#fails his mission but he has left a legacy that will validate his world view in the end - that he felt loneliness in his strength

[nightswatchdisbandmentera]

I won’t start doomposting yet….but Gojo and Sukuna wasn’t just a clash of the strongest but also two opposing world views in a way. But now we have the prospect of Sukuna’s being validated and Gojo being the victim of that, which is erm…..

[master-sass-blast]

Strong as Stone --Part Twenty-Seven

*crawls out of the week* Oof. I’m tired.

Welcome back to the madhouse! This is your resident goblin speaking, here to update you on some news for Strong as Stone!

First: After taking some time and consideration, I’ve decided that this is the last update where we’ll be seeing Trump. I know that he’s wearing on some of you, and he’s wearing on me too, so this is his last hurrah. After this chapter, there’ll be a mention of his impeachment (necessary for some upcoming plot stuff) and then that’ll be it. (Warning: He goes out with a bang. This is Trump, after all.)

Second: After this update, we’re going to take some time for the some serious F L U F F. After a wonderful little plot powwow with @ginghampearlsnsweettea (idk why Tumblr won’t let me tag you :P), I realized that I was going ham on the political blech and the angst. So, yeah. Fluff break coming up. PREPARE YOURSELVES!!!

Third: I actually need your guys’s help for this bit. I do have kids planned for Okoye and M’Baku in the future, but I don’t know how many to give them. I come from a small family, and I tend to lean on what I know, but I’m curious to know what you guys think is a good number. Tell me what you think in my asks, dms, or my inbox on AO3.

Okay, onto the main stuff:

Last time, we saw hints of HYRDA’s involvement in stealing vibranium from Wakanda. Fortunately for our favorite General, the intrepid Agent Everett Ross is on the case. Unfortunately for him, it looks like his brother --General Thaddeus Ross--is involved somehow.

This time, I experimented with a new style of writing. Instead of having Okoye do all the narrating/having the narrator narrate from her perspective, we’re getting glimpses at what O’Chenga, Ayo, Aneka, and M’Baku have been dealing with during a dinner/hang out with the couples (M’Baku and Okoye and Ayo, Aneka, and O’Chenga).

Rating: M for political blech, Trump being Trump, and strong/misogynistic language.

Pairings: M’Baku x Okoye and Ayo x Aneka x OC.

@the-last-hair-bender, @skysynclair19

As constant as your struggles may seem, make sure you take time to support your friends and hear their frustrations as well.

Many of us often travel the same current in the river and share many of the same struggles. We ought to take care to not forget it.

“This has been a long time overdue.”

“Agreed.” Okoye smiled as she flipped over a few steaks on a large skillet. “I can’t wait to hear everything we’ve missed with the festival work and the missions.”

O’Chenga and M’Baku exchanged a long, exasperated look before M’Baku went back to dicing up several large potatoes and O’Chenga went back to prepping legumes, vegetables, and greens for the main vegetarian dish. “I wish there was something light hearted to report,” O’Chenga started as he chopped up a large eggplant. “Unfortunately...”

<<<

“Nephew. I would speak with you.”

O’Chenga grimaced as he watched Elder F’Tendi sweep into the throne room of the Great Lodge as though he was the Chief and his nephew, M’Baku, were his subordinate. Hanuman, what fuels this man? It can’t be common sense, since he clearly forwent that long ago. “I would advise you to address your Chief with due courtesy, Elder F’Tendi. This is not your throne room you step foot in.”

F’Tendi stopped to eye him coldly, then bowed slowly, mockingly. “My Chief. May I council with you?”

“And what if I say no?” M’Baku asked, cocking his head to the side.

“It would be in your interests to not. I am here to speak with you about Dewani.”

“Escort him out,” M’Baku said without hesitation.

O’Chenga smirked as he watched the guards move in to usher F’Tendi away from his friend. Serves you right.

“I hope you know what kind of company she keeps. There are rumors that she’s been caught associating with the Wild Ones.”

M’Baku lurched forward, snarling through tightly clenched teeth. “I will hear no more of your baseless accusations!”

O’Chenga leaped forward, catching his friend’s shoulder with one hand and motioning to the guards with the other. “Escort him out. Now!”

>>>

Okoye frowned. “Wait. Wild Ones? I don’t think I’ve heard of them before.”

“They are a... dark cult in the Jabari tribe. They worship the demon Ravana, one of Hanuman’s enemies,” M’Baku said with a scowl.

And F’Tendi is trying accuse Dewani of associating them to discredit her before the trial for his abuse starts, Okoye surmised. Wonderful. “Well, at least there can’t be any validity to the claim. Honestly, why would he even try to swing that far?” She froze when M’Baku didn’t immediately affirm her assertions. Bast, no. “Is there validity to his claims?”

M’Baku sucked a breath through his teeth. “It’s... complicated.”

<<<

M’Baku pinched the bridge of his nose. Hanuman, give me patience. “Dewani, you realize how this looks, right?”

His baby sister rolled her eyes. “Yes, I’m not an idiot, M’Baku! I know this looks bad.”

As soon as his uncle had left the lodge, he’d immediately taken O’Chenga and tracked down his sister. There might not be laws against homosexuality, but there were laws against associating with the cult of Ravana. M’Baku’s uncle had incredible sway with the traditionalists of the tribe, who were already wary of Dewani because of her liberal views and relationship with Princess Shuri. The last thing his sister needed was a legitimate chink in her armor.

But this? This was arguably worse.

“So, you admit to having ventured into the cult’s territory, and you refuse to tell us why?” O’Chenga repeated, confusion evident in his tone and expression.

“I was visiting a friend,” Dewani said, waving her hand dismissively.

M’Baku groaned and rubbed his temples. Hanuman, give me the strength to not whack my sister upside the back of her thick head. “Dewani, I need you to take this seriously. F’Tendi could legitimately have you banished from the tribe on these grounds alone, and there would be nothing I could do to stop him!”

“Trust me, I am taking this seriously!”

“No, you’re not!”

“Yes, I am!”

M’Baku forced himself to take a deep breath. When you agreed to raise her, that meant raising her through everything, including moments like this. Be patient. Seek to understand, not to be understood. “Okay, then I’m not seeing it. Help me understand how you’re taking this seriously.”

Dewani shrugged as she flounced away, evidently done with the conversation. “When the time comes, you’ll see it.”

M’Baku gave into petty temptation and smacked the palm of his hand against his forehead. Hanuman dammit.

>>>

Okoye grimaced as she put the steaks on a plate to rest and covered them with foil to keep them warm. That’s about as disastrous as it gets. “She wouldn’t even give you an answer?”

“No! She refused to reveal anything.”

“Which is highly unlike Dewani,” O’Chenga added as he stirred a mixture of eggplant, legumes, sweet potatoes, leafy greens, and goat’s cheese in a skillet.

Okoye nodded, well aware of the teenager’s reputation for boldness and zeal. “No kidding. Were you able to get any hint as to what she was doing in the cult territory?”

“No.” M’Baku’s mouth twisted into a troubled frown. “I can’t fathom that she was actually worshiping demons; Dewani is a devoted follower of Hanuman, and I think she’d sooner die than tarnish Olufemi’s legacy as a priestess. Unfortunately, I doubt it will matter in the eyes of the traditionalists.”

“She’ll be guilty by association,” Okoye concluded. She sucked a breath through her teeth and placed a comforting kiss on her lover’s shoulder. “Do you want me to try and talk to her?”

“You’re welcome to try, but I doubt you’ll get anything out of her.”

O’Chenga shook his head as he added some minced garlic and sea salt to the vegetable mixture. “You definitely won’t.” He grinned jovially after a moment and nodded his head in M’Baku’s direction. “She’s his sister, after all. Their skulls are the same thickness.”

M’Baku shook his head as everyone else laughed. “My friend, the comedian.”

O’Chenga bowed halfway as he transferred the vegetable mixture into a bowl. “I’m here all night. How’s the lawsuit going?”

Okoye rolled her eyes as Ayo and Aneka groaned. “Well, I wasn’t in the United States when this happened, but I think the incident speaks for the situation quite nicely.”

<<<

“Ayo! Ayo! Get your ass out here!”

Ayo smirked as her girlfriend called for her from the bedroom. She’s so cute when she’s impatient. “Calm your tits.”

“I will not! It’s the President! He’s commenting on Okoye’s lawsuit!”

Ayo practically sprinted out of the bathroom, still wrapped in the towel she’d used to dry off after her shower. “Wait, what?”

Aneka was sitting on the edge of the bed, remote in hand and dressed in her pajamas and a scowl. She was glaring at the image of the man in charge of running the United States on their flat screen TV. “They gave a preview before the commercial break. You’re not going to believe this.”

“Frankly, I think it’s unfathomably unjust of the Wakandans to promote this kind of hatred towards the leader of another country,” Trump said in a recording from a press conference. “I fail to understand how they could’ve blown such a minor misunderstanding so far out of proportion.”

Ayo’s jaw dropped. Minor misunderstanding? I was there! He hit my best friend on the ass! What’s there to misunderstand?

“This kind of behavior is going to be the end of the world. Before you know it, we won’t be able to brush shoulders with women without them crying ‘rape!’ The Wakandans are complicit in the disenfranchisement of men everywhere, and I won’t stand for it!”

“Is this scripted?” Aneka asked, brow furrowing. “He’s using multi-syllabic words, and I can’t fathom that he actually knows any on his own.”

It doesn’t matter, Ayo thought as she watched the pitiful excuse for a man gesture stupidly with his hands. This is a nightmare.

“This lawsuit is nothing but a scam being pushed by a government held down by women, and I’m not going to let them take America down with them!”

Ayo sank down onto the mattress next to her girlfriend. This can’t be real. Someone’s going to stop him.

“I won’t be paying any ‘damages!’ America won’t be paying any damages!”

Aneka gripped onto Ayo’s hand.

Ayo clenched her girlfriend’s hand back just as tightly.

“Instead, Wakanda is going to be paying damages to us! The damages for with-holding vibranium, and the damages for trying to start an anti-male campaign to further their own agendas against the free world! You have my word as the President, I’m not going to let anyone fuck with America!”

Ayo realized Aneka was shaking and put her arm around her girlfriend’s shoulders. “It’s okay.”

“We’re a great country--”

“He’s an idiot; don’t let him get to you.”

--and we’ll always be a great country!”

Ayo grimaced at the sight of a single tear tracing it’s way down Aneka’s cheek. She brushed it away with a kiss, then took the remote out of Aneka’s limp hands and turned the TV off. “That’s enough of that.”

>>>

Okoye grimaced as she took in M’Baku’s and O’Chenga’s shocked expressions. “Before you ask, yes, he really said all of that. I had a meeting with my attorney the very next day to discuss what we’d be doing next.”

“What can you do next, in the face of that?” O’Chenga said in a shell-shocked voice.

“Not much,” Okoye muttered. “You just sort of have to wait for the idiot to hang himself.”

M’Baku’s hand found hers under the table and gave it a comforting squeeze. “Is there anything good that’s come out of the past few weeks?”

“Well--” Aneka paused as she took a sip of water “--there is, actually. It’s kind of a roundabout story, though.”

<<<

“Why do Americans make their coffee so sweet?”

“Well, actually, it’s likely due to the processing most of their foods go through and the melting pot effect of so many merged cultures. Each immigration group had their own way of preparing food and drinks, and when you stack that all together you’re bound to end up with some bastardized versions of bastardized versions of recipes. Plus, sugar and fatty foods were less expensive in America, so most immigrant families would try to replicate the way the wealthy ate back home.” Aneka felt a rush of warmth run from the top of her head to the tips of her toes at the soft smile Ayo favored her with. “What? It’s true.”

Ayo simply shook her head and continued sipping at her coffee. “You’re cute when you’re nerdy.”

Aneka opened her mouth to reply, but was distracted by a flash of gray-blond hair outside the window. “He’s here.” She watched as Agent Ross walked into the shop and up to the counter, then frowned when he kept ordering for nearly a solid minute. “What all is he getting? This is supposed to be a quick meet up.”

Ayo shushed her gently. “You’ll see.”

Agent Ross walked up to their table and sat down with a grimace. “You’ll have to forgive me for being hasty about this, but my brother’s expecting me to meet him in less than twenty minutes.” He set another thumb drive on the table. “I followed up on the leads that Jhanvi sent me. I was able to find the shipment of vibranium you’ve been looking for. Some HYDRA agents captured it after S.H.I.E.L.D. fell.”

“Good,” Aneka said. “Where is it?”

“That’s the sticky part. The shipment’s in my brother’s name. I can’t touch it without him finding out.”

Oh. Not good. Aneka picked up the thumb drive. “So, this is...”

Everett smiled grimly. “I was able to stick a tracking device on the container. Tell Princess Shuri it contains the link up to the device. She’ll know what to do with it.”

“Thank you, Agent Ross,” Ayo said. “We’ll be sure to follow up on the shipment, keep you clear of this.”

“I appreciate it.” He glanced at his watch, then stood with an apologetic wince. “I’m sorry for rushing out, but I really need to go.”

Aneka watched as he walked out, picking up a heavy paper bag of food as he went. “Was he getting food for him and his brother?”

“Doubtful.”

“It’s the only explanation that makes sense.”

The corner of Ayo’s mouth turned up and she nodded out the window. “Watch.”

Aneka watched as Agent Ross crossed the street, then stopped to hand off the bag to a homeless mother and her children. She smiled.

The news about the shipment was less than ideal. It’d be near impossible to slip the vibranium out of General Ross’s hands without him realizing that it was them.

But, with allies as kind and aware of the world around them as Agent Ross, she felt like they had a good shot.

Ayo tapped on the table with her now empty cup. “Come on. We need to get the drive to the Princess.”

>>>

“He sounds like an honorable man,” O’Chenga said as he sat back in his seat.

Okoye nodded in agreement. “He is. He fought the Border tribe with us, helped take down the ships trying to carry weapons out of the country.”

Ayo drained half her beer. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I need a vacation. All the missions and bad news has seriously worn me out.”

“I think we’ll get a break soon,” Aneka said brightly. “I can feel something coming. Something good.”

“Well, if you’re trying to give me ideas for tonight--”

Okoye chuckled as she watched Aneka swat at Ayo, but she couldn’t help but feel her best friend’s weariness in equal measure.

The past year had been exhausting. It seemed like they kept moving from one disaster to another without a good break from it all.

Okoye let her head rest on M’Baku’s shoulders as she listened to her friends argue back and forth. Bast, please let an end to all the drama come soon.

[mrevaunit42]

Character creation notes: Connor (Nova vs)

Hey everyone, E here with some more creation notes! Haha something I promised forever and a half ago. Time just flies you know and I'm sorry if you were expecting this sooner but things got away from me. So if you were curious about some insight into Connor in this case and my thought process behind creating the character, I hope this helps out a little? Maybe like a little guideline on how to construct your own ocs, couple ideas you can try out all that jazz.

So when I was originally working on the story, back when it was an inspired by the star vs original concept and not the future au it is now, I created Nova first because she was going to be the lead. I find it easier to start with the lead so you know what to build around them: The world, their friends, their allies, their enemies, rivals, challenges that would affect them because no matter what, it is their story and their story, their goals, their ambitions drive the plot. Once I got the basic concept of Nova down, I started working on her love interest because I like romance. I love a good, deep love story.. Lead or main character first followed by their interest if I go the whole romance route so I can create a couple that would work. So all the times I say Nova and Connor were literally built for each other, it's because I literally did build them first and specifically to be romantic love interests. Haha I'm not being cheeky.

So I made Connor this very independent, self sufficient guy who kinda just wanted to live a normal life. He disliked all forms of attention, he just wanted get through the day and he just wanted to do what what he loved. In the original, he's actual runs this little cafe in his small town that his parents own but aren't ever around to really run it but he's a level headed guy who knows how to fix things which is actually where a part of the inventor aspect came from.

When it came to transferring all this to the star vs universe, I made it a personal mission not to have Connor be Marco 2.0 (though in some ways I failed as he accidentally has a lot of love interests haha whoops) because that's not what I like to do. There's a difference between acting like a character and basically being another version of that character which is a reason I was pretty nervous about Nova because I wasn't sure if I had made her different enough because I noticed, even now, I do have some habits from my parents and that was just because I grew up around that and I kinda just picked it up and I noticed it happened a lot to my friends too so I did that with Nova.

I decided that I wanted Connor to be the one that had original characters as parents because it would allow me to use him as a kinda stand in for the reader so that in universe when something needed to be explained, it was only logical that the new kid and his parents in Echo Creek, relatively speaking, would be the one that needed the explanation because they haven't dealt with that kind of story as long as the others have. Also, because he is the secondary protagonist, this allowed me create his own unique problem, his personal story arc that wouldn't be restricted by canon or at least the canon that was available at the time. I like doing this opposing problem with my leads. It's a kinda habit I have that their biggest issues are the opposite of the other lead. In this case Nova, who is trying to live up to her family's legacy and questioning her validity in being a true Butterfly to Connor's problem that he doesn't know his family's legacy. In fact until a few chapters into the main story, he didn't even know he had a family beyond his mother and father and where Nova is trying her best to be what she thinks a Butterfly is, Connor is trying to figure it out what it means to be a Sinclair and if that's what he truly wants to be.

Originally Connor still had the messy black hair but he actually had brown eyes and no glasses. I wanted him to stand out a bit from the other characters so I changed the eyes to green. The glasses were kinda a comfort thing for me. By the time I actually started putting together the nova vs series as it is, I had to get glasses because of a condition I have and it was a big blow to my pride because until that point, I was perfectly 'healthy' like no major problems. And I was like why should I feel bad about this? This is normal. This isn't the worst thing in the world. So in honor of my glasses, I gave Connor glasses. I am not as bad as him so yeah but I did not realize I accidentally made him Harry Potter until someone pointed it out haha. Whoops.

The inventing thing was pulled from OG Connor where he had to learn how to fix things because he didn't have the money to pay someone to do it all the time and he didn't have to time to let it stay broken. I am a sucker for inventors and wacky gadgets. I love games where I can customize everything with different stats and effects and all that jazz and I love those inventor archetypes that just build fantastical machines and items that are so creative especially when they have that whole cobbled together with random junk vibe. Love it.

Connor's personality was ironically pretty straight forward. He kept  the uncomfortable with any forms of attention and his general intelligence. He's very much an introvert which some people find ironic but hopefully I wrote it right, do you notice that he actually doesn't leave the house if he doesn't have to. Like every time he leaves , it is because A. someone came to his house and got him or B. It is a previously planned event that someone else planned. He would very much remain locked up in his room if left alone. Connor is also very responsible because of the dangerous nature of inventing. You have to be or else you could cause a lot of dangerous issues and situations. Connor's general passiveness and calm attitude stem from the fact that for the last 7 years, he has seen a lot of magical stuff. Unlike Marco, who is awe inspired and amazed by all these cool, magical things that occur to him, Connor is still impressed and awed but he's used to it's all stuff he's seen since he was a little kid and given how impulsive and let's be real, crazy Jack and Nova are, he's used to be being the one that has to basically fix everything or find a solution as that's what he does as an inventor. Another aspect of his personality is his general view on himself which isn't poor but he downplays a lot of his successes and achievements and everything that would stand out as 'normal' and I tried to write it in a way that it wasn't because he had low self esteem but rather to him, at least, everyone else was just more impressive. Nova is a magical princess who would one day rule an entire other dimension. Jack is this half demon who is utterly charming and talented with a firm grasp on who he is and what he wants to do. And his magic tricks are cool. So in Connor eyes, he's just a human. That's it. Nothing more compared to the princess of mewni and the literal prince of the underworld. I did not want him to know how to fight in the traditional sense. I didn't want him to be throwing expertly trained punches and kicks and all that because like I said he's not Marco. He's Connor and he doesn't know how to fight in conventional battle which is why he uses his brain, tactics and basically whatever he can to help rather than be an actual combatant if he can help it. He comes from a family of inventors. Which is why most of the time he's providing some sort of distraction or covering fire or even just running and avoiding everything because hanging out with demons and magical beings teaches you if you don't know how to fight, get good at getting out of the way.

And the random fun fact of Connor is that his middle name is actually mine and no I will never reveal it.

So that's some insight into Connor. I hope you enjoyed it. I really just planned for him and nova which you can find the link below (Warning some spoilers at the end) but if you would like more inform on them or even a thought process behind another character, let me know and I shall see what I can do. Thank you for reading and have an awesome day!

https://nova-friends.tumblr.com/post/156897207986/the-creation-of-nova