#captain capa

[lifad-designer]

Killer Lust - Chainsaw Man

Ideia ousada de fic que eu tive esses tempos, não sei o que se passava na minha cabeça. Eu ainda pretendo escrever mais e publicá-la, mas é uma capa bem colorida e não muito diferente do que eu já fiz anteriormente, mas ainda é diferente do que estou acostumada. Fico feliz que o resultado tenha sido legal, fiz ela usando somente algumas texturas, colagens e fotografias.

[daryj]

enjoy the silence

feita em: 12.02.2024

#30MX30C - dia 29: música que te faça sentir vivo(a).

obs: qualquer inspiração, credite-me, por favor!

spirit  ✩  port

[chrissymunsonsblog]

♧ QUANDO ELE SER FOI {Stony}

♤ Steve Rogers é Tony Stark

(Capa teste)

Não sei ser ficou legalzinho!hueueheeuhe

• abra para para uma maior qualidade!

[reaper-design]

Hearts, por May McHale

❝ Eles se conheciam há anos. Nutriam aqueles sentimentos há anos. Por que nenhum dos dois disse nada? As coisas poderiam ter sido diferentes. Ela estava cansando de sempre ser a única a agir, não queria se arriscar sozinha. Estragaria o que tinham - ou não tinham. E seria tudo culpa dela. Ele não precisava de tempo. Precisava de coragem, mas nunca encontrava. Ao mesmo tempo em que não conseguiam dizer nada, parecia que ficavam sem palavras para dizer. No dia em que decidiu, finalmente, dizer algo, ela partiu. Ao invés de correr em sua direção, ela corria na direção oposta e ficavam cada vez mais distantes. E, então, chegou a vez de ele partir. Será que eles não conseguiam enxergar que pertenciam um ao outro? ❞

❝HEARTS❞ faz parte do universo compartilhado ❝WAR OF HEARTS❞, que escreverei com minha amiga @ladyrakuen-design. Siga nossos perfis para saber quando as próximas saírem!

Categoria: marvel, Capitão América. Classificação: 18 anos. Sites: spirit || wattpad.

Feliz aniversário, Steve Rogers.

[moonstruckme]

could i request poly!wolfstar or poly!jily where they’re pursuing reader and reader accidentally matches with them (like matching costumes) at a halloween party?

i think the teasing and flirting would be so cute!! 🥰

Thanks for requesting!

cw: mention of alcohol, smoking, Sirius makes lame and humorously objectifying jokes

poly!wolfstar x fem!reader ♡ 1.5k words

You arrive to the party late, the Gryffindor common room already bustling by the time you and your friends have finished doing your last-minute costume alterations. There are glowing pumpkins floating on the ceiling, someone has charmed the room so that a thick layer of fog drifts along the floor, and the air already smells slightly of booze and cigarette smoke. 

You lose Lily’s attention immediately, but that’s to be expected. You’re more than accustomed by now to her searching for her boyfriend whenever you enter a room. What’s unexpected, however, is her reaction when she finds him.

“Uh oh.” 

“Uh oh?” You look at her, following her gaze to the couch across the room. “Oh. Oh, no.” 

Lily laughs. “It sort of seems like fate, doesn’t it? I think it’s sweet.” 

Sitting on their usual couch are the marauders. James, predictably, is wearing a costume matching Lily’s; they’ve both come as cowboys. Unfortunately, Sirius and Remus are sitting next to him dressed as pirates. 

You’re also dressed as a pirate. 

“It’s not sweet,” you moan. “If I go back up, do you think Marlene will make me some of her fake blood? I can change and be a vampire instead.” 

Lily hums. “Think it’s too late for that, babe.” 

She’s looking back towards the couch, where the boys have already caught sight of the pair of you. Sirius is beaming something atrocious, and even Remus looks amused while his boyfriend waves you over exuberantly. 

Lily takes your hand in hers, tugging you with her as she goes to them. 

“Howdy, darlin’.” James puts on an exaggerated southern drawl as you approach, opening his arms to his girlfriend. 

“My, my,” says Sirius as you sit between him and Lily, “don’t you look nice.” 

You ignore the warmth that brings to your face. “The point wasn’t really to look nice.” 

Your costume is thrown together from things you already had, the only thing that really distinguishes you as a pirate being the bandana you’ve tied around your head. Remus appears to have gone a similar route, although the white shirt he’s tucked into his pants looks a bit more on-theme than yours and he’s clearly been forced to wear an eye patch which is currently flipped up so that it’s not covering anything. Sirius, of course, does nothing halfway. He’s wearing a billowy black top that’s been unbuttoned nearly to his navel, more belts and buckles than you knew one person could have, and a captain’s hat he surely bought just for the occasion. Altogether, you make a fairly fearsome group. 

“Not sure you can help it, gorgeous.” Sirius winks at you. “You always look nice. Did you plant a spy to find out what you needed to wear to match us, then?” 

You roll your eyes good-naturedly. “I should probably be asking you that.” 

“Must’ve just been fate,” Sirius says. It’s so close to what Lily said that your cheeks blaze, but you also don’t know if you quite believe him. Remus, too, turns to give his boyfriend a questioning look. 

Sirius catches it and scoffs, holding up his hands. “I didn’t! Honestly.” 

Remus nods, appeased. In a less booming voice than his boyfriend’s, he tells you, “You do look very nice.” 

“Thanks.” You catch yourself fingering the ends of your hair like a nervous schoolgirl and tuck your hands underneath your thighs. “So do both of you.” 

Sirius grins knowingly, and you have to fight the urge to shove your face into Lily’s shoulder for refuge. He knows as well as you do that for all of his brazen flirting, it’s Remus’ quiet sincerity that flusters you the most. You’re not sure when it started, exactly, but it’s been clear for some time now that both boys are interested in you. You’re not sure in what capacity—they could want to take you to bed for one night, integrate you into their relationship, or anything in between—but as of yet you’ve neither encouraged nor discouraged their advances. 

“Thanks, dollface.” Sirius gives a winsome crack of a smile. “You know, I’ve already acquired some booty, but I wouldn’t mind winning some more.” 

“Sirius…” Remus groans.

You feel your eyebrows pinch. “Some what?” 

“You know, like pirate’s loot? My booty.” Sirius sidles closer to Remus, giving his thigh a solid pat. 

Remus’ eyes narrow. “I will leave you here and go back upstairs right now.” It sounds as though this is not the first time this has been threatened. 

“I worked hard for it!” Sirius defends himself. 

You cover your mouth against an appalled giggle. “It?” 

“I toiled, and I fought, and I had to battle many other fearsome ships! It’s mine.” 

“Remus,” you stage whisper, “blink twice if you need help.” 

Remus’ smile blooms, but when he starts to blink Sirius objects, “Oi!” 

“No,” you correct him, “you’re supposed to say ‘arr.’”

Sirius is grinning again, too, clearly chuffed that you’re joking around with them even if it is at his expense. “If I say ‘arr,’ you’ll agree to be my second booty for the rest of the night?” 

“I won’t make any promises. But it would be persuasive.” 

He growls enthusiastically, “Arrrrgh!” and slams his fist down on the table. The sound it makes is enough to tear James and Lily’s attention away from each other. 

“Merlin,” says James. “Did’ya hurt yourself there, Pads?” 

“No,” Sirius replies, but he gives his hand a little shake. 

Remus, rolling his eyes, takes it and kisses the side. He brings it into his lap for safekeeping. Your heart gives a painful little throb. 

You must have some stupid lovestruck look on your face, because Lily peers around James to see you better, a smile playing on her lips. She knows about your crushes on the two boys, just as well as she knows that you haven’t decided what to do about them yet. But that doesn’t mean she doesn’t like to help you along. 

“Come on,” she says to James, standing and taking him with her. “Let’s dance, and I’ll let you pretend to lasso me.” 

James beams. “Yes!” 

You watch them go while Sirius seizes the opportunity to move to your other side, the three of you taking up the entirety of the couch. 

“Phew,” he sighs, swinging his feet over the armrest. 

“You may want to take your legs out of the fog,” Remus suggests, also using the new space to bring his feet onto the couch. “It gets sticky after a while.” 

You frown but do as he says, pulling your feet from your shoes so that only your socks are on the couch. And sure enough, when you touch a finger to your ankle it feels like there’s an odd sort of coating over it. 

“I thought it was just fog,” you say. 

“It was supposed to be,” agrees Sirius, “but James entrusted the task of making it to Marlene, and there are some who think she might’ve laced it with some sort of drink.” 

“I’m some,” Remus owns. 

You smile. “So is the point that you should be able to…drink the fog?”

“No clue.” Sirius leans over the edge of the couch. “Let’s find out.” 

“Sirius, no,” Remus says weakly, trailing off when it’s clear the other boy won’t be deterred. You both watch as he sucks in what fog he can, closing his mouth around it. “That’s disgusting, everyone’s been walking around in it.” 

“I think it might be brandy,” Sirius muses. “It’s faint, though.” 

Remus frowns. “I’m not kissing you until you brush your teeth.” 

Sirius grins. “Yes, you are.” 

“We’ll see, won’t we?” 

“Wouldn’t you rather just get your own drink?” you ask Sirius. “Rather than sampling the faint traces of brandy that have been touched by other people’s shoes, I mean.” 

“Oh, rest assured, gorgeous, I’m all covered.” Sirius picks a cup up from the table. He seems to notice at the same moment that you don’t have a cup of your own. “Would you like one, though?” 

You glance to the table cluttered with alcohol and mixers, a throng of students clustered around it. “I’ll get one in a bit.” 

“Let me.” Sirius stands. He edges around the table, stopping to pinch your chin affectionately and give his boyfriend a kiss. “Rem, my love, keep her company, would you?” 

“You don’t have to,” you object. “I can get it.” 

“No, don’t be ridiculous. A pirate has to take care of his booty, hasn’t he?” 

“I never agreed to that!” you call after him. In a quieter voice, you add, “And I don’t think that’s how the relationship between a pirate and their booty works.” 

“Let him go,” Remus advises you. You startle a bit when his hand finds your knee, resting there in fond commiseration. “If he’s going to degrade us like this, he can at least bring us drinks.” 

You feel your lips tilt. “Are you really going to let him call you his booty all night?” 

“Probably.” Remus shrugs, his eyes finding his boyfriend across the room. “Anyway, it’s nice not to be alone in it. As far as he’s concerned, you’re already his as well.”

[feasibilities]

Parturition | Robert Capa x Reader (continuation of Resurrection)

Warnings: Angst, Oral Sex, Overstimulation, Crying, Breeding Kink

Author's Note: @darylmysavior convinced me to do a 2nd part, so here you go!

“It’s not your fault, Robert. It could’ve happened to any of us.” You soothed him as he wept silently. He felt an overwhelming guilt for the death of Captain Kaneda. Icarus stated that the survivability rate was at a measly 45%. Capa felt that he would be the one to die so the mission could continue. Instead, they had to continue without the vital guidance of Kaneda. He had spent the entire night having a nervous breakdown in your room. You were the only one that could bring him comfort.

Robert suddenly sat up and stared down at you. He hand found one of your breasts as he teased the delicate bud through the thin fabric of your tank top. Your lips parted slightly and you instantly felt moisture pool in your underwear. He tugged your shorts down your legs and put his head between them. He took in the aromatic scent of your arousal. Disposing of your underwear, he looked to you for permission. 

“Only if I made it back, right?” He whispered softly. You nodded in agreement. 

Taking you in his mouth, he reveled in your ambrosial taste. His tongue swirled around your clit and his stubble scraped gently against you. You mewled at his passionate movements and took a handful of his hair. He gripped harshly at your thighs as he feasted on you wildly. You slipped your tank top above your breasts. Robert nearly blew his load at the visual of your heaving chest in the faint blue light of the room. In response, he locked his arms around your thighs and intensified his actions. Your mewls turned to disruptive moans as your climax possessed your body. Finishing you off, he gave kitten licks to your aching center. 

Coming up to your face, he kissed you fervently. You pushed him back and straddled him. You took him in your hand and sunk onto his length. Robert’s gorgeous eyes fluttered closed as he tried to control himself. 

“Open your eyes.” You whispered, wanting to savor every moment. You moved up and down slowly, earning a restrained moan from Robert. His hands crept in front of you to grope your breasts once more. You put your hands over his and moaned lovingly. Overwhelmed and close to his peak, he embraced you and wept quietly. You bounced faster and pressed your forehead against his. Nose brushing against his, Robert’s legs began to quiver. Whispering sweet nothings to him finally sent him over the edge. You reveled in the warmth of his seed and your imminent pregnancy.  

[sleeper-kerennnnnnx]

MASHLE author’s Q&A translation （3）

Please point out some poor translations or errors! I will correct them in time, thank you!

I will translate this in four parts!

Here are the Q69-Q99 parts! See my page for the original text and other parts!

To the animation fans: This article talks about many characters that did not appear in the animation! Please note that there are slight references to the subsequent plot of the comics‼ ️(Q86, 87, 88, 90, 93, 96-99) You can avoid it if you don't want to see these

Q69: Why does Mr. Ajito wear a collar?

A69: To punish himself!

Q70: Will Mr. Renatus not age?

A70: No!

Q71: Mr. Renatus is immortal. Even if he is cut or get hurt，he will regenerate. So how did he get the scar on his left face?

A71: It feels like it was left by him protecting the person he loved before he became immortal! He is a person who is loyal to love! But I didn't write it when I was serializing it!

Q72: Is Tsurara（Ice Cane） a boy or a girl?

A72: It is a child born from a boy and a girl.（Translator：come on man， I saw on Wiki that she is a girl)

Q73: What temperature does Tsurara feel?

A73: The temperature she feels like minus five degrees! How pitiful!

Q74: What flower is in the hair ornament of Miss Sophina?

A74: It is blueberry. (Translator：It is a flower in the anime and a blueberry in the comics)

Q75: According to Dot's investigation, the more evil a person is, the stronger he/she is. So is the cold-blooded Divine divisionary Sophia (the Cane of Knowledge) also "evil"?

A75: When she speaks, it sounds like Hiroshima dialect! ! ! ! ! !

Q76: If the Divine divisionary compete with each other? Who is the strongest? Is it Ryoh, the masterpiece of mankind?

A76: It is Mr. Ryoh! The highest masterpiece of mankind! ! ! ! !

Q77: Kaldo is the director of the Magic Talent Management Bureau, Ryoh is the captain of the Magic Guard, and are the other Divine divisionaries also the directors of their respective management bureaus?

A77: That’s right! ! !

Q78: How did Orter become a divine divisionary? Please tell me how to go from the Magic Police School to a Divine divisionary.

A78:  Integrated into Easton!

Q79: Did anyone else get married besides Ryoh？

A79: No! ! !

Q80: Does Macaron have other things to dip in tartar sauce besides fried shrimp? Can he forgive fried chicken dipped in tartar sauce?

A80: Yes! Whether it’s fried chicken or tartar sauce!

Q81: Is it also magic that Macaron changes his appearance after releasing magic?

A81: Yes!

Q82: In the last episode, Capaccio and Max were together. Did they become closer? Also, did Capa apologize?

A82: Apologized! Everyone should apologize after a quarrel!

Q83: What is the name of Cappaccio‘s personal magic?

A83: Rebound magic

Q84: What is the personal magic of Bamboo Man Tom? Bamboo magic？

A84: Bamboo magic!!! Bamboo!!!!!!

Q85: What is the opportunity for Tom to be interested in bamboo? Will he turn into bamboo?

A85: I think he noticed it when picking bamboo shoots! I think he has become a person as strong and flexible as bamboo!

Q86: Levis (Valgis blond eye mask) uses armored form in the work. If he has other forms, please tell me!

A86: There is a torpedo state that turns himself into a projectile!

Q87: How is Levis's twin brother?

A87: I felt that he was much better when I saw him last time.

Q88: What do Domina and Levis think when they see the mama's boy Charles?

A88: Uh… uh…okay… that's how it feels！

Q89: What is the order of Adam's three disciples? From the eldest disciple to the third disciple

A89: They were classmates at the same school, like the student version of the original trio of Naruto!

Q90: Meliadel and Wahlberg became Adam's disciples at the same time. Did she do anything to make herself to look young? Or is her personal magic to delay aging?

A90: She probably used lotion, toner, and sleep to look so young…

Q91: Why did Innocent Zero rarely use Wahlberg's space magic?

A91: Because other magic is very powerful!

Q92: I want to know why Innocent Zero went astray, which was cancelled in the main story.

A92: Realized that humans are despicable animals… We are animals! ! ! ! !

Q93: What happened to Innocent Zero and the four children? What did they do in prison? Will they be released in the future?

A93: I think they spent most of their time studying. They will never be released in the future.

Q94: What happens if the owner of the Thirteen Master Canes dies?

A94: The Cane will come to someone else, and a new owner will be born!

Q95: In addition to Cappaccio and Doom (the eldest son of the Root), what other blessings are there for the Thirteen Master Canes?

A95: Something like the Thirteen Master Canes that can predict the future five seconds later!

Q96: Is Doom's Thirteen Master Cane in the hilt of the sword?

A96: It should be in the sword!

Q97: It seems that Doom is not wearing any clothes when he use 100% power. Is he naked? Or is he wearing a rubber suit?

A97: Wearing a rubber suit or something like that!

If you are naked, you will be caught (sweat).

Q98: Did Doom open a pancake shop?

A98: He is serving a life sentence! Maybe he opened a shop in prison!

Q99: What hairstyle does the second son of the Innocent zero have when he takes off his hat?

A99: It's bald!

Can I please ask for the little red heart if u like🥹? See the my page for the others！

Chinese version updated in：longyou1225.lofter.com

[ikatako38]

Squidmas Special ‘23

Rating: G, Word Count: 4,863

This special was originally posted on AO3 in two parts between Chapter #22 - 1 and Chapter #22 - 2. It takes place 8 years after the end of TPWCH. Ryland, Three, and Captain are all the same person! I also made this relationship chart to help since there’s so many characters being introduced so quickly. And yeah, Koi’s birthday is on Squidmas, so they’re celebrating both events together. The story starts below the cut!

“You’re sure it’ll be okay? It’s just… there’s gonna be so many people…”

“Yes, Capa. It’s gonna be okay. We have to let Tsuku spread her wings. She has to be able to take risks in order to live her life. We took plenty of them.”

“I know, I know…”

“And, hey. If anything goes wrong, we’ll both be there to protect her.”

The Inkling took their husband’s hands playfully. “I think that would just be you.”

“You’re telling me the Captain of the New Squidbeak Splatoon wouldn’t be able to hold off a couple of fourteen-year-olds? Because I know they could.” Eight bopped the white puff on the end of Captain’s Squidmas hat.

“I get nervous around little kids! I don’t know what to do or say! You know this.”

“Is that what it is? You’re nervous the kids won’t like you?”

“I mean…” Captain shrugged. They hadn’t been consciously thinking about that, but now that Eight mentioned it, maybe that was part of their hesitation.

“It’s all right to feel nervous… but kids always love you! Remember that one at Tako Bell who—”

“Yeah, yeah I know. I’m probably worrying for no reason.”

“Such is life.”

“And… what about the other parents? They’re probably all cishet Inklings, and we’re so much younger than everyone else…”

“If anything goes wrong, we can leave, okay? Or you can leave and I can stay… or whatever works in the moment.”

Captain nodded, and after a moment he raised his head to kiss Eight. “Okay, now where’s Tsuku?”

Captain made their way to their daughter’s bedroom door. “Hey Tsuku, it’s about time to go!”

“Ah, sorry, sorry… just five more minutes!”

“Okay koko, just come out to the living room when you’re ready!”

Returning to the living room, Captain saw Eight waiting, now with his shoes on.

“Tsuku’s still going to be about ten minutes,” Captain explained.

Eight checked his phone. “We’re going to be late…”

“That’s okay.”

“Yeah. Yeah it is.”

Captain ended up opening one of the dumb word games on their phone, and Eight did his best to help, until Tsuku appeared in the hallway. She was wearing a cute little red dress with white flats. Captain bent down closer to her and gushed, “Myushi-myushi ba~!

“Oh my cod, Fufu.”

Captain kissed the top of Tsuku’s head. “C’mon, let’s go!”

It was only a short train ride, and then they were standing at the front door of Koi’s family’s house.

“Um… do we knock…?” Eight murmured.

They looked at each other, and Captain shrugged. Then they both jumped back when Tsuku stepped up between them and gave the door a confident rap. Koi opened the door a few seconds later, and her orange pigtails flopped over Tsuku’s shoulders as they hugged tightly. Captain and Eight threw each other an awkward glance as they waited in the blocked doorway, and the two young Cephalings didn’t separate until another voice from inside the house called out, “Tsuku! You made it!”

The Inkling who had just started going by KJ ran up to them and hugged Tsuku too, although—both Captain

and Eight noticed—this one was much shorter.

Meanwhile, Koi stood on her toes and said, “Hello, Mr…. um… and… uh… sorry, are you… Tsuku’s parents?”

“Yep,” Eight said. “You can just call us us Eight and Captain… or Tsuku’s dad and parent, if that’s easier. The last names are sort of complicated.”

“Oh, okay! Welcome to our home… sorry again.”

“It’s totally okay! No harm done.”

As they entered, following behind the girls and KJ, Captain made a whining sound and whispered to Eight, “That was so awkward…”

Eight gave him a quick kiss on the forehead. “I know it’s hard. You’re doing great.” Eight also slipped his hand into Captain’s for support.

A few seconds later, they arrived in the kitchen, where René was at the dining table trying to explain the rules of chess to Cody, seemingly rather unsuccessfully. Beyond that was the living room, where eight adults sat on several sofas and armchairs arranged in a U-shape around a low coffee table, conversing in groups of two or three. A Squidmas tree in the corner glistened with ornaments and tinsel.

When René and Cody saw them, they both got up and raced toward them. Cody got there first and gave Tsuku a quick hug before rattling off a long stream of almost unintelligible words while bouncing on his heels excitedly. Then René hugged her too, but, unless Captain was mistaken, it seemed a bit more awkward than the others had been.

“Hi boys, nice to meet you. I’m Eight, Tsuku’s dad.” Eight shook each of their hands.

Captain just kind of smiled at them.

Thankfully, Cody interrupted: “René was just showing me this game called chest!”

“Chess,” René corrected.

“And there’s all these little figurine things that are so cool, my favorite is the little horse!”

“Knight.”

“And to win the game you have to trap the other player’s king, and it's called a checkmake!”

“Checkmate.”

“C’mon, René can show us how to play, he’s so good at explaining things!”

Tsuku, Koi, and KJ looked at each other, shrugged, and then started to gather around the table.

Eight squeezed Captain’s hand. “Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be…”

They hadn’t stepped two paces into the living room when a woman with long orange tentacles jumped up from a sofa to face them. “Oh, welcome! You must be Tsuku’s parents, then? Eight and Captain, right? Here, take our seats!” She started tugging at the arm of the man next to her until he stood.

“Oh, no, it’s okay!” Eight tried.

“No, I insist. Have a seat.”

So Captain and Eight scooted in next to a pale woman with frizzy purple tentacles, just like her son.

“You must be Cody’s mother?” Eight said.

“Yep. Alicia. Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” said Eight.

“And you’re Tsuku’s parents?”

“Right. We—”

“Oh, of course!” Koi’s mother interrupted, now sitting on the floor with her legs folded. Her voice was so strong that the other conversations quickly fizzled out. “Everyone, these are Tsuku’s parents, Eight and Captain. Eight and Captain, you’ve just met Alicia.” She pointed to a Black family with green tentacles sitting together on the sofa against the left wall. The husband and wife seemed to be the oldest out of everyone there, while the third person was the youngest. “These are Atlas and Jeane, René’s parents. And Atlas’s son Alex, just next to them.” Now she gestured toward the couch on the right, where another couple sat, this one with magenta tentacles. “And KJ’s parents, Vanessa and Robert. Have I missed anyone? Oh, of course! I’m Koi’s mother, Amanda, and this is my husband Glen.”

“Nice to meet you all,” Eight said.

“Nice to meet you,” Captain managed to squeak out, adding a little wave.

“You know, you both look so young for your age,” Amanda continued. “I’m so jealous!”

“Actually, I’m only 26…” Captain explained.

“Oh!” Captain could see the gears turning in Amanda’s head, trying to do the math.

“Um… we adopted her when she was six. I was only eighteen, so it was a hard decision, but she didn’t have a home, and we were the only ones who could take her in. I’ve always been… something between a sibling and a parent to her.”

“I see. Well, from what I hear from Koi, you’re doing a great job.”

Captain thought of several things to say, but he couldn’t get his mouth to form the words.

“Oh… have I said something?”

“Sorry, sorry! That just… means a lot, is all. Thank you.”

Amanda directed her next question at Eight, which Captain was grateful for. “So how long have you two been together?”

Eight looked at Captain with such a reminiscent, loving expression that it nearly made Captain blush in front of everyone. “We met each other eight years ago in July, and we started dating in November. We got married three years later, and we just had our fifth anniversary in August.”

Captain was frozen the whole time, staring down at a certain spot on the carpet. But when Eight shifted and leaned into him slightly, it broke the trance, and Captain looked up at him. They shared a smile.

“Remember our fifth anniversary, hun?” said Vanessa. “That feels so long ago.”

“Well, we are getting dangerously close to our twentieth, aren’t we?” Robert said back with a chuckle.

“At least you’re not staring down your fiftieth birthday,” Atlas remarked, with such an even tone Captain wouldn’t have known what to make of it if the smile hadn’t given it away.

“Fifty? No~!” Glen said with incredulity.

“Only two months left. I might as well start digging my grave now.”

“Oh my cod, dad…” the son, Alex, groaned.

“Oh, like you’ve never been dramatic about your age. I’m 14, I’m basically an adult,” Atlas mocked, using a deeper voice.

Alex rolled his eyes and went back to scrolling on his phone, but just after the conversation picked up again and everyone else had turned their attention elsewhere, Captain noticed that Altas nudged his son, and they both shared a smirk that somehow seemed to convey a strikingly strong bond of love between them.

Captain snapped to attention when they heard their name; it was coming from Amanda again: “Thank you again for coming, Captain, Eight. I’m sure Koi will love having Tsuku here. And it’s so nice to finally meet you both! And the same to you too, of course, Atlas and Jeane.”

A knock came from the front door. Captain whipped their head around toward it and made a confused face. They were sure that their family had arrived last, and everyone who they had expected to to come was already there. So who could this be at the door? Perhaps a pizza delivery or something?

They all already knew that the kids would beat any adult to the door, so they just waited, and Captain watched the archway to the kitchen anxiously, until finally someone stepped through—

“Lyle? What…” Captain couldn’t stop the exclamation before it was already out of their mouth.

“Heya, Captain. And everyone,” Lyle said with a smug grin. Eli stepped into view a moment later, holding his husband’s hand, and with his other hand he towed little Tempest behind him.

“Hi Amanda, thank you for having us!” Eli said.

“Also, um… Tempest’s bio moms wanted to come too at the last second, I hope it’s all right that we brought them along.”

And now the Meer-Hannon family stepped forward to reveal Agents Four and Neo Three—but they really should be calling them Aubrey and Yuki in a context like this. Each one was holding an infant with yellow ink.

Amanda jumped up from her seat again to greet them. “Oh, of course! Thank you so much for coming, I’m sure Betta will be delighted to see Tempest. She’s outside with Ava and Kate.”

“Do you wanna go outside?” Eli asked Tempest.

Tempest looked toward the sliding-glass door but shrunk back away from it, into Eli’s body. “You don’t have to,” he soothed. “You can stay in here if you want.”

Then Koi’s younger sister Betta poked her head in from outside. “Tempest?”

“Betta!” And any apprehension disappeared.

Captain jumped when Alicia called out from right next to him, “Kate? Is everyone doing okay out there?”

Now the older Larsen’s face appeared in the door. “Yep, all good, mom! Betta bit Aaron’s finger, but he’ll survive!”

“Aaron, are you sure you’re okay?” Alicia called back.

“Yes, Ms. Caruso, I’m fine!” a slightly strained voice called back.

“Betta!” Amanda called over them, jumping up yet again and heading for the door. “We do not bite our guests!”

“You want me, you get the whole package,” Kate joked.

“I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” Aaron said, coming just far enough into view that Captain could see him staring into her eyes. The scene was sickly sweet. Cod, had Captain and Eight been like that when they were younger?

Yes. Yes, they had been.

Then Captain’s thoughts were interrupted by a desperate cry of “FUFU!”

“Koko… woi’e bare?” Captain responded instinctively. Then they froze. Terrified, they shot a quick glance back at the other parents. None of them seemed to be staring at him—at least not directly—which he took as a good sign.

“What is it, Tsuku?” Captain said, hoping it would encourage her to respond in Inkling.

It worked, but it wouldn’t have mattered anyway since Tsuku got close and whispered, “I forgot the gift for the Secret Snowsquid!”

The gift… had they left it at home? Wait. Captain felt his pocket and, sure enough, he felt a small box covered in wrapping paper. “Oh, I have it here! I grabbed it just in case.”

Captain held it it to her, and the distress was replaced by a huge grin of relief as she took it. “You had it the whole time? Why didn’t you tell me!”

Captain lifted their hands in a shrugging pose. “I forgot.”

They both giggled. “Thank you, Fufu!”

“Of course, Koko. Are you having a good time?”

“Yeah! I just beat everyone in Super Splat Squids!”

“I’m glad all the years of indoctrinating you into video games paid off.”

“Okay, I’m gonna go back now. Thank you!” She gave them a quick hug.

“Of course.”

And now everyone was staring at them.

“Aww, you have such a cute relationship with her!” Vanessa said.

“Oh. It’s uh… nothing special,” Three murmured.

Now Amanda returned from outside.

“I’m so sorry about that again, Alicia.”

“Oh, I’m sure Aaron will be fine. As long as Betta doesn’t have rabies!”

Everyone laughed except for Amanda, who gave a tight-lipped smile. Then she seemed to notice Lyle, Eli, Aubrey, Yuki, and the twins. “Oh! Please, come sit! Oh… oh dear, we really should have planned for this better… you know what, I’ll go get the lawn chairs!”

“No no, don’t bother! We’ll manage. I think Mako wants down, anyway,” Aubrey assured her.

Amanda looked frantically around her before finally managing to calm herself down. “Very well, then. And you must be…?”

“Aubrey. And this is my girlfriend Yuki.”

Yuki braced Seki against her chest with one arm and raised the other hand in greeting.

“Good to meet you! Good to meet you…” Amanda seemed on the verge of a panic attack.

Four and Yuki took up spots on the floor and let Mako and Seki start toddling around them. Meanwhile, Eli sat on the arm of the sofa right next to Captain, and Lyle gave everyone an almost defiant look before plopping down right on Eli’s lap.

“Wow Eli, thanks for the up-close view of your ass,” Captain murmured.

“No, thank you! That’s the first time you’ve ever complimented my ass before.”

Captain gave a clearly forced smile.

They got along fine with Eli nowadays, but they couldn’t completely ignore the small part of them that got nervous every time they were around Eli, or even Lyle. It just dug up too many old memories.

The group got to asking about the twins, and how one of the hardest times was right after they start walking because you have to chase them around everywhere, and Jeane said something about how lucky Aubrey and Yuki were to be young and agile. Aubrey seemed to relax more after that.

“You seem awfully quiet. Yuki, isn’t it?” Atlas said eventually, holding eye contact with the Octoling.

Noticing his stare, Yuki signed I’m deaf with one hand, sort of dismissively.

Aubrey nudged her and explained, “Yuki is deaf.”

“Oh, my sister is deaf, so I know some of the local sign! Um…” Robert then signed something Captain didn’t recognize, probably in Inkopolis Signed Vernacular.

“Um…” Aubrey began, also clearly not recognizing it.

Japen. Japen! Japenese Sign Language! Yuki signed to her fervently.

“Oh, we use… uh… Japenese Sign Language, since Yuki is originally from Japen. It’s… an obscure local dialect.”

Yuki signed something else Captain didn’t recognize, looking a bit less confident with the hand movements, and Yuki and Robert conversed for a few minutes.

About two hours had passed since the Meer-Hannons and Kekoa-Johnsons’ arrival when the doorbell rang again, and this time it really was just pizza. Everyone gathered around the kitchen counter, where Amanda was frantically trying to set out plates and plasticware. “Okay everyone, if you want a drink, write your name on your cup with this Sharkie, and be sure to put it back when—” But the rest of Amanda’s words were drowned out by the commotion.

Captain hung back a ways away from they’d had the the first chance crowd, figuring they’d let everything die down before going to get their food. Eight waited with them, and a moment later his hand slipped into their hand. “Doing okay?” he whispered.

“Yeah. I think so. I wasn’t expecting to see Lyle and all of them.”

“Yeah, that was a bit of a surprise! Is it okay that they’re here?”

“Of course! Of course it’s okay that they’re here. It’s nice to see everyone.”

Eight met Captain’s eyes, and he didn’t look away until he seemed satisfied with Captain’s reassurance. “You can always step away if you need to, I’ll cover for you.”

“Thanks.”

They shared a smile. “Pizza?”

“Sure.”

Everyone huddled in the kitchen, making use of any chair, barstool, or—in Mako, Seki, and Eli’s case—lap that they could find, while Captain and Eight leaned against the kitchen counter, putting as much distance between themselves and the commotion as they could. Captain nodded in Eli and Lyle’s direction and scoffed. “How are they so confident? Lyle didn’t figure out he’s gay until like five years after I did. And Eli took even longer!”

“Yeah, but it went over a lot better for them. They don’t have the same trauma. And besides, it’s Lyle and Eli. Did you really expect anything different?”

Eight reached an arm around them and gently pulled them in closer.

“Merry Squidmas, Capa.”

After a glance to make sure no one was watching them, Eight gave Captain a quick kiss.

“Merry Squidmas, Eight.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That was followed by Koi opening some presents from her family and sharing some hugs with her parents.

Finally, Amanda announced that it was time for the gift exchange. They all gathered in the living room again, with Tsuku, Koi, Betta, René, Cody, Ava, Kate, and Aaron sitting in a circle on the floor near the tree. Each held a gift wrapped in colorful paper, ranging in size from the wallet-sized rectangle Tsuku was holding to a box as tall as Betta. Captain found themself staring at each of the wrapped gifts, as if staring hard enough would allow them to bore through the wrappings and see their contents.

Who had drawn Tsuku’s name weeks ago? What would they have gotten her? What if something went wrong?

Captain somehow missed Amanda’s explanation of how the gift exchange would work and the first few gifts being given. He didn’t even notice what the gifts were, only that Betta was shouting in joy, and everyone was laughing, and everything had suddenly become very, very loud.

Captain made eye contact with Eight, who was already giving him a concerned look. Eight nodded, and Captain got up, trying not to seem too hurried as they made for the bathroom. They sunk to the floor and put their head between their knees, left by themself with their thoughts, and took several deep breaths to try to calm down.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fourteen years ago

Ryland stared listlessly at nothing in particular as the students around him filtered into the classroom and found their seats. He didn’t even notice when someone sat just to his right.

“Hi, Ryland!”

Ryland snapped out of his daze. “Oh, Ophie. Hi.”

Ryland's and Ophelia’s fathers knew each other from work, and Ryland was pretty sure his father was trying to set him up with her, but she had always been nice to him.

She leaned toward him conspiratorially. “Who did you get for your Secret Snowsquid?”

“We’re not supposed to tell,” Ryland said.

Ophie giggled. “That’s the right answer!”

Ophie seemed to be waiting for a certain response, but Ryland had no idea what it could be, or what she had meant from her last exclamation. He just kind of smiled awkwardly at her.

Luckily, a few seconds later, the teacher saved him from having to respond. “Good morning, class. Does everyone have their gift?”

“Yes, Mrs. Ippy,” chorused about a quarter of the students. Most of the others did have gifts; they just weren’t paying attention. “We’re going to be gathering by grade, so everyone find the others in your grade and sit in a circle. First graders, up here by me…”

Ryland automatically tuned out the extraneous information, but by the time he tuned back in, it was too late, and everyone had already started moving. Ryland just followed Ophie back to the corner of the classroom near the door, where they sat on the carpet. About thirty of them gathered around in a circle, out of whom Ryland recognized Billy and his clan—Lyle,

Eli, Clyde, and Blitz. Ryland and Billy made eye contact, and the smirk on Billy’s face turned Ryland’s stomach.

Instead, he scanned the rest of the circle, trying to remember which one Cairo was—that was the name he had drawn a week ago.

“Okay everyone, put your gifts in the middle of the circle. The Class Leader will go first, and then go around the circle one at a time,” Mrs. Ippy called from somewhere far away.

Billy was up in an instant and making his way toward the growing pile of presents.

“Hey! It’s not your turn!” shouted one of the girls—Emily, he thought.

“Hmm, I’m sure the Class Leader doesn’t mind, right?” he glared at Blitz, who quickly shook his head. So Billy sauntered up to the pile and dug around for a while before finally pulling out a package. He tore it open and revealed a box of chocolates. Ryland thought he heard Ophie gasp next to him, but she didn’t say anything.

They continued around the circle, and eventually Ophie tore open her gift to reveal a pack of orange gummy candies. She frowned, probably because she didn’t like orange flavor. She looked at Ryland, and he just shrugged. “I’ll swap with you if I get something you like.”

“Oh. So… you didn’t get me?”

“No, I got Cairo. I don’t know who got you.”

Then Billy’s perpetually whiny voice interrupted them. “C’mon Ryland, that’s enough chit-chat! You’re holding up everyone else.”

Something felt wrong as Ryland got up and walked to the center of the circle. He squirmed as he felt everyone’s eyes on him. The whole room seemed more quiet than it should have been. It felt like it took an eternity to dig through the pile of presents in search of one with his own name.

And there it was: a small box about the size of a pack of playing cards. And for a minute he thought that might be what they were. He went back to his seat and sat down with it, hoping that that would reduce the number or eyes on him, but it was no use. Everyone was staring at him, as if expecting something to happen. Finally, Ryland realized he couldn’t stall any longer, and he slowly began to tear open the package.

But it wasn’t a pack of cards at all.

It was a pack of cigarettes.

It only took Ryland a few seconds before he understood what they meant. He started to shake, staring uncontrollably at the pack of cigarettes in his hand until it fell to the floor with a crash, spilling some of its contents.

Ryland could feel Billy’s triumphant glare on him, and he didn’t dare look up.

“Ryland! Are those cigarettes? Hand them over!” Mrs. Ippy was glaring down at him with her hand outstretched. Ryland shoved the cigarettes back in then grabbed the box and tentatively raised it toward her until she snatched it away. “And what were you doing with these?”

“They’re not mine! Obviously someone gave it to me as their Secret Snowsquid gift. I don’t want them!”

Mrs. Ippy just kept glaring down at him with a suspicious look on her face. Desperate, Ryland looked around and saw Billy staring directly at him with a malicious grin. And he gave Ryland a small nod, as if saying Go on. But Ryland didn’t know what that was supposed to mean, and even if he had there was no way he was letting Billy get away with this.

“Like I said, the person who brought them in the classroom was whoever got me for Secret Snowsquid! It was B—”

“Fine, then I’ll go check the lists,” Mrs. Ippy said, spinning on her heel and always making it halfway back across the classroom before Ryland could finish. Ryland looked to Ophie for comfort, but she looked just as nervous as he was.

A moment later, Mrs. Ippy was back, this time holding a clipboard. All she said was, “Ophie, I’ll be accompanying you to the principal’s office. You’re being expelled.”

Ryland was barely able to put any words together as he stared at Ophie. “No! No, it was… wait… Ophie? It wasn’t you, right?”

But Ophie was already standing. “It’s okay Ryland, don’t fight it or we’ll just both end up expelled.”

“Wait… Ophie…”

“I’m sorry, Ryland. I hope I see you again.”

But he never did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Captain groaned and slowly pulled his hand back from his head as the memory finished playing.

Of course, that night he had remembered Ophie’s gasp and had realized that the chocolates had been for him, which of course meant that Billy had swapped out the gifts—perhaps just the tags. But Ophie had already been expelled, and who would have believed him, anyway? Ophie had been right. Mrs. Ippy had already been suspicious enough of Ryland, and Billy hadn’t left any traceable evidence. Ryland probably would have been expelled, too, if he had tried anything.

But maybe that would have been for the best.

Captain pushed themself back up into an upright position and took a deep breath.

Tsuku’s gift exchange wouldn’t be like Ryland’s. She was surrounded by good friends and responsible adults. Tsuku may have a secret just like Ryland had, but maybe Captain could muster the optimism to believe that, unlike Ryland, Tsuku would be accepted.

Captain’s hand rested on the door handle. Yes. Everything would be okay. They truly believed it.

And they pushed the door open. A few strides, and they were back in the living room. It was still chaos, but the smiles on everyone’s faces reassured them. Especially Eight’s.

They sat down next to their husband, and Tsuku ran up to them almost immediately. “Look, Fufu! Look what Koi got me!”

Tsuku was bouncing around with such excited energy that Captain couldn’t discern the object in her hands until they reached out and held the corner to steady it. It was a sketchbook, and on the cover… a silhouette of an octopus.

“Oh… that’s great, Tsuku…” Captain tried to muster enthusiasm in their response, but they just couldn’t stop staring at the octopus emblazoned on the front.

“What is it?” Tsuku finally asked.

“Tsuku… does Koi know you’re an Octoling?”

Tsuku looked at him curiously, almost confused. “Yeah, of course! All of them do. They’ve known for a while.”

Captain looked around the room at everyone, beginning to question his original impressions of each of them. “And their parents…?”

Tsuku nodded. “As far as I can tell. It’s not really a big deal.”

Captain suddenly pulled in Tsuku for a tight hug, and they were holding back tears. “I’m so glad you found them. I’m… so happy for you, Koko.”

Tsuku started pulling back after a moment, and Captain realized that they might have hugged her for too long. But she still had a big smile on her face. “I love you, Fufu. Merry Squidmas!”

“I love you too. Merry Squidmas.”

They shared one more smile.

“Now go have fun with your friends!”

Captain watched them all for a few minutes, seeing René blush as Tsuku asked whether he liked the Tableturf cards she had gotten him, seeing KJ make a remark that they all laughed at, seeing Cody wow them by doing tricks with his new yo-yo, and seeing Tsuku wrap Koi up in another hug.

“You did this, you know,” Eight said, leaning into Captain. “I mean, Tsuku deserves some credit, and I guess I was there, too. But you made all this possible.”

Eight was right, wasn’t he? Nothing could ever be perfect and easy, but Tsuku was never going to have to endure the hardships that they had.

They had broken the cycle.

“Yeah. I did it.”

[stormyblue90]

🌶 Don’t Fear the Reaper 🌶

This took far too long (curse you ADHD Executive Dysfunction), but here’s a fic based on my 501st Spice Tolerance polls!

Summary: Hardcase acquires a bunch of “contraband” in the form of the galaxy’s spiciest peppers. Naturally, he must challenge his brothers to a game...

Warnings: Only a reference to vomiting near the end, but nothing graphic.

Rating: General, just some 501st shenanigans

The sound of two sets of feet dashing down the halls of the Resolute echoed through the corridor leading to the mess hall. Hardcase and Ahsoka were running inside, each carrying a sizable crate, and with mischievous grins plastered on their faces. Once they entered the mess hall, they quickly scanned the tables, finally settling on their target. They spotted the 501st's captain and six other troopers, and made their way to the table.

"Alright boys!" Hardcase exclaimed, slamming his crate on the table where his brothers sat, startling nearly all of them. 

Jesse had nearly choked on his drink at the sudden jolt from his vod. Thankfully Ahsoka set her crate down less forcefully.

"Hardcase, what is this?" Rex asked, looking up from his data-pad. He'd been checking over the latest mission reports before submitting them and was not in the mood for his brother's shenanigans.

"This," Hardcase began to explain as he opened the lid to the crate, "is a crate of Mandalorian Reaper peppers!"

The surrounding troopers took a peak inside, seeing several round, bright orange peppers. Jesse looked up at Hardcase quizzically, while Rex just raised his eyebrow, waiting for Hardcase to explain himself.

"Peppers Hardcase?" Echo asked, "For what?"

"Not just ANY pepper Echo!" Hardcase replied. "THESE babies are the legendary 'Mandalorian Reapers!' The hottest peppers in the galaxy! They say they're so hot, that not even a mighty Sith Lord can endure'em!"

Echo rolled his eyes, "They can't be the hottest in the GALAXY Hardcase, the galaxy's huge-"

"How did you get these?" Tup asked, interrupting Echo.

"Not important!" Hardcase said, waving a hand at an open mouthed Dogma who clearly had a retort about contraband at the ready.

Rex sighed, "Alright Hardcase, what do you plan to do with these?" he asked, humoring his vod.

A devious smirk appeared on Hardcase's face. "A challenge!" he said.

At the word 'challenge' both Fives and Jesse immediately perked up, looking attentively at their brother.

"Oooh? What kind of challenge?" Fives asked, despite having a hunch what it might be.

"The challenge my friends, is who at this table can eat the MOST of these bad boys before tapping out!" Hardcase explained.

As soon as he explained the challenge, Ahsoka opened the lid of her crate, revealing cartons of blue milk and pints of ice-cream.

"And I'm the Referee!" she exclaimed.

"Wait why aren't YOU joining us? You're our Vod'ika!" Fives asked.

"It'd be an unfair challenge." Ahsoka replied.

Kix sighed, "Because she can't TASTE the spice of the peppers Fives. At least not the extent of humans. Togruta are nearly immune to capsaicin."

"Capa-what?" Fives responded.

"Capsaicin, Fives." Echo repeated. "It's the chemical that makes spicy food spicy. But not all species are affected by it. But since we're human we ARE affected by-"

"Ok ok ok whatever! Thank you CT-NERD" Fives interjected, rolling his eyes.

"And dairy products, especially cold ones like milk or ice-cream are a good antidote to it." Kix added.

Hardcase huffed, trying to pull his brothers' attention back to him. "Ok ok whatever! THE CHALLENGE! Are you guys in or not?"

"That depends," Jesse replied. "What's the winner get?"

"Well," Hardcase began, "we ARE spending our shore leave on Naboo, thanks to General Skywalker."

"That's a reward in itself." Rex said, thinking of how nice it was to spend some time on such a beautiful, lush planet.

"SO the winner gets... A secluded Spa Day at the Amidala Lake House!" Hardcase finished.

That grabbed each trooper's attention. A nice, long relaxing spa day on a Naboo lake retreat sounded perfect. Away from the shenanigans of other troopers, peaceful scenery and atmosphere, all in all a nice reward after long, arduous campaigns. There was one problem however.

"Alright, that does sound nice." Kix spoke, "However how do you know the winner will get to stay at the Senator's lake house? Won't her and the general be staying there?"

Hardcase shrugged. "Eh, it's a BIG house. 'Sides I'm sure the general won't mind and could pull some strings. Especially since uh...we KNOW about...THAT." He said, waggling his eyebrows and the unsaid secret shared between the troopers.

The others took a moment to think about the possibility. The general and senator were not exactly subtle in their secret, and they all knew the real reason Skywalker managed to get the 501st shore leave on Naboo rather than Coruscant. Surely a simple "reminder" would persuade them to let the winning trooper stay at the lake house.

The troopers nodded amongst themselves in agreement. Even the more reluctant such as Dogma, Rex, and Echo agreed to challenge. A nice, long relaxing spa day would be well worth the few moments of pain from a simple pepper.

When all at the table agreed to Hardcase's challenge, he slapped his hands together, rubbing them devilishly as a grin was plastered on his face.

"Excellent!" Hardcase exclaimed, taking a seat in front of Kix. "Commander, you go ahead and explain the rules!" he said, gesturing to Ahsoka.

Ahsoka quickly passed out a small plate, a glass of blue milk, and pint of ice cream to each trooper. Afterwards she placed a single pepper on each plate. Once everyone had their pepper and "antidote" she stood at the head of the table, hands clasped behind her back.

"Alright men," she spoke, each trooper's attention glued to her. "The challenge is simple. Whoever can last the longest before drinking the milk, and eating the ice cream antidote, wins! Each round you receive one pepper."

The troopers all nodded, a simple challenge.

Ahsoka continued to explain. "For each round, you must eat the ENTIRE pepper. No single bite out of each one. You must eat the whole thing! If you can't finish the pepper, or you spit it out, or vomit. You lose the round. Once you drink from the milk, or eat the ice cream, you lose the round. Is that understood troopers?"

"Yes sir!" all of them responded, as if they were just given their orders for a mission.

"Good!" Ahsoka replied. "May the Force be with your tastebuds, BEGIN!"

Each trooper took their pepper, and prepared themselves. Jesse took a deep breath, mentally steeling himself, Tup mumbled a quick prayer to whatever entity may be listening, and Fives stretched and crack his neck as if he were about to engage in a physical fight. They all took their first bite at the same time.

Within a few seconds, the reactions to spicy pepper began. Fives, who had only bitten off half, immediately began to sweat, turning red within seconds. Others, such as Rex, Jesse, Dogma, and Echo chose to eat the small peppers in one bite, in order to quickly move on to the next round.

Fives struggled to swallow the bite of pepper he'd taken. He was nowhere near prepared for the level of heat the small fruit contained. His mouth felt like the surface of Mustafar, no, a supernova! He so desperately wanted to spit the pepper out. No, he must persevere! He was an ARC Trooper dammit! No way would he be outdone by a pepper!

Echo who sat next to Fives glanced as his twin, also beginning to sweat as well. He knew his brother secretly could not handle spicy food. Fives always talked a big game, but he couldn't always put his credits where his mouth was. Echo stole a quick look towards the glass of milk that was just within reach. Sweet mercy was so close. No, he must endure.

After what felt like hours, Fives managed to swallow. Only to quickly regret it as he felt the fire cascade down his throat. His breathing quickened, his heart began to pound, beads of sweat dripped down his brow.

"WhoooHOOHOOO!!!" Thats-...Thasss.....Ha ha haaaa...HOT!" Fives wheezed.

"Stay strong Vod!" Echo replied, placing a hand on Fives' shoulder. It was clear he was struggling as well, but he was hiding it better.

The rest had finished their peppers, none of them reaching for their glass. Fives was all that remained to finish the pepper. Just one more bite. One. More.

Fives raised the half eaten pepper to his mouth, tears streaming down his face, his nose sniffly. Finally, with one last burst of courage, he chomped down on the pepper, quickly swallowing. However it was too much, his strength and resolve gave out.

"HOOOOOOOOOOT!!!!!!" Fives squealed, reaching for the glass of milk. He quickly chugged it down, the blue milk dribbling down his chin, neck, and over his breastplate. Within seconds the glass was empty, and Fives ripped into the pint of ice cream, not even grabbing a spoon, but grabbing the ice cream with his fingers, shoving it into his burnt mouth, begging for sweet relief from the inferno. After a few moments, his tongue and throat finally felt as if the fire was extinguished. There was still some heat, but it began to subside.

Ahsoka offered the trooper a box of tissues for his face and nose. Fives gladly took them, furiously wiping away snot that was pouring out of his nose before devouring more ice cream, albeit using a spoon this time.

"Aaaand....We have a first loser! Fives, you are eliminated!" Ahsoka announced.

For the moment, Fives didn't care he came in dead last, all he cared about was finding relief from that abomination of a pepper.

Echo patted his back gently. "I'm sorry Vod," he said. "At least you finished the whole pepper. I thought you were a goner after the first bite."

Fives could only whine pitifully in response.

With the first "casualty" of the challenge, tensions started to rise amongst the troopers. They glanced at each other, wondering who would fall next. If one of the best ARC Troopers was defeated so easily, how would the rest of them hold up? Nearly all were still fighting the sting from the first round as Ahsoka passed out more peppers for the next.

The next to fall was Echo, who had just barely managed to endure Round 2. As soon as he swallowed the third pepper, he lunged for the pint of ice-cream in front of him, and began to chug the glass of milk. His face was red and sweaty, and both milk and ice-cream dribbled down his chin. He looked towards Fives with a pained look as if saying I'm sorry Vod, I held on as long as I could. Fives, still shoving spoonfuls of ice cream nodded empathetically.

"The Dominoes have fallen." Ahsoka said solemnly, passing out the next round of hellish peppers.

With the pair of ARC Troopers eliminated, the remaining troopers began to fall one by one. The next to fall was Tup, tapping out before finishing his fourth pepper, much to Dogma's dismay. Following Tup was Jesse, who unfortunately succumbed to the pepper's heat in the sixth round, quickly followed by Rex mere seconds later.

"You fought well Trooper. You fought well." Rex told him, placing a hand on his lieutenant's shoulder, and downing a glass of milk.

Dogma, Kix, and Hardcase were the three who remained. Astoundingly, they looked much better than their fallen brothers. While the others were all red-faced, panting, sweating, and sniffling profusely, Dogma looked only mildly affected. A thin veil of sweat coated his brow, but he looked only as if he just completed a quick jog across the tarmac on a warm day. Kix appeared to be unaffected at all, barely a bead of sweat, while Hardcase seemed to be actively enjoying the contest, nearly inhaling each pepper given to him.

"Alright Command-I mean Ref!" Hardcase announced. "We're down to the final three, how 'bout we ramp it up a bit?"

Ahsoka smirked deviously, "What do you have in mind?" she asked.

"Give us TWO peppers this round! And in the next, provided these two don't tap out, THREE peppers!" Hardcase suggested enthusiastically.

Ahsoka nodded, and proceeded to pass out two peppers to the remaining troopers. The others who were still shoveling as much ice cream into their tortured mouths, looked on with wide eyes.

The surviving trio all looked at each other, daring the others to tap out. They each took a pepper, biting into it, and waiting for one of them to give in.

All three ate the first pepper with relative ease, however when it came to second, Dogma began to sweat more. He only managed to eat half the second pepper, and was hesitant to eat the remaining half. Hardcase looked at him, a wide devilish grin plastered on his face as he waited for Dogma to reach for the glass of milk.

Dogma began to reach for the glass, but stopped himself. He could hear the other troopers gasp in anticipation, but he held on. Quickly he devoured the last pepper. He swallowed, but coughed afterwards, making the stinging heat in his mouth and throat worse. It was the straw that broke the eopie's back. He grabbed the glass of milk and downed it.

"UUUUGH HOOOOT!!!!" he managed to exclaim before another coughing fit erupted. Tup rubbing his back soothingly, and handing him a half melted pint of ice cream.

As Dogma began to eat the ice cream, Hardcase whooped in victory. Now it was down to him and Kix. Despite the latter seeming immune to the pepper's intense spice, Hardcase was confident he would not lose. Not only was this the most fun he had that didn't involve blasting droids, Hardcase genuinely enjoyed the peppers.They were the perfect intensity of spice for him. It was only a matter of time before Kix gave in. Or so Hardcase thought.

Two rounds later, Kix and Hardcase were given a plate of five peppers. The losing troopers were shocked not only at the length the challenge had become, but now Hardcase was showing signs of fatigue. His face was red, brow covered in sweat, and he was sniffling with every breath, yet the trooper remained determined.

Kix wiped his brow with the back of his hand, a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead, and only mild redness in his cheeks.

"This HAS to be the final round Hardcase." Kix said.

"Why?" Hardcase asked, "Giving up?"

"No, I'm starting to get full." Kix said matter-of-factly.

With a burp, sending another wave of heat up his throat, Hardcase nodded in agreement. "Alright, Vod, alright. Whoever eats the most of these five last peppers wins. And IF we both finish'em...We call it a draw and BOTH have a spa day. Deal?"

Kix held out his hand to shake, "Deal."

Hardcase shook his hand in agreement and the pair each took a pepper. Both ate the first, however at the second, Hardcase managed only one bite. He started to burp more, increasing the heat. He held his hand to his mouth as he started to look worried. Hardcase felt bile rise in throat, burning more than usual.

The others looked on, all seemingly holding their breath. Ahsoka quickly grabbed a bucket, expecting Hardcase to vomit.

With one final burp, Hardcase lunged for the bucket in Ashoka's hands, shoving his face in it as he retched.

Ahsoka and the others looked away, flinching in disgust as Hardcase emptied his stomach of the numerous peppers he'd eaten.

Hardcase's muffled cries in between his retches could be heard from the bucket.

"Oh...KRIFF this burns even more!" he cried.

Everyone else then looked to Kix, who only took a napkin to wipe away the sweat from his brow as he sighed.

"Finally, I thought he'd never tap out." He said calmly. "Didn't plan on an all pepper dinner tonight, but at least they were tasty."

Kix stood up and stretched as his brothers and Ahsoka looked on, dumbstruck. None of them had expected the medic to last so long, let alone win!

"Well, a nice relaxing spa day on Naboo sounds amazing! I need it dealing with all you di'kuts." Kix said, a small smirk on his lips as he walked off.

"I can't believe it..." Jesse remarked, watching Kix leave.

"That trooper is made of tougher stuff than us, boys." Rex replied.

"Are we sure he's not secretly immune to spicy food or something?" Ahsoka said, tilting her head. "Hardcase said these things are so spicy they could make a Sith Lord explode."

"Nah, I think he's just a good actor and faking it, bet he's about to go vomit his brains out." Fives said bitterly.

"You're just sore you were the first loser." Echo replied, before Fives roughly shoved his shoulder.

"Sooo.... What ARE we gonna do with the rest of the peppers?" Tup asked, looking at the crate that still had plenty of peppers.

"Hmm, We could send them to Commander Fox and the Corries. Heard they love spicy food, and use it to keep themselves awake if they don't have caf." Rex suggested.

"Good idea." Ahsoka said, closing the lid on the crate.

"I never wanna see another kriffin' pepper again..." Jesse said as they all agreed and began to clean up the mess of melted ice cream and milk.

Two standard weeks later, the Republic was in uproar at the sudden death of Chancellor Palpatine. Some were worried the CIS would win the war, while others cheered for the man's death, not favoring him as their political leader. The Jedi temple however was filled with confused Jedi Masters, feeling as if some fog had been lifted and they could see clearly again. Although Skywalker had been rather distraught. Thankfully the Naboo senator and his former Jedi Master were able to hold him back from doing something rash.

Commander Fox leaned back in his office chair, reading the report on his holopad. A color-pointed Tooka purred away on his lap. 

"Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine found dead due to a severe allergic reaction from a foreign pepper..." he read aloud.

"Such a shame huh Bean?..." Fox muttered to his furry companion, sarcasm in his tone, as he scratched the tooka's ears.

Another, orange tooka leapt up on his desk, flopping over, begging for attention.

"Whatever shall the Republic do Shiny?" he asked the tooka, rubbing its belly as it began to purr.

  Fox set his holopad down and picked up a Mandalorian Reaper pepper from his snack drawer, popping it into his mouth.

"Mhmm... Nice kick these Reaper peppers. I'll have to thank Rex next time he's planet-side. Shame the chancellor was allergic."

[flyhighpjct]

DOAÇÃO DE CAPAS DO PROJETO FLY-HIGH #1

‎Olá, jogadores! A administração "MSBY" do projeto está doando capas do nosso anime de esporte favorito. <3

REGRAS:

ATENÇÃO: as capas são para USO INDIVIDUAL ou DENTRO DO PROJETO FLY-HIGH.

Uma capa por pessoa!!

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Preste atenção às mudanças possíveis de cada capa!!

Você deve estar seguindo o projeto no Spirit Fanfics e aqui no tumblr!!

Prazo para postagem das fanfics: 3 (três) meses, com exceção da capa número 7, que não tem prazo!!

1. For now just us (Asanoya) (doada)

Mudanças: título curto (tamanho similar) e user.

2. Captains Reunion (Daichi, Kuroo, Bokuto) (doada)

Mudanças: título e user.

3. Oversize (Kuroken)

Mudanças: título, user e adição de frase.

4. Seven Lives (Kenma) (doada)

Mudanças: título e user.

5. Abraços quentinhos e sufocantes de uma coruja carente (Bokuaka) (doada)

Mudanças: user e adição de frase.

6. My ordinary teenage life (Kageyama) (doada)

Mudanças: título (tamanho similar) e user.

7. (Sem título) (Kagehina)

Mudanças: título, user e cor de fundo.

8. How to take care of your Bokuto (Bokuto) (doada)

Mudanças: título, user e adição de frase.

9. Break all the rules (Hinata)

Mudanças: user.

[lady-chan]

Hello, the first chapter is being released, in which we follow the selection for the Magic Knights of a new character in the series: Blanche Renouard.

David and Letoile shared with her their experience during their own exams and also told how another squadmate of theirs performed.

Preview of the first chapter:

“A single blow,” Letoile said. “A single blow was all the Vice-Captain needed to take down his opponent.”

“It was the fastest battle of the day,” David said with admiration.

Blanche did not think she would be able to match the Vice-Captain’s strength, especially when she had already wasted her chance to take the initiative. She would no longer have the trump card of an overly strong surprise attack like he had.

Click the link below to access the full story ≧◡≦

Banner credits:

[artsy-garbagefairy]

Okay so let me elaborate:

Capa is the least murdery person out there, but his patheticness is both very kicked puppy (naive, curious, kind) and very wet cat (disgruntled, angry, down on their luck), but his doe eyes land him more on the side of kicked puppy. Yes, this is now a science, and I have a Ph.D, baby.

Mace, despite technically being a murder victim (at least indirectly), is so unbelievably unhinged that he's landed himself in the murderer category. He's the embodiment of a wet cat except for That One Scene.

Cassie is the Balance™ because a) she was in fact a murder victim, b) she was the only one of the crew to attack Pinbacker not once, but TWICE, so she'd definitely could/would have killed him. Her kindness and refusal to believe in the worst possible outcome makes her a perfect example of kicked puppy, but her general disheveledness (that's a word now) and the desperate, last-chance, "I will take you down with me" violence also makes her a perfect example of wet cat.

Corazon is also, in fact, a murder victim, but I wholeheartedly believe she could have at LEAST defended herself if she had known Pinbacker was there. She definitely leans more towards wet cat cuz of her fantastic snarkiness as well as her begrudging acceptance of their fates and her crewmates' deaths (though she gets one point in the other direction for having a small, desperate moment of hope when discovering the little sapling (one of the saddest scenes in the whole movie)).

Trey, the poor guy, never did anything wrong in his entire life except for making ONE mistake that ended up costing his own and his crewmates' lives. He is maximum victim AND kicked puppy.

Searle is one of the many, many martyrs of the whole movie (which I can and will elaborate on one day), and although sometimes sounding an eeny weeny bit crazy he would never kill anyone. Would be able to kill Pinbacker, though, but who wouldn't? Wait don't answer that question. He's both very kicked puppy in terms of his sheer wonder for the universe, the sun, and everything else in life, as well as wet cat with his almost casual attitude towards his own death (will never get over him comforting Capa right before sacrificing himself, by the way).

Harvey is not entirely a murderer, but he was willing to put everyone else's (and the entire goddamn EARTH'S) lives in danger just to save himself, so I wouldn't put murdering anyone past him. He is both kicked puppy in his all-consuming need to be Important and the Leader, but also has the pathetic assholiness of some wet cats (Mace, lmao).

Kaneda is a martyr; a captain who died for his crew and their mission. Despite how little screen-time he got he demonstrated so much selflessness and humility in that scene alone. He is maximum wet cat in the sense that he is brutally realist, blunt, and accepting of his own death.

Pinbacker... is self-explanatory.

There WILL be more of these, you have been warned.

[lookalivesunshine2007]

playlist explanation as requested by @r-capa !! 100% this is the most effort i’ve put into a playlist ever and i think it turned out so well. i hope anyone who gives it a listen enjoys it as much as i do. i’ll link the playlist again so people who see this post first wont have trouble finding it. its also decently late for me so sorry about any grammatical errors lmao :)

Starman (David Bowie) honestly this is really just a vibe establishing song that fits better with events that take place pre-movie, but i can't bring myself to get rid of it lol. feel free to skip this one (depending on when you see this it might not even be on the playlist)

Starlight (Muse) the “real” start of the playlist and the initial “we’re in space on a mission wow this is so cool”

Muse’s vibes in general are super space-y i feel. A nice little “before everything went wrong” song. it’s a super upbeat song with rad space vibes, plus lyrics like;

“far away, this ship is taking me far away”

“i will be chasing starlight until the end of my life”

Violet Hill (Coldplay) is Capa reminiscing about earth while sending his message to his loved ones, as well as the rest of the crew doing the same. (Capa specifically because he’s the only one we visually see do it). It’s also partially fitting to be about the crew’s dedication to completing their mission and the state of earth as they left it. Some lyrics that really stood out to me in this song were;

“Was a cold and dark december, from the rooftops I remember there was snow, white snow” among other lines about freezing and winter.

“I don't want to be a soldier who the captain of some sinking ship would stow far below '', basically the crew just refusing to sit around doing nothing while the earth freezes.

The “love” mentioned throughout could fit the crew’s love for earth displayed by their willingness to be a part of the Icarus II mission.

Hysteria (Muse) is when Harvey discovers the emergency beacon from the Icarus I, and they decide to change their course. It also goes into the shield repair scene, and Kaneda’s death. No particular lyrics (besides maybe the chorus very loosely) stick out for me but the overall message and vibe of the song fit so well with these scenes for me. I imagine the solo/bridge of this song is where Kaneda dies. The rest follows not ridgid/particular events.

Icarus (Bastille) Mace, Capa, Searle, and Harvey have just boarded the Icarus I. This song basically covers their entire time aboard the Icarus I. A ton of the lyrics fit so well in my opinion, especially when applied to Capa specifically. This song also covers the four aboard the Icarus I deciding that Capa is the most important, and Capa, Mace, and Harvey crossing the gap between the two ships to get back to the Icarus II. I find the bridge is best for the little quiet moment where they are preparing to take the leap between the ships. I’ll quote the chorus here so you can really get the vibes.

“Icarus is flying to close to the sun and Icarus’s life it has only just begun. This is how it feels to take a fall. Icarus is flying towards an early grave.” SO GOOD. These can be applied to the crew as a whole, as well as explicitly to Capa.

Viva La Vida (Coldplay) With only half the crew left, and the discussion and discovery of the Trey incident, the crew is basically just waiting for their death now. This song is representative of everyone still alive essentially making peace with their fates now that they are aware they don't have enough oxygen to make it home.

Psycho Killer (Talking Heads) PINBACKER. I feel like there's very little explanation needed for this one but i’ll get into it anyway because i LOVE this song. The song is quite literally about a serial killer. The scenes I think fit well with this song are basically just the ones with Pinbacker making his way through the crew LOL.

“I can’t sleep cause my beds on fire” OKAY SUNBURN MAN.

“we are vain and we are blind” fits so well with his views of fundamentalism.

The line “je me lance vers la glorie” translates to (roughly) “I launch myself towards glory” which again, brings us to his fundamentalism characterization and the “holy” mission he talks about throughout.

Apocalypse Please (Muse) The lyrics. OH MAN. It so perfectly encapsulates the final part of the movie, where Capa basically blows the Icarus II and its airlock open and makes his way to the payload, fighting Pinbacker and setting off his bomb. The last minute sounds “sparkly” if that makes sense, which I feel is PERFECT for when Capa does set off the bomb and we see it start to go off, sparkles and all. These are some of my favorite lyrics that relate to these scenes;

“Declare this an emergency. come on and spread a sense of urgency and pull us through. And this is the end, this is the end of the world”

“come on it's time for something biblical”

“proclaim eternal victory come on and change the course of history”

My Way (Frank Sinatra) This whole thing is basically Capa as he “meets” the sun. It's a kind of recounting of the events that led up to this place while time is slowed down. I like the upbeat and triumphant but overall melancholy feel of the song and it just makes it fit super well here.

“and now the end is near and so i face the final curtain” and honestly most of the lyrics. This is just a really versatile song that’s great for cinematic type playlists in general.

Capa Meets The Sun (Underworld) a song from the movie’s soundtrack that serves as a moment for everything to really sink in, and an extra moment before you go on with your day. I loved that this ends with the message Capa sent to his loved ones, and it's a perfect way to end the playlist. I wanted to put the main theme (Adagio in D minor) as the final song, but I felt this one fit the intended purpose better :)

[feasibilities]

Resurrection | Robert Capa x Reader 💥

Warnings: Angst, Unresolved Feelings, Lust, Thanatophobia, Yearning Synopsis: You have wanted Robert Capa since Icarus II began, but you may never get to live out these dreams. Author's Note: I can write angst or fluff too, tbh. I thought about writing a Pt. 2 (can either be sad or a resolution). Enjoy!

You were deeply in love with Capa, but now you may never get to tell him. He was due to fix the damaged sun shields with Captain Kaneda. Outside of the delivery of the payload, this was the most dangerous mission. Your journals were full of fantasies of a life with Capa with a resurrected Sun. These had the possibility of being incinerated by the dying star right outside the ship. You were angry with him and had no legitimate reason to be. 

He came into your room and sat on the edge of your desk. He often did this after a stressful briefing with everyone. He was usually talkative but he was silent this time. 

“I have no choice. I have to go.” He blurted out, virtually reading your mind. 

“I know. I’ll miss you.” You said.

“What do you mean?” He said, panicking internally.

“This is a suicide mission, Capa. You know that.” You explained. 

“We didn’t go into this thinking we’d survive.” He said, trying to be optimistic. 

“Right. Best of luck.” You retorted. Stung by your indifference, he gave you a solemn look. Feeling guilty, you walked to him and took his hands in yours. 

“I don’t want you to go, but you have my blessing. I’m sorry that I never told you how I feel.” You revealed. Kissing him sweetly, he pulled you closer and slid his hands underneath your tank top. You stopped him and pulled away slightly. Your nose brushed against his.

“Not now. Only if you make it back.” You whispered. This could be the incentive that lets him survive. 

“Can we at least spend the night together?” He murmured, feeling a hard-on. This was the closest he had gotten to intimacy in months. You pulled him to the barely-comfortable bed and intertwined your limbs with his. His heartbeat lulled you to sleep. As you slipped into unconsciousness, you wondered if this would be the last time you ever heard it. 

——

You watched the monitor intently as Capa got into his spacesuit. The commotion of preparation for him and Captain Kaneda became background noise. An illogical part of you wished the shields could repair themselves or Icarus could find some solution that didn’t involve the love of your life. Feeling overwhelmed, you ran to the airlock and stared at him through the small window. 

“Just let me talk to him, please.” You said, voice trembling. Your colleague reluctantly opened the door. Standing before him, you leaned into the suit’s helmet and kissed him tenderly. He kissed you back fervently, desperate for any kind of physical contact. You pulled away and latched the helmet closed. He could only see your teary eyes. He felt his heart break at the thought of never seeing you again. 

[denimbex1986]

'Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer" is set to be one of the biggest (non-"Barbie") films of the summer, a grand historical drama with a vast A-List cast and intense exploration of one of humanity's greatest errors. It's a chance for Nolan, a filmmaker never short of ambition, to stretch himself even further as a storyteller, but it's also a rare opportunity for its title star to take on a leading role. Cillian Murphy is a Nolan ensemble staple, having played the Scarecrow in the "Dark Knight" trilogy and made appearances in "Inception" and "Dunkirk." 

The Irish actor and "Peaky Blinders" favorite has long been an underrated presence on screens big and small, having spent well over two decades establishing himself as a striking character actor and reliable talent. He's made horror films with Wes Craven, fought zombies in "28 Days Later," romanced Scarlett Johansson in "The Girl With a Pearl Earring" and told stories of the Irish War of Independence in Ken Loach's "The Wind That Shakes the Barley." He's done it all. He's even dealt with the peril of an atomic weapon and the threat of mass extinction on Earth in a movie before! Thanks to Danny Boyle and "Sunshine", Murphy is familiar with this quandary.

Sunshine is an apocalyptic horror sci-fi

In between his zombie horror "28 Days Later" and the Oscar-winning drama "Slumdog Millionaire," Danny Boyle aimed for the stars. Screenwriter Alex Garland, with whom Boyle had worked on his messy adaptation of "The Beach," took inspiration from the likes of "2001: A Space Odyssey," Ridley Scott's "Alien" and the Russian classic "Solaris" for his jaunt towards the center of our solar system. In "Sunshine," it is the sun itself that is dying. With it, so will all life on Earth perish as the planet's temperature drops beyond the means of human habitation. Eight astronauts from around the world have been tasked with flying towards the sun on the spaceship Icarus II and planting a bomb on it that they hope will reignite its solar fury. As many a sci-fi horror featuring people in enclosed spaces floating through the vast nothingness can attest, it doesn't take long for things to go wrong.

"Sunshine" has an enviable good cast, the kind of ensemble of character actors and future leading icons that would put most films to shame. Alongside Murphy, who plays the lead physicist Robert Capa, are a pre-Captain America Chris Evans, Rose Byrne, Michelle Yeoh, Cliff Curtis from "Fear the Walking Dead," and Benedict Wong of "Doctor Strange" fame. To have the cast form a tight bond, Boyle had this ensemble live together for several months and undergo space training and scuba diving. He also took them on a tour of a nuclear submarine to give them a sense of the claustrophobic living conditions of real astronauts, and even sent them up on a zero-G plane to experience weightlessness. Murphy worked with physicist Brian Cox (not that one) so that he could fully understand the awesome scale of the bomb required to make the sun work once more. He found the experience of making "Sunshine" so revealing that it made him an atheist!

Why Sunshine is so terrifying

Many scientists grumbled over the inaccuracies of "Sunshine," from slow-motion movement during weightlessness to whether or not a bomb really could reignite the sun. For Alex Garland, such details were beside the point, although both he and Boyle did hire a number of advisors to shape the science of the film into something believable. The real power of "Sunshine" is in its portrayal of isolation among its astronauts. The crew of Icarus II are shaken, both by the magnitude of their mission and the sheer psychological terror of being stuck in space for an extended period of time. As a viewer, you feel entrapped in the space this ensemble shares, made all the more stifling by Boyle's refusal to cut back to scenes on Earth that are common in this genre. Everything is designed to make you feel trapped, including the space suits that have a post-box-sized slit to see through rather than a full-face visor (the suit was nicknamed Kenny after the character from "South Park" because of this choice.)

The other recurring theme is an age-old one: science versus faith. The mission of Icarus II is stridently atheistic, one of pure logic designed to do for humanity what nobody else can or will do. They are following in the footsteps of Icarus I, which went missing seven years prior while trying to deliver its own bomb to Earth. When the crew discover this lost ship, they find its crew charred to death save one astronaut, Pinbacker (Mark Strong playing, of course, a villain). After years of loneliness and untreated first-degree facial burns, Pinbacker has gone mad and tries to sabotage the Icarus II mission, claiming that God (meaning the sun) has told him to send all of humanity to Heaven. This third-act frenzy makes "Sunshine" a more traditional horror film than its preceding parts, and it does become less satisfying as a result (although there is a moment where Pinbacker has the skin pulled from his arm that is truly horrifying).

Sunshine is more relevant than ever

Despite positive reviews, "Sunshine" didn't inspire audiences, and only grossed around $32 million from a modest $40 million budget. Reviews generally agreed that the third act was weak and let down the rest of the film's more metaphysical approach to the sci-fi horror genre. It didn't hurt anyone's careers, least of all Cillian Murphy, who went on to a strong career in film and TV that has culminated in his acclaimed role in "Oppenheimer." It's a movie that makes excellent use of his unique face and ability to convey a blend of unnerving and empathic (which is perfect for J. Robert Oppenheimer, the man who became Death, the destroyer of worlds.)

Audiences did eventually find their way to "Sunshine." Its philosophical terror remains potent, arguably more so as we experience the disintegrating effects of climate change in real-time. Much like its cinematic predecessors, "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "Solaris," "Sunshine" acutely captures the gargantuan scale of the galaxy and how it cannot help but overwhelm you, the mere human being, trying to be its equal. In the film's first two-thirds, the enormity of the mission is inescapable. If these mere mortals do not succeed, billions of people will die and that is a weight that smothers them, as it would for any of us. 

Ultimately, we are but specks that populate a slightly larger speck floating through the vast nothingness of the universe. When we confront that painful reality, especially as non-believers in an omnipotent deity, it's understandably tough to deal with. It can break you. Yet there is also awe here. The astronauts are left dumbfounded by the sight of the sun so up close. It's no wonder that Pinbacker gazes upon it and sees the face of God. We are but debris in the grand scheme of life and "Sunshine" nails that sensation, but it also believes in fighting to survive amongst it all. There is hope amid the desolation, and that's worth saving.'

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

Spooky Love

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/xiQLFn4 by Mika_Boo21 A verdadeira Rainha Vampira foi obrigada a se casar com o falso Rei, tudo para que o Último Coração do Vampiro se mantivesse a salvo. *Parte 2 de Caninos & Sangue* Maldições, novos inimigos e muito sangue; correr não é uma opção para os filhos da noite. *Fanfic: Batman *Capa: MrS *Criada: 29/06/2024 *Publicada: 21/10/2024 *Encerrada: Words: 1339, Chapters: 1/1, Language: Português brasileiro Fandoms: Batman - All Media Types, Shazam! | Captain Marvel (Comics) Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Categories: F/F, M/M Characters: Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, Terry McGinnis, Jason Todd, Damian Wayne, Stephanie Brown, Cassandra Cain, Duke Thomas, Billy Batson read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/xiQLFn4