#he’s literally lived through So Much Change

[no-1-rosalind-lang-apologist]

Sorry it is 3AM and my field of study is more based on climate adaptation and mitigation as opposed to the hard science behind how climate systems work so I may not be able to explain this perfectly.

However. Unless I am completely misremembering David Wallace-Wells’ work, while it is true that scientific predictions for the degree of warming that we expect has come down over the past couple decades or so, the predictions for the severity of impacts that we will see at lower levels of warming have increased. So that is just really not an honest way of framing what he’s talking about. I believe Genevieve Guenther has a really well written criticism of the claims he makes in her book The Language of Climate Politics if anyone is interested in that.

It is important to understand that at present levels of warming we are seeing impacts that were expected at higher levels. And many climate scientists are massively concerned about this.

And like. Sure this still doesn’t mean that we’re all going to live through some sort of sci fi apocalypse movie. However I am from Florida. I expect many of the places I grew up around to become uninhabitable within my lifetime due to a combination of sea level rise, hurricanes, and extreme heat.

Also, sure we do technically have greater capabilities to adapt and respond to natural disasters. But like. I am currently in the works of beginning a semester long research project into sea level rise adaptation and we absolutely are not prepared for the scale of disasters that future climate impacts will bring. Hell we’re not even prepared for what’s happening now. My hometown was still recovering from major infrastructure damage from Hurricane Ian from 2022 when it was hit by both Milton and Helene over the course of THREE WEEKS. Like you have to realize that these horrible things that you see on the news still have effects years down the line after you’ve stopped hearing about it.

And it is also true that scientists cannot rule out the possibility of human extinction. I do not say this to fear monger. But people deserve to know that. Like we are very likely going to hit potentially major tipping points within our lifetimes.

Also. I am so sorry but choosing to believe that demand for renewables and technological innovation will save us is bullshit. The market will not work this out. Speaking as someone who is in the built environment fields there are tons of sectors other than just energy that are much more difficult to decarbonize. And the fantasy belief that like. “Green growth” on a finite planet will save us from climate disaster is just wrong. I am so sorry. But no. I can try to follow this up with more resources tomorrow. But no. This entire post is so full of misinformation that I just. I cannot figure out how to coherently explain this. Just no.

Also I am so sorry but we are not fucking going to re lower global temperatures through net negative emissions. That is literally the most absolutely bullshit claim. Jesus fucking Christ. Literally any amount of digging into carbon capture technologies will reveal that it is bullshit. It is quite literally just a bullshit diversion tactic from fossil fuel companies. All of the really great cool studies you keep seeing about how carbon capture is going to save us are being funded by them. I believe that like. Fucking Columbia Climate School is taking a ton of funding from them last I checked. It is just an excuse for fossil fuel companies to be able to keep emitting and to make people feel like the change necessary to actually tackle the climate crisis isn’t necessary. When it is. It is the same shit as tobacco companies funding studies into literally any other cause of lung cancer other than smoking.

Just like. Let’s please have a little bit of reading comprehension here too. Like okay we have avoided truly apocalyptic levels of global heating? For who? For the residents of island nations whose land will no longer be habitable due to sea level rise? For the 1,301 people who died on the Hajj pilgrimage when temperatures exceeded 50C/122F? For the people in Asheville, North Carolina who were found dead in trees because they jumped out of their upper story apartment windows and tried to climb when the water rose too high? In a town that is thousands of feet above sea level and hundreds of miles from the coast. Be so fucking serious with me right now.

This is a moment that is unprecedented within geologic history. Much less within the time that has provided a stable climate for our species to evolve. We are currently living within a mass extinction. That is fucking apocalyptic. I do not say this to fear monger. I do say this because people have the right to have an accurate understanding of what is happening so that people can understand the urgency of the present moment. I do not say this to spread the idea that things are so bad that we’re doomed and should just give up. Because that is also a horrible way of looking at this and is also very unproductive. But like. People don’t need to be lied to. People need to be educated on the actual realities of the current situation. This is not a fight that ends unless we get to the absolute worst case scenario of human extinction. Which to be clear is not something that is expected. It is just something that cannot be ruled out. Just please please do not spread this misinformation. I can try to follow this up with more resources tomorrow and do a better job of evaluating the things they’re saying and the sources they’re using.

We have already averted truly apocalyptic levels of global warming.

Yes, read that again. Let it sink in. This is what the science now says. We have already averted truly apocalyptic global warming.

To quote David Wallace-Wells, author of The Uninhabitable Earth, from his huge feature in the New York Times:

"Thanks to astonishing declines in the price of renewables, a truly global political mobilization, a clearer picture of the energy future and serious policy focus from world leaders, we have cut expected warming almost in half in just five years... The window of possible climate futures is narrowing, and as a result, we are getting a clearer sense of what’s to come: a new world, full of disruption but also billions of people, well past climate normal and yet mercifully short of true climate apocalypse." (New York Times, October 22, 2022. Unpaywalled here. Emphasis mine. And yes, this vision of the future is backed up by the current science on the issue, as he explains at length in the article.)

So we've already averted truly apocalyptic warming, and we've already cut expected warming IN HALF in just the past five years.

The pace of technology, of innovation, of prices, of feasibility, of discovery, of organizing, of grassroots movements, of movements in other countries around the world, have all picked up the pace so fast in the last five years.

Renewable technology and capacity are both increasing at an exponential rate. It's all S-curves, ones that look like this:

-via The Economist, June 20, 2024.

How much more will we manage in another five years? Another ten? Another twenty?

I know the US is about to fucking suck about the environment for the next four years. But the momentum of renewable energy is far too much to stop - both in the US (x) and around the world.

(Huge shoutouts to India, China, and Brazil for massive gains for the environment in renewables, and Brazil for massive progress against Amazon deforestation.)

We're going to get there.

Say it with me. We're going to get there.

[scarlettgauthor]

A plea

Readers! Billionaire-haters! Comrades! I have a request for you, from the bottom of my self-published indie author heart:

Please buy your books from places other than Amazon.

I am not saying do not buy books. I am definitely not saying pirate books (authors need to be paid in order to keep writing). I am just asking you to shift your purchasing to a non-Amazon platform. Any of the non-Amazon platforms.

We all know that Bezos is using his bajillions of dollars to make the world an actively worse place. We know he's sucking up to Trump because all billionaires are the same, and all they care about is their money. We know he's at least partially to blame for this second Trump presidency. I think the world would be a much better place if Amazon didn't exist.

I hate Amazon and Bezos as much as it's possible to do, but I literally can't survive as a self-published author without selling on Amazon. I earned $1094.26 in royalties (through Draft2Digital) in January, and $863.46 of that was from Amazon sales. Even with the criminally low royalties I get from Audible because I choose to sell elsewhere instead of locking myself into their monopoly, I get between $200-300 a month in royalties from them as opposed to $75-150 a month from Author's Republic, which publishes my audiobooks to everywhere else on the internet.

I hate depending on Amazon, but I can't quit Amazon unless readers do.

My plea to readers is this: Get off Amazon. Get off Kindle. See if you can buy books directly from the independent authors you like (like through my shop on my website!). If you depend on Kindle Unlimited or Audible subscriptions to keep up with your voracious reading habits, try your local library instead. You can get so many books and audiobooks through Libby!

If I was getting 80% of my sales through avenues other than Amazon, it would be easy to take the financial hit and drop them. Currently it's the other way around, and unfortunately I do still need money to live.

I know for many people doing a complete Amazon boycott is not possible. I still occasionally use Amazon for stuff like printer toner, or camp chairs for a concert on short notice, or other housewares I would be happy to buy in an actual store except that in-person shopping has been so degraded by Amazon that's no longer an option. I'm not perfect, and I'm operating within a system that is stacked against me.

But books aren't any of those things. They're not two-day free delivery on groceries and pantry staples for a disabled person who can't safely leave the house. They're not a houseware that you'd have to drive a full hour to buy in person from the one shop that still has it available. There are so, so many other options available in the world for book purchasing, even if you don't have access to a cool local bookstore.

Even if you can't get to a Barnes & Noble.

Even if you don't have a good local library.

There are OPTIONS.

(I, for one, love Bookshop.org, but just look at the Books2Read link for Red, the Wolf, and the Woods! There are 14 non-Amazon retailers, plus I sell direct! Bookshop has just launched ebook sales to support local bookstores, too!)

Please, consider changing your book shopping habits! Ask your friends to change their book shopping habits! It's a small thing, but it's a small thing that means a big improvement for authors, and for the world.

Thank you.

[sulumuns-dootah]

Are you still taking requests? Canigedduhh,, cuddling hcs for the bigger demons of your choice + Zagan please

WHB demons cuddling HCs

⟡ Masterlist ⟡

A/N: Big boy cuddling HCs coming up! ^^ I only picked from the nobles bc I write for the kings all the time :D (Sorry this took too long, but there's been a bit of a flu outbreak where I live and I ofc had to partake)

Characters: Amy, Zagan, Valefor, Glasyalabolas, Ronove, Beleth, Marbas

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

Amy can be both a small spoon and a bigger spoon

Though, he does eventuelly end up feeling like the small one, just with you in his arms

I think his favorite way to cuddle is to lay on your lap tho

He's kinda like a big dog who doesn't understand that he's bigger than you

Oh and another thing:

I might've said this already, but this man holds you and no demon/angel/whatever force will be able to take you away from him

       ༺☆༻

Might not come right out to say he wants to cuddle, but there will be signs

Mostly him always seemingly being right behind you all the time

He's just craving the closeness that cuddling provides

Loves running his fingers over your skin and drawing invisible talismans onto it

And if you stay still for long enough, he might even start talking to you on his own

       ༺☆༻

Let me tell you, I am so sad that they changed his philia from being a plushie bc this man is a living teddy bear

Laying on top of him is like laying on top of those huge snorlax bean bags

Those nails of his also gotta feel really nice scratching your skull

Oh and those bazongas? 10/10 stress reliever balls

       ༺☆༻

A more risky cuddle buddy, but worth it imo (if you can ignore the subtle smell of death)

He will ask you to move as little as possible, but that won't be a problem bc if you manage to find just the right angle and position, you could be out in seconds

Glasya strikes me as the type to stroke your hair while muttering random stuff

Not even cute ones

He'll just ramble about some random stuff he's thinking about at the moment

"Hm... Yesterday Barbatos got hung for three hours by His Majesty, but I only got hung today for two. Does that mean i got hung less because he hates me so much or did he hang me for shorter time because he doesn't hate me as much?"

       ༺☆༻

Oh let me tell you

This man will hold you like you're the dearest thing to him in his life

He will cradle you like a priceless masterpiece

I imagine he also likes to play with your limbs while you lay on him

As in, he'll guide you to straighten out your arm so he can run his fingers over it multiple times and then guide it back into its original position and then move on to some other limb

       ༺☆༻

Beleth is literally a big cat and he also cuddles like one

He loves entvining his body with yours to the point where you can't even get up

If you have cat(s) you probs know the whole vibe that I'm talking about

Also if he's smoking during it, the smoke just surrounds you two and it feels like you're in a cloud

Oh and if he were to fall asleep (very likely actually), he -ironically- looks like an angel again

       ༺☆༻

It's actually really easy to get Marbas to cuddle with you

Just tell him that you need some prolonged skin on skin contact

He'll see right through it, but at least you tried, eh?

At least it's also an excuse for him to take a much-needed break and nobody will pester him afterwards

Marbas is a bit awkward at first, but eventualy relaxes

To be fair, being strapped to a board all day long has to be ruining his posture

[thezombieprostitute]

Your Champion: Changes

Summary: Steve takes you somewhere safe.

A/N: Reader is female. No other physical descriptors used.

Warnings: Implied violence, Manipulation. Please let me know if I missed any!

Series Masterlist

Previous Chapter

Steve did end up taking you out of the apartment, but not as payment for your father's debts. He tells you it's because he wants to keep you safe, to get you away from such a dangerous man.

You fight the urge to laugh at the absurdity. Steve literally burst into your life and started hitting your father. From what he's told you, he hurts a lot of people, even enjoys it! But sure, he's "rescued" you. If there's one good thing your father taught you it's that you don't argue with people who can hurt you.

So when he told you to pack your things, all you could think to do was comply. All of your clothes and your only photo of your mother fit into a single garbage bag with room to spare.

Your face burned with embarrassment when he asked, "is that really all you have?" But when he followed it by grumbling, "should have finished him off," you go cold. Your best option is the same as always: be quiet, be good.

"I'm gonna take you somewhere safe," Steve informs you in the car. "It's a halfway house, but it's still safer than living with your old man." You nod, relieved he isn't taking you back to his place.

"I'll also be driving you to and from work from now on."

Your eyes widen as you turn to look at him.

"I'm going to worry about you otherwise," he explains. "It'll be a longer trip to work than you're used to and I'd rather give you a ride than put you on the bus with a bunch of strangers."

Your eyebrows furrow on confusion. Does he not realize he's also a stranger?

"You are not to leave the house or the grocery store until I pick you up," he orders. "Do you understand?"

No, you think. But you nod your head yes, trying to placate him.

"If I had things my way you wouldn't even be going to work," he continues. "You'd be kept somewhere safe while you healed up from living with that monster for so long. But I've been told that routines can help and having a job can help your sense of worth. So I'll abide by Boss's rules and take you to Nat. But so help me, you need anything you tell me, ok?"

Again you nod. You don't understand much of what he's talking about, but you know what he wants from you. He's just like your father, he talks you listen.

"If your dad is smart he'll stay away from you. But I'll do some security checks around the halfway house and the grocery store from time to time. Just to make sure he's not lurking."

There's a long silence before he shakes his head at you. "Too in shock to even say 'thank you.' What the hell did he to you?"

"I'm sorry, sir," you blurt. "I didn't know you wanted verbal responses."

He huffs through his nose and places a hand on your knee. "No need to be so formal. Just call me Steve."

"Yes, Steve," you quickly reply. Anything to keep him happy, calm, placated.

When you finally reach your destination your somewhat grateful for Steve's insistence on driving you. You have no idea where you are in relation to Pete's Grocery, let alone where the bus stops are. You'd never had need to know any routes outside your normal ones. You've never been so far away from the familiar buildings.

A redheaded woman steps out the front door and she smiles at you.

"Hello there! Steve texted me that he was bringing another rescue."

Your shoulders relax a little. Maybe he does this a lot. Maybe he's just overly helpful to new "rescues". In any case, this woman seems to be used to him so maybe she can help you with him.

"She's agreed to let me take her to and from work," Steve interjects. "That should make things easier for you."

"Is that true?" Nat gives you a meaningful look.

You should tell the truth, that you didn't know you had other options. But it's also the truth that you agreed to his escorting you. And you were just thinking about how grateful you were to not have to ride the buses.

"Yes, ma'am, it's true."

"Okay then," she smiles. "Let's get you set up here, ok?"

Steve tries to follow into house but Nat stops him.

"Don't you need to report to Barnes?"

He sighs angrily and you freeze up. You wish you were strong like Nat clearly is. You can't imagine standing up to anyone like Steve but she's acting like it's not a big deal.

"I'll make sure she calls you before her next shift," Nat reassures him. "But I need to get her feeling safe and you can be quite intimidating."

Steve looks hurt. "I would never!"

Nat raises her hands in a placating gesture. "I know." She points to the house, "they probably know." She points to you, "she probably knows, too. But you can't always control yourself and I don't need you accidentally triggering these poor people."

He looks at you, "you know I'd never hurt you, right?"

"Yes, Steve," you quickly reassure him.

The response seems to soften his look from angry to grumpy.

"Ok. I'll be back to take her to work around 6 tomorrow."

"Sure thing, Champ," Nat smiles.

As Steve gets in his car he smiles and waves to you. You wave back but your brain keeps thinking, how does he know when my shift starts?

Next Chapter

Series Masterlist

Tagging: @alicedopey; @darsynia; @delicatebarness; @icefrozendeadlyqueen; @irishhappiness; @kmc1989; @lokislady82; @ronearoundblindly; @thiquefunlover63

[nellynee]

There's something very viscerally emotional, something between enamoured and inspired and being seen, that pings in me about the relationship between Love and Divinity in Great God Grove.

The game has such a pointed commentary on censorship through redefining and mislabeling things in Hobbyhoo that I can't help but feel like the "unappealing to the masses" tension that was edited out of "Oh Partner Mine" wasn't unappealing for its queerness but from its openness, the romance itself, the love.

And I think about the large gap in time between innovation and creation, and that of love. How the world of GGG had needed love so much that they exalted the spread and embodiment of it into Divinity after centuries without a new god. The world before and after Thespius and how he must have reached the hearts of literally thousands to get the vote on love alone. How it touches and empassions the worshipers despite its lack of general appeal.

I think of the Rebellion in BuzzHuzz being about reunification, not mutiny. About Mildread and community and memory and the plenty of the earth being the same. About Bauhauzzo's tears and his adoration for the good and bad. I think about the ancient god of Nighttime's tears, heart exposed, and a gathering of worshipers standing in the rain, more worried about her emotions than a flood. About Click Clack wanting to love Thespius so much that the greatest gift he can imagine is the entire world's love.

I think of Inspekta's fall and the lack of love there. About a pantheon with such a wide gap in time, about how surely, surely Inspekta was not the first god to change his mind. The way the gods adore their worshipers, but are distant, referring to them as almost a part of the self. Self love, but not connection. How they pair off and find connection with one another. How Mitternacht lost all capability after disconnecting from her favorite mortal. How Cobigail's domain is withering and she's loosing herself. I think about how she and Inspekta are both mortal within living memory of the population, how Inspekta is at a crossroads that Cobigail seems to have successfully navigated, the acceptance of that disconnect from mortality into the Divine love for all. How he probably took one look at his aging congregation, and realized that he embodies a concept built on loneliness without said congregation, on the concept of being on top, and realized there was no one left for him soon, and the loneliness that must have inspired, the fear, the lack of love, and how he falls from grace. I think about how he grew up in a world where love was a form of worship, and how wanting it as a god must have hurt his pride, to need the blessings of another god the way the others didn't seem to need him anymore.

I think about the open queerness of it all and yet the Grove isn't treated as a queer paradise where you can express yourself. It's treated like this is simply the world, an entire planet in which expression is seen, but stories of love and words of affection can be bitten back in fear. The devout who live in the grove open and affectionate in ways visitors aren't.

The god of memory cries. The goddess of night weeps. Creation, innovation, stories, song, mirth, elequence, teamwork, communication, community, LOVE!

LOVE LOVE LOVE

(Love is Zelotism, and not everyone is a zelot. We must appeal to everyone. Spread the Good Word Click Clack)

In a world without a god of war, a god of victory or medicine or the sun, for the first time in ages, the people demanded Love!

Love is Worship! Love is Divine!

I think of the world outside the grove, and the depictions of love, how love must seem to some degree now like prayer. The very real vision that Love equates to worship; a malcontent masses choosing repression and privatization of their love as an act of atheism.

Love is an act of God!

Idk what my point here is. Something about that one might look at a heart locket as one might a cross on a chain. The relationships people in general and individually might have with love as it's associated with religion. The story of these gods and how successful they are in terms of love given and received. There's something fascinating there to chew on.

[oonajaeadira]

For the Love of Fic Ezra

I started trying to catch up in my reading at the end of last year thinking I could tackle one character at a time. Let me tell you, I'm not even half the way through my Ezra reading, but here's what I wanna rec thus far!

A Forgotten Scene by @fromthedeskoftheraven It's a sweet, domestic snippet of fluffy bliss and I want to live in it forever.

We all agree Ezra just *loves* the sound of your voice, right? by @haylzcyon I am all for Ezra just giving in to his innate hornyness. I am all for grinding all out in the open where anyone can see. I am all for knowing about being watched. I am all for loss of control and making a mess and am I sweating? I think I'm sweating over this.

Ezra Goes to Church by @beefrobeefcal Listen. Ezra's hung like a whale and he doesn't care who knows it. Props to great-grammy who knows what's what.

A Light at the End of the Tunnel by @artemiseamoon I'm always so afraid to read whump stories, afraid that they'll end in sadness and misfortune for the character. I'm really glad that isn't the case here. It's hard to watch Ezra struggle with PTSD; I always want the best for him. But I'm so so glad that at the end of it all that means he gets what he wants and most definitely what he needs.

The False Queen by @blueeyesatnight This is a fun AU where Ezra grows up as a con artist...and he's real good at it too, although he may have never chosen the lifestyle if it wasn't for his partner in crime. Love is rough when you know you should be focusing on the con....

Fairy Gold by @julesonrecord Okay yes I know I'm late to the party on this but dang! All the screaming gifs. All. And yes, it's Ezra being a smooth talking Gold Rush prospector and seductive AF, but it's the ending what got me. The realization of what's in the box and what it means? Gorgeous. Knocked me out cold.

A Kiss in the Dark by @something-tofightfor There's something very visceral and sweet about this birfday kiss scenario with Ezra. I love that Rachael has him telling the reader how much he loves them not by saying it outright, but rather heaping heartfelt gratitude on the day that they came into the world. It's so very intimate and quiet, and the perfect start to a birfday.

by @insomniamamma

Threefold Here's an Ezra that lives up to the man we first meet in the movie--a world that J is an expert in. He's done a lot of people dirty and this reader character is one of them. But things have changed and there's a chance for riches--both literal and figurative. And the risk is so so so worth it.

Needles and Pins Tattoo artist Ezra helps to cover some literal and emotional scars...and maybe offer more time together than is needed for the inking. I would absolutely fall head over ass for tattoo artist Ezra. Especially if he was this gentle and accommodating, if he and I clicked over a design, if I needed my life to start again... I really need to book an appointment...guh.

by @morallyinept

Hydrate Jett writes some poetic stylings and I'm here for it. Especially when she likens Ezra's bits and pieces to his morals--heavy and loose. I kinda lost my mind. I mean, on top of the whole thing about watching Ezra skinny dipping in a waterfall pool. This is as much a work of art as that boy is.

Wipspiration: Sleazy Psychic Ezra Based on one of her etherial moodboards, Jett presents a seedy scene of tension and tarot and horniness that I'm still recovering from.

[illustrationist-of-the-stars]

In the Stitch event, what do you think the HSR characters' reaction would be off getting stuck on a random beach and meeting Stitch?

I think they all mostly would have very mixed and different reactions to the little alien gremlin once they get over the shock and slight concern of getting transported into some random book and ending up in a tropical paradise....

Besides that, for just the Beach itself:

Yuu!Jing Yuan would be surprised at the sudden turn of events he got into but would just go back to being his usual laid-back attitude at the face of his current companions in the same predictament as him so as to not overwhelm them or induce more panic into them more than neccassary but make no mistake, the white lion is ready to pounce on any true threat if were one show itself in his wake because while he has no access to his weapon in this dimension, his own fists and claws aren't exempt from the aquation if a sudden battle were to commence that dare to threaten his companion's lively hoods.

The sudden wardrobe change perplexes him, to be honest and the choice of it without his actual input into it but he supposes it suits the overall islander aesthetic in whatever this dimension is going for if you ignore the whole getting stranded and lost at sea issue. He's not quite used to wearing something as casual in public but he comes to appreciate the feeling of just being himself with no high expectations or responsibility placed upon him for a bit and decides to treat it as like a true relaxing vacation before they inevitably find a way back home.

Yuu!Dan Heng is in a similar protective mood aswell, with the added sudden stress of getting literally stranded into a seemingly deceitful tropical paradise and with his powers made useless for an actual escape from it all and back to the familiar yet not world of Twisted Wonderland, it's no wonder how he didn't just flooded the entire island with his own high-strung emotions alone.

Honestly, if it weren't the slighy twitch of his expression and tense shoulders and figure giving himself away to the students there, one could've said his stoic attitude was fairly convincing...yet everyone by now knows him far too well much to his chagrin.

The outfit change concerns him greatly actually but he has no say in it so he'd just make do with what he's got until further notice.

Yuu!Argenti would still somehow manage to keep his composure and find the positives, and of course, the beauty that could be found in this sudden turne of events. He already knows that whatever it is that brought them there would have to release them eventually so he'd take his time to just appreciate the flora and fauna surrounding him whilst leaving some poetic commentary on everything he sees which some of the guys learn to just tune out or nod every now and again so as to not hurt his feelings or just to be polite.

He would also give compliments to whatever entity that chose such tasteful new outfits that suit him greatly and the comfortable feeling of being in this tropical atmosphere.

Yuu!Aventurine would find this situation suprising but not at the same time, to be honest. At this point in time, he'd just be resigned to just follow the flow and see whatever it takes him unless it somehow threatens his life or a chance to gamble something is present to him since the stuff he's been through in Twisted Wonderland taught him than in situations that involve magic as potent and strong as this is that it's just best to let things run it's course and leave it up to chance like the true gambler he is.

He would eventually decide to just reap the benefits of being there and use it as a much needed relaxing, vacation time that he really got so it's a win for him regardless...

Though the wardrobe change does concern him alot and the intrusive thought of some unknown entity changing his clothes midway through his unwilling transportation here gives him a twinge of disgust and uncomfortability wave through him, he supposes that whatever it was that did it, he should be somewhat grateful it didn't do anything more than that, right? Could be worse...

Yuu!Silver Wolf would be surprised upon her arrival at first but would later realize the situation is like sort of reverse isekai but island retreat theme so she'd be apprehensive at first but later would just go with the flow aswell. On the outside she'd continue with her stoic, 'idgaf' attitude to her friends but on the inside she's actually sort of nervous in this new environment no matter her weird instincts telling her that she shouldn't be worried...

The outfit change into something more a beach goer aesthetic did shock her at first, but she'd be a little happy at getting new clothes she can be comfortable in and just having something new to wear in general cause the school uniforms, hand-me down clothes qnd school bought clothes were not cutting it at this point...no matter the implications or the 'how's' or 'why's' she got them or here.

As for seeing Stitch himself in all his gremlin, chaotic glory...of course the reactions and attitude towards him would vary:

Yuu!Jing Yuan would just treat him as like an unruly yet very bratty child that may or may not have rabies and would often than not hold him by the scruff of his neck and put him in solitary air jail when he gets to fussy or risk letting himllse to wreak havoc on the island and it's inhabitants.

In the end though, he'd learn to actually like and be quite charmed with Stitch and his odd quirks aswell. He'd try to teach him to regulate his emotions more and try to understand why he likes to cause destruction so much and try to teach him better ways to use that anger to something more productive or atleast in something that won't harm other people and would eventually come to treat him as like a pupil no matter their limited time together.

Yuu!Dan Heng would be super disturbed and agitated at first with the little guy upon first meeting since the new situation is still fresh with him and suddenly having some weird rabid alien following them around causing mayhem is not helping them get any favors or any way back so he'd just be apprehensive and keep his distance.

After awhile, Stitch with his strange way of getting under anyone's skin and him being oddly cute in his own meesed up way, would eventually get closer to Yuu!Dan Heng mostly due to him being fascinated by his Imbibitor Lunae form and would try his hardest to instigate a fight between them but would just settle with poking and prodding at his new features curiously much to the Viyadhara's misfortune and his disregarded personal space.

He'd also later learn of Stitch's instinctual aversion to open seas and water in general and yet his own curiousity and want to play outshining such survival instinct so he'd relent and let him play with the water dragon or just let him get accimalate with water in small doses if Stitch wants to.

He'd have a bregruding liking to the little alien and would often than not talk about space with eachother and the concept of family once they get more comfortable with one another's presence.

Yuu!Argenti, as expected, would still somehow find Stitch quite beautiful regardless of the other's saying otherwise and would come to treat him as like any other person or thing that he deems so and would hold with reverance which Stitch would preen into with each compliment that spills out pf his mouth but would eventually find abit annoying after awhile...

Yuu!Aventurine would be a bit understandably apprehensive at first and would treat Stitch like he'd bite off his fingers anytime which is, again, understandable and he'd maybe even do something worse than that-

But after awhile of getting used to eachothers presence, they'd later would get along with one another while Yuu!Aventurine would pamper and treat the little pipsqueak like his own kid or something or act as like a makeshift sugar daddy (lmao-)

He would turn a blind eye at any havoc the little guy would cause and would gain a little bit of satisfaction if that same havoc were to be directed to some of the guys but would hold him back if he were to see he's going a bit too far.

He'd also absolutely teach the guy the art of gambling and play some games with the guy to pass the time mucn to everyone else's displeasure...

Yuu!Silver Wolf honestly would just treat him as like some weird ass furry little brother that on occasion causes property damage every now and again in a fit of frenzied rage or bloodlust but don't we all?

She'd absolutely introdictate him into playing games with her on one of her old tech screens and thankfully it can handle a little mishandling due to it being mostly transparent and sort of magic-like(?) So he can be as brash and reckless as possible with it so long as he doesn't rage quit and somehow dedicates every inch of himself into finding a way through sheer force of will.

Yuu!Silver Wolf would also absolutely try to get him into being an ipad kid and would be the groups saving grace with always being the one to give the guy something to watch on one of her screens to distract him long enough to have some sort of reprieve from his manic self.

[megplant]

Killshot - Part Two | Tangerine/Fem!Reader

Summary: Rival assassins! Continuation of Killshot (Part One here) - You ran into Tangerine & Lemon at the tail-end of a job gone wrong. It’s time to skedaddle.

Warnings: Canon typical violence, language, blood, weapons

——————————————————

So, picture this:

You’re in the back of a tiny car. Black leather interior stuck to your thighs. You’re crammed against the window by stacked luggage and duffel bags. And, you’re handcuffed. Oh, and your wrist is probably broken.

You cradle your hands close to your chest to prop up your broken wrist as comfortably as you can. You’re jostled every few seconds by another bump on the deserted dirt road which sends a sharp lance of pain down your arm with each movement.

There’s two men in the front of the car. They have been arguing, loudly, for the past ten minutes. Neither of them have as much as acknowledged you since they detained you in the backseat.

These two are possibly the most annoying twosome you have ever met. You have a splitting migraine, and it’s not just from getting your head bashed in earlier.

“-dunno why the hell you keep putting up with this fucking bird, and now we’re tits up in the middle of nowhere without the money-”

“Would you fucking drop it, you’re getting on my fucking tits-”

“-And I got blown up, did I mention the part where she literally blew me up?!”

“Only 17 fucking times, Mary. Christ - you didn’t even get hurt, look at me-”

“-Blown. Up. Bruv! Blown up!!”

You tune them back out, sighing and resting your head against the window. The cold glass pressed against your sweaty forehead cuts through some of the haze in your head, and you start to take stock of your situation.

Obviously, you can’t actually let the Twins capture you. There’s plenty of bounties and warrants out on any number of your identities that they could choose to cash in on. You simply can’t trust them enough to pass up a potential payout that big.

Besides, your employer will be waiting on your kill confirmation.

So, you need to escape. Which wouldn’t be a problem, except you’re in the middle of fucking nowhere.

The villa you’ve just helped these idiots escape is in the middle of the goddamn Scottish Highlands. The paranoid old man that lived there was some kind of Baron or something.

Whoever he was, he must have been important or wealthy enough for somebody to want him dead, anyway. That’s where you come in.

You and the Twins, you amend, irritated.

Competition is just another part of your job. It’s to be expected. But, not them. Not him.

You have been keeping tabs on the Twins since your run-in at the Duke’s last year, but the last you’d heard they were cleaning up some russki sleeper cell in Belgrave - which was absolutely nowhere near the UK.

But…then again, how long ago was that tip-off?

Sloppy.

So, they were here. Fine. It’s not unusual to go up against them for the same jobs, but - why this one?

This Baron wasn’t just a run-of-the-mill contract for you. You had additional objectives here.

It was not unusual for your employer to ‘double-dip’ by using certain contracts to simultaneously work towards their own mysterious agendas. They would add certain caveats or extra targets to contracts whenever they needed something to happen quietly.

Your additional objective, as it was described to you, was to ‘make a mess’ of the Baron’s security systems. At the time, you’d just assumed the higher-ups were interested in some data stored there and were using this contract to procure it for their own purposes.

The Twins would have picked up this job as part of their usual freelance work, and you know them well enough to know they would have only been interested in the payout. Anything bigger at play here likely wouldn’t have been on their radar at all.

It was just a simple job for them.

Not quite so simple for you, unfortunately. Any added duties or parameters on a given contract changes nothing for you. You’re always expected to complete the contract, no exceptions. The Firm’s policy on that point is very clear.

All agents will successfully complete all assignments. No exceptions.

You know you fulfilled their added objective with ease - the precision mines you’d planted strategically throughout the server room had done their job. That explosion wasn’t just the perfect distraction for a getaway, after all.

Killing the mark had been just as easy. Tangerine had guessed correctly that you were here on a honeypot, the jackass. But, it was too easy of an in to pass up. All you’d had to do was remove the Baron’s usual call girl, and insert yourself in her place.

Everything had been going smoothly - until Tangerine. He was the one stumbling block in your otherwise perfectly simple and flawlessly executed plan.

You’d run into him in the maintenance halls, where he was sweeping for troublemakers like you. At the time, you’d been in a hurry to drop a tail since you’d caught some unwanted attention during your exit from the old man’s study. A hooker covered in blood making a beeline for the secure server room was probably worth stopping, after all.

You’d already dispatched the two guards that were chasing you and planted your mines (notice the adaptability, you’ll highlight that in the report), but you were sure there was still someone else tailing you. So, distracted and in a rush - you’d been reacquainted with Tangerine’s knuckle dusters.

Your little explosion had only gone off a minute or so after you’d fled the server room, so if Lemon really had gotten caught up there, he must have been right behind you. You were impressed, actually - he’d been doing a good job tailing you.

So, the job was done. You fulfilled your extra objectives. You got out clean. You just needed to ditch the Twins and make contact with your handler and you’d be in the clear.

Your eyes are closed while you puzzle out your situation, resting your head against the car’s window. When you decide to break your silence, you speak without moving, only opening your eyes enough to watch the two men in the rearview mirror.

The rasp in your voice is more pronounced as you attempt to speak up, and it forces you to cough and wheeze before you can find your voice.

You watch Lemon glance between you and Tangerine. His eyebrows raise, knowingly, though he keeps his lips pressed into a thin line. Lemon has never been your biggest fan.

You smile, sharp, unable to help yourself from goading them both. You keep your eyes glued to Lemon’s, grinning smugly. “Tell me - how far behind me were you, Lem? The old man must have been getting cold by the time you got there.”

Tangerine slams the brakes, and you smack face-first into the back of the passenger seat - unable to catch yourself with your hands cuffed together. You sputter indignantly, righting yourself as gracefully as you can. Just as you’re opening your mouth to tell him where to shove it, he cuts you off-

“That’s enough out of the bloody cheap seats. I will happily shove you in the boot if you don’t behave, dammit!” He grinds the words out, a vein in his neck standing out as he clenches his jaw tight.

You believe him.

You sit back slowly, finding Tan’s piercing blue eyes boring into yours through the rearview. You try your best not to smile as you make a show of zipping your lips and throwing away the key. His mustache doesn’t so much as twitch. Joyless bastard.

Still - you know from your mission prep that it’s at least another hour to the nearest petrol station, and you aren’t keen on spending it pretzeled in the damn boot. You’ll be quiet. For now.

As Tangerine starts driving again - spinning the wheels on the country road and sending dirt flying as he hits 75 kph in 2 seconds flat - you can hear another argument start up between him and Lemon. This time their tones are hushed and urgent - they’ve finally realized you’re listening.

Most likely, they’re arguing about what the hell to do about you. You still haven’t confirmed the kill, so technically the contract on the Baron is still open. You hope they aren’t coming to that realization on their own, since you’d really hate to kill them for trying to take credit for your kill.

Your employer has their policies, after all.

Your mind races, flipping through your various contingencies. You want to stop and get your bearings and figure out what to do, but with Tangerine pushing 100kmph you’ll have to think fast.

It’s too dark to get any idea of where you are based on the scenery flying by - and it all looks the same out here, anyway. Darkness swims around the car, only some flecks of dirt and debris kicked up by the tires catching the light from the headlamps.

You shift in your cramped seat, anxiety starting to claw its way up your chest and into your throat. The handcuffs are rubbing your wrists raw, and there’s definitely not enough air in this car.

You know there’s a simple and obvious solution to this problem. You have a panic button embedded in your tacky bejeweled earrings and a burner phone tucked into your bodice. Neither of the Wonder Twins bothered to pat you down or check you for contraband before shoving you in the car, they just took your weapons and cuffed you.

You only have to reach one - earrings or phone, and you can call for backup.

You should just call it in. An extraction team would be here within the hour, if you call it in.

You would almost certainly be signing Lemon and Tangerine’s death warrants if you call it in.

Your handler will kill you if you don’t call it in.

You watch Tangerine’s bloodied hands gesture erratically while he argues with Lemon. The pale light from the headlamps backlight him in a fuzzy glow. It illuminates a perfect sliver of his profile to you, the sharp angles of his face captured in stark relief against the dark outside the windows. He’s as animated as you remember, and your chest swells with nostalgic fondness as you watch him drive and argue.

You picture his hands, so warm and so full of life, laying still. Forever.

You are so fucking stupid.

You settle back in your seat with a resigned sigh and, for the better part of the next hour, you pretend to sleep.

The Twins’ arguing dies out eventually, and you imagine they’ve reached some kind of conclusion about what to do next. You don’t bother to try and figure out what their plan will be, since you’ll be driving this trainwreck from here on out.

After a while, the bumpy dirt and gravel access road turns into true pavement. The fast pace Tangerine has set on the dirt roads only picks up when he hits smooth asphalt. It feels like the car is flying down the winding country roads, and the absence of turbulence provides a blissful reprieve to your senses.

There’s too much empty time before you reach the petrol station and despite your nerves, you do end up dozing fitfully; pulled under by the hypnotic thrum of the engine and the endless black.

——————————

You can’t have been asleep more than ten minutes, but you wake with a gasp - your eyes fly to the rearview mirror and catch Tangerine watching you. He must have seen you jump. You don’t like the flash of concern you see in his eyes, so you play to type and fix him with a childish glare.

“Are we there yet?” You whine, your voice filling up the cab after so much silence.

It grates on your own ears, so you know Tangerine gripping the steering wheel tight enough to make it creak is an authentic reaction. Your satisfied grin is too.

“Service station coming up.” Lemon mumbles in response, clearly too tired to put up with your bullshit himself.

“Oh, good - I’ve been needing the toilet for miles!” You shift around in your seat, pretending not to see the looks the Twins are sending each other.

They won’t want to let you out of their sight - rightfully so. But you do need to get this show on the road.

Turns out, Lemon was right. You can see the service station off in the distance as you round a bend. The buzzing fluorescents light your way like a garish beacon.

You keep quiet as you approach, apprehension starting to settle heavily around your shoulders. Your plan isn’t so much a plan as a goal, with that goal simply being to get away from the Twins. So, you aren’t feeling as prepared as you usually like to be.

You pay sharp attention as the small town car slowly turns off the main road and into the empty asphalt lot that contains the station. There’s a bank of petrol pumps taking up most of the lot, lit up dayglo white with those beckoning fluorescents. You can see a small shop with a worker inside, and a larger building for the toilets beside it.

Tan takes a circle of the lot around the buildings - paranoid as ever - which lets you notice a few small egress windows lining the back wall of the toilets.

Tangerine finally parks the car in between the two tiny buildings, and you reach for the door handle, looking forward to stretching your legs -

“- Hold on!”

He barks sharply, with enough volume to make you flinch away from the door sheepishly.

“What? I have to pee! You’re really not gonna let a lady use the toilets?” You’re fixing them with an incredulous look, absolutely offended at their total lack of decency or chivalry.

They simultaneously look from you to each other, and start arguing silently with grimaces and exaggerated hand motions. You watch it quietly escalate, amused. Eventually they must reach some kind of consensus, as Tan throws his hands up and lets out a loud, exasperated sigh.

“Fine! Lem, go fill ‘er up, I’ll take our guest to the ladies since it’s apparently so fucking urgent.”

“Gee, thanks ever so..” You mumble under your breath as you finally let yourself out of the cramped back seat.

The extent of your injuries slams into your consciousness once you’re out of the warm cocoon of the heated cab. The cold air hits you like a freight train, painful and sharp. You stagger slightly, all the blood rushing from your head as you try to stand.

The asphalt threatens to meet your face but Tangerine catches your elbow, and you’re able to steady yourself.

There’s a beat of silence as you catch your breath and will your eyes to focus on him. You’re hyper aware of him intently studying you. The car pulls smoothly away, heading towards the petrol pumps.

“Alright, love?” He asks softly, breath fogging in the air between you. It’s too quiet, too intimate, too familiar, too genuine and it makes your voice stick in your throat.

You just nod quickly, clearing your throat, and pulling your arm away as you straighten yourself out. You take a step forward, and there’s no trace of shakiness in your limbs. Not one wobble on your hooker heels. It takes a great deal of effort to force your body to look composed, but you keep that off your face when you turn back to smirk at Tangerine. You pretend to ignore the disapproval you can see coloring his features.

“Can I please go to the loo, now?”

He just rolls his eyes at you with a scoff, and jerks his head in the direction of the bathroom. “Fine, march, then - and no sudden movements, I’m not in the bloody mood.”

“Sure, I’ll be a perfect angel, but-”

You gesture with your handcuffed hands to the sign telling you to get a key for the toilets from the clerk inside. “We need the key.”

He’s already glaring up at the sky like God is purposefully coming up with ways to annoy him, so you just keep talking.

“And you can’t very well bring me along in handcuffs - look at the state of me, he’ll call the cops in a second. I s’pose you could just leave me out front here, alone, while you go inside and leave me here by myself for just a second…”

You’re already holding your handcuffs out towards him, a cheeky smile on your face. Tangerine lets out another long-suffering sigh, and digs in his pocket for the key. He grabs on to your wrists, holding you still while he glares you down.

“You stay where I can see you, and no funny business.” He says, twisting the key in the lock and gently unlatching and pulling the cuffs away.

But, he doesn’t let go of your wrists, even once the handcuffs are off and slipped into his pocket. You aren’t stupid enough to try and pull away, and you wait patiently for him to feel he’s sufficiently made his point.

“Relax, Tan. You’ll wrinkle.”

He simply holds your gaze for a moment longer, before finally letting go of your wrists and sweeping you forward with his other arm. It doesn’t escape your notice that he keeps his arm locked around your waist, keeping you right where he can see you.

Paranoid bugger.

Your wrist throbs dully, but you experiment with flexing and testing it while Tangerine escorts you. Dislocated, you reckon, not quite shattered like you thought. It hurts like a bitch if you clench or overextend, but you’ve had worse - it won’t get in your way.

Tan shoulders open the door to the convenient store, pulling you inside right beside him. The door jingles jauntily, and you’re pleased to see a dead-eyed teenage boy behind the counter. He offers the two of you what could have been a greeting, but was really just a grunt and a nod.

You’re already being prodded forward to the registers by Tan, impatient as ever.

You lean against the counter, tucked up against Tan’s side and feigning boredom while he asks for the bathroom key. Some conversation ensues about needing to make a purchase to use the loo.

Tan grumbles about paying for the petrol while your eyes dart around the shop, cataloging everything within reach. The lighter display catches your eye - cheap plastic ones in garish colors. Right next to them, at perfect height for children’s grabby hands, candy, toy cars, and a few boxes of bang snaps.

Perfect.

While Tan's busy paying for a pack of smokes to secure the toilet key, you palm a neon green lighter and two small bang snap boxes with practiced ease. They slide neatly into your empty thigh holster.

The intricate movements sends a sharp reminder of pain through your wrist, making you grit your teeth. Soon. You'll fix that soon enough.

Your non-plan is swiftly taking shape into a sort of okay plan before your eyes, your mind racing through next steps and back up options.

"Ready, love?" Tangerine's voice breaks through your thoughts, jangling the key in front of your face impatiently. You snap out of your thoughts quickly, jumping to action.

You push off the counter with an exaggerated sigh, pushing past him.

"Finally! I have got to use the bloody bathroom!"

Tan keeps up with you easily, his arm finding its way back around your waist as he steers you towards the bathroom. You glance over and see Lemon by the petrol pumps, methodically going through the motions of filling up the cars tank.

He catches your eye and gives you a warning look that you pretend not to notice.

The bathroom door creaks open with a protest of rusty hinges. You both stare at it for a moment. It's exactly what you expected - big empty concrete room with a single toilet, sink, and yes - there's that lovely emergency window.

Tangerine does a quick sweep of the tiny space before stepping back. "Five minutes," he says firmly. "Door stays unlocked."

You flutter your eyelashes at him. "What, you don't trust me?"

"Not even a little bit, darling." But there's something almost fond in his expression that makes your stomach twist.

You shut the door in his face.

Moving quickly, you snatch handfuls of paper towels, stuffing them into the tiny bin along with whatever else you can find - toilet paper, empty toilet rolls, paper cup from the sink, ancient magazine rotting in the corner.

The bang snaps come next, hastily linked together with strips of toilet paper into a makeshift fuse leading to the door. All the extras get heaped into the bin.

Your wrist screams at you with every movement and the shaking is impeding your finer motor skills. Might as well take care of that now.

You brace yourself against the sink and get a firm grasp on your bad wrist. You take a deep breath, and twist. The crack of bone sliding back into place makes your vision white out for a second, but the relief is immediate.

Sharp, lancing pain had given way to a deeper throbbing kind of pain. The kind you could more easily keep pushing through.

"Everything alright in there?" Tangerine calls through the door, making you jump.

"Just peachy!" you sing back, keeping your voice as easygoing as you can.

You snatch up the end of your little dynamite toilet paper rope, moving to the window. It takes some careful maneuvering - these heels weren't made for cat burglary - but you manage to wiggle through without making too much noise.

You have to flick the lighter several times before the flame will catch. You blame your trembling fingers on the pain, ignoring the nerves. The flimsy paper finally catches and you watch the fire sprawl neatly down your knotted rope.

You drop from the window and the first pop goes off just as your feet hit the ground outside.

It gets really loud, really quickly.

The firecrackers start going off in rapid succession, echoing enough in the small space to almost sound like real gunfire. Acrid, black smoke from your improvised trash fire starts to unfurl from the window above you.

You assume Tan can see it, too, because you can hear him shouting something and banging on the tinny door. You locked it, of course, so he’s trying to bust it down.

Crouching low behind the back wall of the toilets, you can hear Lemon shouting over the still-popping firecrackers. Then, his footsteps pounding across the asphalt.

You're already running.

The car sits alone at the pump like a gift, engine purring quietly, front door wide open. You throw yourself into the driver's seat, hands finding the gear shift just as you hear Tangerine's voice rising in alarm - and getting closer.

"Lem, wait - FUCK!”

He had realized your game a second too late, and was sprinting back to try and intercept you.

“The bloody car, LEMON!”

Tan was gesturing wildly in your direction, and Lemon finally got it, whipping around with his pistol drawn.

But you're already peeling out of the lot before he can get a shot off, tires screaming against the asphalt. In the rearview mirror, you catch one last glimpse of the Twins - Lemon with his gun drawn, Tangerine's face twisted in fury and something that might be grudging respect.

You can't help but laugh as you floor it onto the empty highway, the night swallowing you whole. Your wrist aches, your dress is ruined, and you're pretty sure you've lost a heel somewhere in the chaos.

But you're free.

And really, that's all that matters.

[astrxlfinale]

Stellaron? Somehow, the fact an article managed to squeeze into the details highly ambitious and dangerous individuals was a thing or note. To mention that entire civilizations found themselves upon or well beyond the road of collapse too? It was worrying as much as it was mythical sounding. While idea of the Trailblaze was taken more as a way of life (instead of a literal power), the way she reflects upon this, of people and views witnessed only adds to her merit.

"So a track record to boot. That's where a pinch of your moxie stems from. Oh? Not to mention you're a fan of idols no less?"

"While I'm not sure of some cosmic level one, New Eridu has its own pride and joy in Astra Yao." Whatever was about to follow proceeds to die upon his lips. Seeing the way that expression dimmed underneath that crown of pink hair snagged a growing sense of realization. The reality of it all, what pushed her to be a little reckless, looks like that were all too familiar in the lives involving those working with the Hollows.

Lighter's hand paused from finding the next picture before he brought the camera back over. In this case, carefully taking her hand and ensuring the depth of these memories, this wild crew who sound a touch like world saviors, her life would be situated through this material possession as he settles upon the top of her palm. "You're a Trailblazer yourself." There's no need to question, the pride drawn upon that said enough.

"How about making a story that will have 'em aching to give this place a visit with ya next time?"

He doesn't want that sadness of displacement to become overwhelming. So juice it is.

"Yo, Mark." He'd finally call to one of the waiters, giving a hand gesture that's more like Outer Ring lingo. "Bring over two glasses of Wild Melon on the rocks to start us out with."

It wouldn't take long before the delivered glasses, flushed with a cold haze were settled right at their table.

"Lighter! D-- Didn't think you'd be sitting in with us today! You're usually more of an evening guy!"

"Change of plans." He said simply. "Me n' the good lady here are a bit famished. You can settle this on my tab."

"Of course! Ma'am, what would you like? I'm assuming its the same for you Lighter?"

"The two double Bang burgers with a side of cheese fries? Right on the Dennies."

Her sights remained glued to the camera as he went through the pictures within. Thankfully he seemed careful but that didn't serve to reassure her. Maybe she should try and figure out what her next moves should be after dinner is done. Or is it lunch? She had no clue to be honest.

Space princess! Just like her backstory! Well one of them! She couldn't help but perk up as soon as he uttered those words. Nodding quickly in agreement, as if saying yes that is me! with all of her soul. She had always (mostly) wanted to be compared to a space princess!

"You could say that I'm the most adowable space princess! Hehe~" A lot of pride over that little nickname she received. She'd not let him forget that any time soon honestly.

"Uh...well I wouldn't say they are worried about the same issues you are but I wouldn't exactly call it peaceful always. Bad guys acting in the shadows, corrupt old hags ruling their planet to ruins under the influence of the Stellaron and attempts to throw whole civilizations into chaos!...thankfully us on the path of the trailblaze were there to stop a lot of it." A little bit of bragging wouldn't hurt, right?

"But there is also some nice juices, pretty sights and cool idols. If only you could see Miss Robin! She is such a wonderful idol." Kind and pretty with such amazing music. Music she might not get to hear new of in a while...sure she had some of it on her phone but...

"..." She looked down at the table now, kinda realising there was a lot of things she'd miss out on while here huh? Adventures, family, her favorite idols...a slight frown formed and she did feel as if she could actually start crying slightly but. She had to stay strong! This was just gonna be a tiny bump in her path! She'd soon return home!

She took a hasty breath and then looked up to meet his sights "So uh...how about that juice? Is it any good?"

Just act normal Marchie~

[biskael]

I think that Quilge should throw in the occasional thee & thine , etc . Just for fun .

[dxxtruction]

Louis' "You're boring!" Could mean so many things, but I think what's most apparent about that line is that Armand takes no initiative just for himself. He's not really anybody, because he never goes out and finds himself or gets attached to anyone but Louis. Without Louis as his guide he's literally just sitting on a couch picking lint! That's the thing.

He orbits constantly around what would make Louis happy, and never really fully going what would make me happy? Ultimately that drive to please Louis is what drives him to torturing Daniel, not so much that he'd care to just do it. Ultimately, not giving proper care to Louis is just a way to make sure Louis knows he has to orbit around him as well, with shoving Lestat onto him just that other nail on the coffin. So, even if he fails to figure out how to make Louis happy with him, he still knows what Armand is good for, and better than.

That dependency is what drives Armand's abuse. It really just comes down to that. Armand doesn't even realize how suffocated he is by his own dependency. This is just how life is to him. (It shouldn't be lost either that dependency is a theme considering this episode also deals with addiction).

Daniel's fascinating because he's just so driven to be somebody. He's largely independent, he seeks things because he wants them. It's his drug to poke and prod at all the things that he shouldn't. Daniel's exciting because he lets Louis in to something different, lets him in to all this potential in another person that he can also do the same with for himself. It's a real connection. A two way street. It's easy to tell how Armand can be smothering then because he's never introducing him to anything really new, and most the ways both of them connect are all painful and traumatic. It's never just fun because there's always that layer of that pain. Fun died with Claudia.

50 years on they've gotten to a lot better place, both of them, but it's still that same shit. No seriously, "How is this any different from last time, Louis?"

Well... Because Armand's going to be, at the very least, making one [1] decision only for himself - and that's to hold power over Daniel's life. Fucking sick foreshadowing.

They aren't driving each other to the brink anymore but "The vampire is bored" STILL. Maybe it's even worse, despite being in better places, because Louis' sort of just been defeated by it. (I mean, can he even really leave this either?). He's accepting the dependancy cause he kind of has to. He'd literally ended up letting all the enjoyment be up where he can't reach [The book shelves]. Armand so desperately wants Louis happiness but what really ends up happening is that Louis ends up having to give Armand all his own. He's got no one or anything else to get it from. But like an iPad and an over the top eating ritual. Two extremes of what's just more lint picking.

This whole relationship is one I find just tragic inside and out. You have to just pity it, really. There's ways in which you can find yourself feeling bad for both of them. But you can only really be mad at Armand for any of it. Armand, who isn't even 'free' in any sense, having so little concept of his own independence, but is at the same time so controlling over other's. It's a tragic cycle. It's an infuriating one.

Louis at least has the mind to know when enough is enough. If just needing that extra push to get there. Armand's too scared of it being over to even try.

[taruruchi]

Y'all don't understand how good the little mermaid musical is

[namorthesubmariner]

Let me preface this by saying that this response is not an attack on you, but a more general response to the many times I've seen these fandom opinions over my years as a Namor fan, and I personally do not care about the NamorSue ship at all. As a Namor fan, this sucks for many reasons, but rather than just leave it there I will explain why:

It’s weird to imagine since Namor is very different from his comic counterpart. He's actually not. At all. Comic!Namor's people were a indigenious racially ambiguous fictional sea people before they were made into Atlanteans, the original creator didn't want them to be from Atlantis when he first created them. Mcu!Namor is very solidly based on the early interpretation of the character. But instead of it being a racially ambiguous native people, they gave them a real world mesoamerican background. Read "Namor was never White to begin with" in which I explain to fans why Comic!Namor has always been coded as a biracial man. The only people who think Namor is different from comics to movie is the people who never actually know the character or base their knowledge of him on the ReedSueNamor drama in F4/other comics, when in his own comics he has a very different consistent characterization that isn't changed the instant Susan appears.

Tenoch's portrayal of Namor is exactly like his comic counterpart save for a major difference: His Talokanil people actually love Namor, the comic Atlanteans despise him for being a "half breed" so comic!Namor only had Lady Dorma, Namora, and his mother Princess Fen, treat him kindly. Everything else about Tenoch!Namor is literally ripped out of the comics, A warrior poet king who does art and wages war to protect his people? Namor in the comics does this, he creates art, he is a protector of his people, his very name in Atlantean means "Avenging Son" which his mother gave him. He is meant to grow up, be the protector and avenging son of his people. Namor is son of Talokan, as he is the son of Atlantis. It's literally the same character on screen as is in the comics, except as I said, we are now in an era where we don't have to be ambiguous about Namor's origins. The real world translation works so much better and allows the character to be seen for what he's always been. Other than that, other notable similarities: Namor's dark humor to Shuri is the same as his dry/dark humor in the comics. Namor putting his people before himself, his own body on the line, namor doing everything he can to protect his people/their lives. Namor being a princely figure etc. It's the same character and frankly anyone who says it's not, is wrong. The characterization of Namor on screen is the most accurate adaptation of any comic character I've ever seen.

So how would this work? Because right now, I’m just imagining Namor saying, “I hate all colonizers!” before he sees Susan Storm. He then says, “I hate all colonizers…but she’s alright with me!”

On a more serious note, if the writers are willing to dig deep and make this work, I can picture a storyline in which Namor and Sue are forced to spend time together. Maybe Sue is taken to Talokan because Johnny got captured by Namor’s people, so she’s there to negotiate his release. Namor then starts talking about how much he hates the surface world and so on and so forth. But through his interactions with Sue, he slowly starts to soften his perspective since he’s won over by Sue’s kindness and empathy. And, obviously, he thinks she’s gorgeous because she’s Vanessa Kirby. Basically…Beauty and the Beast (but Beast isn’t cursed). Yes, let's get serious: Susan being taken to Talokan because Johnny was captured is literally beat for beat: Shuri demands to be taken to Talokan because Riri was captured. It's literally the same. Why would we ever need to repeat that in service to a subpar ship? Yes, I do call NamorSue subpar, it's actually a horrid ship for Namor's character, it's done nothing to aid his character because he is just used as a tool for ReedSue: A brief explainer on the ReedSueNamor drama is linked here and I will be releasing a longer meta piece on that subject in the future. Another thing to note here: Susan was never the one who shows namor a different path/changes Namor's mind about humanity. It was Betty Dean.

I am actually very tired of fans erasing Betty Dean and her importance in the comics to Namor over Susan. Betty was Namor's actual first surface friend, his actual first love interest, a character who was among the very early women in comics who had her own agency and was not tied down to a romance. Sue's compassion to Namor is literally shown as "Hey maybe you three (the rest of the F4) shouldn't fight against 1 person, 3:1, because it's unfair." She recognizes that Namor was a tormented person, and thinks he deserves better, she had a slight crush on him once and it was over. Betty Dean is the actual person who talks to Namor, who tells him "not all human are bad" Susan never does this. Again, brief explainer: Betty Dean was a undercover cop working in New York when Namor starts making trouble in town, she is called in to try and capture/stop him. She pretends to drown when she sees him and Namor upon seeing her says "you are too pretty to die, even though you are an american" he saves her only for her to put a gun to his head, Namor thinks to use Betty against her people but before that goes any further war is upon them. Namor goes off to fight, and comes back after, where Betty talks to Namor about his hatred for humanity and asks him to join in their fight in the war against the Nazis, yes, Namor was the first comic character to be featured fighting Nazis. Namor talks to her about the harm her people have done, and in the end takes her words under consideration, returns home to speak to his tribe elders (his grandfather, Emperor Tha-Korr) and goes to join in the war to help Betty. It's Betty who reaches out to Namor, who tries to talk with him, who becomes his life long friend, and yes I do mean until she's an old woman. She and Namor lost touch for several decades but she reappears in the comics as an old woman, who is still Namor's friend and she even becomes the adopted mother to his cousin, Nita. (Namora's daughter)

"Beauty and the Beast but the beast isnt cursed" like, I don't want to say this but I will say this: That's racist, that is reducing Tenoch!Namor to a beast, a man of color being in that role when he's already faced so much fucking racism from fans? No. I say this as a fan who has devoured every type of Beauty and the Beast story since I was a kid, it's actually one of my most favorite dynamics in writing. I do not want that for Namor, ever. Because he's never a beast, he is a Noble Prince/King of a people who lost everything, their homes, their lives, to colonizers, whether they be Spanish Colonizers or White American Colonizers like in the comics. He's a Protector of this people and the Seas. He has his own romances that actually matter to his character and lore, and the women aren't treated as objects to lust over. He had 3 long term love interests in all his 80 some years of comics that are constantly being ignored so people can prop up NamorSue. Namor was married twice. He was widowed twice. In addition to Betty Dean, there's also Lady Dorma, Namor's first wife, and Marrina Smallwood, Namor's second wife. On another note: I just realized that this would be a love triangle in which two Latino men are fighting over a white woman. Make of that what you will.

I will make of this what I will: It's also racist. This entire thing plays on Namor being the "Aggressive Latino Lover" to Reed being the "wholesome husband" and yes the Sexually Aggressive Man of Color perusing a white woman is literally what NamorSue is in the comics, that's how it's written, no one wanted to see it because Namor had white passing skin, but when you read it it's there. Not to mention that no one ever brings up the fact that all throughout the years of Namor being used as a tool for ReedSue drama, it's hurt his character to the point where Fanon depicts him as hopelessly obsessively in love/lust with Susan, when she is never a major factor in any of his comics. I always tell fans that Namor in his own comics is different that Namor being written for F4 drama with ReedSue because writers are literally never letting that drama die, it makes marvel money, regardless if it's been overdone, regardless if its been explored in many different AUs, regardless if there was never anything there other than bad writing. NamorSue has always been to the determent of Namor's characterization in service to ReedSue.

Also as a final sidenote: If people actually read the comics they would know that Namor 1. gave his blessing for ReedSue getting married/gave them gifts 2. Helped ReedSue get back together twice when their marriage was on the rocks 3. Namor was raped by a shapeshifter wearing Sue's face, and Susan stops Namor from killing Llyra (woman who murdered dorma and namor's father and raped him), like why would anyone still think after all this that just because writers have 1 note for Namor in F4 comics which is "namor makes a pass at susan because she is so beautiful, and so white, and so beautiful" that NamorSue is a good ship or something that should be explored when it's been done to literal death in the comics.

Anyways, I do wish fans would actually take the time to understand the widely spread Fanon about Namor is wrong, and that we do not need to ever see ReedSueNamor drama in the movies or even the comics. I will actually put a plea out here to fans to please stop and think about this before promoting it. Like I do not care if people want to ship stuff on their own, I won't go into those ship spaces, but I do want people to understand that many fans keep repeating the same takes over and over again and it's wrong.

As a Namor fan: Keep that shit NamorSue ship out of the movies forever, he doesn't need that. He is a great character on his own and Susan does deserve to constantly be reduced to a sexual object 2 men fight over, as Marvel's leading lady of comics she deserves much better.

Okay, here’s a thought. If the next Fantastic Four movie attempts to do the Namor-Sue-Reed love triangle, how would that even work? For convenience sake, let’s say the F4 ended up in the MCU after discovering multiversal travel. And when they land on MCU Earth, they encounter Namor.

It’s weird to imagine since Namor is very different from his comic counterpart. His focus is primarily on fighting the surface world/colonizers since he’s still scarred from how the Spanish treated his people. And the MCU’s version of his name is now supposed to be “El Niño sin Amor”, the boy without love. See the dilemma? You’re taking someone who’s supposed to be without love and putting him in a love triangle lol.

(Before I get any comments, I know they didn’t mean romantic love. I’m just saying, it’s kinda funny that the character without love is now in a storyline all about love)

So how would this work? Because right now, I’m just imagining Namor saying, “I hate all colonizers!” before he sees Susan Storm. He then says, “I hate all colonizers…but she’s alright with me!”

On a more serious note, if the writers are willing to dig deep and make this work, I can picture a storyline in which Namor and Sue are forced to spend time together. Maybe Sue is taken to Talokan because Johnny got captured by Namor’s people, so she’s there to negotiate his release. Namor then starts talking about how much he hates the surface world and so on and so forth. But through his interactions with Sue, he slowly starts to soften his perspective since he’s won over by Sue’s kindness and empathy. And, obviously, he thinks she’s gorgeous because she’s Vanessa Kirby. Basically…Beauty and the Beast (but Beast isn’t cursed).

And then, Namor being Namor, he demands that Sue leave Reed Richards and stay with him in Talokan. If not, something something I’ll defeat your husband in mortal combat for your hand in marriage blah blah blah. And then Reed’s gotta fight Namor, Sue makes it a point that she chose Reed, Namor is too stubborn to take the hint, and so on and so forth.

(Side note: I just realized that this would be a love triangle in which two Latino men are fighting over a white woman. Make of that what you will.)

[aroaceleovaldez]

Every description about Nico (especially the canon ones) describing him as “cold” can personally fight me. Nico is jaded, yes, and often closed-off and sometimes stand-offish and defensive but he is not "cold”. He cares SO SO SO MUCH about EVERYONE. He loves and cares with his entire heart constantly and that is a core part of his character. He doesn’t often make public shows of his affection but he takes care to be kind when it matters and doesn’t hide that he does care (usually, the only exception really being him being in the closet, but even then he only hid his crush specifically and not the fact that Percy is important to him). He fine with hugging his friends in front of a crowd and will sit with strangers at a campfire just so they’re not alone. I mean, heck, he’s an extrovert! We know this! He actively seeks out people and gets lonely very quickly and easily! If he can’t talk to living people he will chat with the dead! That’s how much he thrives on being social!

The only time Nico has ever been actively “cold” was the couple of months between TTC and BoTL when he was actively mourning Bianca. Nico is not “cold.” He loves so much and he does show it, just in his own way.

[spicyicymeloncat]

Crying about mao mao and how I’m never going to see that incredibly traumatised cat again

[s0fter-sin]

less a continuation and more of a thought bubble but ghost would hate price in this au

when he pulls him out of the gulag, so many of soap’s new behaviours click into place. things that never made sense to him as a natural progression of who soap was, that aren't just a product of walling himself off and turning his heart to stone

his soap never smoked. always complained when ghost lit up about the damage it did to the lungs, how it would slow him down in the long run

his john, always trying to be the best soldier

that's why seeing him suck on a cigar like it's second nature is so jarring. even more so when he'd only take a few puffs; enough for a taste and to make smoke coil through the air around him. always the same brand, always left to burn down in his fingers

then ghost sees him gift his cigar box to price, something that took pride of place on his desk practically before the man clears medical and seeing the way they both relax as he sets a match to one makes him realise

in an effort to run away from soap, john had tried to mould himself into price

god forbid ghost ever reads soap's journal. he's heard the "what the hell kind of name is soap” story from him, of the first time he'd ever met the captain and if he ever saw his words echoed in john's hand? saw just how far the man had wormed his way, so deep into him that he was speaking with his tongue?

price's monologues, making himself larger than life all in an effort to make this shitstorm feel more grand than just another war they're all trying to live through, acting like he’s being profound when he’s really just dodging anyone that questions him

letting price take roach out from under his wing like soap didn't identify with the kid the second he saw him, all of his self-deprecative habits hitting tenfold as he blames himself for every stray bullet; as if price could've plucked them from the very sky

the way soap steps back without a word of protest to let price command the team he handpicked and price just accepting? like his years of leadership mean nothing, like john means nothing after trying so hard to follow in his footsteps, just to be tossed aside

the rage ghost would feel at his indifference, as if soap’s behaviour is to be expected and not a series of red flags. add the nuke mission and his actions during and after shepherd’s betrayal? ghost would despise him