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sunnie-angel · 6 months ago

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Part 2: The Decision

part 1 | part 3 | series masterlist | ao3 link

jason todd x f!reader

summary: jason todd easily sees the potential for something more in his friendship with you but resolves to keep his distance.

tags: fluff, self-loathing, off-screen killing

rated explicit (mdni) | wc: 2.8k

a/n: sooo i had planned to get the second chapter out much sooner, wrote it, realized that what i had planned for chapter 3 worked better, had to rewrite chapter 3 as chapter 2, and ended up here (cue the internal screaming). on the upside, that means you’ll all get an update on chapter 3 (formerly chapter 2) much sooner.

Jason Todd has somehow gotten back on track to graduate university, fallen in with a group of friends, and may have found the first person to truly understand him this side of the Pit. He’d been uncertain about finishing university, already dealing with the hassle of running a criminal empire and the tattered threads of his family relationships. But Talia had suggested, “Better not to be consumed by revenge so that one may properly enjoy its results,” and that had been all it took to convince him. Barbara, for all their problems still unresolved, had helped him hide the decision from the bats and hadn’t that been a lovely conversation to have?

Sitting in class that first day had been strange, a sense of deja vu hitting him of all the times he’d sat in classrooms before. A different person answers now when he’s called on to introduce Jason Todd. As part of his time with the League, Talia had arranged for him to take courses by correspondence but none of that had prepared him for it would be like to be in a classroom with a handful of 20-somethings. It makes him feel old to hear them discuss their plans for the future with the surety of a world that will shape itself to their expectations. If he’s honest with himself, it also makes him envious.

He hadn’t expected to be invited to lunch that first day, though he’d at least seen the blonde’s approach. It had been… nice to be noticed, like he was any other 22 year old new to campus and looking for friends. What had really caught Jason’s eye though was Danika’s (that’s what her name was, right?) friend, standing a few rows back. She’d looked downright mortified by her friend’s antics but had smiled tentatively at him anyway. He’d rushed through his meeting with Dr. Okafor, really just confirming a time to discuss his credit transfers. Clearly he’s interrupted yet another embarrassing moment for you, but you handle it with a grace that rivals only Alfred’s ability to deal with inconvenient situations.

That intrigues him though, your kindness even when uncomfortable. Finding out you’re from home, another Crime Alley kid that defied the odds but never forgot your roots endears you to him even more. You bite back, take the attention away from him when you see how flustered he is by Lina calling him pretty and he’s determined now to make you a friend.

You’re smaller than he thought once you’re finally sitting next to him. He’s acutely aware of how the booth forces the two of you together, the long length of him pressed up against your side. The way your knee knocks into his thigh and the soft cushion of where your hip meets his. You’re one of his already, one of those that the Red Hood has claimed as under his protection, but the reality of you drives home who his work is really helping. Your mention of food pulls him out of his thoughts and scrambling to rectify the situation by offering to share his own. He’s positively delighted by your reaction, the way your compliments freely given still have a bite to them that’s honest. A warmth in his stomach that doesn’t originate from the spices in his meal only makes him want to figure out more ways to draw you out of your shell.

You share another class with him in the afternoon and he’s thanking whichever lucky star is smiling down at him that he’ll get you to himself at least once a week for the next few months. Walking into class with an acquaintance, though maybe it's too soon to call you that, is everything he wanted in the time from Before. Lost day dreams of sharing a desk with a friend in high school, hanging out together after, longings for in-jokes and shared histories are rearing their heads. Class passes quickly, a flurry of information and a hyper awareness of how close his body is to yours. It’s only an introductory class, but already he can tell that you’re clever from the few times you speak up. Makes him look forward to the next class when he’d never planned for academics to be his priority.

Class lets out into the evening air just starting to turn crisp with a hint of dampness. He’ll have to go soon, get started with patrol now that darkness was coating the city. He turns to you and distracts himself from the strip of skin where your shirt rides up as you stretch by asking you about your plans for the evening. Walking you to the bus stop is nice, in a quiet kind of way. He stays until he’s sure you’re safely on the bus, doors closing with a pneumatic hiss. Walks off the path and out of the halo of the street lamp until the shadows have swallowed him whole. Takes care to check that no one’s looking and scales the side of the building, gothic stonework rough under his bare palms. Scans the horizon until he’s found your bus again and goes to follow. Thinks that maybe the paranoia that had persuaded him to pack most of his Hood gear in a school bag isn’t the worst thing to suffer from. It’s overboard yeah, but you’re a pretty girl planning to walk alone at night. He just wants to make sure that you get home all right. You weren’t exaggerating when you said the bus stop was only a block from your apartment, but he still breathes easier when he sees the warm glow of lamp light click on through your apartment window. You should have better locks on your window if it’s looking out onto a fire escape, he thinks idly. But its a problem for later and when he’s got a more solid reason to bring it up.

Patrol is quiet most of the night. Buoyed by the unexpected success of the day, his usual route feels brand new. He takes pleasure in the way the wind picks up his jacket and whips it around him, almost laughs out loud at the way his stomach swoops before the grappling line pulls taut. Jason’s managed a full day of normalcy, something that no one thought he could do. Not after everything. He’d talked to people his age that for once weren’t the victim of some terrible crime and came away with the potential for friendships. It’s been a long time since he’s had more than a work related conversation with his men or a cryptic conversation with Talia he doesn’t count all the arguments with his fath— with Bruce. For the first time in a long time being the Hood isn’t the burden it had become. The peace doesn’t last for long though.

A whisper of black fabric on a rooftop just outside of the territory he’s established brings him crashing back down, a reminder of just how badly his attempts at anything other than solitude have fractured. It’s a bracing kind hurt, like when the air’s too cold after a snowfall and you can practically taste the ice crystals as they tear into the soft heat of your lungs. He needs it though, that reminder that no one who knows him is capable of seeing him without the siren call of suspicion following him. That thought follows him through the rest of patrol and the mechanical motions of getting to bed. It solidifies as he drifts off to sleep just as the first rays of light start to clear the skyline. He’ll grasp at this chance to be someone else for a bit, Jason Todd the fresh faced student, but that’s all it’ll be. A façade to keep everyone else from getting too close. Danika, Will, “call me Lina”, Rei, even you. Friends, but at a distance.

Jason doesn’t have any classes on Tuesday, but he runs into you as he exits his meeting with Dr. Okafor. It’s a new building to him, despite the time he’s spent pouring over all of the campus’ blueprints. He turns a corner on a staircase looking for an exit and almost knocks you back down where you’d just emerged from.

“Hey! Are you blind or— oh. Jason.” Your tone goes from indignant to wondering in a second, eyes wide with recognition.

“Not blind, but definitely not paying enough attention. You good though?” And he should probably be a little more sorry about it, but the glee of not having to wait until the next week to see you again outweighs it.

“Oh after the class I just had, it’d take a lot more than that to ruin my day.” A group tries to pass you two on the stairs, buffets the two of you into the railing.

“You wanna take this somewhere else? Give me another chance to ruin your day?” He grins, lopsided but hopeful.

You nod, and he leads the way, hulking figure cutting through the stream of people. He finds a nook on the first floor, big overstuffed chairs surprisingly empty for this time of day. You throw yourself into a chair dramatically, a sigh on your lips as your head tilts back.

“Class really that bad?” He prompts you.

“God I hate assholes that manage to make the most interesting subject painful. Like, at least wait until the second class before you start telling every single student their interpretation is wrong.” You swipe a hand across your face before visibly trying to pull yourself back together. “But as much as I hate Duvall’s teaching it’s mandatory for my program so I’m just gonna have to put up with his shit until next semester. Get my revenge during prof evaluations.”

“Look we don’t know each other that well, but by my reckonin’ you know what you’re on about. Don’t let him shake you, yeah?”

“Oh I know all about not listening to people that think my opinion isn’t worth the paper it’s written on. It just pisses me off that I still gotta deal with it every week for the foreseeable future.”

“Hey I’m all ears.” He offers, and it’s not entirely altruistic. Jason wants to support you, but it’s also a chance to learn more about you. It’s all a chance to be regular civilian he tells himself, and a civilian would do this for a friend.

“I’d love to but I think it’s right about—“ and the alarm on your phone sounds out, “yep, its about time for me to head to my internship.” You start to gather your things together. “But usually our group gets together on Wednesday afternoons to grab lunch and study together. We usually grab the same table in the student union around noon if you want to join us.”

Jason does join the study session, not that he needs to. But it's nice to spend time with people who like who they think he is. He arrives just as you slide into the booth, secures himself the seat next you (and the rest of the bench for himself). Your hair falls as you spread out your books and Jason’s close enough to smell whatever product you used last. It dazes him for a minute, and its only the arrival of Lina and Rei that shakes him out of his stupor. He starts up a conversation with Rei on the Gotham U swim team and gets roped in to come practice with him sometime next week. Not to be out done, Lina gently starts asking him how he’s settling in. He answers noncommittally, more focused on the way you’ve started to twirl your pen between your fingers as you come across a particularly dense passage. Seeming to understand that she won’t get much more out of Jason, Lina nudges Rei and they turn to their own books, though not without a tight-lipped and knowing smile on her face. The four of you work in silence broken only by the scribbling of pens and clacking of keyboards. Danika and Will turn up just as your stomach starts rumbling, causing you to meet Jason’s eyes in embarrassment.

He winks at you, before pulling out two Tupperware containers with chopsticks. Sliding one over to you he pretends not to notice as at first you protest, then guiltily start digging in as soon as you smell it.

Brandishing your chopsticks at him, you say “Don’t think I’m not keeping score mister. This has got to count as psychological warfare, there’s no way a sane person could turn you down after tasting your food once.”

He tucks a smile away and simply keeps eating. Will drags over some chairs for him and Danika, the one extra person throwing off your previously established seating arrangements. Conversation buzzes at the other end of the table but he can’t tear his attention away from you enjoying the labours of his hands. Eventually the table turns back to studying and you slide the container back to him with murmured words of thanks. Even you can only study for so long, so it's no great surprise when your books softly thump closed. You rest your forehead on the table and groan.

“Why is there so much reading? It’s only the first week back.”

“Ooooh, you know what that means though?” Danika exclaims. “We have to celebrate the first week back and that means going out! We’ll get dressed up, I’ll do your makeup, we can pregame at mine. You know you want to.” She wheedles.

You mock groan at her pronouncement, turn to rest your temple on the table to make eye contact with her. “Lina does my makeup and we’re done by 1 AM.”

“Awe, killjoy,” the blonde pouts.

“Lina does my makeup, Jason’s in charge of picking the post-club takeout, and we’re done by 2 AM. Final offer.”

Lina grins at Jason before shrugging. “Fine by me.”

Jason’s not sure what to expect when he shows up to the address Danika had sent through the group text. It’s a nicer part of town, a part of Gotham Heights he’s had no reason to visit as either of his identities. The doorman lets him in without too much fuss once Danika calls down to confirm he’s expected. She lets him in excitedly, limbs uncoordinated with the help of a few drinks. Rei leans forward to pour Jason a drink and at the same time you turn to look for who had arrived. The first thing Jason notices is the shiny red lip gloss you’re wearing as your lips spread into a smile at the sight of them. Something about the colour, bolder than you usually wear, sends heat straight to his groin. He hadn’t even realized that his hearing had gone muffled until Rei asks him for a second time how many shots Jason wants in his drink. Oh, he thinks distractedly. This could be a problem.

It definitely is a problem when he’s washing blood off his hands in the early hours of the morning and the only thing he can think of is that same cherry red lip gloss wrapped around the straw of your drink under the club’s strobing lights. How you’d looked up at him with pupils dilated from the drink and the heat, lips parted and gloss catching the light. The self-loathing hits then, crippling in its intensity. You’re smart and funny and so pretty it makes his breath catch. The last thing you need is him fantasizing after you less than an hour after he’d taken a life. The colour of a man’s life blood shouldn’t be causing him desperate to see if you’d taste as sweet as you look. It’s selfish and cowardly but he doesn’t want to give you up just yet. Doesn’t want to see the little smiles and commiserating looks turn to fear and hatred just yet. No, he can do this. He can smile and play nice, play at the Jason Todd you deserve. The one that won’t make you worry or hurt you with the truth of himself. Rules, he decides, rules are what he needs because it’s oh so easy to get caught up in you.

He can get close, but he can’t touch. It doesn’t matter how soft your skin looks or how tempting it would be to play with your hair. If he lets himself touch he is lost.

He will never let himself enter your home. He’s already followed you there, it’s a lost cause to pretend that he won’t check up on your safety. Better to decide now to never cross that final threshold.

He won’t let you in. He’ll be the best friend he is capable of being but he won’t let you see the truth of him. After all, it’s what’s sent those that know him running.

He will never tell you that he’s ever thought about anything more than friendship.

Part 3

#jason todd x reader #jason todd x you #jason todd x y/n #jason todd fanfiction #red hood x reader #red hood x you #red hood fic #jason todd fic #jason todd headcanon #sunnie writes 🌻#ydcmb (uibyt) series

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bloodflwrz · 4 months ago

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These wall artworks in Carl Manfred's Mansion (theory and analysis)

Carl's mansion itself is an amazing location because I can't help but look and analyze every single piece of art scattered across the walls and floor. But these three objects in particular made me curious, I wanted to understand why they were specifically chosen to be placed on that wall. None of them are similar in any way, stemming from different cultures, eras, and material. So, what could they mean? I have an idea, sort of.

I believe each of these three pieces represent our main three protagonists, from left to right: Connor, Markus, and Kara. It represents their identity, their story, their journey. I did some research on these objects, using Google Lens to help point me first in the right direction of the possible inspiration or sources of the pieces, and afterwards my own reading using various art archives, articles, galleries, and museum sites. (I apologize for the wall of text 😅)

1st, Connor:

This seems to be a type of emblem, shield, a coat of arms. A coat of arms is typically adorned and used to represent an entity, and organization, an empire, government, army, or a noble family. Coats of arms are intellectual property, meaning, they cannot be worn just by anybody and flaunted just to feel special, you have to be deserving and privileged enough to display it. Wearing one is a sign of honor and respect, as well as servitude, and with it comes the duty of representing your status and regulating civil law, should you be in a position of policing, legal activity, or combat.

How does this relate to Connor?

Our beloved Android sent by CyberLife has been given orders by his makers, the great and all powerful company that produces every single Android we see in game. His duty is to assist the Detroit Police Department in investigating deviants. This coat of arms, particularly shaped like a shield or police badge, represents Connor's story as a prestigious and advanced prototype Android, with the capability to analyze clues at an inhuman rate and perform combat maneuvers like its child's play. He is not a force to be reckoned with, should he choose to stay a machine, in fact, he IS the law. He is the shield and representative of the company, CyberLife, and its only chance at finding the source of deviancy among their highest-profiting product, Androids. Without Connor, CL is headed straight into nothingness. He must not disappoint Amanda, his handler, and be the loyal subject that he was programmed to be. The infamous blue triangle logo found on every Android's uniform, a symbol of CL, is just a modern version of a coat of arms.

If you look from a Deviant Connor perspective, the police badge/shield-shaped coat of arms could also represent his loyalty to Hank and his protective demeanor. At almost every dangerous encounter alongside his partner, Connor is given the choice to either protect or ignore Hank's safety. Though his priority is to find the deviants, it is his personal mission to protect Hank from harm.

2nd, Markus:

A Marka/Dogon mask, originating from West African ethnic groups (Mali, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso), particularly the Bambara and Dogon people (and other adjacent groups within the geographic location). This one was a bit difficult to research about, as many masks tend to have ambiguous origins and meaning, but from what I read, these masks tend to represent the coming of age, male initiation, journey into manhood, identity within a society, as well as religious association when used in rituals, sacrifice, and tradition. Some forms of these masks are used in rituals that have a connection with the dead, showing reverence and respect for those who passed on. Practicing remembrance and showing honor to their ancestors are large aspects of their culture with the use of these masks. The masks are also used in traditional healing practices, where they are believed to have powerful spiritual properties that can help cure illness and promote well-being. These handcrafted masterpieces are extremely important in these cultures and are often passed down by generations, signifying the importance of family and bond.

How does this relate to Markus?

These unique masks were primarily made and used by men in West African ethnic groups during the initiations of boys transitioning to men. Much like our Markus, the 'adoptive son' of Carl himself, Markus' innocence and youth is suddenly taken and he's forced into chaos, being harassed by protestors, threatened by Leo, almost permanently shutdown, thrown into the android scrapyard, and has to navigate the world by himself without his father to protect him. He has to mature and leave the comfort of his peaceful and comfy life, and come to terms with the cruelty of the world where Androids are subjugated to abuse and slavery. As a man, no longer a protected child, he takes the responsibility of protection and guidance for his people, symbolizing his 'coming of age' and transition into manhood. He is changed, has endured trauma, and must put on a mask to show that he is still strong and ready to live a life in his new role as a leader. As Lucy puts it, "You had it all, and you lost it all... You've seen hell and now hell lives in you."

Markus' story is closely related to death and the reverence of his 'ancestors': previous Androids who have suffered and died at the hands of humans. His goal as the leader of Jericho is to avenge those that they have lost and fight for those he can yet save. Every deviant's life is unique and special, their stories have meaning, even if they are treated like mere objects and servants by human society. Markus is willing to sacrifice his life in many instances to send a message to the humans, pass on his legacy to Jericho, and afterwards, all of society. His ability to convert is symbolic of a crying, healing, and inspiring message, reaching the furthest reaches of Detroit to those that need it the most. He wants to heal and save his people, bringing them biocomponents and thirium, expanding their sanctuary, arming his people (or family, at this point) with defenses, but in order to do that, he has to be willing to carry the burden of leadership.

3rd, Kara:

The skull of a bull, carved, broken, yet standing strong, thanks to kintsukuroi, aka Kintsugi. Kintsugi is the intricate Japanese art of repairing broken ceramic pottery using powdered gold/silver/platinum to put the pieces together, and display something in a different light, even more special than its original form. The purpose of Kintsugi isn't to hide or disguise the broken figure, but to instead emphasize its history, showing the life that the object had endured. The traditional Japanese philosophy of "Wabi-sabi", often associated with this particular art, describes that beauty can be appreciated even when it's broken and imperfect. There is beauty even in something modest and rough. Even a powerful and enduring beast, like a bull, can be broken down, but its story isn't over, its remains can still be repaired and appreciated if put together by a powerful glue such as gold, or perhaps... Love?

How does this relate to Kara?

Kara, the perfect housemaid Android for domestic work and childcare, is no stranger to being broken. In fact, our first scene with Kara is her being repaired and returned to Todd. Her memory has been wiped clean, she's been made anew, it's almost like nothing has happened, right? Over the course of her story, we learn that Kara has in fact been destroyed, broken, and abused by Todd. How do we come to the realization of her past? Thanks to Alice. Alice, in this case, is her glue, the mold between her cracks and shards. The bond and natural love between Alice and Kara is what keeps her together, alive. Because Kara is a protective mother-figure, the bull, or a cow, whatever you perceive it as, is a perfect symbol for her. Bulls are gentle in their nature, until a trigger sets off their instinct to fight and run you over with their body mass and horns. This is seen in her constant struggle to survive and seek shelter.

We come across two men in particular (out of her many escapes from danger) who set this instinct off, Todd and Zlatko. Both of them want to (or attempt to) break her, wipe her memory clean, and take away the beauty that is her caring nature and deviancy. Just like how mankind has domesticated cattle for their own benefit. Alice brings her back every single time. No matter how much of her body and memory is stripped away, she is back and stronger than before. Kara is a survivor. She can cut her hair, remove her LED, wear ragged clothes as a disguise, but deep down it's still Kara. Her story is shown in her battle scars and changes in her appearance, just like the golden streaks of broken pottery. As long as she has the protective instinct and love for Alice, it'll always be Kara. This is the beauty symbolized by Kintsugi and Wabi-sabi.

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If you made it this far, thank you! I'd love to hear your opinions and comments on my analysis. This might all be a stretch, but seeing as how the game is littered with references, themes, and symbolism across many scenes, these artworks seemed to standout for a reason, at least to me.

#DBH #detroit become human #Connor #Markus #Kara #Carl Manfred #RK800 #RK200 #AX400 #theory #text #mine #analysis #DBH theory #art

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green-alm0nd · 7 months ago

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hiiiii ! I love your writing :) I was wondering if I could request a echo x reader where it’s sorta like long distance so they only saw each other when they came to pabu or the finale, and if you could make it a hug scene like the ones he shared with omega (like the whole running and jumping blah blah blah) sorry if it’s extensive, thank you ! 🫶

[Echo x gn!reader]: Come back to you

----

Summary:

Emerie and Echo left Pabu a few weeks after the events on Tantiss. You haven't heard from him ever since and you hope he comes back.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: TBB S3 FINALE SPOILERS, fluff, kissing, a bit suggestive, a bit of angst. Not proofread.

Enjoy!

----

Since the attack on the beautiful island you settled in, you didn't hear anything else from Echo. Pabu had always managed to rebuild itself, adapt and go back to living normally.

Before the Empire found the small island, you and Echo had been in touch for a while, either from commlink calls or messages. After the events that made Tantiss burn to ashes, Echo came back. But, only for a short time. He left with the doctor, Emerie Karr, to try find safe homes for the remaining clones.

It made you angry, yes. But then again, it was Echo. He'd do anything for his brothers.

----

It had been a few weeks since clouds showed up in Pabu and released the water inside of them. Maybe it was the weight of the Empire on the Universe that made the rain stronger, and the mood seemed to be less...heavy.

You were standing inside your shared apartment, looking at the droplets of water falling. It had always brought a sense of comfort to you.

You had asked Hunter several times if he had any news, to which he'd always shake his head. It made you even more depressed.

If it weren't for the rest of the Batch, you'd be alone. Wrecker always forced you to go out, since he knew you wouldn't do it on your own unless it had to do with news about the rebellion, Rex, or your boyfriend.

You sighed. You truly missed him.

Suddenly, your commlink beeped, and got up. You grabbed your comm, and nervously spoke up. It wasn't the commlink that you and the Bad Batch used, it was a private 'channel' you had with Echo.

"Echo?" You whispered, nervously.

You heard a small hum and chuckle.

"Hey."

Adrenaline shot through your veins at the sound of his voice.

"Wh- What? How? Where are you? Are you okay?" You asked, a thousand questions running through your head.

Though you could only hear his voice, a wave of relief washed your body.

"Yeah, I'm alright. I'm currently in Coruscant, in Rex's Underground level base. We're trying to collect all the remaining stuff before he leaves. I'm helping him out." He explained.

You sighed in relief.

"I'm so happy to hear your voice. Why haven't you said anything for the past three week until now?" You asked.

"I've been very busy. We're still trying to find out anything about the nameless clones. I haven't been...that close to my commlink, either." He said, mumbling the last part.

"It's...fine." You replied.

Echo seemed to pick up your tiredness and your sadness, maybe disappointment even, in your voice.

"How... about you? Are you doing alright?" He softly asked.

"Yeah, I just really miss you." You answered, with a small sigh.

Echo let out a small chuckle.

"I miss you too."

You considered telling about how you felt.

"I'm actually not doing great. It's been a rough few weeks and I really needed you but I'm not sure you were free and I didn't want to bother you and-" You stopped, closing your eyes and pinching the bridge of your nose.

"I just wish you were here."

Silence came over the comm channel, before Echo finally spoke up.

"I'm coming over." He suddenly said.

Your eyes widened.

"Wha- no! You can't. You're a thousand clicks away-" he cut you off.

"I'm coming over. That's final, okay?"

You sighed. Your boyfriend was stubborn.

"Okay. I'll wait for you." You replied, before he left the comm channel.

...

A few hours later, the dark night sunk into Pabu. Not that it was super visible, as the clouded skies still let the rain fall.

It was endearing to see how much Echo cared for you, even though he was busy most of the time.

You decided to get dressed, and wait for him on the side of the landing platform, below a huge tree root that provided you shelter from the pouring rain.

Your heart rate sped up, and your knees slightly trembled at the sight of a ship, most likely Echo's, approaching the landing platform.

The big shuttle eventually landed on the island, and you took a step forward. The rain didn't matter anymore, not even when it was soaking your clothes and body.

The ramp lowered, and butterflies filled your stomach, taking your breath away.

And there he was, the guy that had stolen your heart the second you saw him walking inside your coffee shop all those months ago; the man that had swore to you loyalty, even if your relationship was distant; your boyfriend. Echo.

He came down the ramp. Just when his feet touched the ground, you ran towards him and hugged him.

Echo hugged back, burying his nose on your neck.

"Hey." He said.

You smiled.

"Hey."

You two stayed there for a long time, not caring about the rain, not caring about anything at all. What mattered was that Echo was there. Your Echo. He was real. It wasn't a dream.

"I missed you so much." You mumbled, bringing your lips close to his.

"I missed you too." He answered, finally pulling you into the kiss you were desperately yearning for for a long time now.

You kissed back, bringing your hands to his hips, as his hand rested on your cheek.

However, his hand lowered to your butt, giving it a light squeeze: enough to make you squeak and let his tongue explore your mouth.

It had been such a long time since you felt him so close to you it almost felt like a dream.

He pulled away.

"We better go home, seems like rain won't be stopping for a while." He suggested smiling.

You nodded.

"Let's go."

Echo had finally come back home.

----

🗣️❗🎵 PARTY WALKERS IN THE YAAARD TONIIIIGHT🎵❗🗣️ (iykyk)

Currently have that cover from sbg in my head

(I am currently in my last two weeks of final exams so requests might take a while)

(Reblogs are highly appreciated <3)

#the bad batch #star wars #bad batch #the bad batch x reader #star wars tbb #tbb #echo bad batch #the bad batch echo #echo tbb x reader #tbb echo x reader #tbb echo

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rapidwaterzzz · 14 days ago

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CURSE OF ABILITIES AU: 1

Adjusting

Everyone was adjusting differently to lives after the battle they had a week prior, against the empires kids. Some tried their best to stay in high hopes, but the amount of issues to come out of it threw a layer of stress on everything.

Tango laid in his bed, just waking up, in his house he had been in for years. He scoffed to himself, surprised he hadn’t burned the place down like everything else he happened to like. He sighed and arose from his bed, trudging toward his window to look out. A lot of other hermits houses were now decorated with ashes and burnt siding. His stomach dropped, how could he be this stupid?

He was on his hands and knees, breathing faster than he could process. What the fuck was happening, it was hot, he was sweating. His mouth was really dry. He saw flames, he saw people panicking throughout the flames.

oh shit

did he do that.

He couldn’t move. he had to watch in horror of what might be his fault. He was unbelievably sore, from what?

“Tango! Are you okay dude?.. I FOUND HIM” who was that? They did a quick glance of tango, the latter scanning the man in front of him. why couldn’t he make out his name. Tango tried so hard to get up, he really did, he had to help with…

with… whatever was happening

“Top! slow down! You’re going to hurt yourself worse! I gotcha bud..”

Hurt himself worse? before he could look for an injury, he was on his feet. His legs weren’t working, god damnit, why wasn’t anything right.

“Top, you with me?” His assist asked, throwing tangos arm over his own.

“mmmyeaa…” Tango slurred out, atleast he thinks he did.

Tango couldn’t remember past that. He couldn’t remember who even helped him. If he was just careful with his fire for once this wouldn’t happen. He looked at the gauze and bandaged wrapped around his arm from his wrist to his mid upper arm. He didn’t know what was under it but he was scared to remove it. It hurts, but it was tolerable . He closed his curtains and sighed, putting his head in his hands. He was gonna get kicked out of the hermits, what was he gonna do. As if planned, he heard a knock at the door

Yea this was it, he should kiss his house goodbye. He held his head down in defeat and walked downstairs to his front door, wincing while opening it. He was met with Impulse and Skizz at his door, sending two of his best friends to send him off? Cruel.

“You’re alive thank god” Impulse hugged the shorter, quickly followed by Skizz.

What?

“What do you mean thank god I’m alive? Im fine!” Tango reassured them. They both looked at him as if he had two heads.

“Top, buddy, when was the last time you talked to anyone?” Skizz let himself in the house followed by impulse, the three walking themselves to the couch, sitting down.

“Oh uh….. hm……” Tango thought really hard, when was the last time he talked to anyone? He woke up in his room, waiting for, why wasn’t he in the infirmary, usually X forced them in there? HM, weird.

“Tango, what do you remember?” Impulse questioned. No one told Tango he was having a suprise therapy session, boo.

“The whole fire thing, someone carried me off i guess?” Tango responded, messing with the bandages on his arm, his hand quickly getting swatted by Impulse.

“Okay. I think we’re taking a trip to the infirmary. “ Skizz nodded in agreement, what was so wrong? Tango was terrified, how bad did he mess up.

Tango was now sat on a medical bench in what resembled a doctor’s office, Skizz sitting in a chair off to the side, apparently Impulse was Joels temporary babysitter. They did remind him of parents, so it was fitting. Cub was washing his hands on the other side of the room, quickly drying them and turning back to Tango.

“So I want to check the laceration first, and then we’ll deal with the head problems.” Cub said to Skizz.

“Im still here y’know, you could tell me!” Tango scoffed, leaning back and giving his arm to Cub. Cub quickly removed the dressing, revealing a long gash with stitches in it, it was gross. Cub cleaned up around the cut with a saline solution.

“So i’m gonna leave the stitches in another week to be safe, it was a pretty brutal cut, how did it even happen?” Cub asked Tango this time, putting a new dressing on. Tango thought back, maybe these are the head issues he was talking about.

“Smajor used his ice to knock a piece of loose wood off a house like a jerkface! It sliced his arm, im not sure if it hit his head..” Skizz responded. Tango stared into space.

When could that have possibly happened, was that why he was on the ground. Why were there so many blanks in his story?

“Ah, okay.” Tango was then put to torture of testing his mental state. He wanted to set himself on fire the whole time, thats all he understood. Cub ruled that Tango had a mild concussion of sorts, and that the dehydration from overdoing his fire had some effect on him, and now he had to stay with Skizz for a while for some other reason Cub wouldn’t tell him. How awesome. He didn’t care about staying with Skizz, but god if he didn’t feel like a child before, he did now. He loved his life!

“Oh princess! Where are you” Xb giggled when he heard that familiar swedish voice. He looked back from his place on the shore of the lake, and waved Keralis over. Keralis skipped over, and sat down in the sand next to Xb. Xb looked at the taller, trying his best to make eye contact through the blindfold Keralis had. Xb didn’t understand how he could possibly see with it on, but Keralis assured him he could.

“Oh sweet-face, you look rough” Keralis deadpanned spoke, cupping Xb’s cheek. Oh yea, black eye.

“ Well thats rude, you’re not looking much better!” Xb rebuttled, playfully hitting the other.

“When I get my hands on that guy, ooh i swear he will pay!” Keralis growled, Xb finding it hard to take him seriously. Xb looked at the bruises and minor cuts all over Keralis, still feeling upset but knowing it could’ve been so much worse, so he knew he could be more grateful.

“Its really not that bad, could’ve been worse” Xb shrugged, he got off easy with a black eye and a maybe broken nose and a maybe sprained wrist, he would live.

Xb tried to shake himself out of the daze he was in. Fwhip just rocked his shit, and now he was on the ground. His nose was bleeding, and his eye hurt like hell. It was whatever, the empires people looked like they were evacuating, so he should go start helping out he figured.

“Sweetface, oh my god! Are you okay?! Who did this?!” Keralis ran up to Xb, at some point he must’ve put his blindfold back on. Keralis cupped Xb’s face in his hand, he did that a-lot to anyone he cared about. Keralis wiped the blood dripping from Xb’s nose, and then looked around.

“We’re going to the doctor place, i’m getting you ice for that” Keralis grabbed Xb’s wrist, Xb wincing, and they ran off to the infirmary.

At the infirmary, Keralis pushed Xb into a chair, and went a grabbed an icepack and a tissue box. The older held the icepack in place, and Xb pinched his nose, dealing with the pain, to slow the bleeding. Xb and Keralis watched almost all of their friends come into the infirmary, some being more severe than others. Xb suggested they should leave to let the others in worse shape have the room, and with the convincing of Keralis that he wasn’t in that bad of shape, they left off to Keralis’s place as a compromise. They sat on Keralis’s bed, Keralis made sure Xb was as comfortable as possible.

“K, are you all good?” Xb sat up from the bed to ask the other. Keralis looked back with an overly offended look.

“You think I would let those weak empirians hurt me? Im hurt princess!” He playfully put his hand against his head, pouting, looking away. Xb laughed, pulling the other onto the bed.

“You promise you’re not hurt?” Xb questioned.

“I promise.” Keralis reassured “Ill message X about you wrist, he might get you a brace or something”

“K i promise its no issue” Xb responded, not wanting to be to much trouble to the older two.

“Xb, you’re hurt, and you don’t want it to get worse. Either way, sweetface deserves the best treatment!” Keralis pulled out his communicator, typing a message to X. Xb sighed and laid back on the bed, very quickly closing his eyes and falling asleep.

“Hello? Earth to XB!” Keralis waved a hand infront of Xb’s face, the younger snapping back into reality and looking at the older.

“Maybe you should get tested for a concussion…” Keralis gained a more serious tone, Xb just brushing it off.

“Im fine! I was just thinking,” Xb started “are you positive you aren’t hurt at all” Xb looked back to Keralis.

“Princess i’m a-okay, i promise” K laughed, Xb smiling in response. They would survive, and thats all Xb needed.

Pearl and Gem sat on the lawn out front of Gems house, simply taking in the breeze. It was something they always did to decompress, whether it was after a battle or any week. The two weren’t in the best shape after the empires battle, but things could be worse right? Pearl had torn her ACL after landing wrong from flying, and had a whole leg brace as a result . Gem just had a decent amount of bruises and scrapes from being stuck doing hand to hand combat.

“Hows the leg” Gem looked over at the brunette, her simply looking back and shrugging.

“Hurts, but whatcha gonna do” Pearl laughed. Pearl was still recovering from the surgery she had to have to repair it. It was scary when it first happened, Pearl was in the worst pain she had ever experiences.

Pearl flew back up into the air, to do some cool landing attack thing-y Gem thought were always cool. Gem made note of her going up, still trying to wrestle Fwhip. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Shubble sent some of vine Pearls way as she went to land, being followed by a yelp, thud, and a scream. Gems heart dropped, but she had a fight to finish, kicking Fwhip in the stomach. As he fell to the ground, Joey Graceffa did a whistle, implying that it was the empirians time to run, which they all quickly did. Gem almost immediately ran over to Pearl who was on the ground, grabbing her knee with tears streaming down her face.

“Pearl your okay! It-Itll be fine! What happened?!” Gem kneeled down next to the older, moving her hands to get a better view of whatever injury had occurred. X had all the hermits learn basic first aid, so she prayed it was something she could help with. There was bruising around the area, and swelling, not a good sign.

“I-It popped! Something tore!” Pearl yelled in desperation, tears flowing faster as she gritted her teeth. Oh god it popped. Gem did a quick scan of the area to get help, Gem might’ve been more panicked than pearl at this point.

“MUMBO HELP” Gem screamed as loud as she could, Mumbo jumped and spun around, immediately running over to the two girls. He immediately kneeled down on the other side of Pearl from Gem. Pearl was hyperventilating at this point, eyes squeezed shut.

“Oh wow, uh okay, what happened?!” Mumbo tried to assess the situation, he now looked panicked himself.

“Something popped in her knee, i-i don’t know what to do!” Gem grabbed Pearls hand, trying every effort to calm her down.

“Oh god, she probably tore a ligament.. we need X” Mumbo pulled out his communicator and called X.

“X we really need your help, Pearl tore something in her knee, and Gem looks like shes about to faint herself” Mumbo frantically said to X. Did she really look that scared, she shouldn’t be the issue here, Pearls hurt! She heard faintly X on the other end, but couldn’t understand what he was saying. A few minutes later X ran over

“Oh my, Mumbo can you carry her we need an MRI.” Mumbo nodded and picked her up, trying not to touch her knee, the four then speed walking to the infirmary, which was luckily near by.

After the MRI, it was confirmed she had torn her ACL, and that X and Cub were gonna do surgery on it. Gem got no warning until she was told Pearl was in surgery. Gem slumped back in the chair she was in, on the verge of tears. Gem heard a room door open, and watched Impulse walk by, take notice of her, and sit down next to her.

“Whats wrong, are you hurt?” Impulse immediately started comforting the tear eyed Gem.

“Pearls hurt, shes in surgery. Everyones hurt. This sucks” Tears rolled down her cheeks before she quickly whipped them. Impulse sadly nodded.

“You should go home and clean up and rest, i’m sure X or Cub will let you know the second Pearl is out, it might be a while.” Gem nodded and got up, Impulse leading the way to her house. Pearl had to be okay.

“Yea, still sucks though, I should’ve focused Shubble instead of Fwhip.” Gem sat up from her laying position, sighing.

“And then have Fwhip kick my ass when i landed and potentially putting us in a worse situation? No thanks, ill live with a torn up leg” Pearl also sat up, patting Gem on the back. Gem chuckled, getting up and turning around to help Pearl up. Pearl got up as best as she could keeping her leg with the brace straight. She caught her balance, and both Gem and Pearl started walking towards there respective houses. They would be okay.

#hermitcraft au #hermitcraft #tangotek #impulsesv #skizzleman #cubfan135 #xbcrafted #keralis #geminitay #pearlescentmoon #mumbo jumbo #xisumavoid #curseofabilitiesau

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cyberpunkonline · 5 months ago

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The Internet: From Nuclear-Resistant to Vendor-Dependent Dumbassery

Back in the day, when the Internet was just a glint in DARPA's eye, it was designed with one crucial concept in mind: survival. Picture this—it's the Cold War, the threat of nuclear Armageddon looms large, and the military bigwigs are sweating bullets about communication breakdowns. They needed a network that could withstand a nuke dropping on a major hub and still keep the flow of information alive. Enter the ARPANET, the badass granddaddy of the modern Internet, built to have no single point of failure. If one part got nuked, the rest would carry on like nothing happened. Resilient as hell.

Fast forward to today, and what do we have? A digital house of cards. The once mighty and decentralized Internet has become a fragile mess where a single vendor bug can knock out entire swathes of the web. How did we go from a network that could shrug off nuclear bombs to one that craps its pants over a software glitch? Let's dive into this clusterfuck.

The Glory Days of Decentralization

The original ARPANET was all about redundancy and resilience. The network was designed so that if any one part failed—be it from a technical issue or a catastrophic event—data could still find another route. It was a web of interconnected nodes, a spider's web that kept spinning even if you tore a chunk out. It was pure genius.

This approach made perfect sense. The whole point was to ensure that critical military communications could continue even in the aftermath of a disaster. The Internet Protocol (IP), the backbone of how data travels on the Internet, was conceived to route around damage and keep on trucking. No single point of failure meant no single point of catastrophic breakdown. Brilliant, right?

The Rise of Centralized Stupidity

Then came the tech giants. Companies like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft built empires that depended on centralization. Cloud computing took off, and suddenly, everyone and their grandma was storing their data on a handful of massive servers owned by these big players. It was convenient, it was efficient, but it was also the beginning of the end for the Internet’s robust decentralization.

Today, we've got massive data centers dotted around the globe, each housing thousands of servers. These centers are like Fort Knox for data, but unlike Fort Knox, they’re not immune to problems. A single screw-up—a bug in a software update, a misconfiguration, or even a physical hardware failure—can take down huge chunks of the web. Remember that time when AWS went down and half the Internet went dark? Yeah, that was fun. Or more recently, Cloudstrike do something retarded and every single Windows machine running their shitware gets bricked. Fantastic.

The Single Vendor Blues

It gets worse. The consolidation of Internet services means that many critical applications and websites rely on the same vendors for infrastructure. If one of these vendors messes up, it's not just their services that go down—it's everyone who depends on them too. It’s like having a whole city’s power grid depending on one dodgy generator. One hiccup, and the lights go out for everyone.

Consider the infamous BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) hijacks and leaks. BGP is how routers figure out the best path for data to travel across the Internet. It's crucial, and it's also vulnerable. A single misconfiguration or malicious attack can reroute traffic, causing widespread outages and security breaches. And because so much of the Internet is funneled through a few major ISPs (Internet Service Providers), the impact can be catastrophic.

Why This Is So Fucking Stupid

So, why is it that we’ve allowed the Internet to become this fragile? It boils down to a mix of convenience, cost-cutting, and plain old shortsightedness. Centralized services are easier to manage and cheaper to run. But this efficiency comes at the cost of resilience. We’ve traded the robustness of a decentralized network for the convenience of cloud services and single-vendor solutions.

The result? A network that can be crippled by a single point of failure. This isn’t just stupid—it’s dangerous. It leaves us vulnerable to attacks, outages, and other disruptions that could have far-reaching consequences. It’s a stark reminder that in our quest for efficiency, we’ve neglected one of the core principles that the Internet was founded on: resilience.

The Way Forward

What’s the solution? We need to get back to basics. Decentralization should be a priority. More diversity in service providers, more redundancy in infrastructure, and more focus on designing systems that can withstand failures. It won’t be easy, and it won’t be cheap, but if we want an Internet that can survive the challenges of the future, it’s absolutely necessary.

So next time you hear about a massive outage caused by a single vendor’s screw-up, remember: it didn’t have to be this way. We built an Internet that could survive a nuclear war, and then we broke it because it was cheaper and easier. It’s time to fix that before the next big failure hits.

There you have it, folks. From invincible to idiotic, the Internet’s journey has been a wild ride. Let’s hope we can steer it back on course before it’s too late. - Raz.

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bigasswritingmagnet · 7 months ago

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Zeetha, Daughter of Klaus Ch 1/3

Fandom: Girl Genius Summary: Twenty years ago, Queen Zantabraxus gave birth to twins. Twenty years ago, Klaus had a choice to make. Twenty years ago, Klaus brought one of his children with him when he fled back to Europa.

In one universe, he took his son.

In this one, he took his daughter.

A very brief look at what happens when you have to play a part that wasn't written for you, trapped in a narrative that belongs to someone else.

AO3 Link Ch 2 Ch 3

Klaus Wulfenbach could not have made a more dramatic entrance if he’d planned it. The only reason Agatha felt he hadn’t was because she couldn’t think why he would waste it on such an unimportant audience.

The Baron strode into the room with his hands behind his back, his face a mask that managed to be both emotionless and displeased at the same time. Four massive war clanks, gleaming in the overhead lights, formed a protective square around the Baron and his entourage, led by a fearsome Jägermonster. Walking just behind Klaus on his right was a four-armed man scribbling industriously into a notebook. On his left, a girl about Agatha’s age, dressed in a charcoal grey suit and an embroidered waistcoat.

Being Agatha's height and only slightly broader in the shoulders, she should have been dwarfed by the Baron, but she exuded a proud, boisterous air that refused to be ignored; emphasized by her large brown eyes and wide mouth, both bright with barely-concealed amusement. Agatha was sure that she would have made as striking a presence as the Baron...if it wasn't for the hair.

Dull, coarse, mousey brown, worn short in an unflattering bob, it was all the more eye-catching for how out of place it was on a person otherwise so sleek. Surely, Agatha thought, she had to know. Color and texture, one could only do so much, but haircuts were on purpose.

Suddenly the girl met Agatha’s eyes and grinned, revealing very sharp canines. Agatha, realizing she'd been caught staring, gave her a tight smile and looked instead at Beetle, who was fluttering around Klaus like a nervous butterfly, insisting that they could have this conversation elsewhere, there was no need to bother the professors.

“Damn it all, Klaus, this is my university!”

“In my town. In my empire. These are the ones I asked for?” he continued, nodding to the doctors before Beetle could say more. The Tyrant, red in the face, gritted his teeth.

“Dr Silas Merlot, my second in command and Dr Hugo Glassvitch, my chief of research.” Absentmindedly he waved a hand at Agatha. “And my lab assistant Miss Cl—”

Beetle whipped around to look at Agatha, his expression one of frantic horror that Agatha thought was far too dramatic.

“Miss Clay! Where is your locket?”

“I was robbed on my way here,” Agatha said, twisting her fingers together. “There was some sort of electrical anomaly, and I was trying to get away from it when I was…”

Beetle was barely listening.

“In my city? I’ll have the watch commander’s head for this!” He grabbed her arm and began to hustle her towards the door. “You must go home, my dear, you are clearly shaken--”

“Actually I feel much bett—”

“Nononono, I’ll not hear it, you must—”

A heavy hand landed on Agatha’s shoulder.

“Wait. This event—you saw it?” The Baron leaned over her, practically blocking out the light, fixing her with an intense, piercing gaze that made Agatha feel like a specimen under a microscope.

“Yes, sir. I was right there.”

“Stay. I have questions—but they must wait for later.”

“I can do it.” This was the mystery girl, stepping in closer to Agatha—who was starting to feel penned in. “I’ll take her home. It may be easier to interview her in a more comfortable setting. Besides—you don’t need me here for this.”

“That’s really not nec—” Agatha began.

“I would prefer you be here for this,” the Baron snapped, turning his focus from Agatha to his associate, who did not seem at all bothered by the laser glare.

“But you don’t need me,” the girl insisted. “And have you considered, Father, that you may not want her here for this?”

Father? This was—this was the Baron’s daughter? Agatha had heard the rumors about Zeetha Wulfenbach, everyone had, although the rumors couldn’t agree on much besides the fact that the Baron had announced her out of nowhere only a few months ago.

Then the rest of the girl’s statement hit her, and Agatha’s face went red. She must have heard about Agatha’s... problem from someone in the university—and very few people would have been kind about it. They probably told her she broke everything she touched, and Zeetha wanted her out of the way where she couldn’t do any damage.

“ I said I’m fine !” Agatha snapped. Everyone stared, and Agatha cleared her throat as her cheeks went red. “ Thank you . I appreciate everyone’s concern, but I’m. Fine.”

“There,” the Baron said. “The matter is finished. We can attend to business.”

He turned away, wandering towards the machine in the center of the room. Zeetha caught Agatha’s eye and, to Agatha’s amazement, winked at her. With a small, approving smile touching her lips, Zeetha followed her father.

She didn’t have any more time to think about it, because the Baron said:

“The real reason I wanted to meet here today, Beetle, is because I am here about the hive engine.”

“ What?” Agatha yelped. No one noticed her. Instead, the Baron advanced slowly on Beetle, who backed away.

“Hive engine, what—what are you talking about?” Beetle stammered.

“The hive engine. The on the field team stumbled across two weeks ago. The one you had moved into the university for study. The one you have been testing. The one that, based on changes in laboratory schedules and chemical requisitions, is in this room.”

The Baron was very good at looming, and he did so now, staring down at Beetle with contempt.

“ That hive engine.”

“Preposterous!” Beetle blustered, drawing himself up. “Where could I possibly be hiding a hive engine?”

Zeetha had begun to meander towards the storage closet. Agatha noticed—as Zeetha had—that the rivets were straining, the wood of the door bulging as it gradually weakened against internal pressure.

“You’re certainly hiding something in here,” Zeetha said, casually.

“No, wait—!” Agatha cried.

“I don’t think I will,” Zeetha said, almost playfully, and turned the handle.

“ Nooooo!”

A wave of paperwork, lab equipment, and anything else Agatha had found that wasn’t nailed down or too heavy to carry, erupted from the storage closet. Agatha cringed, squeezing her eyes shut at the cacophony of her work being undone. When it stopped and she dared open her eyes, Zeetha was standing untouched beside the pile, having neatly stepped to the side upon opening the door.

She was holding a goldfish bowl in one hand, its occupant swimming in frantic circles as the water sloshed back and forth but did not spill a drop.

“Oh.”

“Hive engines are slightly bigger than that,” the Baron said, icily.

“ I know that ,” Zeetha snapped, her cheeks going slightly pink. “I thought it might have been something guarding the mechanism to open that false wall back there.”

Wordlessly, Klaus crossed the room towards the back wall and pulled a large lever. He kept his eyes on Zeetha, who turned a brighter pink as the far wall trembled and mechanisms hummed. A section of the wall slid neatly into the floor to reveal--

To reveal the most horrible thing Agatha had ever seen in her life. A massive orb of metal and glass, full of black liquid that swirled, rose, fell, tendrils sliding over the glass as if looking for a way out. And there were...things. Shapeless things moving in the dark, and Agatha could see glimpses of teeth or eyes or terrible, terrible faces.

“One rule, Beetle. I made one rule: report all unusual discoveries, and immediately turn over any devices of the Other. You agreed to this rule.”

“I had no choice!” Beetle shouted. “You had me over a barrel! It was you or let the city starve!”

“So that was it? You kept it in the middle of the city—in the middle of the university ,” Zeetha spat, “and put your people at risk of the worst fate imaginable, so you could get one over on the Baron? I should—”

Her right hand flew to her left hip and closed around empty air. Zeetha growled in frustration and lunged forward, only for the Baron to grab her by the collar and pull her back.

“And yet,” Klaus said, as if there had been no interruption, “you signed the agreement. Which means—”

“It meant nothing then, and it means nothing now! I don’t need you or your empire now! So you can just get out!”

“Just like that?” Klaus asked, dryly.

Overhead there was a crack, a splintering of wood, groaning of timbers, and a metal gun the size of a large tractor leveled itself at the Baron.

“DO NOT MOVE,” boomed Professor Tock.

“Just like that,” Beetle confirmed, smugly, and cackled.

There was a pause as the Wulfenbachs considered their situation.

“Are you stupid?” Zeetha asked, finally. Beetle let out a squawk of outrage.

“How dare you!”

“Zeetha, do not antagonize the man with the large gun pointing at us,” Klaus said, wearily.

“Listen to your father, girl ,” Beetle sneered.

“He doesn’t have a large gun," Zeetha argued. "His clank has a big gun.”

“Which is still pointed directly at you,” Beetle said, “so if I were you I would hold my tongue!”

“If you were me, you’d know better than to think this would be a successful method of stopping us. See, that’s the problem with Sparks like you—you only think about the size of the gun and how much firepower you can give it. You never think about the downside!”

“...what downside?” Beetle asked, taking a slow, nervous step back.

“Things that are big…”

The air blurred. Agatha blinked, and Zeetha was standing directly behind Beetle, one arm around his throat, her free hand holding a knife beside his face.

“...are slow.”

It took several seconds for Tok’s head to turn all the way to see where she’d gone; even longer for the gun to ponderously swing towards Zeetha and Beetle. It paused halfway as Tok’s mechanism finished calculating the risk to its creator, and swung back towards the Baron.

Zeetha nodded to Agatha. “You might want to put that somewhere out of the way.”

Agatha looked down and realized she was holding the goldfish bowl. She looked back up at Zeetha in amazement. She’d never known anyone who could move that fast who wasn’t a construct.

“Now,” Zeetha said, smugly, and panic hit Agatha’s heart like a misfired lightning bolt.

“Don’t!” she cried, putting the fishbowl on the table so she could reach out imploringly. “Don’t kill him, please! We...we need him.”

“You need him?” Zeetha exclaimed. “You need a man who was one minor accident away from wasping your city? And what about that gun? You’re right within shrapnel range—if it shoots now, you could be hurt, maybe even killed! People keep telling me that the Tyrant keeps them safe, but I’m not seeing a whole lot of safety in this room right now.”

Agatha didn’t know what to say to that. She was saved from having to answer by Beetle himself piping up.

“Don’t worry, Miss Clay. She can’t kill me.” Beetle was pale and sweating, but he was also sneering. “The moment she does, Tok will open fire, and the Baron will have to be buried in a matchbox—Hgk!”

He choked as Zeetha’s grip tightened, her forearm pressing down against his windpipe.

“That’s true,” Zeetha said. “We’re in a proper standoff. Neither of us can make a move. But here’s the thing—I’m still going to win, because I’ve got something you never even considered for yourself.”

“And what is that?” Beetle asked, his nerves once more beginning to show.

Zeetha grinned, a wolf-sharp grin of victory. She leaned in and spoke in a stage whisper.

“ Backup.”

The side of Tock’s head exploded. The clank rocked sideways, its gun swinging up and out, flailing as it tried to keep itself from falling. A squad of airships, guns drawn and aimed at the oversized clank, drifted into view. Zeetha’s lip curled and Beetle cried out in dismay as another salvo struck Tok. This time the great clank stumbled back, losing its grip on the roof of the building, which slammed back into place with a crash that cracked the plaster on the walls.

A few seconds later, an even bigger impact shook the ground under their feet.

“We arrived here in a massive airship surrounded by lots of other airships, all of which are equipped to shoot very large targets—what did you think was going to happen? Were you going to hope no one would notice?”

“Guar--!” Beetle began to scream and again was cut off as Zeetha tightened her grip.

“Oh no you don’t. You’re done and you know it. The only reason you’re alive right now is my father thinks you’re more useful to us that way. But you would be equally useful as a head in a jar. Which would you prefer?”

Very slowly, without a word, Beetle raised his hands in surrender. Zeetha smirked and released him. Twirling the knife neatly over her fingers, she sauntered back to the others.

“I told you not to bring weapons,” Klaus said.

“You told me not to bring my sword ,” Zeetha said, unrepentant. “You didn’t say anything about knives.”

Agatha couldn’t take her eyes off of Beetle. He looked so small, standing alone in the middle of the room. He stared at the floor, his hands repeatedly smoothing over his jacket and waistcoat.

“Useful,” he mumbled. “Oh yes. I know what use you would have for me, Klaus.”

The Baron looked sharply at Beetle.

“What was that?”

“Useful,” Beetle murmured again. His signet ring snagged on one of the beetle broaches on his jacket and it popped off into his hand. Beetle stared at it, blankly. “You want me to be useful.”

Zeetha shifted her weight, uneasily.

“Tarsus,” Klaus said, carefully. “Whatever it is you believe I intend—”

Beetle suddenly looked up. His eyes were wild and his lips were bared in a horrible grimace; his grip was white-knuckled on the broach.

“I will show you useful. ”

And flung out his hand.

Wings snapped open and the beetle shot towards them, zigzagging wildly but with unerring aim.

Agatha was frozen in place. The Jägermonster began to run towards them, but everything had slowed to a crawl—everything but the beetle.

And Zeetha.

Who grabbed the fishbowl off the table, caught the goldfish, removed her hand from the water, swung the bowl like a butterfly net and neatly scooped the bomb out of the air.

Electricity crackled through the water, the beetle flashing brightly once before fizzling. It bobbed to the surface , a thin stream of smoke escaping from its carapace.

Setting the fishbowl back down, Zeetha grabbed the beetle by one mechanical leg and drew it out of the water before dropping the fish back inside.

“You should probably change the water,” Zeetha told Agatha, smiling smugly. “No idea what’s in these.”

Beetle slowly sank to his knees. Agatha felt tears rise to her eyes at the look on his face—that of a man who has been utterly broken.

“Oh, don’t be such a baby ,” Zeetha scoffed. “You’re going to be fine. Here. You can even have your little toy back.”

As if she were flipping a coin, Zeetha lazily tossed the tiny clank at Beetle’s feet.

It exploded.

Agatha felt heat on her face, and then she was landing on the ground, hard. Strong arms pinned her in place, practically crushing her to the body curled protectively around her. The noise rattled Agatha’s eardrums; she could feel it vibrating in her bones.

Then it was gone, leaving an audial aftershock of hissing smoke and tinkling glass. Carefully, Zeetha unfolded from around Agatha, releasing her from her unexpectedly vice-like grip, sitting back and staring at the destruction before her.

“But...” she said. “No, but--! But I neutralized it!”

“You neutralized the machinery that allowed the bomb to move ,” the Baron said, coldly. “You did not neutralize the elements that made the bomb explode.”

“ What? That’s ridiculous! You can’t half-neutralize something!”

Agatha stared in horror at the blackened remains of Doctor Tarsus Beetle, charred beyond all recognition.

“No,” Agatha whispered. Beside her, Zeetha flinched. “No! Dr Beetle!”

“His head,” the Baron said, sharply. “How is—”

Dr Glassvitch shook his head, his expression grief-stricken.

“ Damn it all.”

“You killed him,” Agatha whispered.

“Not on purpose!” Zeetha exclaimed, embarrassed.

“Perhaps next time,” the Baron said, “you will engage in confrontations with a little more care, and a little less showboating.”

Zeetha’s eyes narrow.

“Oh yes , Herr Baron,” she said, getting up off the floor. “How foolish of me. Next time someone throws a bomb at me, I’ll be sure to stand there and let it hit me.”

“Dun vorry, Mizz Zeetha,” the Jäger said, jovially, holding up some unidentifiable organ. “Hy dun tink he vould haff been verr useful anyvay—Hy izn’t findink a whole lot of brains in diz mess.”

“Herr Baron, may we leave now?” At last, the Baron’s secretary spoke, his voice tinged equally with exasperation and irritation. “My feet are sticking to the floor.”

Agatha erupted to her feet.

“How dare you!” she screamed, breathless with anger—though not so breathless she could not find her voice. Everyone—even the Baron—drew back in alarm. And that felt good, it felt. . .it felt right. They should be cowering before her! They should be filled with dread for invoking her wrath! How dare they come into her place like this!

“Is this some kind of a joke to everyone? Doctor Beetle is dead! The greatest ruler this city has ever seen was killed, and you’re complaining about your shoes? Do you have any idea what you’ve done? The people of this city will never stand for this! They will rise up and they will —”

Agony, lightning and knives and fire, burst in Agatha’s head with such ferocity she felt it halfway down her spine. She collapsed to her knees, clutching her head as tears of pain and frustration poured down her cheeks.

Worse than the pain was the loss—that ferocious sense of surety and strength melted away in the rising swell of humiliation. She did not need to open her eyes to know the look the others would now be giving her. Whatever Dr Glassvitch said was muffled and unintelligible.

The Baron’s murmured “Pathetic ” was loud and clear.

But both Agatha and the Baron missed the expressions that flitted over Zeetha and the Jägermonster’s faces—her, a flinch, hurt that wanted to be anger but wasn’t; him, bitter disappointment not quite managing to snuff out desperate hope.

“She just watched her mentor explode ,” Zeetha said. “I think this is a pretty understandable reaction.”

“Hmm. She was right. The people may cause a problem if this is not handled delicately.”

“That’s not what I—”

“It may not be such an issue, Herr Baron,” Merlot said, helpfully. “Very few people actually saw Dr Beetle on a reg—”

“ Silence.” Klaus’ voice was as cold as death and nailed everyone in the room in place. “Do not imagine me ignorant of your complicity, doctor. You both knew about the hive engine; you both helped Beetle hide it. The only reason you two are not in a transport headed for Castle Heterodyne this moment is that I am aware neither of you were in a position to resist the orders of the Tyrant if you did want to.

“As Doctor Beetle’s second in command, I leave the running of the town in your hands, Dr Merlot. Dr Glassvitch will be responsible for the university.”

Glassvitch went pale.

“I—but, but I’m not qualified—”

The Baron loomed.

“I recommend you acquire qualification with speed , because t he moment either of you give me cause to so much as suspect your involvement was willing, there will be... consequences.”

“I...But…”

The Baron turned away, waving a hand.

“I want all of the existing notes on the hive engine collated and sent to me by the end of the day. Boris will tell your assistant where to bring them.”

But Merlot’s eyes had locked onto Agatha, who had already braced herself for the inevitable.

“I have no need for an assistant as useless as this one. Miss Clay, you are dismissed.”

“Yes, doctor,” Agatha murmured, eyes downcast. “When I come to class tomorrow, I’ll get my things.”

She felt it. There was no sound, she could not see him react, but she felt Glassvitch’s guilt like heat from a fire. She turned her head. Her eyes met his. He did not need to say it.

“No,” she whispered.

“Agatha—”

“ No, you can’t—”

“ Please understand,” Glassvitch begged. “I am not Beetle; I do not have the kind of sway he did. I will not have the time or the power to protect you here—”

“So you’re just, just going to throw me out?”

Zeetha grabbed her father’s arm.

“ Do something!” she hissed. He raised an eyebrow at her. “Stop him!”

“It is his university.”

“Only because you gave it to him! This is only happening to her because of us! ”

“Us? Or you?”

Zeetha went rigid and released her father as if he had burned her.

“You were my friend ,” Agatha said, tears once more streaming down her cheeks.

“I am ,” Glassvitch said. His expression was agonized. Agatha did not care. “I promise, when things have settled, I will come visit you—”

She jerked away when he tried to put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t bother,” she spat. With all the dignity she had, she turned on her heel and left the room with her head held high.

Glassvitch shut his eyes and rubbed his face.

“Herr Baron, please allow me to send someone with her to walk her home. I fear she may have another attack—”

Zeetha shoved him aside and stormed towards the door, following Agatha.

“Zeetha!” Klaus said, sharply.

“ I’ll get her home safe,” Zeetha snapped over her shoulder. Under her breath, she added, “I owe her that much, at least.”

#girl genius #zeetha #zeetha girl genius #agatha heterodyne #klaus wulfenbach

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scythegameing · 1 month ago

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Conflicting Lives Character Designs

Hello and welcome to the Character Designs of Conflicting Lives! The characters are organized in alphabetical order by what district of Esempy the characters live in!

Over time, you will be able to click one each characters name to view them and their design! However I do have 55 characters listed here, so please give me time to draw everything! This will be slowly updated as I make more and more designs as well! Please do also note that almost all characters from CCs are in the roughly 27-40 age range.

Hermiton

Bdouble0100 Cubfan135 Em Docm77 FalseSymmetry GoodtimeswithScar iJevin ImpulseSV Joehills Keralis MumboJumbo Stressmonster TangoTek VintageBeef xBCrafted Xisumavoid Zedaph

Survas

Bigbst4tz2 Ethoslab Hira Martyn Littlewood Rendog Scythe Cristaal Skizzleman

Empyria

Fwip GeminiTay JoeyGraceffa Katherine Elizabeth Lizzie LDShadowLady MythicalSausage Oli Orion Sound Owenge Juice PearlescentMoon Pixlriffs Shubble ScottSmajor Joel SmallishBeans Jimmy Solidarity

Wynnra

Ella Firebird Grian Hypnotizd Iskall85 Lunar Sam ZombieCleo

Drimas

Eret Fundy JackManifold Nihachu Philza Ranboo Technoblade Tommyinnit Tubbo

#confictinglives #cl characters #cl info #hermitcraft #life series #empires smp #dream smp #alternate universe

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melissa-kenobi · 2 years ago

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THRONE

Bo-Katan Kryze x Reader

A/N: Sorry guys, I'm in a Bo-Katan phase... I just love her even tho she's an asshole and has done bad shit. Also, I know this is a bit late, but I had it in my drafts for a long time and totally forgot about it :(

Warnings: The Mandalorian S3 spoilers, smut, idek what else.

"Goodbye Din Djarin."

The monotone voice of your lover swept through the large hall as she watched Din walk away, twiddling her thumbs in annoyance. Walking past the Mandalorian, you gave him a small nod of best wishes before making his way to Mandalore with his green child.

Making your way over to the redhead, you held a glass of water, offering it to her. "Your majesty."

Bo-Katan simply rolled her eyes, taking a large gulp of the drink before placing it on the side, gesturing for you to come closer. "I thought you might have been parched after that long conversation, my lady. It seemed interesting. Did you not take up Djarin's offer?"

She doesn't answer. Simply stares out the glass windows with a lost look in her eyes. Your Bo-Katan is a tough woman, a woman with a purpose - to reclaim Mandalore, but without the Darksaber, she couldn't. Her forces are all gone but you. But there was only so much two women could do, she has you, but no matter how strong you were, she needed her people.

As much as she despised the planet now, deep down, she wanted it back. It's her home, your home - the only home you'd ever known until the Empire had ruined it.

Sighing deeply, you stood beside her, reaching over to touch her hand. "Bo-

"If you're going to give me advice about how I should be helping Din Djarin on his ridiculous mission, you'd better leave." Bo-Katan huffed as she slipped her hand from yours and swung her legs back onto the side of the chair. "I want nothing to do with that man."

Maker, she was still being stroppy about the Darksaber. Din had won it, fair and square, and to be fair, you're pretty sure he has zero clue about what to do with it or what it means. But Din is a worthy warrior to wield the saber, and that's what makes Bo-Katan pissed.

"I wasn't." You rolled your eyes as you pushed her legs down and sat down on her thighs, your legs placed on either side of them as you moved your hands to her waist, gently holding her hips. "I was going to suggest something else."

The woman turned her head towards your face, a smirk etched onto her face as she took in your position and where your hands were. "Oh? And what might that be?

Smirking back, you pushed her against the back of the chair before slowly removing her armour. "A massage."

"I'm not in the mood for a massage, sweetheart." Bo-Katan rolled her eyes but let you proceed to remove her armour, piece by piece as you placed it gently on the floor. "You don't have to be so careful with it."

"I know." You hummed. "But it's your armour, and I know how much it means to you."

Your words hit deep within the woman. Yes, it was her armour. But what use was it now? When she has no one to lead, no-one to follow her. Bo thought, perhaps she should hang up her armour and settle down on a nice planet with you. You'd follow her, right?

After stripping her of her armour, you removed her trousers, slipping them down her long legs before making your way back up, caressing her thighs as she moaned your name softly. Her hands were coming to hold your shoulders and keep you between her legs, but you were persistent, pushing back against her hold and seeping up to kiss her lips.

"Off now." You commanded, pointedly looking at her covered breasts. The redhead smirked as she slowly stripped off her layers, leaving you growling as she took her sweet time. "You want this massage or not, your Majesty?

"Is that how you talk to your Queen?" Bo gasped in mock horror, finally having taken off her top, leaving her breasts bare and ready for you. "I should have your mouth cleaned for that."

"I'll have you moaning my name in a few. Let's see how mouthy you'll be then." You muttered before shufifng closer on her lap and placing your lips on her buds. The action making Bo let out a loud moan as she gripped your hips, your tongue swirling around her buds, making her gasp every time.

"Fuck- cyar'ika-"

You moved your hand to the other, gently caressing it before squeezing the bud as it grew erect. Underneath your legs, you could feel Bo getting wet, the way her hips were unintentionally thrusting up against yours, the way her hands were gripping your hips ever so tight as she tried to get off.

"Ah ah no." You pulled off her bud, teeth leaving a small bite as you took her hands off your waist and placed them above her head, and with a small click they were locked in place against the chair. "No touching."

Bo growled but kept them in place, instead using her eyes to follow your movements as you slid down her body, becoming eye level with her pussy. Her hips unintentionally trusted upwards, trying to get closer to your mouth but your hands pushed them down roughly.

"Stop moving." You growled, looking back up at her with fire and lust in your eyes. Bo swore the sight of you between her legs would have made her cum right there if you hadn't placed your lips on her clit. The ginger let out a loud moan, hands wanting to move down to pull you closer but remained where they were. "Good girl."

Bo was in agony. Her moans only became louder as she watched your mouth tease her with soft kisses before you moved south, wrapping those luscious lips around her clit and sucked hard making her hips thrust upwards. Her hands immediately came down to your hair as she pulled on it, pressing your face closer to her cunt as she grinded on you.

"Fuck-" You moaned against her wet cunt not bothered about her ignoring your instructions. Using your free hand, you slid two fingers into her, pumping fast. "Use me baby- I want my face to be soake-"

You never got to finish your sentence as Bo let out a load moan of your name, hands tugging on your hair, as she came and gushed all over your face, leaving a wet trial. You watched from below as Bo's eyes rolled back in pleasure, her hands gently coming away from your hair as she reached for your waist and pulled your body up against her.

She smiled softly as she wiped a finger across your face, sticking it into your mouth before pulling out and reaching down between your bodies. "Fuck- you're soaked cyare."

"Let me return the favour." Bo grinned as she swiftly placed her lips on yours, cleaning the mess she had made on your face.

***

"That was one hell of a massage." Bo laughed, the smile gently returning to her face.

"I know what you're thinking."

"Pray, do tell my princess." Bo gasped as you pressed your body against hers once more, breasts touching hers.

"You're wondering if you should hang up the mantle."

Bo's eyes slipped to yours, sighing in sadness. You always knew what was on her mind. It was something that attracted you to her. "Maybe I should. It's - Mandalore will never be ours again."

"Stop." You pressed a finger to her lips, instantly shushing her. "You are Mandalore. You always have been."

"You're the only one who has ever worked so hard to gain her planet back. I know you've done bad things, but they were all in the name of Mandalore to save our planet. I know you're the only one who can save us. It has to be you. So yes, maybe you should join Din on his ridiculous mission. It would be a start. We could gather members of his covert and restar-"

"No." Bo stopped you. "I can't, its- it's too much. Every single time we try something, it's like we take 5 steps back, and we never end up anywhere. I can't have you doing that again, not with me."

"Bo-" You warned, already knowing where she was heading with this.

"Maybe you should leave too. Everyone else has. Perhaps you'd have a better life." Bo continued, wanting to slowly push you off her but not wanting to lose you either. If this was all she had left, then she would rather savour it for however long she had with you.

"Maybe I should."

In an instant, Bo's head snapped to yours, not expecting you to agree. The shock evident on her face, deep down she believed you would always stay with her, as those in the outer rim would say 'Till death do us part'. But it would seem not, you'd go your own ways and she'd be left alone, again.

Without you.

"But I won't." Grabbing her hands, you placed them on your beating heart. Bo's green eyes filled with salty tears as she tried her hardest not to break down, despite you saying you wouldn't leave her.

"I'd follow you to the end of the galaxy if it meant I could stay by your side, Bo." You spoke gently. The love laced within your words was what made her crack. The tears finally slipped out as she realised you weren't leaving her, the only person who ever believed in her, who stood by her side while she made plans to regain Mandalore. Who swore that she would always love Bo, no matter how much of an asshole she was.

You. Bo's sweet princess was staying.

"Thank you, cyare." Bo sniffed as she pulled you close, placing her forehead against yours as she silently accepted your love. Her hands gently came to hold your face in her palms as she softly spoke her next words. "I do love you, you know that, right? More than I can express."

"I know, Bo." You smiled gently, placing your hands over hers.

***

*beep beep*

"Your majesty." The droid slowly swept in, the skidding noises disrupting your soft moment with Bo. "An unscheduled visitor."

Your lover sighed, gently placing you on her throne as she got up to look out the window, only to spot Din Djarin's N1 flying through the atmosphere. With a determined face, she gave you a nod before announcing, "Let's get rid of him once and for all."

"Bo-

"Fine. We'll see what he wants." Bo rolled her eyes, watching you sat on the throne and made something twirl inside her. "You coming with?"

The loaded question Bo had asked has several answers, but yours? It would always be the same.

"Always."

***

#bo katan kryze #bo katan kryze x reader #bo katan x reader #bo katan #star wars #the mandalorian #melissa writes 💕

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walks-the-ages · 6 months ago

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the "vote blue no matter who" crowd really needs to start actually looking at articles and new pieces in real time before they start clubbing people over the head with guilt trips about

"don't vote green party, you can vote green party another year, we all need to get together and vote for Biden"

I don't know how to tell you this, Blue Maga, but Biden has a snowball's chance in hell of winning this election.

He is loathed by 70% of the country for his genocide, and the other 30% loves Trump.

Biden is losing almost every single poll that comes out, and the one's he's winning are usually by just a single percentage point.

Democrats high up the food chain and in his own office are pleading with him to step down and let someone else run for President.

And he refuses to step down.

This man is gleefully committing genocide, circumventing the law to avoid telling the public and congress exactly how many billions in weapons he's sending to Israel to continue the genocide, and is deliberately spreading disinformation that his own aids have to debunk as soon as he speaks.

This man is not going to win the election, and you're not going to convince anyone who's voting Third Party (such as for Jill Stein) to vote for a genocidal fucking racist piece of shit by exclaiming "but what about white queer and women's rights in america?" As though they haven't reached the state they have under Biden's direct reign as President when he can use an executive order any time he wants to enshrine those rights.

But if he did that now, he wouldn't be able to hold your loyalties hostage for the upcoming election, now would he?

2024 is not the election to "just vote blue".

2024 is the election where you tell these genocidal fuckwads they're never going to get another vote in their life until they stop committing genocide and step down so someone who actually cares about humanity can take the reigns.

Anyways, if you're unsure what you can do this election year, please take a moment to read Jill Stein's platform, and be prepared to have your socks blown off. Because yeah, it is in fact possible for politicians to actually stand for the things the people they're supposed to represent want, and that doesn't happen when the people representing you only have to hold your liberties hostage to get your vote, like the Democrats.

"Joe Biden is the most progressive President we've had in American History [if you only care about white americans and ignore the funding of militarized police and extreme police brutality and the goddamn fucking genocide he is committing with our tax dollars]"

Foreign Policy & Demilitarization

The bipartisan endless war machine enriches military contractors, lobbyists, and politicians, while it fuels devastation around the world and impoverishes our own people. The Pentagon budget consumes over half of the discretionary federal budget, and real US military spending is over $1 trillion dollars per year. The military-industrial complex, aided by its accomplices in both war parties, media, intelligence agencies, and beyond, has become a global empire that is profoundly destructive around the world and here at home. Everyone has a human right to live in peace and dignity, free from violence and oppression. We must end the endless wars and create a new foreign policy based on diplomacy, international law, and human rights to lead the way to a new era of peace and cooperation.

A Jill Stein administration will:

Establish a foreign policy based on diplomacy, international law, and human rights

End existing wars, military actions, proxy wars and secret wars

Cut military spending by 50-75% and ensure a just transition that replaces military jobs with Green New Deal jobs

Invest the peace dividend in a Global Green New Deal to prevent climate collapse, and build toward universal access to basic human needs for food, clean water and sanitation, education, and health care for every human being on Earth

Close the vast majority of the 700+ foreign US military bases

Stop U.S. support and arms sales to human rights abusers

Lead on global nuclear disarmament

End unilateral economic sanctions that primarily harm civilian populations

Remove war powers from the president and restore Congress’ sole power to declare war

Disband NATO and replace it with a modern, inclusive security framework that respects the security interests of all nations and people

Demand an immediate ceasefire in Israel and Palestine, an end to the blockade of Gaza, immediate humanitarian and medical relief, and release of hostages and political prisoners

Immediately end all military aid to Israel and adopt sanctions until Israel complies with international law to put an end to decades of violence, illegal occupation, displacement, dispossession, apartheid, and ethnic cleansing

End the longstanding US practice of vetoing UN Security Council resolutions to hold Israel accountable to international law

Move to end the UN Security Council to ensure the UN is a true democratic body

Remove U.S. troops from Iraq and Syria

Stop fueling the war between Russia and Ukraine and lead on negotiating a peaceful end

End the embargo of Cuba and normalize relations

End sanctions on Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela that amount to collective punishment of civilian populations

End US interventionist policies that drive people to become migrant refugees

End the failed drug wars and stop regime change attempts against foreign governments

Ban the use of killer drones, robots, and artificial intelligence

Close the Guantanamo Bay detention camp

Ensure family-supporting wages and benefits for military service members

Fully fund veterans’ programs and benefits, including healthcare, mental health, housing, and job training, for a transition to civilian life

Protect the rights of service members, including conscientious objectors

“A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.” -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

#long post #jill stein #joe biden #free palestine #genocide joe #american politics #2024 election #Vote Blue No Matter Who #vote third party #Israel

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the-starry-seas · 8 months ago

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So I guess it's as good a time as any to have a pinned post?

Hi, I'm Sticks! I use vae/vaer/vaers/vaerself and it/its pronouns. This is a multifandom blog with a dash of many other random things. I'm a proshipper, cloneshipper, multishipper, and polyshipper.

I'll tag things to the best of my ability if you ask. Sometimes I'll forget. I love being tagged in ask games, WIP games, last line challenges, literally whatever. Mutuals can DM for my discord.

You can check out my fics on AO3 at lizardwrites (Star Wars) or purpleturtle9000 (Rise/Bayverse TMNT). Or check the tag for sticks' fics to see drabbles and previews. My askbox is open for requests for more drabbles, headcanons, and general rambling.

Consider this a blanket permission for any and all transformative works of my writing. You may post translated versions of my fics on other sites but you may not repost the original work. And please show me what you've made!

I have a lot of OCs and I love talking about them. I also want to hear all about yours! In the meantime, there's a list of mine below the cut. tumblr wouldn't let me link all of them, but you can try copy-pasting the-starry-seas.tumblr.com/tagged/ and put in the character name (I tag with ranks, so put in CT Racer instead of just Racer).

The Murderbot Diaries:

Jude (she/they rogue SecUnit)

ROTTMNT:

Kestrel

Star Wars:

212th Squad (Boot, Mik, Squeaker, Moxie, Onion, Crumpet)

Aces Squad (CT Racer, CT Fury, CS Blue, CT Whisper, CT Ember)

B Roll, all-girls clone squad formed of Bark, Bite, Bumble, and Bee

Clone Force M (CT Winter, CT Bee, CT Indigo, CT Jewel, CC Nebula, CT Zenith, CT Sunny, CT Star, CT Sky, CT Silver)

Mar'eyce, modern AU Clone Force M, featuring the Smokejumpers

Ghost Squad (CL Harlow, CS Karla, CT Shay, CT Cavalry, CT Boom, CT Ray, CT Nox, CT Tally) and their associated Mandalorians

Green Squad (formerly) now civilians Aralyn, Berry, and Prey Drive

Royal Squad, five tubies adopted by the royal family in a nobody-dies Bail/Breha/Fox AU (Bug, Jaonyc, Yancy, Helio, Vidal)

Shili Squad (Chen Nihaan, Alyx, Bella, Corvin, Watcher, Atlas, Ginger, Circuit, and Synch)

Shiny Squad: Kit's batchmates CT Lucky, CT Shrike, and CT Carno

Grafitti & Rence of the Corrie Guard

Kit also of the Corrie Guard and Fox's shiny/adopted son

Prim Fett (clone, Mandalorian, and adopted daughter of Boba)

Riye Verda (Kamino-cloned, Mandalorian-raised)

Switch (clone, reconditioned, cyborg, mercenary)

Kryndi (florist and Kit's girlfriend in the royal OT3 AU)

Cathedi (Jedi)

Xerin (Jedi)

Clan Merit, composed of Quin, Aya, and Amery (Mandalorians)

Mirshko (Mandalorian)

Torrak Varkus and Torrak Vermil (Mandalorian)

Vinir (Mandalorian)

Soruli and Seryla (Nautolan Jedi and Force-sensitive smuggler)

A'Hidayat (Tusken)

U'Rajya (Tusken)

Tusken OC umbrella tag

Ripper (Yautja in Star Wars)

Valkyries (all-women pirate crew-slash-polycule)

CC Kamor, Eixes Judarri, and Padawan Rivi from the Better or Worse AU, where a clone captain finds and adopts his general's padawan, with the help of the Zabrak smuggler who becomes his queerplatonic partner

Chen Xunielah, a Togruta ambassador and duchess, and her clone husband Chen Nihaan, who form the Chen family with their kids

Scrapper Crew, a collection of troublemaking ladies

Come Home AU, about Mando spouses separated by the Empire and later reunited

Transformers:

Button

Chromeblaze

Demoiselle

Goldshot

Neutrobolt & Nitroblitz

Nightflash

Stormbrake

Voltcast

Various:

Rowan

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t0818ru2 · 4 months ago

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What are the stand abilities, my guy

The stands go from one extreme to another. They are either super simple or super complex. I will try not to go into too much detail:

If something is written like shit, I'm sorry, I'm literally using translator lol

[BORN FOR GREATNESS]: Object Shapeshifting

BFG can transform objects into other objects. The limitations are:

1.The size, it can't shapeshift something bigger than a bike.

2.Any organic matter or liquid can't be shapeshifted. It must be partially solid.

3.If the object is composed of multiple pieces, the user has to know how it works internally to replicate it.

4.The mass, the object the usser want to transform must have similar mass and size.

5.It can't transform a object into a non-object. This rule is quite complicated to explain, For examble: The user can shapeshift a rock in to a Knife or Tennis Ball, but not the other way around, like a PIECE of gold or a PIECE uranium, or a PIECE of something. MUST be an usable Object (Chair, Gun, a Box). Also, must be a credible and possible object of its existence.

BGF or the user needs to be in contact with the object he/it wants to shapeshift. However, it can also delay its effects for a few seconds or cancel it in the middle of the transformation.

[Any questions regarding these rules can be answered and asked. I have no problem answering any questions that arise from these unnecessarily complicated powers lol.]

_____________________________________________________________

[COSMIC LOVE]: Super Speed / Cement Slime / Slow Invisibility

As the name implies, CL can move at surprising speeds. She can climb any surface. The saliva that CL leaves behind wherever she passes can be solidified at the user's will. In this way, the user plays a more defensive role. She can also use the saliva to create walls, bridges or small simple structures. The solidified slime is quite resistant, it is not exactly cement as the name of the ability indicates, but a more resistant material than sewage. It can be broken with enough force, it is not exactly indestructible. Lastly, when CL moves slowly, she becomes completely invisible to anyone, whether they are a stand user or not.

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[NAKED DEATH]: Sword Manifestation / Foldable, Bendable and Extendable Sword

ND can take the appearance of an innocent caterpillar and hide anywhere. The caterpillar can transform into a sword whenever the user wants. This sword has a fairly long range, it can bend and stretch as much as the user wants but it cannot become wider. A very useful ability that ND has is that it can channel psionic energy to become sharper. By channeling psionic energy it also allows the user (being a goldblood) to place their mind into the sword and in this way sense other psionic energies around them and through walls. It is worth noting that this ability is the user's own and not the sword's. In this way they can hit targets they cannot see or adjust the movements of the sword according to what he sense.

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[EMPIRE ANTS]: Removable Body Parts / Transformable Body Parts into Ants

SE can detach body parts from its user at will. However, it does make the user invulnerable to any attack involving slashing. For example, if a sword slices half of the user's head, the user will continue to be perfectly fine. Any body parts that were cut off intentionally or not can be manipulated by the user.

These severed limbs or parts will grow small ant-like legs and a mouth with pincers (sometimes wings) which can be used to attack one or multiple targets. The only way to finish off the user is by attacking the stand directly. Unfortunately for the user, the stand must be nearby for its effects to work cause it short range, so EA often hides to avoid being found during a fight. If the stand is defeated, the body parts will reconnect to the user, having been severed by an opponent or voluntarily detached. The stand's effects do not trigger when the user is unconscious or asleep.

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[OASIS]: Convergence of Timelines / Paradox Cloning

oh boy this stand Oasis is a stand with the ability to converge all timelines into one. However, this is only limited to within the hive where the user lives. The user is trapped within her hive and it is impossible for her to leave. All of these timelines are exclusively within the hive, so she will only be able to converge the timelines of the people who have entered the hive. The hive is an impossible space created by the stand where each room is exactly the same but differs in different parts of the time from the intruders in the house. For example, by moving through several rooms you can move through different moments in time within the house, so it is possible to end up meeting yourself in a different time period, but only one time period within the hive. These timelines only converge at the moment the intruders enter, so the only moments they can be in are from when they enter until they have died in the future. So they can't find rooms or themselves from a past before they were inside the hive. Yes it is pretty complicated. When all individuals in all timelines within the house die, any trace of them having entered is eliminated. The user only has to wait for all the timelines to end, by killiing each other or die of starvation.

Another ability that Oasis has is the ability to create clones of the user at different periods of their life. Thus, she can create infinite copies of herself. All of these copies have a hive mind, so anything that one knows, the user knows as well. This is often used to persuade intruders or kill them if possible. An important thing about this ability is that the clones can leave the hive, this is used by the user to fulfill her role as a spy, being able to be in different places at the same time and gather information.

The user and the stand are bound to the hive, so if the hive is destroyed from the outside, the user and the stand will perish. The house is impossible to destroy from the inside. The only way to escape is to find the user and kill them.

Another minor ability of Oasis is that he can generate hooks with chains anywhere in the house. However, this ability doesn't have much use other than just dragging people into different parts of the hive, but they are not for harming or attacking intruders.

The user can also move some rooms around if she is in contact or knows where the intruders are based on the knowledge of her paradox clones.

Finally, each room in the Hive has a harmless copy of the Oasis stand, if this stand is attacked, the entire timeline of that room will be erased along with the room leaving an empty place where any intruder can fall infinitely.

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[JUNKY BEAT]: Anger Provoking Sound

JB is an automatic stand. When the user wants, they can select a person and the stand will follow the target wherever they go. From the moment the stand is flying around the target, the target will emit a sound similar to a mosquito. This sound can be heard by anyone, whether or not they are a stand user. Anyone in range of the sound who can hear it will start to get irritated. The people around will start to become more and more aggressive towards the target, who cannot hear the sound in any way. The number of people who can hear the sound is only derived from the number of people around. In this way, the user manages to make the people around fight each other, attacking the target and killing them. People will believe that the only way to get the sound is to kill the one who is causing it, becoming a blind rage and only worrying about stopping the sound. Unfortunately, the stand's range is medium, so the user must follow the target cautiously. The sound JB makes is proportional to the distance from the user. But, no matter how far away the user is, the stand can continue to follow its target, whether the user is too far away to make a sound or not.

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[GOREY DEMISE]: Death warrant

GD has two phases: Inactive and Active. When GD is in the inactive phase, the stand will not be able to protect its user from any attack. Any attack that is directed towards the user will pass through them directly. The stand can mimic attacking but any attack directed towards an attacker will pass through them and have no effect. The stand in this phase is completely useless and no one can interact with it and vice versa.

The second phase, the active phase, is activated when the user is killed by another person in any way. When the user is killed, GD will revive the user and it will enter the active phase. In this phase, the stand will become completely tangible, fast and resistant to any attack or effect. GD will defend the user from any threat that could threaten it life, including abilities capable of manipulating time or any effect that threatens the user's life. However, GD will still be unable to attack or do any damage.

When the stand enters its active phase, its automatic ability, Death Warrant, activates. The person who killed the user will have exactly 30 minutes to replicate the same death that the user had on a different person. The cause of death must be exactly the same as that inflicted on the user. For example, if the user was killed with 5 knives in the body and bled to death, another person must die in the same way for the ability's effect to end, 5 knives in the same locations.

After 30 minutes have passed and if the target did not meet the conditions, the target will die in the same way in which the user was killed. If the target met the conditions by killing someone else, the effect will be cancelled and the stand enter again to the inactive fase.

When Death Warrant is activated, it cannot be activated on the same person a second time.

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[CAN OF WORMS]: Solid Ground Swimming / Echolocation of Thoughts

COW is an automatic stand that follows one or multiple targets. The stand detaches itself at the user's will and will follow it no matter what the targets are. COW's range is quite long so the user can be very far away and still be attacking its victims. COW's criteria for attacking its targets are thoughts. The stand is capable of reading minds and detecting them like sound waves and in this way attacking any thinking creature everytime it think. This stand can also traverse the ground, being able to travel at great speeds beneath solid ground. Ground, walls, or solid materials do not affect COW's mind-reading ability, and these sound-like waves travel through any solid.

COW has extremely disproportionate strength, however it has a very poor defense, becoming a glass cannon. The stand is also capable of dodging and reacting at high speed to any attack that comes its way, since COW can predict attacks that were previously thought out by the targets. The user can still continue to see what the stand is doing even though it is automatic, being able to return to the user from which it came whenever it wants.

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[FIGHTING THE MACHINE]: Super Strength / Super Durability / Super Resistance

This stand doesn't have an ability as such, however, its resistance, strength and speed are completely absurd. Anything that gets in its way can be destroyed with its fists, kicks or attacks. The user also has a fairly high resistance and strength, so between the two they form a quite deadly combination seeing that both the user and the stand are very tough.

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[THE BEATLES]: Song of Banishment

This stand doesn't have a manifestation as such, but rather it is a song that the user sings to cause effects around him. When the user sings, the effects of the stand begin to manifest in a fairly large radius affecting anyone who is around. This song has several effects and each one begins to manifest as the user gets closer to finishing:

1st verse: No visible effects

2nd verse: Total paralysis of the body and weakness in the legs.

3rd Verse: Permanent loss of smell

4th Verse: Permanent loss of vision.

5th Verse: Permanent loss of speech.

6th Verse: Permanent loss of hearing (This does not stop the effects of the song, but the only thing those affected will hear will be the song itself.)

7th Verse: Permanent loss of the sensation of touch

8th Verse: All effects above disappear for a few moments.

9th Verse: Those affected by the song are erased from existence.

During the song, any Stand user who attempts to use their Stand will have difficulty. Also, each affected individual will feel their body being covered by thousands of beetles.

The only way to escape the effects is to get out of range or get help from someone who is out of range. However, the loss of senses such as vision, smell, or speech that occurs during this stand are permanent. The user can stop the song at any time. The effects of this stand are irreversible.

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[MIRROR OF TEARS - ACT 1]: Intangibility

MOT can render the user intangible, making them capable of moving through different solid surfaces. This also includes any objects or clothing they are wearing, such as their sword. They can decide when to become tangible and when not. They can also render individual parts of their body intangible. Any attack that is not delivered by a Stand passes through the user, making them incapable of receiving physical damage. Pretty simple and direct, really. There is nothing more lol.

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[DON'T STOP ME NOW]: Future Jumping

As the name implies, DSMN can send things into the future up to a maximum of 30 minutes. Anything the user or their stand comes into contact with will jump forward in time. The user can choose how far into the future they can send them. This of course includes people and the user themselves. During the jump, the user and the stand can momentarily move in place to change position slightly. This is due to the training the user has had with their stand, but anyone else affected by this ability will not consciously perceive the time jump.

That will be all of them~ If anyone has a question about any of them, I'm open to answering them.

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