t mean to be so rude.”

The Captain smirked knowingly and took Jess’s hand in her own, grasping it firmly.

“Pleasure to meet you, Doctor Crowley. I’m Captain Ice.” She introduced herself, watching carefully for the inevitable reaction.

Jess felt her own eyes widen as Marx looked back up from his screen in shock and awe. Captain Ice was more than legendary, she was iconic. Jess was too young to remember The War properly, the one that had taken her father from her, but she had heard the stories. Hidden away from the sharp ears of the Empire the truth was whispered reverently, ‘The Empire didn’t win the war, Captain Ice did’. Enough people had seen the Captain for her existence to be confirmed but she was so elusive that she had become something of a folktale. Nobody knew the truth about The War, who it had been with or why, all they knew was billions of people had died, an entire sector of the Galaxy had been destroyed and that when it was all over, Captain Ice had been the only person The Empress had personally thanked. Legend had it that The Empress had decreed that Ice was the only subject in The Empire who would never kneel for her, and that The Empress had herself knelt for Ice.

“Captain Ice, I’m so sorry, I had no idea. Please accept my apologies. Recruitment you say? By Ice herself? What an honour. I would of course be happy to accept.” He stammered.

Even Marx wasn’t immune to the reputation of the Captain.

“You can go away, I’m here for her.” Ice dismissed him, not taking her eyes off of Jess’s.

Jess physically recoiled, trying to stuff away the spark of hope that flamed to life in her heart, even as she protested.

 “Me? Oh, but I’m Marx’s assistant I can’t…”

“Doctor J`ess`inca Crowley, you received highest honours in your graduating class from the Empire Academy. In all fourteen of your subjects. You are most definitely the smartest person in the Galaxy and yet here you are, taking notes for a crackpot.” Ice interrupted.

“I beg your pardon?” Marx spluttered.

“Get out.” Ice ordered with all the care of swatting a bug.

“This is my laboratory!”

“Now.” Ice snapped in a tone that brokered no argument, fixing him with a chilling glare that had him looking terrified and hurrying away.

As soon as he scarpered from the room, practically tripping over his own feet in the process, Ice turned back to the young Doctor with an expectant look. Jess inhaled shakily before she straightened her shoulders and stood tall.

“I’m flattered, really I am, but I’m staying here.” She said resolutely, hiding her disappointment in having to pass up the chance to live out her wildest dreams.  

Ice hummed thoughtfully and nodded, wandering around the lab, peering at the screens with scant interest. She found a large model of the Galaxy in the centre of the lab and reached into the centre of it to snap the model of Planet Heart from the display and tossed it in the air like a ball as she regarded Jess thoughtfully.  

“Humanity cracked the secrets of space travel, broke the light and sound barriers, invented gravitational force fields and synthetic atmospheres. We have eradicated most of the diseases that threaten us, slowed the aging process, tripled our lifespans and we did it all six thousand years ago. We still haven’t got teleportation right, which means we probably never will. Even if we did, Marx isn’t going to be the man behind it, which means you can’t steal the technology from him.” She announced, her eyes glinting with mischief.

Jess swallowed her heart back down as it jumped into her throat. If Ice knew the truth then she was done for. The Captain wasn’t here to recruit her, but to arrest her.

“Steal it? I wouldn’t, that’s not what... I mean why would you think that?” She asked thickly.

“Because that’s what you are being paid to do, so you can pay off your brothers considerable gambling debts.” Ice explained.

Jess’s shoulders dropped. It was over, she had been discovered.  

“You’re here to take me in.” She whispered.

“No.” Ice corrected.

Jess frowned. For one of the first times in her life she didn’t understand.

“I told you, I’m recruiting you. I’ve paid your brothers debts. You’re free, so is he. Welcome to the crew Doctor Crowley.”

Ice tossed the model planet through the air one last time before she held it out to Jess with an expectant look. Jess reached out, her fingers tentatively closing around the miniature replica of the planet they were standing on, the rich green sphere pressing into the palm of her hand.

“Why?” She asked softly, squeezing the planet in her hand.

“I have a new assignment and I need a crew for it, which means I need a scientist and a doctor. You tick both categories because you really are the smartest person in the known worlds. And because Captain or not, I don’t particularly care about the law.” Ice scoffed, pulling a small tablet from under her coat and passing it to Jess.

“Now, according to The Code, I still need at least one cadet, a first lieutenant and a mechanic. Let’s get going.” Ice finished briskly, making a beeline for the door.

Jess stood there for a moment longer, tablet in one hand and… the whole world in the other. She laughed softly in disbelief as it all started to sink in. Her brother was safe from the thugs who threatened him, she was free from Doctor Marx and a living legend was walking down the hallway after literally just handing her the whole world. Slipping the model planet into her pocket she hurried after the her Captain.

 ~~~

He knew that most of Earth’s history had been lost, or twisted beyond recognition, but believed that the old tales of warriors who fought for the spectators were true. Standing before the cheering crowds with sweat dripping down his face and his opponent groaning on the floor beneath him, he knew it had to be true. The allure of adoration, the thrill of victory, the burn of exertion, it was addictive.

“You have a long way to go before you’re ready to rise up the ranks, Corporal.” He scoffed, stepping over the bleeding person he’d defeated.

When he’d made lieutenant he hadn’t for a second imagined that he’d end up here, stuck on the same planet he’d spent his childhood, stowed away in the training rooms so he couldn’t embarrass his family any further. He’d made the best of it, acting like it was a choice, using the opportunity to show off his combat skills. He spent his days preparing men and women for a future he couldn’t achieve and his nights in the arms of whatever adoring fan took his fancy, all the while trying to convince himself that it made him happy. So what if he never made it to First Lieutenant, never advanced up the ranks, never achieved the same glory his sister had effortlessly snatched from her competitors? He had everything he needed here, in the training pits below the citadel.

He eyed the crowd of cadets and citizens, eyes drifting over them until he found one that stood out to him. Someone he could wrap himself around, bury himself inside, a distraction for the night. Beautiful men and gorgeous women alike were considered and discarded until his gaze fell on two anomalies. Two women, standing together, one in a lab coat and the other in a Captains. That wasn’t what caught his attention about them though, it was the lack of interest in him that had him walking over to them. The lab coat didn’t even glance up at him as he approached, her eyes glued to the tablet in her hand. The Captain just stared at him impassively.

“Captain. Doctor?” He greeted them, slamming his fist into his chest as he was expected to do in the company of a Captain.

“Lieutenant Hart.” The Captain responded, stating his name blankly.

“I see my reputation precedes me, but I don’t know you two. Which is strange because I know most of the Captains, especially the beautiful ones.” He tried, turning on the charm that always had people warming to him.

“I’m Doctor Crowley, we actually have met. You tried to buy me a drink once.” The lab coat informed him, finally looking up at him.

“Tried?” He pressed, bemused.

“Tried.” She confirmed, firmly no less.

He nodded respectfully, accepting the unspoken terms of their interaction she had set out for him. The Captain cocked her head at the Doc, amused or confused he couldn’t be sure.

“I’m Captain…”

“Ice.” He interrupted her introduction. “The whole citadel’s talking about you. More than usual that is. The legend has finally returned and she’s taking over Sector Twelve. I’ve heard about your little recruitment drive and as soon as the doctor introduced herself I knew who you were. I thought you’d look more intimidating.” He noted.

The same day she’d been made into a legend was the same day he’d been branded a failure, and yet he had never crossed paths with the woman before. He knew all about her of course, well, as much as anybody knew. Probably a little more than most, though not much. The woman was shrouded in so myth and mystery that to see she was just flesh and bone, and not very tall, was anticlimactic.

“I’m not the only one with a reputation.” Ice reminded him.

He dropped the friendly grin and clenched his jaw at her vicious remark.

“You should be nicer to the people you are trying to recruit.” He snapped.

He knew why she was here, there was no other reason for her to seek him out.

“Trying to recruit? I’m a Captain, you’re just a lieutenant. I can draft you to my crew if I want.” She pointed out, far too smugly for his liking.

“My sister is the General, you can’t force me to do anything.” He spat, furious at having to bring up Felicity.

“I don’t see any other Captains offering you the chance to add First to your Lieutenant title and it was your sister who said I could have anyone in the Citadel for my crew, and look where you happen to be standing.” Ice told him, looking pointedly at the ground.

“I have no interest in patrolling the Armpit of the Galaxy for a washed up has-been of a Captain. If you want me, you have to fight for me.” He sneered, his lip curling back over his teeth.

He issued the challenge hoping to get a reaction of some kind, but she disappointed him, slipping off her coat without blinking. The Doc held her arm out for it, already so obedient for her new master. Ice stepped forward, rolling her shoulders to loosen them up.

“Terms?” She asked, raising her hands defensively and placing her left foot back.

“First person whose back hits the ground loses.” He suggested, a little shocked he’d been goaded into issuing the challenge and that she had accepted so easily.

Ice was unreadable, nothing tangible or recognisable behind her eyes. He wasn’t stupid, he knew that someone who could wear a mask that effectively only showed emotion if they wanted it to be seen, so he had a sick feeling in his gut that he was being played. She had reminded him of his reputation and put him down just to get his hackles up. Most likely so she could humiliate him, break him down and prove she was his superior.

He clenched his hand into a fist and struck out, aiming below her raised arms for her ribs. His fist never connected, she moved back and trapped his wrist between her forearms, twisting his arm between hers and pulling him forward, off balance. He let himself stumble forwards, falling to his knees and twisting his upper body so he could slam his elbow into the soft flesh of her waist. She didn’t even grace him with a grunt of pain, but it clearly hurt her because he was able to free his trapped arm and spin away, getting to his feet and facing off against her again.

“You’ve got a lot more fire than your name implies.” He snarled at her.

“Ice can burn you just as badly as fire can.” She smirked, waving him forward to try again.

He feinted left, like he was going for the bruise he’d likely already left and she didn’t flinch, reading his body expertly. He felt a flicker of begrudging respect. He opened his mouth to ask her if she was frozen in place but before he could get the words out she stepped forwards, faster than he had ever seen another human being move. He never stood a chance, the impact of her fist slammed into his ribs, knocking the breath out of his lungs. She wasn’t overly strong, but she was strong enough. It was her speed and dexterity that made her deadly, because as soon as her knuckles left his ribs she fluidly turned her back to him and stepped into his body, wrapping her arm behind her - around his waist. It all happened in a split second, too fast for him to realise what had happened, never mind defend himself against it as she leant forward, pulling him with her so he was flipped over her shoulder.

As his back slammed towards the ground something twisted inside his heart and it was only decades of Empire training that saved him. He got his feet on the ground first and threw his hands underneath his body, holding his back centimetres off the ground. He saw her raise an eyebrow at his gambled manoeuvre, and her nod of approval sent a wave of anger blazing through him.

He neither wanted nor needed her approval. She was the darling of the Empire, respected by every person residing within it. A life that should have been his, had he not fucked it up. He was the first son of the first family of The Emerald Empire, in the days before the democracy that ruled The Empire now, he would have been a Prince. She was a nobody who had risen through the ranks on nothing more than her own ability, earning what should have been his birthright. She was better than him in every way, and they both knew it. He didn’t want her approval, because it was just thinly veiled pity.

He used his upper body to flip to his feet, holding back the snarl inside his chest as he attacked, raining blow after blow down on her. Most of them were blocked with ease, but a few landed. The seconds ticked away as they engaged in a violent dance, spinning across the floor in a macabre and dangerous waltz. For every blow he managed to land on her, she retaliated with two more. They were far from evenly matched but though she was faster and nimbler, he was stronger and built to take more damage, thus neither of them achieved the upper hand. He realised it was going to be stamina that won the fight, and there was barely a sheen of sweat on her skin. If he wanted to win he wasn’t going to do it by playing to his strengths, he had to play to his weakness.

He waited for an opening, a chance to step forward and leave his face unprotected, steeling himself for the hit that would be coming as a result of it. He’d known it was inevitable, he’d opened himself up to it, and yet he still didn’t see her move. It was only after the side of her fist slammed into the space between his neck and his shoulder that he knew she’d done it, by the pain shooting through him. Agonizing as it was, it was what he needed. He stumbled back, wincing in pain. Ice almost casually followed and kicked his legs out from under him, letting him fall to the ground. At the last possible second he grabbed her wrist and pulled her body into his, cradling her against his chest.

The dull thud of them hitting the ground signalled the end of the fight, the silence that followed only broken by his laboured breathing.

“You lose.” He whispered, pushing himself upright until he was kneeling on the ground.

Ice lay on her back, stunned. He’d used his own fall to bring about hers, pushing her under him in a move she couldn’t have foreseen. After all, she was a warrior and in a real fight, he’d have just gotten himself killed.

He stood up and held his hand out to help her up, but was unceremoniously shoved out of the way.

“Are you alright? Did your head connect with the ground?” The Doc demanded, clucking worriedly and looking over her slightly bemused Captain.

“No, it didn’t. His hand was cradling my head, because he didn’t stumble at all. It was a manoeuvre wasn’t it?” Ice deduced, looking up at him with more of that respect he hated.

He forced a smirk onto his face to mask the ire, glancing around as he only just registered that they’d had an audience. They were clapping for him. For the first time in his life he turned away from the adoration and watched as Ice climbed to her feet, gently swatting away the Docs attempts to help.

“Well done, nobody’s bested me in a long time. A deals a deal, I won’t recruit you.” Ice declared, tugging her coat out of the Docs arms and slipping it back on.

“Seems you’re not washed up after all, you are as good as people think you are,” He admitted, “It just so happens that I’m better.” He added, unable to help himself.

She just nodded, seemingly agreeing with him and walked away. Apparently she meant it, she wouldn’t be trying to recruit him after all, and that meant she had no further use for him. Shaking off the gnawing feeling in the pit of his stomach he turned back to the crowds and held out his arms.

“Who’s next?”

~~~

“I want to ask if you let him win but I can’t think why you would let your ego take a beating like that.” Jess muttered, side eying Ice with lingering concern as they left the training bays.

Ice pulled the door open and held it for her, frowning slightly.

“I don’t have an ego.” She stated as Jess passed her.

It wasn’t a rebuttal or protest, just a simple irrefutable fact.

“But you’re….”

“I’m what?” Ice pressed when the doctor trailed off.

“Captain Ice.” She uttered, like it should be explanation enough.

“Putting that massive IQ to good use I see. See Daniel, he has an ego,” Ice said, waving her hand in the direction they’d come from, back towards Lieutenant Hart, “And people with ego’s are easy to manipulate. They either develop an ego because people inflate it for them or because they need to inflate it themselves as a shield. Either way, you bruise the ego and you’re an enemy. I need a First Lieutenant, not an enemy.”

“So you don’t have an ego because you don’t want to be weak?” Jess formulated, trying to make sense of her new superior who was more forthcoming than she had expected.

It occurred to her that Ice wasn’t really being all that talkative, she was just answering Jess’s questions, treating her like an equal, letting her work her brain. It was refreshing.

“I don’t have an ego because I am weak, and I know it. Most of the tales they’re telling about me these days aren’t true, and the ones that are have been embellished. Listen to me Doctor,” She demanded, stopping dead in the middle of the corridor and staring Jess down, “Better people than me died in The War… My reputation is fuelled by their bloodshed and built on a foundation of their bones. You’re a scientist so don’t put stock in fairytales, examine the evidence yourself and form your own opinion.”

It was said gently, she wasn’t being scolded, but still, she had to prove that Ice was right to seek her out for the job, to save her from monotony and crime.

“Who’s coat are you wearing?” She asked.

Ice quirked her eyebrow and tilted her head to the side slightly, curious about the sudden line of questioning.

“Captain’s coats end at mid thigh, yours ends mid-calf. There are creases in the leather around the elbows from the amount of times you’ve pushed the sleeves up. The coat wasn’t made for you, it was made for someone much taller.” She continued, pointing out her deductions calmly.

The corner of Ice’s lip twitched minutely in a ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ motion.

“You’re right, I was someone else’s. It’s mine now though.” She validated, starting to walk onwards again.

She wanted to ask whose it was but it somehow didn’t seem kind to press the issue any further. After all, most Captain’s didn’t retire.

“Why Lieutenant Hart?” She asked, moving to what seemed like a safer question.

Apparently she’d assumed wrong because Ice just shot a blank look over her shoulder instead of actually answering.

“Why do you need a crew at all? What’s the assignment?” Surely Ice would answer that one, since Jess was going to find out sooner or later anyway.  

“I’ve been assigned to Captain a sector.”

“Which one?” Jess gushed, rushing to fall into step beside Ice again.

A new solar system, dozens of potential planets to explore. The things she could learn and discover, the adventures she could have. Her mind filled with visions of the acid rains of Tregelorth in Sector 3, the black diamond moons of Artemis in Sector 412, the iridescent hallucinogenic gas from the trees of Fairthorlia in Sector 77….

“12.” Ice announced as she swung open the outer doors and stepped outside.

“The armpit?” Jess asked somewhat dejectedly, her daydreams shattered.  

“You were raised here on Heart weren’t you?” Ice scoffed, glancing up at the teal skies above them.

“Yes?”

“Then the armpit is an upgrade considering you grew up in the Empire’s asshole.” Ice informed her.

“What?”

Ice held her arms out, gesturing to the expanse of the Planet.

“This is where all the Empires shit comes from.”

NS Taglist (OPEN) 

@cateyes315​ @severepienerdturkey @justellu​

I can’t explain how grateful I am to everyone who has read this. I’ve had this concept in my mind for years and I have wanted to tell this story for so long. 

Reblogs (especially reblogs), comments, likes, anything you’re willing to give is massively appreciated. 

[parkminijiminie]

Jimin and Jungkook on their own and together and the 3As

This is continuation of my thoughts on this post (Part 2): https://denivned.tumblr.com/post/168151815086/about-ships-gcf-jungkook-and-jimin-and-ship

Disclaimer: These are my own thoughts. I am not attacking any ship in any way. So If you support another ship and happen to see this post please know that I respect everyone’s opinion and I would always fight for the right it to be voiced, even if I don’t share it. I simply want to talk about some things I have been contemplating (and hear different points of view on them as well). Feel free to ignore any part you don’t agree with and let’s be gentle and civil with each other!

About Jimin: one look at my blog and you would know he is my bias. He has been ever since I saw him in BS&T and he snatched me by the hair into his lane. Since then I’ve been a loyal stan (mostly, Disrespect-Kook almost wrecked me with his body rolls at Mic Drop Dance break MAMA2017). All the Bangtan boys are wonderful and deserve all the love in the world, but to me JM is just special. Maybe it’s his precious smile, his dual personality, his sweet and caring nature; maybe I connect with his journey of self-acceptance and love. I don’t fully know myself .

Anyhow, I know we all love the boys but it is important to remember that we don’t actually really fully know them! Something that should definitely be kept in mind when talking about things like sexuality and what not. Basically this is just a harmless analysis, no need to get too serious about it!

Now onto the analysis itself:

Let’s start by talking about JK. It’s no secret this Bun is an introvert and is not into openly sharing his feelings. He is also a little shy; used to be a lot shyer but got over that to a certain extent as he got older. Still, compared to JM for example, he is more reserved. He is no way cold, I actually think he’s a big softie at heart just doesn’t do that well with expressing feelings. He either keeps queit or blurts the most absurd things in the most inappropriate times (“Arrest me”). Maybe that is one of the reasons he keeps quiet: when he opens his mouth he doesn’t seem to have much control over what comes out of it (especially when it comes to JM).

On the other hand people seem to think JM is very easy to read, an open book if you may because he is an extrovert and has a natural way with people. I think this is far from the truth. All idols are trained to perfect the art of sharing; they know how to say just enough to make us feel close to them but not enough to actually reveal something deeply personal. It’s a skill that comes with the job. When JM was younger, he used to be a lot more bolder with his statements (“Why do I like you so much”; “I am going crazy because I like Jungkook too much”) but in complete opposite of JK, as he got older, he got more reserved and subtle (though we got a little a return of the “old” JM in the DNA era).  No doubt Jimin is an affectionate person, it’s one of his best qualities; he likes to show his affection and is naturally touchier than say JK. He is also undeniably a tease. The boy is one part angel, one part demon. I think he knows what his appearance and actions can do and likes using that knowledge. He teases physically and mentally (damn those hidden clues in his twitter posts), he likes keeping us on our toes. But we’re not the only ones affected. People of both genders everywhere fall for his charms: the other BTS member (all of them, even big tsundere Yoongi and especially Namjoon), other idols (I’m looking at you Chanyeol), MCs, interviewers, male youtubers, cameramen and etc. He is simultaneously open and an enigma.

And in that direction of thought his sexuality is also not that easy to deduct. He is not as shy and uncomfortable with girls as JK is, in fact JM has a certain way with them and I think he knows it. But at the same time there were several occasions he looked interested in men as well (saying “nice body” to the diver in BV2; complimenting the pilot for being “cool”, not denying it when Tae said he likes guys.). He is touchy, but generally so and he could possibly simply likes hugs and affection. Actually, I think that if we assume for a minute that both JK and JM are not entirely heterosexual, JM is definitely the less obvious of the two of them. Whereas JK’s general attitude could serve as a clue for making deductions, JM’s only adds to the confusion.

Now, sexuality aside, let’s talk about what there really is between Jungkook and Jimin. Well, my answer are the 3As: Admiration, Affection and Attraction.

1.       Admiration: ever since they were younger JK has said he finds JM “cool”. He said he watched him monitoring music videos and copying them, he said he admires his hard working nature and he stated Jimin is someone who “stimulates him off and on stage”. As for Jimin, he has said on multiple occasions that he finds JK extremely valuable to the group, that “he is the most important member” and that he is good at everything: singing, dancing, drawing, imitating other people, sports and is also handsome. I think it is more than clear that at the very least there is a lot of mutual respect between them.

 2.       Affection: there is quite, quite a lot of it between them. They are close, extremely so and have been ever since pre-debut.  The myth that “JK hates Jimin” should have died a long time ago; in fact it should’ve died the moment JK said: “I am like this (shy) because I like him too much” or when he got super offended when asked if he liked Jimin and said “Yes, yes I like him. Of course I like him”.  But somehow it lived to see another day and even manifested itself in the stupid and unnecessary joke “Jk feat Jm in Leave me alone”. I think though that with the release of G.C.F this stupidity got buried approximately 100 meters below the ground. Nobody goes alone on a trip with someone, spends hours filming  and  editing a video of that someone’s face, making that person’s laugh in slow motion and choosing THAT song as background music for someone he doesn’t at least like! 

As for Jimin, I think it is clear that he has a Jupiter-sized soft spot for the Bunny. Like, he lets him do pretty much anything. In his own words: “I could never say no to him”. He lets him tease him and speak in banmal, call him “baby” (still not over this) even though JM is older (a big deal in South Korea) and so on. Just hearing one time the soft way he says “Oh, Jungkookiee” in the graduation bomb is enough to convince you. It is painstakingly clear they care for each other a lot, like an absurd amount. 

They are each other’s main supporter, presidents of the fan club of the other, personal encyclopedias, they are always together at airports and cars, and they are both physically and verbally always there for each other. They defend each other (Jimin scolding Tae in BV2 for not helping Jungkook); in their own words they fit well together and as JK said “all the time it’s just the two of us”. For God’s sake one of them is known for being a satellite of the other. Nobody does and says these things if they don’t harbor deep affection for the other person!

 3.       Attraction: (now here things get controversial). To some people they’re just brothers, a hyung and a dongsaeng and JK and JM themselves has described each other as such. This sparked some nasty accusations of shippers for promoting incest (though funny enough mainly from supporters of other ships in BTS). It is perfectly fine if you see them as just two friends and band mates, no problem in this whatsoever. Just don’t claim incest, because they are not brothers! I repeat they are not blood or otherwise family related! They are friends, not relatives! Personally, I see attraction between them. Some examples are: the way JK said to Jimin 3 times “I want you”, Jimin blatantly checking out JK backstage, JK’s fascination with Jimin’s waist and his whole body really, The Back hugs, especially the 2015 Prom-like one , The Coming of age ceremony practice video, The Own it video, JK filming JM zooming on his butt saying “Look at his butt”, all the times he has grabbed or slapped JM, the whole Run episode 12, Jimin constantly asking for kisses, the one time at a fan sign when he pretended to kiss JK’s neck and JK melted instantly and on the spot and so,so many more. 

And don’t even start me on how these two complement each other. To JK everything that is Jimin is cute and attractive: his eyes, his toes, his smile, the way he swims, dances and etc.; he finds him “cool”, “unique”, “sexy”, his expression “sexy”, his whole self “limited edition”. To JM Jungkook is “good looking”, “sexy like an adult” (man they way he was looking when he said this, how he lost his words at first,  his low voice, the way he switched to Satoori still get me hard), even JK’s sweat is to him “beautiful holy water”. I know skinship in Korea is not like in the west and that the members have all openly complimented each other many times, but still to me these two are pushing the boundaries and from my point of view there is attraction and sexual tension between them. It is fine if you don’t think so, just please for the love of everything holy don’t accuse anyone of incest, because they are not brothers!

 I know they themselves have described each other as brothers, but really as what else could they refer to each other. They could be anything: friends, friends with benefits, lovers, boyfriends, ex-boyfriends, husbands, band mates only and etc. but even if there are more than just friendly feelings between them it’s not like they can actually state that! Maybe the K-pop industry is not as homophobic as one might think; there might be a lot of homosexual idols but still it is an industry in which the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy is very much present. If an idol is to be revealed as homosexual, his/hers career would suffer a lot of damage, probably beyond repair! So, it’s not like someone could say “no, I don’t see him as a brother, I see him as a man”. In fact let’s assume there is something between JK and JM. Don’t you think G.C.F is as loud and as clear as JK could get in confirming it without actually putting them in danger? Like, think about a few things for a minute. Firstly, the clips JK chose to include are very basic and harmless: them shopping, eating and going to Disneyland. We know they did other things (went to a club, watched fireworks, dressed up and etc.). The fireworks particularly would have made for an amazing addition to the video but he didn’t include them (and neither did Jimin in his vlogs). Maybe they wanted to keep some things just for themselves.

Maybe the whole idea wasn’t to show us what they did through the video but more to convey a message. Not in the scenes JK chose but in the way he did it, in the way he filmed himself following JM everywhere, in the way he matched the lyrics to the video, the slow motions he added, the music he chose. Nobody watching the video could get the definite conclusion “they are gay”, so they remain safe. But also nobody watching the video could say with certainty “they couldn’t be more than friends”. People watching the video could definitely get the impression that there is something going on between them (in fact many unsuspecting people in the comment section did). And perhaps this is what JK tried to do; he might have not strived for giving us any answers but leaving a certain impression, planting an idea in a safe way. An inception. This idea being “they really may be more than friends”. And if it really is true, than I must say this is one hella clever Kookie (also please don’t insult his intelligence by saying he didn’t know the meaning of the lyrics). If this assumption is correct he is tip toeing the line here and doing it professionally well. Never admitting anything but creating enough reasonable doubt. (just like in a courthouse)

As a conclusion I would say this: they could or could not be more than friends. I personally support the first option but to each their own. Both is absolutely ok and also none of our business really. Our main purpose as ARMYs is to support the group as a whole in their music and all other endeavors. Whatever the relationship between JK and JM is, I would say it is a damn good one! They are each other’s source of laughter, supporter and pillar of stability. And if they are together, well that is just the cherry on top! And if they are not, I still ship them because I like their interactions and am here for that. Shipping is not gross; it could actually be very fun as long as it is done mindfully and respectfully. There is nothing wrong with enjoying other people’s love or friendship, if you respect certain boundaries.

 So, enjoy your shipping ride fully but most importantly be a loyal ARMY and pay attention to all the boys’ talent. Because truly these boys are crazy talented! Doesn’t matter who is into what gender.

That is all. Thank you for reading. There probably will be a Part 3 to this focusing more on sexuality norms and ways to reach out subtly. So stay tuned for that. They are no malicious thought behind this, just some personal opinions. Shout out to @noransaekk for her insightful and inspiring posts.